15 YEARS OF THE KYMI SINFONIETTA! SPRING 2014

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1 Alterations possible 15 YEARS OF THE KYMI SINFONIETTA! SPRING 2014 OPENING CONCERT Wed at 19 Thu at 19 Shinozaki Marie Arnet, soprano Esa-Pekka Salonen: Five Images after Sappho Gustav Mahler: Four movements from Des Knaben Wunderhorn Rheinlegendchen Lied des Verfolgten im Turm Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen Verlor'ne Müh' L. van Beethoven: Symphony No. 6, Pastoral The Kymi Sinfonietta, 15 this year, begins its spring season with its customary musical enthusiasm and a captivating live performance bursting with energy. As our soloist we have Marie Arnet, a Swedish soprano well launched on a brilliant career whose musical versatility and radiant voice have been the source of admiration the world over. Her repertoire for this programme includes music both contemporary (a song cycle by Esa-Pekka Salonen) and Romantic: magnificent songs by Gustav Mahler. The concert culminates in a wholehearted performance by the Kymi Sinfonietta and Yasuo Shinozaki of Beethoven s ever-popular Pastoral a symphony evoking rustic summer scenes guaranteed to send our audiences home in a cheerful mood. BACH AND FRIENDS VI + Meet the artist at The Brandenburg Concertos Thu at 19 Note week days! Fri at 19 Conductor & harpsichord Soloists/Solo parts: Andrew Lawrence-King Raymond Cox, violin, violine piccolo & viola Hanna Haapamäki & Sunniva Fagerlund, recorder; Auli Kontinen, flute; Timo Karjalainen, oboe; Csaba Rajnai, clarinet; Valerijs Avramenko, viola; Andres Narma, cello J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 1 6 A unique concert! Bach s Brandenburg Concertos are absolute gems, and their numerous melodies are undoubtedly already familiar to many. Yet never have they all been heard on one and the same occasion until now! Andrew Lawrence-King, Baroque specialist welcomed by audiences the world over, joins the Kymi Sinfonietta for the grand finale of a partnership lasting many years. And the icing on the cake are the superb solos by the various instrumentalists. Kymi Sinfonietta leader Raymond Cox will be kept really busy as soloist in all six concertos, and playing three different instruments.. THE ORIENT EXPRESS Music from across the world Wed 5.2. at 19 Thu 6.2. at 19 Soloist & leader: Kari Kriikku, clarinet Oriental dance: Jaana Lindroos The Orient Express is a show hosted by clarinettist Kari Kriikku. The music follows in the tracks of the famous former train of that name from Central Europe right down to Istanbul. The clarinet features in the

2 folk music of many countries. Over the years, Kriikku has picked up a variety of works from different cultures that have particularly caught his fancy, and then arranged them for clarinet and chamber orchestra. Among the latter are some exotic percussion and stringed instruments such as a darbuka drum and a Turkish lute. Our journey takes us through France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Romania before capturing the atmosphere of the Arab world. And Klezmer lovers will not be disappointed. The quick pace and musical surprises guarantee an entertaining evening set in motion by the Kymi Sinfonietta in a programme of its own. (Compèred concert) + Meet the artist at Wed at 19 Thu at 19 Alexander Mickelthwate Mika Väyrynen, accordion J. S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 4 Erkki-Sven Tüür: Accordion Concerto Prophecy L. van Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 Alexander Mickelthwate s September debut with the Kymi Sinfonietta led to an immediate re-invitation for this nice, gifted conductor. We can therefore look forward to a delightful evening: Bach s solemn, beautiful Orchestral Suite, Beethoven s Symphony No. 1 full of joy, light and energy, and the Accordion Concerto by one of Estonia s most celebrated composers, Erkki-Sven Tüür a work not lacking in meditation but also an trance-inducing dance. The soloist is one of the world s best-known classical accordionists, Mika Väyrynen, for whom the concerto was originally composed. This concert is also a chance to hear the sort of music Erkki-Sven Tüür, a member of the jury for the III International Uuno Klami Composition Competition composes. Wed at 19 Thu at 19 Eugene Tzigane Elina Vähälä, violin Wendy Chen, piano W. A. Mozart: Overture to the opera Don Giovanni Felix Mendelssohn: Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra W. A. Mozart: Symphony No. 40 What a pleasure it is to welcome back Elina Vähälä, a magnificent violinist who is this time bringing along pianist Wendy Chen. Wendy was only 15 when she appeared as the soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and she has never looked back. The Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra by Felix Mendelssohn is just made for these two artists, its delicate chamber-music-like sounds alternating with sparkling virtuosity. Eugene Tzigane, now visiting the Kymi Sinfonietta for the first time, is one of those conductors whose debut almost without exception leads to a re-invitation. The concert ends with one of Mozart s best-loved symphonies, no. 40. Wed at 19 Thu at 19 Andres Mustonen Etty Ben-Zaken, vocalist Music old and new from around the Mediterranean

3 Andres Mustonen, Estonia s musical shaman, leads us on a glorious musical journey around the Mediterranean: to the homelands of such composers as Vivaldi and Boccherini (Italy and Spain) on the European side, but also further south to the rich and varied musical heritage of the Middle East. For our guest soloist is the versatile Etty Ben-Zaken; in addition to singing some of the oldest and most recent classical music, she performs ethnic music from many countries and language areas. Composer Eitan Steinberg has made some fine transcriptions for orchestra and soloist, and we will also be hearing some music composed specially by him for Etty. Wed at 19 Thu at 19 Yasuo Shinozaki Kian Soltani, cello Magnus Lindberg: Coyote Blues W. A. Mozart: Symphony No. 35, Haffner Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1 Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring Suite For this concert, Yasuo has chosen some of the most unforgettable works from his time with the Kymi Sinfonietta. Magnificent compositions that highlight all the Kymi Sinfonietta s excellent qualities. The soloist is the unquestioned winner and audience favourite of last spring s International Paulo Cello Competition, Kian Soltani, of whom it was said that his fluent and effortless technique and total immersion in the music captivated the audience from beginning to end. But first something new: Coyote Blues by Magnus Lindberg, another internationally-acclaimed member of the III International Uuno Klami Composition Competition jury. + Meet the artist at Wed 2.4. at 19 Thu 3.4. at 19 Clemens Schuldt Alexandra Dariescu, piano Joseph Haydn: Overture L anima del filosofo" W. A. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 Franz Schreker: Intermezzo Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 3 A delightful Viennese programme and stunning guest artists. German Clemens Schuldt, winner of the 2010 Donatella Flick Conducting Competition, has been showered with invitations from orchestras and opera houses all over Europe and Asia and now makes his debut with us. It is also a pleasure to welcome Romanian pianist Alexandra Dariescu, now living in London and visiting Finland for the first time. Renowned for her brilliant musical and verbal communication skills, this young pianist has already appeared at the Royal Albert Hall, the Wigmore Hall and Carnegie Hall, and has just received the Women of the Future Award in London as an Ambassador for classical music. PETER AND THE WOLF Wed 9.4. at 18 Note times! Thu at 18 Arturo Alvarado Narrator: Arimo Haltsonen Sergei Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf

4 Sergei Prokofiev s hilarious musical fairytale Peter and the Wolf never fails to amuse! As the story proceeds, the instruments of the orchestra become familiar without the audience really noticing. The work can well be recommended not only for children but also for slightly more experienced concert-goers. Actor Arimo Haltsonen will narrate the story in Finnish and the conductor is Peruvian Arturo Alvarado. Tickets: 11/8 (season ticket not valid) TUNNE partnership with the Kouvola Theatre ST. JOHN PASSION Wed at 19 Kouvola Central Church Note week days! Thu at 20 Kotka Church Note time! Jouko Koivukoski Choir: Kotka Cantata Choir Laura Missuray, soprano Jeni Packalén, alto Heikki Rainio, tenor, Evangelist Riku Pelo, baritone Kai Huopainen, bass, Jesus J. S. Bach: St. John Passion The music and powerful emotions of the much-loved St. John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach hold the listener in their grip. The Easter events are brought home in the moving choruses, the crowd scenes and the solo arias expressing the feelings of individual characters. No wonder the Passion tradition is so strong, for the music of Bach affects us just as profoundly however often we hear it. (season ticket not valid) MAY DAY CONCERT In the Footsteps of Georg Ots Wed at 19 Thu 1.5. at 12 Petri Juutilainen Gabriel Suovanen, baritone Estonian Georg Ots ( ) and the songs he made famous live on in the memory of many here in Finland. Baritone Gabriel Suovanen got to know them well while still a child, as his father used to sing them. He particularly remembered the Saaremaa Waltz and I Love You, Life. Here now is a chance to hear these and many of Ots s other immortal favourites sung by our superb soloist. In between will be some spring-time orchestral items performed by our big band and conducted with a swing by Petri Juutilainen. (Compèred concert) THANK YOU, YASUO! + Meet the artist at Wed at 19 Thu at 19 Yasuo Shinozaki Kyoko Takezawa, violin Kalevi Aho: Chamber Symphony No. 1 Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1 With this concert we say a big, big Thank you to Yasuo and look back over his time with us at the Kymi Sinfonietta. Yasuo insisted that for this concert he wanted our violinist friend Kyoko Takesawa and the Sibelius Violin Concerto. And the heartrendingly beautiful Symphony No. 1 by Johannes Brahms, now performed for the first time by the Kymi Sinfonietta. As part of our series dedicated to living Finnish composers, we feature one for whose music Yasuo holds the greatest affection, Kalevi Aho Chairman of the jury of the III International Uuno Klami Composition Competition.

5 YOUNG SOLOISTS CONCERT Wed at 19 Thu at 19 Valerijs Avramenko Pupils from the Kotka Region and North Kymi Music Institutes A concert that will leave no one cold: amazing performances on a variety of instruments by talented young musicians as the soloists with a large orchestra. The tension is tangible and many will feel the need to fumble for their handkerchieves. Come and enjoy the spirited performances and support our young local musicians. Tickets: 14/11/8 OPENING CONCERT OF THE KYMIJOEN LOHISOITTO FESTIVAL Virtuoso Night Wed 4.6. at 19 Conductor & violin Henry Raudales Katarina Bassez Jouni Hirvelä: Lohen nousu, fp* Dmitri Shostakovich: Five Pieces for Two Violins Charles de Bériot: Sonata No. 3 for Two Violins and Orchestra Pablo de Sarasate: Navarra Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3, Scottish Virtuoso fireworks by two top violinists as the soloists with the Kymi Sinfonietta: passion, sensitivity, fire, warmth and the sheer joy of playing. All this and more besides as Katarina Bassez and Henry Raudales take the stage. After the interval the orchestra will have a chance to be the virtuoso in Mendelssohn s beautiful, summery Scottish Symphony. The concert begins with the world premiere performance of a work, Lohen nousu (The Salmon Rises) composed specially for this occasion by the talented young Kotka composer Jouni Hirvelä. * Commissioned by: Landbon yhteiset aliset kosket osakaskunta (The Management Association for the Lower Landbo Rapids) Tickets: 25 (season ticket holders 20) only from Lippupalvelu and at the door one hour before.