“Why does the gentlest and quietest man turn into an anarchist the moment he starts composing?” sneered music critic Eduard Hanslick in 1885. Even 140 years later, the revolutionary form and breathtaking harmonies of Anton Bruckner's Third Symphony still leave no one untouched. A virtuoso who is not afraid of challenges, Jörgen van Rijen, Principal Trombone at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, brings with him a concerto he commissioned from Samy Moussa.
Samy Moussa (b. 1984) is this season’s HPO composer-in-residence. A Canadian now living in Berlin, he is known above all for his orchestral music. His trombone concerto Yericho was commissioned jointly by the Orchestre national de Lyon and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The soloist at the premiere was Jörgen van Rijen, to whom it is dedicated. The title refers to the famous story in the Bible in which Joshua and his men march round the city of Jericho for six days. On the seventh, the priests blow their trumpets and the city walls come tumbling down. Hence the theme of the concerto revolves around the number seven. There are seven brass instruments, and seven sections, each depicting one day. On the seventh, the walls will fall. The concerto is scored for strings, brass instruments, timpani, percussions and organ, but no woodwinds, and it can also incorporate a choir. Tonight’s is its first performance in Finland.
The symphonies of Anton Bruckner (1824–1896) are cast on a grand scale. Things progress at a leisurely pace towards mighty climaxes. The premiere of the third symphony was something of a catastrophe: the planned conductor died shortly before the concert and Bruckner, who had little conducting experience, was obliged to step in at the last moment. The players made it clear that they did not think much of the music, and few members of the audience sat through to the end. One of those who did was, however, the young Gustav Mahler, who with a friend made an arrangement for piano four hands, and Bruckner later revised the score himself so that the final version dates from 1889. His Symphony No. 3 reflects both his deep religious conviction and his view of the world. The finale has a famous passage in which a polka tune coincides with a serious chorale. “The polka represents the fun and joy in the world, the chorale its sadness and pain,” said Bruckner.
Jörgen van Rijen (born 1975 in the Netherlands) is Principal Trombonist of the Concertgebouworkest. A specialist in both modern and baroque trombone, he has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia.
In April 2025, before performing as a soloist in the Finnish premiere of Sami Moussa’s ’Yericho’ with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, van Rijen is scheduled to play three concerts with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, including the US premiere of Andrew Norman's Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra.
Van Rijen studied in Rotterdam with George Wiegel and in Lyon with Michel Becquet and Daniel Lassalle. He teaches at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and serves as International Visiting Professor of Trombone at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Van Rijen is a long-time member of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Following his solo performance at the festival in 2024, The Telegraph wrote that he proved 'the inherently comic trombone could be at times soulful, often playful and even menacing’.
Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, has established himself as one of the outstanding conductors of his generation. Born in Finland in 1956, he began his career as a violinist. Today, he is renowned as an artist of exceptional versatility and breadth.
Saraste has previously held principal conductorships at the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and has served as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. As a guest conductor, he appears with major orchestras worldwide, including the Orchestre de Paris, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestras of Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Coaching and mentoring young musicians is of great importance to Saraste. He is a founding member of the LEAD! Foundation, a mentorship programme for young conductors and soloists.
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.
