After the lights have dimmed, fans of the 1970s TV series The Onedin Line will feel the shivers of nostalgia from the swaying ballet music of Aram Khachaturian. The Armenian first half of the concert is completed with the glimmer of stardust, when the brilliant Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth arrives as the soloist for Alexander Arutiunian's concerto. Finally, we return to the water, to the tune of Claude Debussy's seascapes.
Like almost all artists during the Soviet regime, Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian (1903–1978) was obliged to toe the party rule. He nevertheless suffered less than many of his contemporaries, thanks to his more traditional style, his party membership and his scores for patriotic films. He first became known for his concertos and individual numbers such as the waltz from the play Masquerade, the Sabre Dance from the ballet Gayaneh and his ballet Spartacus (1954). This tells of the slave uprising against the Romans in 73–71 BCE and its leader the gladiator Spartacus. Today’s three movements from the ballet are the Adagio made famous by the BBC’s TV drama The Onedin Line and portraying the gladiator’s love for his wife Phrygia, the sharply contrasting Aegina – a concubine of the Roman consul who buys Phrygia for the harem – and Bacchanalia, a decadent feast presided over by Aegina.
Alexander Arutiunian (1920–2012) ranks among the great Armenian composers. A native of Yerevan, he was also a conductor and professor. Above all, he wrote concertos for wind instruments and numerous chamber works for brass. Heading the list of the former is the Trumpet Concerto of 1950 now firmly established in the staple repertoire for this instrument and often one of the set pieces for school and orchestra auditions the world over. Arutiunian composed it in 1943 for Zolak Vartasarian, who sadly fell at the front in the Second World War, and it was premiered by Aykaz Messiayan. Thanks for making it so popular go to Soviet Russian trumpeter Timofei Dokshizer who, on rising to world fame, did much both to promote the concerto and to place the trumpet on a par with other solo instruments. Scored for wind instruments, percussion, harp and strings, the concerto is in four movements played without a break and is a virtuoso showpiece featuring melodies evocative of the folk music of their composer’s homeland.
Though best known for his symphonies and tone poems, Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) also composed a wealth of smaller-scale pieces such as Pan and Echo, subtitled a Dance Intermezzo. It was first performed by the forerunner of the HPO at a fund-raising concert for a new music hall. Pan and Echo the nymph are characters in Greek mythology. Annoyed by Echo’s advances, Pan orders the shepherds to tear Echo to shreds. Her pieces are spread about the world, but are collected by Gaia, Mother Earth, who buries all but her voice. According to a critic at the premiere, the music was accompanied by a dance scene in which the pair stand on the top of a hill watching the nymphs dancing in the valley. The piece is in two main sections, the first atmospheric and the second dance-like.
In 1899, Claude Debussy (1862–1918) was deeply impressed by the Asian music he heard at the World Expo in Paris. Until then, he had been a great admirer of Wagner and the German style, but now, as he listened to players from Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia, he heard the music of the sea, of the wind in the leaves and the waves. From then onwards, he became known as an Impressionist, a term borrowed from painting but one he disliked when applied to his music. For the cover of La mer, he chose a woodblock of a surging wave by the Japanese artist Hokusai. He called his piece a symphonic sketch, but it could well be described as a symphony. The first part, “From dawn to noon on the sea” looks to the rain-swept horizon. “Play of the waves” is a spray-crested interlude, and the closing section, “Dialogue of the wind and the sea”, is regarded by some as a reflection of the composer’s chaotic love life.
Neither audience nor critics were impressed at the premiere, and not until La mer was performed in London in 1908 was it recognised as one of the masterpieces of musical literature.
Trumpet soloist Tine Thing Helseth (born 1987 in Norway) is one of the most prominent trumpeters of her generation. An all-round musician, her repertoire ranges from the classical period to contemporary works, and she regularly performs with the world’s leading orchestras as well as in some of the most iconic jazz bars in Norway.
In the 2024–2025 season, Helseth returns to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Polish National Radio, the Thessaloniki State, the Helsingborg symphony orchestras, and the Jönköping Sinfonietta. In the USA, she debuts with the Seattle, the Kalamazoo, and the Allentown symphony orchestras. She also gives the world premiere of a new trumpet concerto by Nico Muhly with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra in Belgium, followed by the Dutch premiere with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. With her brass ensemble tenThing, she tours Italy, Luxembourg, and North America.
Tine Thing Helseth is a professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music and serves as Artistic Director of the Risør Chamber Music Festival in Norway.
Conductor Emmanuel Tjeknavorian (born 1995) is Music Director of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano. Following his success at the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in 2015 and performances in the world’s most renowned concert halls as a solo violinist, he has turned his focus to conducting.
In the 2024–2025 season, Tjeknavorian makes his conducting debut with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as with the Bremer Philharmoniker, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, and the SWR Symphonieorchester. He also returns to conduct the Grazer Philharmoniker and the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, and with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, he tours to Lucerne.
Emmanuel Tjeknavorian was born in Vienna to a family of musicians and began his musical training at the age of five. He was introduced to conducting at an early age by his father, composer and conductor Loris Tjeknavorian.
Emmanuel Tjeknavorian has studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
| Violin 1 Jan Söderblom Taija Angervo Eija Hartikainen Katariina Jämsä Sanna Kokko Kati Kuusava Helmi Kuusi Elina Lehto Ilkka Lehtonen Liam Mansfield Kari Olamaa Petri Päivärinne Kalinka Pirinen Harry Rayner Satu Savioja Elina Viitasaari Violin 2 Anna-Leena Haikola Kamran Omarli Teija Kivinen Eva Ballaz Teppo Ali-Mattila Dhyani Gylling Matilda Haavisto Linda Hedlund Anna-Maria Huohvanainen Siiri Rasta Krista Rosenberg Ángeles Salas Salas Virpi Taskila Tuuli Talvitie Viola Lotta Poijärvi Petteri Poijärvi Aida Hadzajlic Kaarina Ikonen Tiila Kangas Carmen Moggach Liisa Orava Mariette Reefman Markus Sallinen Hanna Semper Hajnalka Standi-Pulakka Tuukka Susiluoto Cello Tuomas Ylinen Inkeri Rajamäki Ilmo Saaristo Jaani Helander Päivi Paajanen Fransien Paananen Saara Särkimäki Pekka Smolander Tommi Wesslund Sami Mäkelä Bass Ville Väätäinen Oskari Hänninen Tuomo Matero Paul Aksman Miranda Erlich Eero Ignatius Venla Lahti | Flute Elina Raijas Päivi Korhonen Jenny Villanen Oboe Hannu Perttilä Jussi Jaatinen Paula Malmivaara Clarinet Maura Marinucci Giuseppe Gentile Heikki Nikula Bassoon Markus Tuukkanen Mikko-Pekka Svala Erkki Suomalainen Noora Van Dok Horn Ville Hiilivirta Miska Miettunen Sam Parkkonen Joonas Seppelin Trumpet Pasi Pirinen Thomas Bugnot Obin Meurin Michael Olsen Mika Tuomisalo Trombone Victor Álvarez Alegria Valtteri Malmivirta Anu Fagerström Tuba Ilkka Marttila Timpani Tomi Wikström Percussion Xavi Castelló Aràndiga Mikael Sandström Pasi Suomalainen Sampo Kuusisto Harp Anni Kuusimäki Minnaleena Jankko Keyboard Minna Koskimies |
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.
