Subscription Concert A Series

Subscription Concert No.966 A Series

This concert is over. Date: Fri. 20. January 2023 19:00 (18:00)

Venue: Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Venue Info Seat

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Artists

John STORGÅRDS, Conductor
Pekka KUUSISTO, Violin

Profile

John STORGÅRDS (Conductor)

Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra Ottawa, John Storgårds has a dual career as a conductor and violin virtuoso. Storgårds was announced Chief Conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra starting from the 2024/25 season. Storgårds appears with such orchestras as Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Bamberger Symphoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Münchner Philharmoniker, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Orchestre National de France, Orchestra Sinfonica Nationale della RAI, and London Philharmonic Orchestra etc as well as all major Nordic orchestras. Further afield, he appears with Sydney, Melbourne, Yomiuri Nippon and NHK Symphony Orchestras as well as Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic. Highlights of Storgårds’ 2023/24 season include two appearances at the BBC Proms with the BBC Philharmonic, his debut with Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro Radio Televisión Española, Return engagements include, among others, SWR Symphonieorchester, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich, Oslo Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Helsinki Philharmonic.
photo ©Marco Borggreve

Pekka KUUSISTO (Conductor / Violin)

Violinist, conductor and composer Pekka Kuusisto is renowned for his artistic freedom and fresh approach to repertoire. Widely recognised for his flair in directing ensembles, Kuusisto is Artistic Director of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, and Artistic Partner with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Mahler Chamber Orchestra. He is a Collaborative Partner of the San Francisco Symphony, and Artistic Best Friend of Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. In 21/22 he is the Philharmonia Orchestra’s featured Artist. Kuusisto conducted Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen for a recording of the Stravinsky violin concerto with Vilde Frang and recently released an album for Pentatone with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra featuring the premiere recording of Nico Muhly’s Violin Concerto Shrink.

An advocate of new music, Kuusitso’s upcoming premieres include new concerti by Bryce Dessner, Djuro Zivkovic, Thomas Ades and Enrico Chapela and chamber works by Sauli Zinovjev and Calliope Tsoupaki. He performs concerti written for him by Daníel Bjarnason, Anders Hillborg and Nico Muhly. Kuusisto’s recent recordings include concerti by Thomas Ades, Anders Hillborg, Daniel Bjarnason, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Sebastian Fagerlund and JS Bach. Kuusisto composed the score music of series 1 of the Moominvalley animation with composer, percussionist and producer Samuli Kosminen.

Program

Sibelius: Karelia Overture, op.10

Program Notes
Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, op.47

Program Notes
Madetoja: Symphony No.2 in E-flat major, op.35

Program Notes

Sibelius: Karelia Overture, op.10

Jean Sibelius: Born in Hämeenlinna (Tavastehus), Finland, December 8, 1865; died in Järvenpää (near Helsinki), September 20, 1957

　In addition to seven symphonies and the Violin Concerto, Sibeliusʼ large catalogue of orchestral works includes more than two dozen shorter pieces as well as incidental music for several stage productions. Most of these are based on or inspired by scenes, legends and literature of the composerʼs native Finland. They include some of his most famous works like The Swan of Tuonela, Finlandia, Valse triste, and the Karelia Suite.
　In 1893, at the age of 27, Sibelius was already something of a national hero for his magnificent symphonic poem-cantata Kullervo, based on passages from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. He was therefore the natural choice by the Viipuri Student Corporation of the University of Helsingfors (later renamed Helsinki) to write some music for a pageant depicting scenes from the history of Karelia. (Karelia is the region just northwest of St. Petersburg. Currently part of Russia, it has been owned by various lands over the centuries. Vyborg is its principal city.) Without incorporating any native folk songs, Sibelius successfully captured the special flavor of this individualistic land in an overture and seven short pieces. Subsequently the overture was published as Op. 10, and three of the remaining pieces as the Karelia Suite, Op. 11.
　While the Suite is often performed, the Overture remains something of a rarity. As it exists independently of the Suite (it has its own opus number), it is usually bypassed when the Suite is performed − unfortunately so, as it is a fine piece in its own right. Laid out in sonata form, it opens in the lower-range instruments with a proud, striding subject that is soon taken up by the full orchestra. To Sibeliusʼ contemporaries, scholar Erik Tawaststjerna tells us, it suggested a view of Viipuri Castle. The second subject has a darkly brooding cast to it that we find in so many of Sibeliusʼ later works. To Tawaststjerna, it “might be thought of as interpreting the fate of the Karelian people.” Familiar also is the horn quartet fanfare that serves as the subject of the opening movement of the Karelia Suite.
　An ironic sideline to all Sibeliusʼs nationalism is the fact that his name is not Finnish. One clue is that all Finnish names are accented on the first syllable; clearly Sibelius is not. He was born in a Swedish-speaking part of a land that at the time belonged to Russia. Swedish was his first language, and in fact he never learned Finnish perfectly. He was christened Johan Julius Christian Sibelius but his family called him Janne; later he took the French name “Jean” from an uncle.

　Robert Markow's musical career began as a horn player in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He now writes program notes for orchestras and concert organizations in the USA, Canada, and several countries in Asia. As a journalist he covers the music scenes across North America, Europe, and Asian countries, especially Japan. At Montreal's McGill University he lectured on music for over 25 years.
　

Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, op.47

Ⅰ Allegro moderato
Ⅱ Adagio di molto
Ⅲ Allegro ma non tanto

　In 1902, the German violinist Willy Burmester asked Sibelius to write him a concerto. When Sibelius sent him the piano reduction of the first two movements in September of 1903, Burmester was enthusiastic and suggested the premiere be given in Berlin in March of 1904. But Sibelius had other ideas. Due to strained financial circumstances, he wanted the concerto performed as soon as possible, and secretly asked another violinist to give the premiere in Helsinki at an earlier date. What Sibelius got in the end was a far inferior soloist (a local teacher named Viktor Nováček, who never did learn the concerto properly), a cool reception at the premiere (February 8, 1904), mostly negative reviews in the press, and the justifiable resentment of Burmester.
　Following the premiere, the concerto was put aside for over a year until Sibelius got around to revising it. He toned down some of the overtly virtuosic passages, tightened the structure of the outer movements and altered the orchestration of numerous passages. The revisions amount to far more than mere window dressing, and the results are fascinating to compare with the original.
　On October 19, 1905, the concerto received its premiere in the final form in Berlin, with Karl Halir as soloist and none other than Richard Strauss on the podium. Shortly afterwards, Sibeliusʼ friend Rosa Newmarch told him that “in fifty yearsʼ time, your concerto will be as much a classic as those of Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky.” How right she was!
　Sibeliusʼ affinity for the violin stemmed from his youth, when he aspired to become a great violinist. “My tragedy,” he wrote, “was that I wanted to be a celebrated violinist at any price. From the age of fifteen, I played my violin for ten years, practicing from morning to night. I hated pen and ink. … My preference for the violin lasted quite long, and it was a very painful awakening when I had to admit that I had begun my training for the exacting career of an eminent performer too late.” His very first composition (Vattendroppar), written at the age of eight or nine, was a piece for violin and cello. Although he left just one violin concerto, he also composed numerous short pieces for the instrument, mostly with piano.
　The solo part is one of the most difficult in the entire repertory. Virtuosic passages abound, but they are welded to disciplined musical thought; there is no empty display material here. The orchestral writing bears much evidence of Sibeliusʼ deep interest in this medium, and serves a far greater purpose than a mere backdrop for the soloist. Dark, somber colors predominate, as is this composerʼs tendency, lending an air of passionate urgency to the music. Note particularly the third theme in B-flat minor in the first movement, played by the unison violins, or the second theme of the Finale, again played by the violins, with its interplay of 6/8 and 3/4 meters.
　Attention to the formalities of sonata form is largely avoided in favor of originality of thought. In the first movement, there is no development section as such; instead, each of the three main themes is fully elaborated and developed upon initial presentation. A cadenza occurs at the point where a full development would normally stand, followed by a recapitulation of the three themes, each of which is subjected to further expansion. In the Adagio movement, Sibelius contrasts the long, dreamy and reflective opening theme with a turbulent and darkly passionate section in the minor mode. The finale, in rondo form, calls to the fore the full technical prowess of the soloist. Energetic rhythms suggestive of the polonaise and gypsy dances offer further elements of excitement to this exuberant movement.

　Robert Markow's musical career began as a horn player in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He now writes program notes for orchestras and concert organizations in the USA, Canada, and several countries in Asia. As a journalist he covers the music scenes across North America, Europe, and Asian countries, especially Japan. At Montreal's McGill University he lectured on music for over 25 years.
　

Madetoja: Symphony No.2 in E-flat major, op.35

Ⅰ Allegro moderato − (attacca)
Ⅱ Andante
Ⅲ Allegro non troppo − (attacca)
Ⅳ Andantino

Leevi Madetoja: Born in Oulu, Finland, February 17, 1887; died in Helsinki, October 6, 1947

　Many concertgoers know that Sibelius was Finlandʼs most famous composer, and that his seven symphonies mark him as his countryʼs greatest symphonist. But who are the others? Actually, there have been many, and among the most important (next to Sibelius) was Leevi Madetoja. Madetoja left only three symphonies, but they are all important works. The First (1916) was also his first major orchestral composition, which was received warmly by the press and remains one of the finest first symphonies by any composer still in his twenties; the Second (1918) was proclaimed by critic Evert Katila to be “the most remarkable achievement in our music since the monumental series of Sibelius”; and the Third (1926), co-incidentally bearing the same opus number (55) as Beethovenʼs Third (Eroica), may well be Madetojaʼs most accomplished work in its deft combination of Nordic spirit with Gallic elegance and clarity (Madetoja spent much time in Paris).
　Madetoja is also credited with having written his countryʼs unofficial “national opera,” The Ostrobothnians, which sits alongside Mussorgskyʼs Boris Godounov, Brittenʼs Peter Grimes, and Smetanaʼs Bartered Bride in its vivid evocation of national spirit. In 1918, the year of the Second Symphony, Madetoja was granted an artistʼs pension for life by the Finnish government, an honor he shared with Sibelius. In the composerʼs native city of Oulu there exist a music school, a street, and a concert hall named after him, A bronze statue was erected there in 1962. There are piano and choir competitions named after him, and in 1987 Finland issued a postage stamp in his likeness. Nevertheless, Madetoja remains little-known outside of Finland, but there has been a recent surge of interest in his music, driven in large part by tonightʼs conductor, John Storgårds, who has recorded all the symphonies as well as other works.
　The Second Symphony was dedicated to the memory of the composerʼs mother. Robert Kajanus conducted the premiere on December 17, 1918. Listeners familiar with Sibeliusʼ symphonies, especially the Third and Sixth, will have no trouble hearing the influence of the older composer, with whom Madetoja studied privately between 1908 and 1910. Further, the “Gallic elegance and clarity” mentioned above with reference to the Third Symphony is also immediately apparent in the Second. It opens with a long-breathed line in the violins, suggestive of a pastoral setting. “Madetoja remained deeply sensitive to nature and especially to the atmosphere and culture of his native Ostrobothnia,” writes musicologist Henri-Claude Fantapié. The theme immediately begins to develop, and Madetoja shows himself highly adept at sustaining interest in this material before moving on to the second subject in A-flat major, also initially presented by the violins to an accompaniment of fluttering clarinets (later flutes). After a towering climax the music settles into the movementʼs development section. The recapitulation is regular except that it omits repeat of the second theme.
　The second movement continues the pastoral associations. It arrives without pause, but is instantly identifiable by the distant calls from an oboe, then horn, then bassoon. These bucolic calls return several times throughout the movement, which unfolds leisurely with a wide-ranging melody in the strings. The music raises to an intense climax, after which woodwinds assume the melodic interest. The orchestration becomes increasingly richer until a second grand climax is reached.
　The third movement, in B-flat minor, contains by far the symphonyʼs most vigorous and rhythmically intricate music. The writing is often highly virtuosic, densely scored, and mostly at a high volume level helped by prominent use of percussion. The climax is marked fff (fortississimo) − the only such moment in the entire symphony. Two ideas alternate in an ABABA format: the “A” material develops a motif from the first movement, while the “B” material consists of a menacing, march-like idea.
　After this has run its course, the music resolves without pause into the fourth and final movement, a sort of epilogue of quasi-mystic tone built from a modal melody anchored on the note E, the very pitch that brings the symphony to its enigmatic conclusion.

　Robert Markow's musical career began as a horn player in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He now writes program notes for orchestras and concert organizations in the USA, Canada, and several countries in Asia. As a journalist he covers the music scenes across North America, Europe, and Asian countries, especially Japan. At Montreal's McGill University he lectured on music for over 25 years.
　

【Soloist Encore】（1/20up）
1．Kopsin Jonas（Finnish Traditional Tunes）
2．ELIA（Finnish Traditional Tunes）～
　　J.S.Bach：Violin Partita No.3 in E major, BWV 1006 IV.Menuett I
　（Pekka KUUSISTO, Violin）

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