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Sibelius & Rihm

Wed 05/02/2025 19:00 - 21:00
6.50€
49.50€

Esittely

“Don’t be afraid of new sounds!” says conductor Ingo Metzmacher, who has an unquenchable desire to open up new ways of listening to music.

The maestro Metzmacher makes new sounds sound familiar and familiar sounds sound new. So what new and familiar sounds will he find in our Sibelius? And what will he find in the music of master modernist Wolfgang Rihm, the composer known for his wide stylistic palette and astonishing productivity? What is it about his expressive music that sounds so oddly familiar? 

Jean Sibelius: En Saga, Op. 9

The sensational premiere of his Kullervo symphony in 1892 made Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) a national celebrity overnight, prompting Robert Kajanus, then conductor of what is now the HPO, to suggest he compose a popular piece for small orchestra. Sibelius duly obliged, and conducted the first performance of En Saga in 1893. It wasn’t quite what the audience had expected after the success of Kullervo; it wasn’t readily accessible, and despite being called a Saga, there didn’t seem to be an obvious story. It appeared to tie in with symbolist art and Edda poetry, and of course the Finnish national epic Kalevala. Sibelius himself never suggested a plot, but he did say that, psychologically, it was one of his most profound works; that it encompassed his whole youth, and that nowhere else did he so express his soul. The listener is possibly therefore best advised to simply sit back and enjoy the enchanting timbres and moods.

Jean Sibelius: Tapiola, Op. 112

In 1926, Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) was asked by US conductor Walter Damrosch to compose a symphonic poem lasting about 15 minutes on a topic of his choosing. The result was Tapiola, named after the god of the forests in ancient Finnish mythology. Sibelius suspected that non-Finnish listeners might not be familiar with the myth so added a preface to the score: “Wide-spread they stand, the Northland’s dusky forests, Ancient, mysterious, brooding savage dreams; Within them dwells the Forest’s mighty god, And wood-sprites in the gloom weave magic secrets.” The Finnish premiere by the HPO in 1927 was a tremendous success, for it spoke to the very heart of the Finns, though the audience at the premiere in New York in 1926 had been a little baffled. But Damrosch himself wrote to Sibelius: “We were all enthralled by the dark pine forests and the shadowy gods and wood-nymphs who dwell therein. The coda with its icy winds sweeping through the forest made us shiver.”

Taiteilijat

Ingo Metzmacher
conductor

Ohjelma

    19:00
    Jean Sibelius
    En Saga
    Wolfgang Rihm
    Sub-Kontur
    Wolfgang Rihm
    Verwandlung
    21:00
    Jean Sibelius
    Tapiola
Series III
Musiikkitalo Concert Hall
Ingo Metzmacher
Jean Sibelius
En Saga
Wolfgang Rihm
Sub-Kontur
Wolfgang Rihm
Verwandlung
Jean Sibelius
Tapiola