Horizon-series - invitation to musical and cultural dialogue
The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra invites top musicians in their own fields to enter into a musical and cultural dialogue in an intimate, chamber music concert setting. Clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh, ney flute player Kudsi Erguner and veena artist Jayanthi Kumaresh blend their own musical dialect and culture with that of musicians of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Fused together, these performances will create a first of its kind musical experience that will be shared with the audience in three concerts, followed by discussion forums. The Horizon-series is curated by Ceyda Berk-Söderblom.
“The segregation in our societies is deepening; social isolation and loneliness have become widespread problems. This is why we currently cannot think of a more appropriate time to listen to each other, maintain a strong sense of curiosity and strive for diversity in all aspects of our lives. I believe what we need is an up-close, personal experience of a deep dialogue of compelling musical minds coming from different cultural backgrounds”. “We will be mesmerised by the distinctive sound of the clarinetist Kinan Azmeh”, says Ceyda Berk-Söderblom, the curator of the Horizon-series.
“Music brings people together in a way that transcends the boundaries of everyday interaction. In our Horizon concerts, Ceyda Berk-Söderblom has assembled a series of encounters with unique international musical personalities. I believe that these concerts will be enriching, powerful moments for our audiences in the form of a shared human experience,” says Aleksi Malmberg, General Manager of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, ” says Aleksi Malmberg, the General Manager Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Horizon-series offers an intimate concert experience and invites the audience to become part of a musical conversation with extraordinary performers. More information about the upcoming concerts will be released soon.
HPO – Horizon: Kinan Azmeh
Monday, June 12th 2023
Musiikkitalo, Paavo Hall, 6 pm
Free tickets for the concert can be picked up at the Musiikkitalo ticket office from the 1st of June.
Kinan Azmeh, clarinet & compositions
John Hadfield, drum and percussion
Pekka Kauppinen, violin
Maiju Kauppinen, violin
Mariette Reefman, viola
Samuli Peltonen, cello
Tuomo Matero, double-bass
Programme
Kinan Azmeh: The Fence, the Rooftop and the Distant Sea, 2017
Kinan Azmeh: In The Element (run, rain, grounded) for Clarinet and String Quartet, 2017/2018
Kinan Azmeh: Suite for improviser and orchestra in three movements (Love on 139th street, November 22nd, Wedding), for clarinet, string quartet, double bass and percussion, 2006
Approximate running time: 1h 15m without intermission
Join us for a post-concert talk with Kinan Azmeh and engage in a Q&A session with the artist.
A Syrian-born, Brooklyn-based genre-bending composer and clarinetist Kinan Azmeh has been hailed as a “virtuoso” and "intensely soulful" by the New York Times and "spellbinding" by the New Yorker. Kinan Azmeh has been touring the globe with great acclaim as a soloist, composer and improviser. He has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Daniel Barenboim, John McLaughlin, and Djivan Gasparian, among others and leads his own bands Hewar and Kinan Azmeh City Band. He is a Silkroad ensemble artist with whom he won a Grammy in 2016. His recent orchestral album Uneven Sky won Germany’s Opus Klassik Award in 2019.
Join the first concert of Horizon-series and enjoy the Helsinki debut of an incomparable clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh. In his concert, Azmeh will be joined by his close collaborator, percussionist John Hadfield. Azmeh and Hadfield have been regularly performing together since 2006.