The archaic, simple and reliable ingredients of Arvo Pärt's symphony bring to mind early church hymns. The mood changes completely with Béla Bartók's The Miraculous Mandarin, which leaves no one indifferent: the premiere was a scandal and the audience rioted. Celebrating Bernhard Crusell's 250th anniversary, the evening's soloist will be Osmo Linkola from the orchestra’s own ranks.
Le Rossignol/The Nightingale, based on the fairytale by H.C. Andersen, was the first opera to be written by Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971). By the time he composed it in 1914, he was already famous for his compositions for the Ballet Russes in Paris: The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring. In 1917, he arranged music from The Nightingale as a four-movement poème symphonique. The story is set in the festive court of ancient China. A little bird is summoned to entertain the Emperor. A golden, mechanical bird gifted by the Emperor of Japan sets up in competition, and the court is entranced by its monotonous tweet. The real nightingale is offended and flies off into the forest, and the Emperor names the Japanese bird his ‘first singer’. When Death appears to bear the Emperor away, the real bird returns and revives the dying man with its beautiful singing. The Emperor wants to reward the nightingale and make it his, but the bird refuses, preferring to remain free to delight and bring solace to all who hear it.Arvo Pärt: Symphony No. 3
Many of the works of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) represent a style known as “sacral minimalism” creating a hypnotic, serene illusion of timelessness born of traditional harmonies and echoes of spirituality. Good examples here are Fratres, Tabula Rasa and Spiegel im Spiegel. Yet in his early career, he composed his country’s first dodecaphonic work, Nekrolog. Its complex systems, strict adherence to rules and total rejection of any suggestion of romanticism nevertheless led to a mental vacuum that lasted a decade until 1971, when he wrote his third symphony. “I really had a feeling of liberation,” he said, “of things falling away. I was very happy at the time, writing it. It was like going to the other side.” Pärt had, over the years, immersed himself in medieval music and Renaissance polyphony, and the influence of church music, its antiphonal singing and harmonies may be detected in the third symphony.
Finnish-born Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775–1838) occupies a firm place in the musical history of his native land despite living and working in Sweden from the age of 15. He there composed and played the clarinet in the Royal Court Orchestra. The title of his second, “Grand Concerto” (1815) applied not to the work’s length but to his and the publisher’s desire to draw attention to it. Its three movements, all differing in character, well allow the soloist to demonstrate his skills. F-minor is an unusual choice of key for a B-flat clarinet but permits a working range of three octaves. The second movement is a beautiful pastorale evocative of spring showers and a higher world, and the third ends in a tussle over key between soloist and orchestra, the soloist winning with a heroic D major.
The concerto’s dedication to the Russian Emperor Alexander I is a reflection of Sweden’s foreign policy in the 1810s and Crusell’s wish to please the new Crown Prince Bernadotte.
Many of the works of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) represent a style known as “sacral minimalism” creating a hypnotic, serene illusion of timelessness born of traditional harmonies and echoes of spirituality. Good examples here are Fratres, Tabula Rasa and Spiegel im Spiegel. Yet in his early career, he composed his country’s first dodecaphonic work, Nekrolog. Its complex systems, strict adherence to rules and total rejection of any suggestion of romanticism nevertheless led to a mental vacuum that lasted a decade until 1971, when he wrote his third symphony. “I really had a feeling of liberation,” he said, “of things falling away. I was very happy at the time, writing it. It was like going to the other side.” Pärt had, over the years, immersed himself in medieval music and Renaissance polyphony, and the influence of church music, its antiphonal singing and harmonies may be detected in the third symphony.
The ballet pantomime The Miraculous Mandarin is based on a story of that name by Menyhért Lengyel of 1917. The libretto was presumably intended for the Ballets Russes of the great impresario Serge Diaghilev or a new opera by Ernö Dohnányi, but Béla Bartók (1881–1945) got in first. His piano version dates from 1919 and an orchestral one followed five years later.
Audiences at the premiere in 1926 were shocked to the core by this sexually-provocative tale of prostitution, violence and murder in which life is worth nothing. A seductive woman (a solo clarinet) in a pimp’s window catches the eye of an old man (trombone glissandos) out for an evening stroll. It is a trap to rob him of his life and money, but he turns out to be penniless and the thugs throw him out. The same happens to a young man. The next ‘catch’ is a wealthy Chinese mandarin, who leads the woman in a seductive waltz. But despite then being assaulted, stabbed, throttled and hanged, he refuses to die. Instead, his body begins to glow with a greenish-blue light (a vocalise). Not until his lust has been satisfied is he dealt the final deathblow.
Though the ballet is seldom performed, the music is a regular concert-hall number.
Osmo Linkola (born 1958) is Principal Clarinet of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. He is experienced in chamber and symphonic music, as well as solo performances, and also plays the basset horn. Linkola joined the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in 1982, becoming principal of the clarinet section in 1985. He was a part-time clarinet teacher at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki from 1984 to 2021.
Linkola studied at the Sibelius Academy under Reino Simola and at the Vienna Academy of Music under Alfred Prinz, earning his diplomas with distinction. He has been mentored by Rudolf Jettel, Karl Leister, and John McCaw, among others.
Performing Crusell's clarinet concerto at the composer's 250th anniversary concert is a cherished moment for Linkola. He regards Crusell as an entirely exceptional Finnish composer and musician in his time, and as a pioneering figure for many Finnish clarinetists. At the time of Crusell's 200-year celebrations, Linkola was a young listener, so he has waited 50 years for this opportunity.
Jan Söderblom (born 1970) is a Finnish violinist and conductor. Before emerging as a conductor, Söderblom performed as a violinist on solo appearances and as a member of the New Helsinki Quartet. In addition to his background as a soloist, it was the success with the quartet that raised his interest in orchestral musicianship and conducting, eventually leading to conductor studies at the Sibelius Academy – and to a multifaceted international career.
In Finland, Söderblom has conducted prominent orchestras such as the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic, Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Tapiola Sinfonietta. His international commitments include the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, MDR Sinfonieorkester (Leipzig), Danish National Chamber Orchestra and Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.
Jan Söderblom is the artistic director of the Finnish Chamber Orchestra since 2021 and first concertmaster of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra since 2014. He has acted as the artistic director of several Finnish music festivals.
www.jansoderblom.fi
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