Anja Bihlmaier, Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, once again leads the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Mahler's symphony exemplifies Bihlmaier's thoughts on the conductor's work: “Music is about emotions, it's up to us to translate all that wonderful repertoire as engagingly as possible.”
Composer Karl Amadeus Hartmann's political views blocked his path onto concert stages in National Socialist Germany. His Concerto Funebre was composed in the ominous atmosphere that foreshadowed the Second World War. Violinist Veronika Eberle's international career began in 2006 when Sir Simon Rattle invited her to be the Berlin Philharmonic's soloist at the Salzburg Easter Festival.
Though greatly revered during his lifetime as a conductor, Gustav Mahler has really only received his due recognition since the Second World War. On setting to work on his Symphony no. 1 in the 1880s, he originally called it a Symphonic Poem. After its premiere in Budapest in 1889 it acquired the name The Titan, alluding to the novel of the same name by Jean Paul. Not until 1896 did Mahler finally call it a Symphony, at the same time reducing the number of movements from five to four by deleting the second, Blumine.
Before its premiere he had told a friend it had elements that would undoubtedly puzzle his audience, and it does indeed reflect his “maximal” aesthetic in all its diversity.
Before its premiere he had told a friend it had elements that would undoubtedly puzzle his audience, and it does indeed reflect his “maximal” aesthetic in all its diversity. In addition to echoes of Beethoven and Schubert it has features that point more to the Modernism of the 20th century than to Late Romanticism. It also borrows themes from his Lieder eines fahrenden Geselle song cycle and is characterized by youthful optimism and a delicate, pantheistic feeling for nature.
Mahler described the first movement as nature awakening, complete with trilling birds and brass-band fanfares. The second is reminiscent of a folk dance with an idyllic trio, the third a funeral march inspired by a cartoon of forest beasts bearing the body of a huntsman to his grave and assigning the main theme to a double bass. The finale is passionate and stormy and ends on a jubilant note.
Veronika Eberle’s exceptional talent and the poise and maturity of her musicianship have been recognised by many of the world’s finest orchestras, venues, and festivals, as well as by some of the most eminent conductors. Sir Simon Rattle’s introduction of Eberle, aged just 16, to a packed Salzburg Festspielhaus in a performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with the Berliner Philharmoniker brought her to international attention. Since then, she has collaborated with leading orchestras including the London Symphony under Sir Simon Rattle, the Montreal Symphony under Kent Nagano, and the Hessischer Rundfunk with Paavo Järvi.
This season includes a United States tour with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe performing Brahms’s Double Concerto with Jean-Guihen Queyras and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, as well as a performance of Dvořák’s Violin Concerto with the Cologne Philharmonic conducted by Anja Bihlmaier. Veronika Eberle plays the 1693 “Ries” Stradivarius, generously loaned by the Reinhold Würth Musikstiftung gGmbH.
Anja Bihlmaier is the Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic starting September 2024. She has been the Chief Conductor of the Residentie Orkest in The Hague, Netherlands. From autumn 2020 to spring 2023, she served as the Principal Guest Conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra in Finland. Bihlmaier broke glass ceilings as the first woman to hold these positions in both The Hague and Lahti.
This season, Bihlmaier will appear with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic and the Montreal Symphony, to name a few. Following their debut in the 2022–23 season, Bihlmaier now returns to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Besides her diverse orchestral repertoire, she is also a passionate advocate for opera, with 15 years of experience in the field.
Anja Bihlmaier, born in 1978 in Germany, studied at the Freiburg Conservatory of Music and the Salzburg Mozarteum.
Pia Antikainen, Anna Nurmio
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.
