25 JANUARY WEDNESDAY SERIES 10 Helsinki Music Centre at 7 Pm
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25 JANUARY WEDNESDAY SERIES 10 Helsinki Music Centre at 7 pm Santtu-Matias Rouvali, conductor Juliana Avdeeva, piano Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21 30 min I Maestoso II Larghetto III Allegro vivace INTERVAL 20 MIN Max Savikangas: Whisked Whistle for symphony orchestra, fp (YLE commission) 10 min Leos Janáček: Taras Bulba, Rhapsody for Orchestra 23 min I The death of Andrei II The death of Ostap III The prophecy and the death of Taras Bulba Interval at about 7.45 pm. The concert ends at about 8.55 pm. Broadcast live on YLE Radio 1 and the Internet (yle.fi/rso). 1 FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN MAX SAVIKANGAS: 1810–1849): WHISKED WHISTLE FOR PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The Piano Concertos of Frédéric Chopin Max Savikangas is a composer and violist continue the “brilliant” tradition of the early and holds a Master’s degree in music. His 19th century. By this is meant works compo- oeuvre of over 90 items comprises instru- sed by travelling virtuosi for their own use mental, vocal and electronic music, cros- and leaving the orchestra as a mere foil for sover works and combinations thereof. He their brilliance. The reasons lay not merely describes his compositions and the one now in the virtuosi’s inflated ego; they were also to be premiered as follows: distinctly practical. For while on tour, pia- “The seeds of my compositions often nists had to manage with orchestras that emerge as a result of improvisation and ten- varied in both standard and size, and it was tative experiment: I enjoy improvising on therefore safest to make the orchestra part the viola and savouring all kinds of sound as easy as possible. events. As a rule, some of the spontaneo- The soloist worship is already very prono- us ideas and sounds thus generated live on unced in the first movement of the F minor in my mind and begin to lead a life of their concerto. The independent orchestral pas- own, ending up as the points of departure sages are confined to the initial exposition for written-out compositions. and the brief tutti sections framing the de- “It is the strings that carry along my ten- velopment, and the orchestra is assigned minute orchestral work Whisked Whistle virtually no counter-subjects or comments. (2012) now receiving its first performan- The piano is so dominant, in fact, that there ce. My instructions for the technique that is no need for any solo cadenzas. lent the work its name read as follows: ‘To Of the three movements, the romantical- be played sul pont./quasi flag. Quick, whis- ly dreamy slow one most clearly points to king and exaggerated arm vibrato in which the mature Chopin and has sometimes been the fingering finger slides up and down the called his first Nocturne. He himself claimed string. The aim is to produce a wailing, pun- that it was inspired by his infatuation for the gent and whisking sound slightly reminis- young singer Konstancja Gladkowska. The cent of the reverberation on an electric gui- dreaming is nevertheless interrupted by a tar.’ Other extended string techniques and scene in which string tremolos accompany sounds that feature in the work are sul tasto hectic unison figures on the piano. pan, circular bowing, crackle, whistle stac- Before writing his Piano Concertos, cato, rumble and bursting. Chopin had aroused most attention at home “The variation of and tension between in Poland for a few works based on natio- contrasting timbres propels the piece along, nal dance rhythms. In the finales of his Piano on equal terms with the six-part harmony Concertos he likewise allows room for dan- developed by me and the other, more tra- ce rhythms, and above all the mazurka in the ditional, devices (timbre should here be un- fresh, lively Rondo of the F minor concerto. derstood broadly as an umbrella term for Kimmo Korhonen (abridged) 2 3 all the components of the sound event). Polish girl in true Romeo-and-Juliet spirit. The hoots, wails, hisses, gushes, whispers, The opening cor anglais melody expres- crackles and buzzes dimly heard in the work ses Andrei’s inner doubt and the later oboe are thus by no means effects and seaso- melody his love, but the two atmosphe- nings added afterwards; they are an organic ric scenes are separated by some threate- part of the expression. ning elements and finally, accompanied by “Beginning my first composition for a lar- dotted motifs on the trombones, tuba and ge symphony orchestra is the viola section; low strings, Taras Bulba the father kills his being myself a composer-violist and a fan of son, who has now gone over to the enemy. the viola sound and the FRSO viola section, I The death of Ostap tells of Taras Bulba’s el- did not really have any alternative. der son, who is captured by the Poles. The “I warmly thank the Radio Symphony sharp figure on the violins against harp ar- Orchestra for its collaboration! Commissions peggios later provides the accompaniment are a valuable element of the orchestra’s for a motif that in turn acquires a delicate. profile and a major support for Finnish or- lyrical character and portrays Ostap’s fate. chestral music.” The end half of the movement is dominated by the Poles’ boisterous victory dance and a Max Savikangas torture scene in which Ostap is finally killed. In the last movement Taras Bulba is him- self captured by the Poles. He is nailed to LEOŠ JANÁČEK a tree and burnt, but before he dies he has (1854–1928): a vision of his people’s victory. The move- ment ends in confident, triumphant mood. TARAS BULBA In referring to the final scene Janáček said that no fire or torture in the world is strong Leoš Janáček, a Pan-Slav and a strong advo- enough to destroy the vitality of the Russian cate of Slav unity, often looked to Russia as people. a source of inspiration. He read the Russian classics with ease in the original language Kimmo Korhonen (abridged) and often used subjects he found in them as ideas for compositions. The most inte- resting of his works on Russian subjects SANTTU-MATIAS ROUVALI is, from the Pan-Slavic perspective, ne- vertheless his symphonic rhapsody Taras The conducting career of Santtu-Matias Bulba. Based on the historical novel of the Rouvali has rapidly progressed in leaps same name by Nikolai Gogol, it tells of the and bounds. In addition to studying in the fight against the Poles by the 17th-century conducting class of Leif Segerstam, Jorma Ukrainian Cossack leader Taras Bulba. Panula and Hannu Lintu since 2007, he has The three movements of Taras Bulba focus already appeared with major symphony or- on three deaths. The leading character in chestras both in Finland and abroad. Before the first is Taras Bulba’s younger son Andrei turning to conducting, he studied percussi- (or Andri), who has fallen in love with a on in the Junior Sibelius Academy. 2 3 In July 2011 Santtu-Matias was announ- Scherbakov in 2003. Even after gradua- ced by the Los Angeles Philharmonic as ting with distinction from both Zurich and a Dudamel Conducting Fellow; under this Moscow, she continued her studies at the programme, four young conductors re- international Piano Academy Lake Como in ceive personal tuition, get to conduct the Italy. Her large repertoire takes in both Bach Philharmonic and, for example, take part and 20th-century music. She is particular- in its education projects. Santtu-Matias ly interested in early period instruments has also been an Artist in Association of and has, for example, performed on an early the Tapiola Sinfonietta in Finland since Erard piano with the Orchestra of the Age of September 2011. Meanwhile, he will con- Enlightenment. Her engagements in the au- tinue to work in close partnership with tumn just ended included a solo appearance the FRSO. He has been assistant to Sakari with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra un- Oramo at Kokkola Opera Summer since der Herbert Blomstedt and a concert tour to 2009 and there conducted such produc- Japan and Taiwan. This season she also gi- tions as Bizet’s Carmen and Mozart’s The ves recitals at the Zurich Tonhalle, in Spain Magic Flute. and Italy, and she will in the near future be During the present season Santtu-Matias touring the United States with the Warsaw makes his debut with the City of Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra. Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Symphony, the Hessen Radio Symphony and the Copenhagen Philharmonic. THE FINNISH RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA JULIANA AVDEEVA Juliana Avdeeva made her breakthrough on The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra winning the International Frédéric Chopin (FRSO) is the orchestra of the Finnish Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2010. This Broadcasting Company (YLE). Its mission led to appearances with such prestigious or- is to produce and promote Finnish musi- chestras as the New York Philharmonic and cal culture. Its Chief Conductor since 2003 the Japanese RSO and recitals in London, has been Sakari Oramo. The new Chief at the Mariinsky Theatre, the Prague Spring Conductor as of autumn 2013 will be Hannu and Montpellier Festivals. In addition to Lintu, following a season (2012/2013) as the Chopin Competition she has won the the orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor. Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Poland, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, now the orchestra’s the Bremen Piano Competition in 2003 and Honorary Conductor, was Chief Conductor the Geneva Piano Competition in 2006. 1987-2001 and still collaborates closely Beginning her piano studies as a pupil with the orchestra.