Winter Sky

Fri 14/03/2025 19:00 - 21:00
6.50€
49.50€

Esittely

When the HPO performed Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto for the first time in 1911, the composer himself was the soloist. Now it is Roman Borisov’s turn.

“His technically brilliant and musically unusually impressive playing had the listeners in awe. Bravos echoed as the artist was repeatedly called forth.” (Uusi Suometar, 28.2.1911) When the HPO performed Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto for the first time, the composer himself was the soloist. Now it is performed by Roman Borisov, who has a long list of competition wins in his pocket for good reason. 

Encores played by Roman Borisov:

W. Bolcom: 12 New Etudes for Piano, Book III: VIII. Rag Infernal

N. Medtner: Canzona serenata from Forgotten Melodies Op.38 No 6  

Kaija Saariaho: Ciel d’hiver

Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023) is possibly the best-known Finnish composer after Jean Sibelius, but not until she settled in France in the early 1980s did she arrive at her characteristic sound – airy textures and delicate, ethereal timbres. The titles of many of her works allude to nature. Ciel d’hiver(Winter Sky, 2013) is a re-orchestration she made of the second movement of her orchestral piece Orion, a purely symphonic work about the mythical hunter and son of the sea god Neptune (counterpart of the Greek Poseidon) who dies and ends up as a celestial constellation. True to style, Saariaho evokes the winter sky and biting cold by means of a harp, percussion and piccolo over a steadily growing bank of strings. The conflict between high and low in the middle section represents that between the stratosphere and the abyss, until finally a piano and cello remain twinkling in the sky.

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18

The turn of the century found Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) in the depths of despair. The reception of his first symphony (1897) had been catastrophic – the critics had not a good word to say for it – and he was seriously doubting his ability to compose. So in 1900 he decided that something needed to be done and sought the help of a hypnotist, who told him to sit down and start writing a concerto. Encouraged, Rachmaninoff set to work and by the end of the year had finished a concerto fit to take on a tour of Europe and the USA. Dedicated to his hypnotist, the concerto would ultimately become his most popular work.

The concerto may be heard as a symbol of its genesis, from the desperate groping of the first few bars to flowing ecstasy. The melody of the second movement, a dreamy Adagio, was made even more famous by Celine Dion in the ballad All by myself. By the finale, Rachmaninoff had thrown off all constraints. Could the slow, recurring chromatic figure just before the final build-up reflect the experience of being hypnotised?

Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 8

The thing that distinguishes Antonín Dvořák (1841–1903) from previous symphonists is his ability to weave national elements into works in the Germanic style. In his 7th Symphony, he nevertheless sought to break away from associations with his native Bohemia and his ‘local hero’ aura, and went so far as to adopt a more Germanic form, Anton, of his name under pressure from his publisher. But the 8th Symphony, composed four years after the 7th, has none of the dramatic despair of its predecessor. Instead, it is a work of country dance-like melodies and reverence for the sounds of nature. It spreads a positive, carefree message using Slavic themes in which even the minor keys at times sound jubilant. “Melodies simply pour out of me,” he wrote.

The first movement begins with a sort of minor-key introduction complete with birdsong before switching to the major. Minor and major alternate even more smoothly in the pastoral Adagio. The melancholy Scherzo waltz is one of the most beautiful ever composed by Dvořák. Of the finale, Czech conductor Rafael Kubelik once said in a rehearsal: “Gentlemen, in Bohemia the trumpets never call to battle – they always call to the dance!”

Roman Borisov

Roman Borisov (born 2002) is a Russian pianist residing and studying in Berlin, where he began his studies at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin with Professor Eldar Nebolsin in 2022. Introduced to the legendary piano teacher Mary Lebenzon at the Novosibirsk Conservatory at the age of four, Borisov studied with her until 2020.

Borisov's 2024–2025 season includes his debut with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, performances with the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, a tour with the Kammerakademie Potsdam, and recitals at the Concertgebouw, Flagey, Wigmore Hall, the Verbier Festival, and the Ruhr Piano Festival.

In 2022, Roman Borisov won the First Prize at the international competition for young pianists, the Kissinger KlavierOlymp. In its statement, the jury wrote: ‘…with his highly musical, intuitive and structure-conscious interpretations of works by Liebermann, Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Brahms and Prokofiev, he demonstrated absolute creative will and impressed with his natural and consistent stage presence’.

Ariane Matiakh

Ariane Matiakh (born 1980) is a French conductor, currently serving her third concert season as Principal Conductor of the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen in Germany.  Matiakh’s repertoire spans ballets, operas, and symphonic works, ranging from Baroque music to contemporary compositions. 

This season, Matiakh conducts the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra for the first time, and also debuts with the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. On the opera stage, the 2024–2025 season sees Matiakh make her debut at Deutsche Oper Berlin and at La Monnaie in Brussels. She first appeared as a guest-conductor at the the BBC Proms, the world’s largest classical music festival, in 2022.

Matiakh studied conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Leopold Hager and Yuji Yuasa, furthering her studies through masterclasses with Seiji Ozawa.

In recognition of her achievements, Ariane Matiakh has been named Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France.

Violin 1
Pekka Kauppinen
Kari Olamaa
Eva Ballaz
Katariina Jämsä
Sanna Kokko
Kati Kuusava
Kalinka Pirinen
Harry Rayner
Elina Viitasaari
Sirkku Helin
Aada Kuoppa
Öykü Melis Sahin
Pia Sundroos

Violin 2
Kamran Omarli
Teija Kivinen
Matilda Haavisto
Teppo Ali-Mattila
Heini Eklund
Serguei Gonzalez Pavlova
Dhyani Gylling
Linda Hedlund
Siiri Rasta
Angeles Salas Salas
Virpi Taskila
Mathieu Garguillo
Kaisa Laurila
Eleonora Oswald

Viola
Lotta Poijärvi
Petteri Poijärvi
Aulikki Haahti-Turunen
Tuomas Huttunen
Kaarina Ikonen
Tiila Kangas
Carmen Moggach
Mariette Reefman
Markus Sallinen
Hajnalka Standi-Pulakka
Jaakko Laivuori
Tuukka Susiluoto

Cello
Tuomas Ylinen
Beata Antikainen
Jaani Helander
Veli-Matti Iljin
Päivi Paajanen
Fransien Paananen
Ilmo Saaristo
Saara Särkimäki
Joanna Hanhikoski
Sami Mäkelä

Bass
Oskari Hänninen
Tuomo Matero
Paul Aksman
Eero Ignatius
Venla Lahti
Adrian Rigopulos
Saara Lassila
Kati Salovaara
Flute
Jenny Villanen
Päivi Korhonen
Janette Leván

Oboe
Nils Rõõmussaar
Paula Malmivaara

Clarinet
Niina Selin
Ioana Tomescu

Bassoon
Markus Tuukkanen
Vertti Tapanainen

Horn
Jennifer Montone
Mika Paajanen
Sam Parkkonen
Miska Miettunen

Trumpet
Thomas Bugnot
Mika Tuomisalo

Trombone
Victor Álvarez Alegría
Gabriel Ferreira 
Anu Fagerström

Tuba
Ilkka Marttila

Timpani
Mikael Sandström

Percussion
Xavi Castelló Aràndiga
Pasi Suomalainen

Harp
Anni Kuusimäki

Keyboard
Minnaleena Jankko
Minna Koskimies

Taiteilijat

Ariane Matiakh
conductor
Roman Borisov
piano

Ohjelma

    19:00
    Kaija Saariaho
    Ciel d'hiver
    Sergei Rahmaninov
    Piano Concerto No. 2
    21:00
    Antonín Dvořák
    Symphony No. 8
Series III
Musiikkitalo Concert Hall
Ariane Matiakh
Roman Borisov
Kaija Saariaho
Ciel d'hiver
Sergei Rahmaninov
Piano Concerto No. 2
Antonín Dvořák
Symphony No. 8