Hometown Orchestra

Felix Mendelssohn: The Hebrides Overture, Op. 26

In 1829, Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) travelled to England as an organist, pianist and conductor. At the end of his critically-acclaimed tour, he headed north to Scotland, where the green highlands and idyllic landscapes dotted with castles made a lasting impression and inspired his Scottish Symphony. He was also greatly overawed by a cave he visited on the remote island of Staffa in the Outer Hebrides. “In order to make you understand how extraordinarily the Hebrides affected me, I send you the following, which came into my head there,” he wrote to his sister, Fanny, enclosing the opening bars of his Hebrides Overture. No wonder Mendelssohn was impressed, for the cave resonates like a cathedral and its name in Gaelic means “melodic cave”. It was not known as Fingal’s Cave until later, after the publication of James Macpherson’s epic. Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture is not programmatic, in the sense that it does not tell a story. Instead, it evokes the moods and the sounds of the waves that endlessly batter the walls of the rocky cave.

Jean Sibelius: Pelléas et Mélisande suite, op. 46

The play Pelléas et Mélisande by the Belgian Maurice Maeterlinck (1862–1947) is recognised as one of the greatest landmarks in the history of the theatre and a symbolist icon. Initially, the critics were not altogether impressed, but as a triangle drama rich in understated psychological tension and scope for interpretation, it readily appealed to composers; Debussy turned it into an opera, and others – such as Fauré, Wallace and Schönberg – gave musical voice to its suppressed, unspoken emotions. Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) had been introduced to symbolism while in Germany in the 1890s, and his incidental music for the play Pelléas et Mélisande marked the culmination of his symbolist period. It was premiered in Helsinki in 1905, after which he arranged a concert suite of the music with only some minor changes. The suite represents Sibelius at his most serene. Rather than catchy themes, it plumbs the murky depths of the mind, evoking moods that linger on long after the music has fallen silent.

W.A. Mozart: Sinfonia concertante for Four Winds K. 297b

The Sinfonia concertante for Four Winds (flute, oboe, horn and bassoon) attributed to W.A. Mozart (1756–1791) is a work shrouded in mystery. Mozart may have written it during a dismal stay in Paris in 1778, when he told his father in a letter that he had just written a concerto for four winds and orchestra that was to be performed there in the Concert Spirituel series, but a corresponding work by a certain Cambino was played instead. Mozart’s score vanished and was believed to have been lost until something very similar, bearing the title concertante, was found in the archives of Mozart’s biographer Otto Jahn in 1869. Some claim that it represents Mozart at his most authentic, but that the orchestra part had later been tampered with. The Sinfonia concertante was dropped from the main body of the Köchelverzeichnis in 1964. The work to be heard tonight may well be by Mozart, but it is not the one that got lost in Paris; the only work by him of any significance composed in Paris in 1778 is the Symphony no. 31, the “Paris”.

Nils Rõõmussaar

Oboist Nils Rõõmussaar (b. 1974) is Co-principal Oboe of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Rõõmussaar studied at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and the Norwegian Academy of Music. Before his position in the HPO (2015–), Rõõmussaar was Principal Oboe of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (2001–2014). He has also performed with the NDR Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and taught oboe at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Markus Tuukkanen

Bassoonist Markus Tuukkanen (b. 1964) is Principal Bassoon of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. He studied the instrument in Finland, Germany, and Austria. Tuukkanen joined the HPO in 1987 and considers the orchestra’s former Sub-principal Bassoon Matti Tossavainen as one of his main teachers. In the 2004–2006 seasons, Tuukkanen played in the Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera.

Harri Mäki

Clarinettist Harri Mäki (b. 1963) is Professor of Woodwinds at the Sibelius Academy of the University of Arts in Helsinki. He serves on competition juries and teaches clarinet master classes internationally. In 1988–2018 Mäki was Principal Clarinet of the Tapiola Sinfonietta. His main teacher at the Geneva Conservatory was Thomas Friedli, and other notable influences include Reijo Koskinen and Kari Kriikku.

Ville Hiilivirta

Horn player Ville Hiilivirta (b. 1984) is Principal Horn in the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (2010–). Hiilivirta studied horn at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Timo Ronkainen and at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media with Markus Maskuniitty. Hiilivirta regularly performs at chamber music festivals and is active with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra in Finland.