C is red, D is yellow, A is green and F is light blue. In addition to parts for the piano and orchestra, Aleksandr Scriabin composed a part for a light organ in his Poem of Fire. The task of the instrument was to create a stream of changing light situations in the concert hall with the help of different coloured lamps. Jean-Yves Thibaudet is one of the finest pianists of our time. He has recorded more than 50 albums and collaborated also with film, fashion and visual arts professionals.
His 9th symphony still lay unfinished on his desk when Anton Bruckner died in Vienna in 1896. He had begun composing it in 1887 but only managed to complete the first three movements and probably most of the finale; the material for this last movement was then lost. Many attempts have been made to reconstruct it, but the symphony is still mostly performed in a three-movement version. Strangely enough, it does not give the impression of being unfinished.
Bruckner was a perfectionist, and unfortunately too ready to heed others’ suggestions for improvements. He also allowed his pupils to make alterations that did not always agree with his original intentions. For this reason, the symphony exists in several versions. The one to be heard at this concert was made by Leopold Nowak, who made a critical edition of Bruckner’s works from the late 1940s onwards at the request of the International Bruckner Society.
A devout Catholic, Bruckner intended to dedicate the finished work “dem lieben Gott” – to the beloved God. The symphony may be described as a journey from doubt and anxiety to hope and light.
Jukka-Pekka Saraste, now beginning his term as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, has established himself as one of the outstanding conductors of his generation. Born in Heinola, Finland, in 1956, he began his career as a violinist. Today, he is renowned as an artist of exceptional versatility and breadth. He maintains a particularly strong connection to the works of Beethoven, Bruckner, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Sibelius and is internationally celebrated for his interpretations of Mahler. During the 2023/2024 season, together with the HPO, Saraste will delve deeper into the symphonic heritage of Sibelius, Mahler and Bruckner over several extended concert periods, as well as highlight composers and music of our own time.
As head of the Artistic Leadership Team of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Saraste emphasises the importance of music for both society and individuals.
”Music is a particularly strong part of Finnish culture, and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra itself plays a significant role in building our identities. As I begin my term as Chief Conductor, I want to engage in the orchestra’s efforts to be the orchestra of all Helsinki residents. The brainstorming between the Artistic Leadership Team and members of the orchestra has been very close. Experiencing music as part of a community is one of the greatest things an orchestra can offer its listeners.”
Jukka-Pekka Saraste’s previous positions include the principal conductorships of the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He has also served as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. As guest conductor he appears with the major orchestras worldwide and in recent years conducted the likes of the Orchestre de Paris, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and the NHK Symphony Orchestra.
Saraste considers it important to coach and mentor musicians at the beginning of their careers. He is a founding member of the LEAD! Foundation, a mentorship programme for young conductors and soloists that has run projects in Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Bulgaria, amongst others. The LEAD! Masterclass in summer 2023 was held once again in conjunction with the annual Fiskars Summer Festival, where a multinational symphony orchestra of young musicians worked under the direction of Saraste and guest artists.
Jukka-Pekka Saraste has been awarded for his merits in the field of music with the Pro Finlandia Prize, the Finnish State Prize for Music and the Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland.
| Violin 1 Pekka Kauppinen Jan Söderblom Eija Hartikainen Katariina Jämsä Maiju Kauppinen Elina Lehto Ilkka Lehtonen Jani Lehtonen Kari Olamaa Kalinka Pirinen Petri Päivärinne Satu Savioja Elina Viitasaari Totti Hakkarainen Angeles Salas Salas Neea-Noora Piispa Violin 2 Teija Kivinen Maaria Leino Teppo Ali-Mattila Eva Ballaz Heini Eklund Matilda Haavisto Anna-Maria Huohvanainen Terhi Ignatius Sanna Kokko Liam Mansfield Harry Rayner Krista Rosenberg Virpi Taskila Venla Saavalainen Viola Atte Kilpeläinen Torsten Tiebout Petteri Poijärvi Aulikki Haahti-Turunen Tuomas Huttunen Kaarina Ikonen Ulla Knuuttila Carmen Moggach Liisa Orava Mariette Reefman Hajnalka Standi-Pulakka Hanna Semper Cello Tuomas Ylinen Beata Antikainen Basile Ausländer Jaakko Rajamäki Aslihan Gencgonül Fransien Paananen Johannes Välja Tommi Wesslund Päivi Ahonen Hans Schröck Bass Ville Väätäinen Tuomo Matero Adrian Rigopulos Paul Aksman Venla Lahti Akseli Porkkala Eero-Kalle Bergman Hugh Klüger | Flute Elina Raijas Päivi Korhonen Jenny Villanen Clio Scott Oboe Jussi Jaatinen Nils Rõõmussaar Anni Haapaniemi Cristian Moré Coloma Clarinet Osmo Linkola (1A) Anna-Maija Korsimaa Heikki Nikula Olli Leppäniemi Bassoon Markus Tuukkanen Mikko-Pekka Svala Noora Van Dok Erkki Suomalainen Horn Mika Paajanen (1A) Ville Hiilivirta Jonathan Nikkinen Sam Parkkonen Joonas Seppelin Ruben Buils Garcia Pasi Tiitinen Erno Toikka Trumpet Pasi Pirinen Thomas Bugnot Mika Tuomisalo Pasqual Llopis Diago Obin Meurin Pedro Dantas Trombone Valtteri Malmivirta Anu Fagerström Jussi Vuorinen Tuba Javier Castaño Percussion Xavi Castelló Aràndiga Mikael Sandström Pasi Suomalainen Sampo Kuusisto Touko Leinonen Alex Martin Agustin Elmeri Uusikorpi Harp Minnaleena Jankko Katilyne Roels Keyboard Satu Elijärvi Susanne Kujala |
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.
