Four soft beats of the timpani invite the listener to take part in Beethoven’s violin concerto. The soloist is the brilliant Swedish violinist Ava Bahari, whose path has taken her from Suzuki lessons to solo performances with the world's top orchestras.
When Montreal turned 375, it received its own symphony from composer Samy Moussa. The city’s motto ‘Concordia salus’ contains the idea of salvation through harmony.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) wrote his only violin concerto at considerable speed in 1806 for the Austrian virtuoso Franz Clement. He completed the score only two days before the premiere in Vienna, so the soloist had to sight read it. Judging from the reviews, Clement improvised between the movements, and also played a piece of his own holding his violin upside down. One critic wrote: “As regards Beethoven’s concerto, the verdict of the experts is unanimous; while they acknowledge that it contains some fine things, they agree that the continuity often seems to be completely disrupted, and that the endless repetition of a few commonplace passages could easily prove wearisome.” The second performance was not until 1844. This time the soloist was the young Joseph Joachim, and the concerto has since become one of the cornerstones of the violin concerto repertoire. The solo part is far from easy, yet it is melodic and warmly appealing rather than excessively virtuosic. Beethoven did not himself provide a cadenza.
Christian Holmqvist
Violinist Ava Bahari (born 1996 in Sweden) is Artist in Residence with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in the 2024–2025 season.
Bahari has performed with renowned orchestras internationally and collaborated with conductors such as Ryan Bancroft, Pekka Kuusisto, and Santtu-Matias Rouvali. She has given recitals in Germany, Italy, and South Korea, and is a keen chamber musician. In 2024–2025, Bahari will perform as a soloist with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.
Pekka Kuusisto (b. 1976) is one of Finland’s most renowned musicians. At the commencement of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2024/25 concert season, Kuusisto began his second year as Principal Guest Conductor. Additionally, as Co-Artistic director, he is a member of the Artistic Leadership Team responsible for planning the programme. As he states, 'We offer both long perspectives and flashes of inspiration, both safety and fun.' In the HPO’s concerts, Pekka Kuusisto will perform as a soloist, conductor, and also as a player-director at the front of the orchestra with his violin.
Pekka Kuusisto’s career as a solo artist took off in 1995 when he won the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition at the age of 19. Since then, he has toured concert halls around the world. Kuusisto’s repertoire spans classical music to modern experiments. He improvises and composes, readily intertwining music with other art forms, aiming to make concerts more accessible and engaging for the audience.
In addition to Helsinki, he frequents Oslo (Norwegian Chamber Orchestra), Bremen (Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie), and San Francisco (San Francisco Symphony).
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.
