Okko Kamu, Conductor Hanna-Kaarina Heikinheimo, Flute Jorma Valjakka, Oboe Tuulia Ylönen, Clarinet Jussi Särkkä, Bassoon Jukka Harju, Horn
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Okko Kamu, conductor Hanna-Kaarina Heikinheimo, flute Jorma Valjakka, oboe Tuulia Ylönen, clarinet Jussi Särkkä, bassoon Jukka Harju, horn Jean Sibelius: Pohjola’s Daughter 15 min Jean Sibelius: Rakastava 12 min I Rakastava (The Lover) II Rakastetun tie (The Way of the Lover) III Hyvää iltaa… Jää hyvästi (Good Night…Farewell) INTERVAL 20 min Aulis Sallinen: Chamber Music 7 “Cruselliana”, Op. 98 20 min Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche 18 min Interval at about 7.45 pm. The concert ends at about 8.45 pm. Broadcast live on YLE Radio 1 and the Internet (www.yle.fi/rso). 1 Jean Sibelius (1865–1957): Pohjola’s Daughter (1906) The symphonic fantasyPohjola’s Daughter seems Väinämöinen was in fact an unusually wise man to be not so much about the maiden indicated – and Sibelius a progressive composer. For his in the title as old Väinämöinen, eternal sage idea was to call the piece Väinämöinen or The and another of the characters in the Finnish na- Adventure of a Hero, but the publisher thought tional epic, the Kalevala. The sage is consumed otherwise. with lust for the young lady and as such is a The work begins with soft growling on the character much favoured by the late Romantics. low instruments and timpani, building up to a Eager to prove his manhood, and to this end shimmering vision of Pohjola’s daughter seat- prepared to put up with a lot of humiliation, he ed on a rainbow weaving gold and silver thread always gets rejected by the object of his erotic as her shuttle speeds backwards and forwards. dreams, a fantastically beautiful woman who Väinämöinen decides he must have her and will always remain beyond his reach. From the hastens to woo her. The texture calls forth im- female perspective this is a nice story because ages both of the maiden weaving and the old the woman is not punished for rejecting him, man’s growing desire. Väinämöinen does his as is usually the case in Romantic and Modern- very best to make her change her mind, clatter- ist literature. Instead, he accepts his fate and ing, stamping, puffing and panting, but to no has the sense to absent himself from the scene. avail. She will not have him. Jean Sibelius: Rakastava (1911) Rakastava for string orchestra, triangle and tim- ousness and unremitting desire. pani is partly based on an earlier choral work by Here is a work steeped in post-Romantic Sibelius of the same name, the words of which mystery, blatant fin de siècle eroticism, elegant are from mainly melancholy love poems in the symbolistic nature images and the mournful Kanteletar, a collection of ancient lyrical and mindset for which the Finns are renowned: a lyrical-epic Finnish folk poems. Stripped of its Finnish Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, words, the instrumental version for string or- on a nocturnal path through the fields, a for- chestra nevertheless captures the emotional est, a hay loft, as the picture switches at the turmoil expressed in the poems: the longing for moment of fulfilment to rushes swaying in the love denied, gnawing nostalgia, dreamy sensu- breeze, scudding clouds and a foaming river. Aulis Sallinen: Chamber Music 7 “Cruselliana”, Op. 98 (2008) Chamber Music 7 is a salute from Aulis Sallin- ich. Dominating them all is the idea of roaming en to Uusikaupunki, home of the Crusell Week through various sonorous states and aggres- music festival that commissioned it and the sive identities, an industrial beat, the rhythm town where Sallinen went to school. of everyday life and meditative interludes. The The music is rich in images of the town. US same applies to Cruselliana. The music flows music abounds in examples of city portraits, along as a stream of consciousness à la Virgin- from the romantic mood-painting of George ia Woolf, savouring the fleeting moments. Mo- Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Cop- bile and immobile alternate, for silence and na- land to the soundscapes of Edgar Varèse and ture are also features of this town. the minimalist New York scenes of Steve Re- 2 3 Richard Strauss (1864–1949): Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (1895) This tone poem by Richard Strauss is about a employing a carnivalist aesthetic to which folk hero or “Owl Mirror” who amuses himself Strauss himself was prone. The jester, or art- at others’ expense. ist, is a mirror of truth that reveals the stupid- Stories have been told about him ever since ity, hypocrisy, greed and malice of humankind. the Middle Ages. Strauss based his version on The work begins with a “once upon a time” the novel by Charles de Coster (1867) in which motif, rather as in a story book. This is followed the prankster’s adventures are set in the Neth- by the (anti)hero theme, a jolly horn tune that erlands in the 16th century. The butts of his clambers up and comes somersaulting down. mischief are artisans, farmers and merchants, Absurd ideas are tossed from one instrument to learned men, clergymen and rulers, and he another like a kick in the pants while the cheeky makes them look stupid by interpreting what clarinet cackles with laughter. they say literally, by deliberately misunder- standing them, by acting the country bumpkin, Susanna Välimäki (abridged) with slapstick and anal humour. In other words Okko Kamu His career as a conductor has taken Okko Ka- monic, the Netherlands Radio Symphony Or- mu all over the world since 1969, when, virtu- chestra and the Stockholm Sinfonietta and ally self-taught, he won the international Her- Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmon- bert von Karajan Competition, an achievement ic and the Helsingborg Philharmonic Orchestra. which led to his first recordings with the Ber- He has been Principal Guest Conductor of the lin Philharmonic Orchestra. Born into a fam- City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and ily of musicians where chamber music occu- the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, and since pied an important role, he began playing the 1995 of the Singapore Symphony. From 1996 violin when he was only two. He formed the to 2000 he was Music Director of the Finnish Suhonen Quartet in 1965 and was appointed National Opera. Okko Kamu has conducted leader of the Finnish National Opera Orches- major orchestras in Europe, the United States tra, but soon devoted his time to conducting. (e.g., Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Chief Conductor of the FRSO 1971-77, he has Angeles), Asia and Australia. also been Artistic Director of the Oslo Philhar- Hanna-Kaarina Heikinheimo After graduating from the Sibelius Academy principal piccolo and flute in the FRSO since as a pupil of Mikael Helasvuo, Hanna-Kaari- 1994, plays in the ranks of Avanti!, the Finn- na Heikinheimo continued her studies private- ish Chamber and other orchestras and in the ly in Paris and in numerous masterclasses in It- Respiro wind quintet formed by five orchestral aly, Spain, Canada and elsewhere. She has been colleagues. 2 3 Jorma Valjakka Jorma Valjakka studied the oboe with Celia Orchestra in 1983, later transferring to the Es- Nicklin and Ingo Goritzki in London and Hano- poo City Orchestra (nowadays the Tapiola Sin- ver after graduating from the Sibelius Academy fonietta), and has been principal oboe in the and in 1988 was the winner of the first Crusell FRSO since 1989. A soloist both with the FR- Oboe Competition in Uusikaupunki. He began SO and many of the other Finnish orchestras, is orchestral career in the Turku Philharmonic he has also given solo recitals. Tuulia Ylönen Tuulia Ylönen studied the clarinet as a pupil the Kuhmo, Naantali, Kemiö and Uusikaupun- of Osmo Vänskä, Reijo Koskinen, Kari Kriikku ki music festivals and in many European coun- and Charles Neidich, in London with John Mc- tries. An active champion of contemporary Caw and Michael Collins and in masterclass- Finnish music, she has been a member of the es with Thomas Friedl, György Kurtág, Ralf Zagros and other ensembles. She was principal Gothóni and others. She gave her debut concert clarinettist in the Lahti Symphony Orchestra in 1996, a year after obtaining her clarinet di- 2003-05 and is at present co-leader of the clar- ploma with distinction from the Sibelius Acad- inet section in the orchestra of the Finnish Na- emy. She has appeared in chamber repertoire at tional Opera. Jussi Särkkä Jussi Särkkä’s first professional appointment was as leader of the bassoons in the Joensuu struments. He has been the soloist with many City Orchestra 1981-82. He has since been a Finnish orchestras and is known as an active member of the Helsinki Philharmonic and the chamber musician at the Naantali, Kuhmo and Finnish National Opera Orchestra and is at other chamber music festivals and as a mem- present co-principal bassoon in the FRSO. He ber of the Kerberos and Schrat ensembles. Jussi is also a founder member of the Avanti! Cham- Särkkä has been Artistic Director of the Crusell ber Orchestra, leader of his section in the Finn- Week in Uusikaupunki since 2006. ish Chamber Orchestra, and plays period in- Jukka Harju Jukka Harju’s career as a horn player can really al Stockholm Philharmonic. Outside Finland he be said to date back to when he was 11 years old has featured as a soloist and chamber musician and appeared with the RTÉ National Sympho- in Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Italy, Can- ny Orchestra in an EBU Young Musicians con- ada, Germany and Japan. Victory in the Holger cert. As a youngster he already distinguished Fransman Horn Competition in 2005 won him himself in many national and international the title of Brass Player of the Year at the Liek- competitions.