“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.
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.
