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22.3. FRIDAY SERIES 11 Helsinki Music Centre at 19:00 Ryan Wigglesworth, conductor Sophie Bevan, soprano Ryan Wigglesworth: Till Dawning (George Herbert) 21 min The Agonie Redemption The Dawning Easter II INTERVAL 20 min Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor 68 min I Trauermarsch (In gemessenem Schritt – Streng – Wie ein Kondukt) II Stürmischer bewegt, mit größter Vehemenz III Scherzo (Kräftig, nicht zu schnell) IV Adagietto (Sehr langsam) – V Rondo-Finale (Allegro – Allegro giocoso. Frisch) MEET THE COMPOSER: Thomas Larcher will be interviewed in English by Eva Tigerstedt at 18:00, before the concert, in the lower foyer. Interval at about 19:35. The concert will end at about 21:15. Broadcast live on Yle radio 1 and streamed at Yle Areena. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR MOBILE PHONE IS SWITCHED OFF! Photographing, video and sound recording are prohibited during the concert. 1 RYAN WIGGLESWORTH Britten, Wigglesworth enjoys working with singers and spends a lot of time (B. 1979): TILL seeking out texts that work well with DAWNING music. Examples here are the religious poems by the English priest George Born in Sheffield, UK, Ryan Wigglesworth Herbert (1593–1633) set by composers began his musical career as a chorister from Purcell to Britten. and later studied the piano, orchestral Continuing along this line is the or- conducting and composition at Oxford chestral song cycle Till Dawning – again University and the Guildhall School of to texts by Herbert – commissioned by Music & Drama. Composing and perfor- the Grafenegg Festival in Austria and ming have, for him, always been inext- the London Philharmonic Orchestra. ricably interwoven. As a student, he The soloist at the premiere conduct- conducted works of his own and con- ed by the composer in August 2018 temporaries, and he regards both roles was Sophie Bevan. The main item on as two sides of the same coin, as did the programme at this concert was Mahler and Strauss in their day. His Bruckner’s ninth symphony ending greatest source of inspiration has, ho- with the Angst-ridden Adagio. The wever, been Oliver Knussen, both as proud, sweeping soprano line seems to conductor and composer: “His music is be rooted in the German tradition rep- the best proof that you must write what resented by Strauss and Berg. you always wanted to hear yourself, not Acting as the starting point for what you think you should compose,” Wigglesworth’s Till Dawning is the un- he said in an interview. finished finale of Bruckner’s last sym- Wigglesworth drew nationwide at- phony. Bruckner had intended to end tention conducting the BBC Symphony his symphony with an optimistic cel- Orchestra in his own Sternenfall ebration of the Resurrection by us- (2008), commissioned by the BBC. ing the Catholic hymn Der Heiland ist This was soon followed by The Genesis erstanden (The Redeemer is Risen). of Secrecy (2009), and the song cycle Wigglesworth wanted to use elements Augenlieder (2009) – settings of po- of this in his song cycle. The poems by ems by Browning, Schiele, Rimbaud George Herbert in the posthumously and Berryman. He has conducted a lot published collection The Temple (1633) of opera, and his own debut opera, The paint the joy of Easter and the dawn- Winter’s Tale based on Shakespeare’s ing of new life in the most original of play, was premiered at English National terms: Christ’s torment and crucifixion, Opera in 2017. the idea of redemption, and joy at the Successor to Benjamin Britten is how resurrection. Wigglesworth is sometimes described. Says Wigglesworth: “Till Dawning is And indeed, both share a direct mode bound together by the reoccurrence of dramatic expression that permits of a single melody, stated successive- even sharply modernist effects. Like ly by the piano and voice at the out- 2 set of the first song. Hidden for much have been condemned to death and to of Redemption, the melody reappears, be marching to the gallows. Mahler’s complete, at the beginning of The own recording on a pianola brings out Dawning, and forms the basis of the fi- the brisk tempo and the impulsiveness. nal, climatic choral in the closing song. In the second movement, the or- In each song the piano also obsessively chestra, time and again beats down maintains a single repetitive figure, un- the more optimistic theme of the first related to the principal melody, which movement, with reappearances of the serves as a further binding device.” mournful march motif. At the climax, the trumpet fanfares swell to a brass chorale, only to be crushed to a whis- per. GUSTAV MAHLER The third movement is the sympho- (1860–1911): ny’s watershed, operating with dream and reality, dance and scherzo charac- SYMPHONY NO. 5 ters. A rustic Ländler alternates with a nostalgic waltz. A breath of nature, The symphony in C-sharp minor – his loneliness and sighing forests seems to fifth – of 1901–1902 was the first -pu chase away the tragedy of the preced- rely instrumental work composed by ing movements. Voicing the subcon- Gustav Mahler since his first sympho- scious messages is a solo horn, a real ny. It marked the dawn of a new era in “Wunderhorn” that finally leads the which the poetic inspiration was, while music to an explosive coda. still present, less obvious to the liste- The magic of the Adagietto has ner. It also represented a shift from a served both in films (Visconti’s Death romantic to a more realistic style. in Venice) and at funerals (John F. and The basic symmetrical scheme of Robert Kennedy). It exudes a feel- the fifth symphony is akin to that of ing of calm and resignation similar to the second. Again it travels from dark- that of the Rückert song “Ich bin der ness (C-sharp minor) to light (D ma- Welt abhanden gekommen”. The finale, jor), with the Scherzo as the half-way continuing without a break from the point. The first two movements are de- Adagietto, presents a host of folk-like spairing but also pointedly ironic. The tunes and brings back the theme of Trauermarsch is possibly the most im- the Adagietto. It is not without humour pressive of Mahler’s funereal move- and a touch of sarcasm, but the main ments, and the similarity of the open- thing is the ability to accept life in all ing trumpet fanfare with Beethoven’s its diversity, and the movement ends in “fate” motto is no coincidence. festive mood with a mighty brass cho- The exposition of the first movement rale. harks back to the fourth symphony and the slightly earlier Wunderhorn song Programme notes by Antti Häyrynen Der Tambourg’sell: innocence seems to translated (abridged) by Susan Sinisalo 3 RYAN WIGGLESWORTH Ryan Wigglesworth studied at New College, Oxford and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Between Born in Yorkshire, England in 1979, 2007 and 2009 he was a Lecturer at Ryan Wigglesworth has established Cambridge University. He was recent- himself as one of the foremost com- ly appointed Richard Rodney Bennett poser-conductors of his generation. He Professor at the Royal Academy of was Principal Guest Conductor of the Music, taking over from Oliver Knussen, Hallé Orchestra from 2015 to 2018 and who died last year, and in this capacity is at present Composer in Residence will direct Academy concerts, includ- at English National Opera. The many ing those by its specialist new music great orchestras he has guest con- group, the Manson Ensemble. He will ducted include the Bavarian Radio also teach composition. Symphony, the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, the European Chamber Orchestra and the SOPHIE BEVAN Ensemble Intercontemporain. Also a pianist, Wigglesworth has furthermo- English lyric soprano Sophie Bevan has re appeared in the dual role of soloist/ made a fine career on both opera and conductor in Mozart’s Piano Concerto concert stage. Brought up in a musi- No. 9. cal family, she studied at the Royal In addition to ENO, Ryan College of Music in London. Recipient Wigglesworth has conducted opera of the 2010 Critics’ Circle award for at, among others, Covent Garden. He Exceptional Young Talent in 2010, she opened the 2012 Aldeburgh Festival went on to win the Times Breakthrough with performances of Oliver Knussen’s Award at the 2012 South Bank Sky Arts Where the Wild Things Are and Higglety Awards and the Young Singer award at Pigglety Pop! in celebration of the com- the 2013 inaugural International Opera poser’s 60th birthday. In February 2017 Awards. he made his debut at ENO conducting Sophie Bevan made her Covent the premiere of his opera The Winter’s Garden debut in 2013, as the Woodbird Tale based on Shakespeare’s play. in Wagner’s Siegfried, and has since re- As a conductor, Wigglesworth is turned to sing Pamina in The Magic much sought after in repertoire rang- Flute, Ilia in Idomeneo, Susanna in The ing from Baroque to the present day. Marriage of Figaro, Antigone in Enescu’s He has conducted dozens of pre- Oedipe, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier mieres, of works by composers such as and Beatriz in Thomas Adès’s The Harrison Birtwistle, Alexander Goehr, Exterminating Angel. She also sang the Oliver Knussen and Elliott Carter. His last of these roles at the work’s premiere Birtwistle disc with the Hallé Orchestra performance at the Salzburg Festival won both Gramophone and BBC Music in summer 2016. She sang Hermione Magazine awards. in the premiere of Wigglesworth’s The 4 Winter’s Tale at ENO in February 2017; ers formed in 1927 later grew to sym- other roles at ENO have included phony orchestra size in the 1960s.