Santtu-Matias Rouvali (photo: © Kaapo Kamu)
The Philharmonia Orchestra has appointed two principal guest conductors, Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Jakub Hrůša.
Rouvali and Hrůša take up their roles at the beginning of the 2017/18 Season. Both artists will conduct several concerts a year – and contribute to the programming for the orchestra’s major series.
Santtu-Matias Rouvali (31) has conducted the Philharmonia in concerts across its UK residencies. In his début with the Philharmonia at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in January 2016, Rouvali conducted Sibelius’s Second Symphony.
Rouvali is also chief conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and principal guest conductor of the Copenhagen Philharmonic, and takes up the position of chief conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony from the 2017/18 season. With the Gothenburg orchestra he will perform at the Lahti Sibelius Festival in 2017.
Rouvali describes the Philharmonia as ‘a perfectly-shaped orchestra. Its players can pick up any music, are always prepared and technically very skilful. There are so few orchestras around the world who can get close to that. Now I can conduct them: what more could I wish for?’
Rouvali conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in a sold-out Sunday matinee on Sunday 23 April 2017, performing Holst’s Planets and Elgar’s Cello Concerto, with Alban Gerhardt as soloist.
Click here for a film introducing Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, giving his thoughts on joining the Philharmonia.
Source: Philharmonia Orchestra blog