Chief conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste takes us on a journey into a piece where the leisurely fervor and intimate lyricism characteristic of Bruckner’s music are at their most beautiful. “Listening to Bronfman play Beethoven’s familiar concerto is like being in a crowded room when suddenly a profound conversationalist begins to speak and everyone just steps back to listen with rapt attention.” (Chicago Sun-Times)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) once had hopes of making a career as a pianist, but his growing deafness made this impossible. The piano nevertheless occupied a major role in his music from the 1780s onwards. His third piano concerto was premiered at a concert in 1803, along with his second symphony and the oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives. The concerto was finished only at the very last moment and at the performance the ink was, according to Ignaz von Seyfried, called upon to turn the pages, barely dry; the pages were, furthermore, virtually empty apart from a few “Egyptian hieroglyphics” scribbled down to serve the soloist as cues. In other words, Beethoven played virtually from memory.
Whereas the first two Beethoven piano concertos are rather in the classical style of Haydn and Mozart, the third is a product of the romantic Sturm und Drang. The soloist is something of a solitary ‘hero’ in combat with a large collective – the orchestra. The very choice of key, C minor, is defiant. Like the Pathétique sonata and the third, Fate symphony, the third piano concerto is a dramatic work.
Anton Bruckner (1824–1896) was renowned for his symphonies in which Late-Romantic expression meets Classical counterpoint. Lengthy and leisurely, they did not immediately appeal to either critics or audiences. His music was morbid and hard on the ears, they said, to which he replied: “They want me to write differently. Certainly I could do, but I must not. God has given me, of all people, this talent. It is to Him that I must give account.”
No sooner had Bruckner completed his sixth symphony in September 1881 than he began work on his seventh. Two years would nevertheless pass before it was finished, and another year before it was premiered in Leipzig. For once, it got an ecstatic reception, and it is possibly still his most popular symphony. The reason is obvious: its melodies are exceptionally beautiful and its mood is warm.
The first movement opens with a long theme Bruckner said he had heard in a dream. He wrote the second in early 1883, after hearing that Wagner, whom he admired, was fatally ill. The third is, despite its minor key, bright and boisterous, and the fourth, having developed three themes, ends with the main theme of the first movement bellowed out by the brass.
Christian Holmqvist
Pianist Yefim Bronfman (born 1958) is recognised as one of the most acclaimed pianists of our time, and acknowledged by audiences and the press alike. According to The New York Times, he is a pianist with 'seemingly limitless technique’.
Bronfman has collaborated with esteemed conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, Herbert Blomstedt, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, Christoph von Dohnányi, Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Daniele Gatti, Valery Gergiev, Alan Gilbert, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sir Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jaap van Zweden, Franz Welser-Möst, and David Zinman.
Bronfman has been nominated for six Grammy Awards, winning in 1997 with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Born in Tashkent in the Soviet Union, Yefim Bronfman emigrated to Israel with his family in 1973 and became an American citizen in 1989. He studied with Arie Vardi, Rudolf Firkušný, Leon Fleisher, and Rudolf Serkin. He is a recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize and holds an honorary doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music.
Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, has established himself as one of the outstanding conductors of his generation. Born in Finland in 1956, he began his career as a violinist. Today, he is renowned as an artist of exceptional versatility and breadth.
Saraste has previously held principal conductorships at the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and has served as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. As a guest conductor, he appears with major orchestras worldwide, including the Orchestre de Paris, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestras of Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Coaching and mentoring young musicians is of great importance to Saraste. He is a founding member of the LEAD! Foundation, a mentorship programme for young conductors and soloists.
| Violin 1 Pekka Kauppinen Jukka Merjanen Kreeta-Julia Heikkilä Katariina Jämsä Kati Kuusava Helmi Kuusi Elina Lehto Ilkka Lehtonen Jani Lehtonen Petri Päivärinne Kalinka Pirinen Harry Rayner Angeles Salas Salas Satu Savioja Elina Viitasaari Anna Tanskanen Violin 2 Otto Antikainen Anna-Leena Haikola Kamran Omarli Teija Kivinen Teppo Ali-Mattila Eva Ballaz Heini Eklund Dhyani Gylling Anna-Maria Huohvanainen Liam Mansfield Krista Rosenberg Virpi Taskila Sirkku Helin Viola Atte Kilpeläinen Torsten Tiebout Lotta Poijärvi Petteri Poijärvi Aulikki Haahti-Turunen Tuomas Huttunen Ulla Knuuttila Carmen Moggach Liisa Orava Mariette Reefman Markus Sallinen Hajnalka Standi-Pulakka Cello Tuomas Ylinen Beata Antikainen Jaakko Rajamäki Jaani Helander Veli-Matti Iljin Ilmo Saaristo Saara Särkimäki Johannes Välja Tommi Wesslund Sami Mäkelä Bass Tuomo Matero Paul Aksman Eero Ignatius Venla Lahti Tomi Laitamäki Adrian Rigopulos Miranda Erlich Saara Lassila | Flute Niamh McKenna Päivi Korhonen Oboe Paula Malmivaara Jussi Jaatinen Clarinet Osmo Linkola Anna-Maija Korsimaa Bassoon Markus Tuukkanen Erkki Suomalainen Horn Lauri Vasala Ville Hiilivirta Mika Paajanen Miska Miettunen Sam Parkkonen Joonas Seppelin Marian Strandenius Erno Toikka Trumpet Thomas Bugnot Pasi Pirinen Michael Olsen Mika Tuomisalo Trombone Valtteri Malmivirta Jussi Vuorinen Teppo Alestalo Tuba Ilkka Marttila Timpani Tomi Wikström Percussion Xavi Castelló Aràndiga Pasi Suomalainen |
Yes, but only before or after the concert. During the concert we just want you to enjoy the music. This way you won’t disturb the musicians or other audience members.
Only the orchestra has a dress code. You can dress as you like.
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