In his composition ...quasi una fantasia… Kurtág disperses the orchestra’s musicians into a sparse formation around the stage, far from each other. “I wanted for musicians to not be able to discuss how bad the music was during rehearsals,” Kurtág says with a twinkle in the corner of his eye. The title of the piece refers to Beethoven, a composer very important to Kúrtag.
The evening’s piano soloist Kirill Gerstein finds a lot of humour in the music of Beethoven, despite his reputation for being grumpy: “In people’s minds, Beethoven shakes his fist at the sky, which is true, but there are also a lot of tricks and jokes.”
Violinist, conductor and composer Pekka Kuusisto is renowned for his artistic freedom and fresh approach to repertoire. Kuusisto is Artistic Director of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Co-Director of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony and Chief Conductor Designate of Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra from April 2028.
He frequently appears as a soloist and guest conductor with major orchestras worldwide, such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. An enthusiastic advocate for contemporary music and improvisation, he collaborates with artists from diverse backgrounds and engages in projects that blur conventional boundaries between genres.
Kuusisto performs on the Antonio Stradivarius violin, “ex-Sandars”, Cremona 1695, generously loaned by the Anders Sveaas' Charitable Foundation, ASAF.
Kirill Gerstein has emerged as one of today’s most compelling pianists. A searching and versatile artist, his repertoire spans Baroque suites, Classical concertos, contemporary works, jazz, and cabaret. He has performed several times with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.
Gerstein’s path began at fourteen, when he became the youngest student ever admitted to the Berklee College of Music. His international breakthrough came in 2001 with Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 alongside the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, followed by First Prize at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition.
A true champion of contemporary music, Gerstein has commissioned and premiered works by composers including Timo Andres, Chick Corea, Alexander Goehr, Oliver Knussen, and Brad Mehldau. He gave the world premiere of Thomas Adès’s Piano Concerto in 2019 and has since performed it more than sixty times. Gerstein is Professor at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin and at the Kronberg Academy.
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.
