13 SEPTEMBER THURSDAY SERIES 1 Helsinki Music Centre at 7 pm Osmo Vänskä, conductor Anna-Kristiina Kaappola, soprano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Exsultate, jubilate, motet for soprano and orchestra KV 165 16 min I Exsultate, jubilate (aria) (Allegro) – Fulget amica dies (recitative) II Tu virginum corona (aria) (Andante) III Alleluja (Allegro) INTERVAL 20 min Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 7 in E Minor 80 min I Langsam (Adagio) II Nachtmusik (Allegro moderato) III Scherzo (Schattenhaft) IV Nachtmusik (Andante amoroso) V Rondo finale (Tempo I (Allegro ordinario) – Tempo II (Allegro moderato ma energico) Interval at about 7.25 pm. The concert ends at about 9.15 pm. 1 WOLFGANG AMADEUS Mozart confines himself to the “per- missible” ones (though French horns MOZART (1756–1791): are not really woodwinds), but cared EXSULTATE, JUBILATE not a jot for the ban on operatic de- vices. The work as a whole is like one For ten years beginning in 1771, the big aria with an introductory Allegro, a young Mozart served at the court of the recitative, a soft, slower section and a Archbishop of Salzburg, Hieronymus brilliant finale. In the first part Mozart Colloredo. The Archbishop was a man assigns the oboes solo roles as a coun- of strict doctrinal principles and ruled terbalance to the singer, while in the with a tyrant’s rod. Naturally, a free spi- slow movement the violas are the ma- rit such as Mozart would not find life at jor source of colour. In the finale, brim- this court in any way to his taste, and ming with intricate patterns, the text the sound of the door slamming as he confines itself to a single word: Alleluja. finally resigned from the Archbishop’s But as if to mock the directive, Mozart service still echoes as one of the le- turns it into knots, twisting, stretching gends in musical history. But even in and padding it out to his heart’s con- these early years, Mozart took any op- tent and letting the stress fall on just portunity to violate the church’s musi- any of the syllables as the mood takes cal norms. This was most easily done him. Its mission – to praise the Lord – on his concert tours. The turn of the is nevertheless magnificently accomp- year 1772–1773 found him in Milan, lished! for the performance of his opera Lucio Silla. Singing the title role was Venanzio GUSTAV MAHLER Rauzzini, a castrato famous for his (1860–1911): enormous vocal range who “sang like an angel and was an admirable actor”. SYMPHONY NO. 7 With several hundred kilometres bet- ween him and the Archbishop’s beady Gustav Mahler wrote his Symphony eye, Mozart was emboldened to com- No. 7 in E Minor in three stages: the pose for Rauzzini a work that is a da- two slow movements in summer 1904, ring combination of church and opera- the other three in summer 1905, and tic music: Exsultate, jubilate. It may, on then, in spring 1906, he orchestrated, the other hand, be regarded as a motet corrected and edited the whole thing. with a cheerful text in Latin urging the As a rule, he had no time at all for singer/listener to rejoice, to sing sweet composing during the busy concert songs and to beseech the Virgin Mary seasons. He conducted the premiere for peace and consolation. Then again, of his Seventh Symphony in Prague in it may also be conceived of as a virtuo- September 1908. so vocal concerto allowing the soprano Although the slow movements are to show off and to shine in wonderful the only ones with titles (Nachtmusik, melodies. In his choice of instruments “Night Music”), there is no doubt that 2 the first four all, in their own way, ref- image any maiden on a balcony being lect the nocturnal landscape and at- so smitten by such a performance that mosphere, anxiety and sweet dreams. she would toss the player a rose and The first Nachtmusik (Allegro mode- blow him a kiss. What is important is rato) could, as hinted by Mahler him- that, despite the degree of distortion, self, be imagined as a tableau showing the music has taken a turn in a less the night watch marching through dif- uneasy direction. This is made clear ferent landscapes. As in the first mo- right at the start of the finale Rondo. vement, Mahler again uses a march Care has been well and truly cast asi- rhythm, but for a quite different pur- de, the orchestra thunders in C major pose. The watch sets off at a signal and pulls all the stops out. The tempo from a horn on the platform to which marking is Allegro ordinario (“Ordinary a horn hidden backstage replies from Allegro”) – one rare for Mahler – and afar. The detachment marches along at is presumably intended as a tribute to a leisurely pace in C minor, the mood the Viennese tradition. Even for an al- changing as it comes to different envi- ways unpredictable composer, this is ronments (episodes in A flat major and an unexpected way to end a sympho- F minor). There is also a nature idyll ny. The anxiety is merely surface deep complete with metaphorical cowbells. and from then onwards the mood is Unlike most of Mahler’s inner move- jubilant all the way home. A new day ments, the Scherzo is short and mar- dawns! ked Schattenhaft (”Shadow-like”). The misty twilight of the first movement Jouni Kaipainen (abridged) is now a threatening spectre, the am- biance frosty and bleak. Mahler makes bone-chilling use of distancing effects OSMO VÄNSKÄ familiar from other contexts: huge leaps in the melody and its chopping into bite-sized pieces, mewing glissan- Praised for his intense, dynamic perfor- dos and sizzling pizzicatos. The drowsy mances, Osmo Vänskä was appointed night watch of the previous movement Music Director of the Minnesota has suddenly found itself caught up in Orchestra in 2003. Conductor and or- a dance of death! chestra have together since won great The second Nachtmusik is quite unli- acclaim and, among other things, give ke the first. Mahler calls in more instru- an annual concert series at Carnegie ments not familiar to a symphony or- Hall, New York. Maestro Vänskä’s term chestra, a guitar and a mandolin, and with the Minnesota Orchestra runs un- uses them to create a serenade Italian til 2015. in style. Or should one say: “constructs Before Minnesota, Osmo Vänskä was a Mahlerian caricature of a serenade”, Artistic Director of the Lahti Symphony because although the music is, in pla- Orchestra from 1988. He has also ces, tenderly gentle, it is difficult to been Chief Conductor of the Tapiola 3 Sinfonietta, the Iceland Symphony Anna-Kristiina Kaappola can be heard Orchestra and the BBC Scottish on disc in, among others, Beethoven’s Symphony Orchestra. He regularly con- Ninth Symphony, the opera Aslak ducts top orchestras the world over, Hetta by Armas Launis with the Finnish in New York and Philadelphia as in Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted Munich, Boston, Leipzig, Chicago, the by Sakari Oramo, and in Mozart’s The UK and Amsterdam. His record releases Magic Flute. Forthcoming engage- with the Minnesota Orchestra include ments and recordings will take her to the complete Beethoven symphonies, various parts of Finland, to Germany, the Tchaikovsky piano concertos with France and Italy. She will be making Stephen Hough and the Beethoven her debut as Violetta (Verdi: La travia- piano concertos with Yevgeny Sudbin. ta), Alice Ford (Verdi: Falstaff) and Mrs. Mr Vänskä has been granted an ho- Wordsworth (Britten: Albert Herring). norary doctorate from the University of Glasgow and the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for his outstanding contribution to classical music. He was THE FINNISH RADIO named Musical America’s Conductor of SYMPHONY the Year 2005. ORCHESTRA The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra ANNA-KRISTIINA (FRSO) is the orchestra of the Finnish KAAPPOLA Broadcasting Company (yle). Its missi- on is to produce and promote Finnish musical culture. Its Chief Conductor as Anna-Kristiina Kaappola is known abo- of autumn 2013 will be Hannu Lintu, ve all for her magnificent renderings of following a season (2012/2013) as the the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor. Magic Flute, in Paris, at Covent Garden The FRSO has two Honorary in London, the New York Metropolitan Conductors: Jukka-Pekka Saraste and and elsewhere. She has also appeared Sakari Oramo. at the Berlin State Opera, La Scala, The Radio Orchestra of ten players Milan, in Salzburg and at the Savonlinna founded in 1927 grew to symphony or- Opera Festival, and is a member of the chestra strength in the 1960s. Its pre- solo ensemble of the Finnish National vious Chief Conductors have been Opera. Other roles in her repertoire in- Toivo Haapanen, Nils-Eric Fougstedt, clude Konstanze, Adele, Galathea and Paavo Berglund, Okko Kamu, Leif Gilda. She has been the soloist with or- Segerstam and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. chestras many times, and under such The latest contemporary music is conductors as Esa-Pekka Salonen and a major item in the repertoire of the Riccardo Muti. FRSO, which each year premieres a 4 number of yle commissions. Another of the orchestra’s tasks is to record all Finnish orchestral music for the yle ar- chive. During the 2012/2013 season it will premiere six works commissioned by yle. The FRSO has recorded works by Eötvös, Nielsen, Hakola, Lindberg, Saariaho, Sallinen, Kaipainen, Kokkonen and others, and the debut disc of the opera Aslak Hetta by Armas Launis. Its discs have reaped some major distinc- tions, such as the BBC Music Magazine Award and the Académie Charles Cros Award.