Ann-Elise Hannikainen performed as soloist for her own Piano Concerto at a concert by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra at the Helsinki Festival in 1976. In her tone language, one can hear a touch of Messiaen or de Falla, yet her style is still unique and strong. Growing up in the international atmosphere of a diplomatic family, Hannikainen established her career primarily in Spain in the 1970s and 1980s. In this concert, the soloist is Ossi Tanner, who has been described as a young aristocrat of the piano.
The deeply religious Anton Bruckner dedicated his last, unfinished symphony “To my beloved God – if he accepts it”.
Susanna Mälkki
Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra since 2016 and Principal Guest Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2017, Susanna Mälkki is a regular guest with the world’s most illustrious orchestras and at such opera houses as La Scala, the New York Metropolitan and the Vienna State Opera. From 2006 to 2013 she was Artistic Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris on the invitation of Pierre Boulez and has conducted the premieres of works by many of the greatest contemporary composers. Beginning her career as a cellist and winning the Turku Cello Competition in 1994, she spent three years as principal cello in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Susanna Mälkki is a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in France, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London and a member of the Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien in Stockholm.
Ossi Tanner
Ossi Tanner, even called the Poet of the Piano, is the Winner of the two major national competitions in Finland: Tampere Piano Competition 2017 and Leevi Madetoja Piano Competition 2015. During the last years, he has more and more been performing as a soloist with the leading Finnish orchestras. He has performed with e.g. the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Lahti Symphony Orchestra and the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra.
Ossi Tanner has performed at almost all the leading festivals of classical music in Finland and in over ten European countries, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. He has shared the stage with many important musicians, for example the Brentano Quartet, Kerem Hasan, Hannu Lintu, Klaus Mäkelä, Sakari Oramo, Eiji Oue, and Joshua Weilerstein.
Ann-Elise Hannikainen: Piano Concerto
Ann-Elise Hannikainen (1946–2012) was a Finnish pianist and composer but, the daughter of diplomat parents, spent most of her youth abroad. She began taking piano lessons in Peru and on later entering the Sibelius Academy had hardly ever lived in Finland. When rheumatoid arthritis put an end to a career as a concert pianist, she decided to concentrate on composing. In the 1970s and 1980s she lived in Spain, where she was influenced by the colour, harmonies and airy orchestration of Manuel de Falla. She composed her Piano Concerto of 1976 in honour of Falla on his centenary and it was premiered in Helsinki in that same year. The soloist was Hannikainen herself and the Helsinki Philharmonic was conducted by Falla’s best-known pupil, Ernesto Halffter; he was also her teacher and later her partner. The two-movement concerto got a mixed press in Finland but more favourable reviews in Spain.
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor
Anton Bruckner (1824–1896) was still writing his ninth symphony when he died. He had been working on it for nearly a decade but kept having to put it aside. He was, furthermore, a perfectionist, kept revising it and heeding others’ opinions; he even let his pupils meddle with it. This explains why he completed only three movements, though indeed most of the fourth as well, but some of the material then got lost and scholars have been trying to reconstruct this ever since. The symphony is therefore often performed in three movements only and exists in several versions. The one performed tonight was made by Leopold Nowak (1904–1991), who produced critical Bruckner editions from the 1940s onwards.
For a Bruckner symphony, the ninth is unusually full of dissonances and sombre tones. A devout Catholic, Bruckner intended to dedicate it to “the beloved God”, and it might well be described as a journey from darkness to light. He called the third, Adagio, movement a “farewell to life”.
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.
You can give the ticket to a friend or donate it to a music student by calling 09-3102 2700 or sending an e-mail to helsinki.philharmonic@hel.fi by 3pm on the day of the concert.
