16 MAY FRIDAY SERIES 14

Transcription

1 16 MAY FRIDAY SERIES 14 Helsinki Music Centre at 19 Santtu-Matias Rouvali, conductor Vilde Frang, violin Juhani Nuorvala: Septimalia, fp (Yle commission) Erich Korngold: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35 I Moderato nobile II Romanze (Andante) III Allegro assai vivace 20 min 24 min INTERVAL 20 min Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op min I Andante sostenuto Moderato con anima Moderato assai, quasi andante Allegro vivo II Andantino in modo di canzona III Scherzo (Pizzicato ostinato) (Allegro) IV Allegro con fuoco Interval at about The concert ends at about Broadcast live on Yle Radio 1 and the Internet (yle.fi/rso). The LATE-NIGHT CHAMBER MUSIC will begin in the main Concert Hall after an interval of about 10 minutes. Those attending are asked to take (unnumbered) seats in the stalls. Jukka Harju, horn Reeta Maalismaa, violin Jouko Laivuori, piano Veli Kujala: Lairë, fp 20 min 1

2 JUHANI NUORVALA (1961 ): SEPTIMALIA The name Septimalia alludes to intervals of a seventh. The natural seventh (the 7th partial) used in such genres as barbershop and some folk music is a sensual, consonant sound not traditionally belonging to the Western artmusic system. Harmonies and intervals based on it play an important part in Septimalia. All in all, the way the orchestra is tuned is exceptional and complex in this composition. My aim is to contrast the wonderful sound of pure harmonies based on the natural harmonic series with exciting, microtonal progressions permitted by 7th partials and other pure intervals. The main key of the work is E minor, but the notes will not be found on a piano. The sections of Septimalia are marked Andante Maestoso Con moto Intenso e serio Allegro estatico: there are times when the work is fast and frenzied, but it also has a serious, symphonic vein. Though the instrumental techniques are experimental, maybe even extreme, my music is tonal and thematic. But it does acquire what might be called psychedelic hues in places. Juhani Nuorvala ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD ( ): VIOLIN CONCERTO In the 1910s, Korngold was regarded as one of the finest emerging Austrian composers, and he rose to the peak of his mastery with his opera Die tote Stadt of His career took a decisive change of course in 1934 when, at the invitation of director Max Reinhardt, he moved to Hollywood and remained there for the rest of his life. When he decided to give up his career as a film composer in 1946, he had recently completed his Violin Concerto (1945). The performance in St. Louis in February 1947 with Jascha Heifetz as the soloist got an ecstatic reception, but little by little doubting voices then began to be raised. One critic said after a performance by Heifetz in New York: More corn than gold. The Violin Concerto has nevertheless won a permanent place in the repertoire, not least because of its magnificent melodies and amazing virtuosity. Abandoning film music did not signify any great stylistic change for Korngold, since almost all his music is in a rich, flowing, Late-Romantic idiom. Nor did the borders between genres mean much to him, for he borrowed many themes from his film scores for his Violin Concerto. The first movement, for example, begins almost like a love scene with a theme from his film Another Dawn (1937). The second, livelier theme is from Juarez (1939). At 2

3 the end of the movement is a cadenza interrupted by the orchestra, and the movement ends with a shower of sparkling violin brilliance. For the middle movement, Romanze, Korngold lifted his main theme from the film Anthony Adverse (1936). It begins in dreamy, meditative mood, but it also allows the violin to sing and glow to its heart s content. The sizzling opening theme of the brilliant finale has all the freshness of folk music; for the second theme, Korngold turned to The Prince and the Pauper (1937). PYOTR TCHAIKOVSKY ( ): SYMPHONY NO. 4 The new, more powerful and more subjective writing of the fourth symphony (1878) by Pyotr Tchaikovsky is often claimed to be linked with his brief marriage of For a homosexual, this marriage was a tragic mistake, and the emotional repercussions were, it is thought, reflected in the symphony. The link is, however, questionable, because he had already sketched three of the movements when he met his future wife, and he had completed the sketches for the fourth one, too, before his marriage. Yet only a couple of weeks earlier, Tchaikovsky had described the programme behind the symphony to his patroness Nadezhda von Meck. Maybe he felt the programme was too personal to publish. The first movement is clearly broader in scope than the others and the weightiest. The introduction is dominated by a solemn fanfare that will occupy an important place throughout the symphony. According to Tchaikovsky, Fate, the sombre power that prevents the search for happiness from reaching its goal, is a force which, like the sword of Damocles, hangs always over our heads. The string theme of the quick section in turn expresses, he said, despair, and the lighter theme introduced by a clarinet the act of being lulled to sleep. The second movement is brimming with Slav melancholy. How sad it is, said Tchaikovsky, and yet how sweet to reflect at leisure on the past. The third movement is a scherzo dominated by pizzicatos that Taneyev accused of being too ballet-like. The movement is nevertheless one of the most enchanting and most original or its kind. The finale is Tchaikovsky at his most unrestrained, but it also has a more restrained dimension, manifest in a woodwind motif derived from an old folk tune. The return of the fanfare symbolising Fate seems to sever the finale s lifeline, but the music rises again to ecstatic heights to make the work a genuine victory symphony. Delight in the merriment of others. Life is still possible, said Tchaikovsky. Kimmo Korhonen 3

4 VELI KUJALA (1976 ): LAIRË My works so far can really be divided into two groups: those that have had to wait until they were finished before they were named (e.g., Azul and MiXi), and those whose name came first and that often have an organic link with the composition (e.g., Lefthandances and CybOrgan). My new horn trio belongs to the latter, at least in the sense that the idea for the name and with it the whole identity of the work were the first to be established. I had to spend some time looking for the right word and the language in which to write it, and arrived at the word Lairë because of its delightful sound. What it means is immaterial. Lairë sprang from one of my most powerful artistic experiences, and it is from this that it derives its clear-cut form. I do not wish to lead the listener in any particular direction, because far more interesting than my associations at the time of composition is you, dear listener your feelings and associations. If, as a listener, you are analytical, you can relax and concentrate on the overall form, the harmonies, etc. If you are not cursed with this trait, I hope my music will set your imagination soaring and generate associations I cannot possibly foretell. Lairë was commissioned by Reeta Maalismaa and Jukka Harju and composed with a grant from the Teosto Commissions Committee and the Madetoja Foundation. Veli Kujala SANTTU-MATIAS ROUVALI The conducting career of Santtu- Matias Rouvali has rapidly progressed in leaps and bounds. In addition to studying in the conducting class of Leif Segerstam, Jorma Panula and Hannu Lintu since 2007, he has already appeared with major symphony orchestras both in Finland and abroad. Santtu-Matias Rouvali has been Chief Conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic and Principal Guest Conductor of the Copenhagen Philharmonic since autumn He is also an Artist in Association of the Tapiola Sinfonietta. Meanwhile, he continues to work in close partnership with the FRSO. Engagements in the present season included appearances with the Dresden Philharmonic, the German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, the Scottish National Orchestra and the Stockholm Philharmonic. Rouvali has released discs of works by Hakola and Hosokawa with the Oulu Symphony Orchestra and guitarist Timo Korhonen. His next release will be a CD of the Adams and Ligeti violin concertos on the Orchid Classics label. VILDE FRANG Vilde Frang (1986 ) comes from Norway and is noted particularly for her superb musical expression and her welldeveloped virtuosity. Since she was en- 4

5 gaged by Mariss Jansons at the age of 12 to debut with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, she has performed with orchestras as celebrated as the Vienna and London Philharmonics. She was unanimously awarded the 2012 Credit Suisse Young Artist Award. Highlights of her forthcoming engagements include appearances with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and a tour with the Basel Chamber Orchestra. She will also be giving recitals at the Wigmore Hall in London and the Zurich Tonhalle. Her recordings have included Sibelius and Prokofiev concertos and sonatas by Bartók, Grieg and Richard Strauss on the EMI Classics label. Her discs have won her Edison, Classic BRIT, Diapason d Or and other prestigious awards. Vilde Frang plays the Engleman Stradivarius of 1709 on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. THE FINNISH RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (FRSO) is the orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle). Its mission is to produce and promote Finnish musical culture and its Chief Conductor as of autumn 2013 is Hannu Lintu. The Radio Orchestra of ten players founded in 1927 grew to symphony or- chestra strength in the 1960s. Its previous Chief Conductors have been Toivo Haapanen, Nils-Eric Fougstedt, Paavo Berglund, Okko Kamu, Leif Segerstam, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Sakari Oramo. The FRSO has two Honorary Conductors: Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Sakari Oramo. The latest contemporary music is a major item in the repertoire of the FRSO, which each year premieres a number of Yle commissions. Another of the orchestra s tasks is to record all Finnish orchestral music for the Yle archive. During the 2013/2014 season it will premiere six Finnish works commissioned by Yle. The FRSO has recorded works by Eötvös, Nielsen, Hakola, Lindberg, Saariaho, Sallinen, Kaipainen, Kokkonen and others, and the debut disc of the opera Aslak Hetta by Armas Launis. Its discs have reaped some major distinctions, such as the BBC Music Magazine Award and the Académie Charles Cros Award. The disc of the Sibelius and Lindberg violin concertos (Sony BMG) with Lisa Batiashvili as the soloist received the MIDEM Classical Award in 2008, in which year the New York Times chose the other Lindberg disc as its Record of the Year. The FRSO regularly tours to all parts of the world. During the 2013/2014 season it will be visiting Central Europe under the baton of Hannu Lintu. All the FRSO concerts both in Finland and abroad are broadcast, usually live, on Yle Radio 1. They can also be heard and watched with excellent stream quality on yle.fi/rso. 5