Category Archives: News

The Forests of Aulanko

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The Arensky Chamber Orchestra presents ‘The Forests of Aulanko’ – a classical concert with a twist, featuring Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5.

The Hospital Club, 24 Endell Street, London WC2H 9HQ   |   8.00pm   |   24 June 2017

Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela
Alex Woolf: Aulanko Responses
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5

Arensky Chamber Orchestra – William Kunhardt, artistic director/principal conductor

Aulanko follows the orchestra’s 2016 sell-out performance of Sibelius’s Seventh Symphony ‘in miniature’, a concert the Guardian said ‘made you feel like you were at the centre of an arctic gale with frost on your chin!’  It also features Sibelius’s Swan of Tuonela as well as a world première – Aulanko Responses, by 2012 BBC Young Composer of the Year, Alex Woolf. Aulanko Responses weaves music and poetry readings together, painting the forests landscapes of Sibelius’s homeland in sound.

The experience will include food and drink inspired by the Symphony and a ‘live programme note’ filled with stories about Sibelius and his masterpiece, delivered by the musicians from the stage. The event will be set in the Hospital Club’s penthouse cabaret salon, The Oak Room, giving the public one-night-only access to this exclusive members club.

The Arensky Chamber Orchestra is Britain’s orchestra of revolutionaries. Extraordinary classical musicians dedicated to electrifying performance and mind-opening presentation.

Exclusive ticket offer: £12, including a surprise cocktail
Discount tickets available here
*** Please note these are strictly limited and first come, first served. If these tickets are sold out, full price tickets are available here ***
More information: click here.
Further performances:
28 June at 7.30 pm – The Birley Centre, Eastbourne – click here for more info and tickets
6 July at 8 pm – Building 41, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London SE18 6ST (part of the Greenwich and Docklands Festival) – click here for more info and tickets

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Sibelius Festival Golfo del Tigullio e Riviera – autumn 2017

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The final schedule has been announced for the third Sibelius Festival Golfo del Tigullio e Riviera, Italy, taking place in September/October 2017. The Festival comprises an ambitious programme of lectures and concerts organized under the artistic direction of  composer Federico Ermirio.

Friday 22 September, 5pm
Santa Margherita Ligure / Sala ‘Spazio Aperto’
Sibelius e il Golfo del Tigullio: Soggiorno e ispirazione (in Italian)
Federico Ermirio, composer & artistic director

Friday 29 September, 9pm
Santa Margherita Ligure / Villa Durazzo
Inauguration Concert: Grieg, Sibelius, Ermirio, Rautavaara
Folke Gräsbeck, piano (artist in residence)

Saturday, September 30th 9pm
Sori / Oratorio di Sant’Erasmo
Soprano Recital: Grieg, Sibelius, Catalani, Puccini
Daria Masiero, soprano / Gisella Dapueto, piano

Sunday 1 October, 3.30pm
Recco / San Giovanni Battista Church
Grieg, Sibelius, Holst, De Haan, Elgar, Tchaikovsky
Filarmonica ‘Gioacchino Rossini’ wind orchestra

Friday 6 October, 5pm
Santa Margherita Ligure / Sala ‘Spazio Aperto’
Luci, colori e suoni (in Italian)
Simon Falvo, editor

Friday 6 October, 9pm
Santa Margherita Ligure / Villa Durazzo
Piano Quintets: Ermirio, Berg, Sibelius
New Helsinki Quartet; Folke Gräsbeck, piano

Saturday 7 October, 9pm
Zoagli /San Martino Church
String Quartets [1]: Berg, Kokkonen, Sibelius
New Helsinki Quartet

Sunday 8 October, 9pm
Recco / Oratorio di San Martino
String Quartets [2]: Sibelius, Webern, Kaipainen, Beethoven
New Helsinki Quartet

Friday 13 October, 5pm
Santa Margherita Ligure / Sala ‘Spazio Aperto’
Il cinema finlandese prima di Kaurismäki (in Italian)
Hilla Okkonen (Finnish Embassy, Rome)

Friday 13 October, 9pm
Santa Margherita Ligure / Villa Durazzo
Piano Recital: Prokofiev, Nielsen, Sibelius
Andrea Carcano, piano

Saturday 14 October, 5pm
Santa Margherita Ligure / Sala Consiliare del Comune
Sotto la stella polare: cento anni di indipendenza (in Italian)
Ferruccio Tammaro, critic
Hilla Okkonen (Finnish Embassy, Rome)
with the participation of Janne Taalas, Finnish Ambassador in Rome

Saturday 14 October, 9pm
Santa Margherita Ligure / San Siro Church
Symphonic Concert: Barber, Sibelius
Orchestra Sinfonica del Conservatorio ‘Giacomo Puccini’ di La Spezia
Giovanni Di Stefano, conductor

Sunday 15 October, 6pm
Bogliasco / Sala ‘Piero Bozzo’
Viola Recital: Sibelius, Bax, Brahms
Kate Hamilton, viola
Andrea Carcano, piano

Click here to visit the Festival’s website.

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Complete BIS Sibelius Box in Japan

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A limited-edition complete boxed set of the BIS Sibelius Edition has been issued by King International in Japan.

The set includes all 69 original CDs plus a bonus disc of items that have come to light since the thirteenth and final volume of the Edition was issued in 2011 (these newer recordings are available internationally on BIS-2065 and BIS-2132).

The discs are accompanied by a large book (over 400 pages) including track listings, notes, artist biographies and song texts with Japanese translations.

The set can be ordered online – click here for the order page (in Japanese).

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New Piano Transcription of Symphony No. 2

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Michael Grant has made a new solo piano transcription of Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2.

This new 59-page transcription features the entire symphony, complete and unabridged. It has been painstakingly prepared from the orchestral score, with great care being taken to adapt it to the unique medium of the keyboard. The result is an arrangement that remains faithful to the original whilst being idiomatically suited to the piano.

Key features of this edition:
— All 1254 bars of the symphony, faithfully transcribed for solo piano.
— This arrangement has been prepared with practicality in mind, resulting in an edition that is playable for advanced hobbyists as well as established virtuosi.
— Tempo indications, marks of expression and rehearsal letters have all been preserved from the orchestral score.
— Comprehensive bar numbers (at the start of every line) provide an invaluable reference for study and analysis.
— An in-depth introduction and commentary, written by the arranger, details the historical background of the symphony along with notable features of the music.

Michael Grant writes: ‘To the best of my knowledge this is the first time this symphony has been commercially available in such a format, and I have deliberately tried to make it playable for the intermediate/advanced pianist (whereas piano transcriptions are often only suited to virtuosos).’

Michael Grant is a highly accomplished woodwind musician based in London. He is proficient in a wide range of musical styles, participating regularly in a mixture of orchestral concerts, jazz performances and musical theatre shows. He has performed in some of the most iconic venues across the UK and Europe, including London’s Adelphi Theatre and Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Brussels Cathedral, and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin. In addition, he has performed with such esteemed artists as Richard Dickins, Tom Deering and Sir Thomas Allen.

The transcription is available via Michael Grant’s website
(www.michaelgrantmusician.com/shop)

Details:
Instrumentation: Solo piano
Length: 59 pages
Duration: 45 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate/Advanced
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE (for orders placed before midnight on 31 May 2017): £8 (+£2 P&P) [regular price will be £15 + P&P]

Jean Sibelius and his Muses

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Kathleen Roland-Silverstein and Mimmi Fulmer will present a lecture recital at the International Congress of Voice Teachers in Stockholm on 4 August 2017 at 11.15 am.

Jean Sibelius and his Muses: Songs inspired by sopranos Ida Ekman and Aino Ackté

Two women inspired Jean Sibelius to write most of his over 100 songs. In this retrospective of sopranos Ida Ekman and Aino Ackte, the presenters will offer a lecture recital examining the differing voices and temperaments of the two, their relationships with the composer, and a performance of some of the most important songs created for them.

Soprano Kathleen Roland-Silverstein is a Fulbright scholar, author of a Swedish song anthology, music reviewer for the Journal of Singing, and a member of the faculty at Syracuse University.

Mimmi Fulmer is the editor of Midnight Sun, an anthology of Nordic songs, and author of a book about Vision and Prayer. She is professor of voice and opera at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Pianist Russell Miller is professor of vocal coaching and repertoire at Eastman School of Music. He has performed internationally, notably with Kathleen Roland-Silverstein, Julia Broxholm and Jan Opalach.

Conference website: click here.

Sibelius at the 2017 Proms

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Sibelius’s music will be featured at six of the BBC Prom concerts in 2017. All of these concerts will take place at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The concerts are as follows. Click on the links for further information and booking:

Saturday 15 July – Prom 2
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Elgar: Symphony No. 1
Lisa Batiashvili, violin; Staatskapelle Berlin / Daniel Barenboim

Monday 17 July  – Prom 5
Sibelius: Symphony No. 7
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10
Behzod Abduraimov, piano; BBC National Orchestra of Wales  / Thomas Søndergård

Tuesday 18 July – Prom 6
Shostakovich: October; Violin Concerto No. 1
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
Nicola Benedetti, violin; BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Thomas Søndergård

Thursday 10 August – Prom 33
Sibelius: Karelia Suite; Luonnotar
Grieg: Peer Gynt, excerpts
Schumann: Cello Concerto
Hindemith: Symphony ‘Mathis der Maler’
Lise Davidsen, soprano; Alban Gerhardt, cello; BBC Philharmonic / John Storgårds

Tuesday 22 August – Prom 51
Sibelius: Scènes historiques – Suite No. 1
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor
Elgar/Payne: Symphony No. 3
Javier Perianes, piano; BBC Symphony Orchestra / Sakari Oramo

Saturday 9 September – Prom 75 (Last Night)
Wennäkoski: Flounce
Kodály: Budavári Te Deum
Sargent: An Impression on a Windy Day
Sibelius: Finlandia (with choir participation)
Wagner: Tristan and Isolde – Prelude and Liebestod
Adams: Lola Montez Does the Spider Dance
arr. Wood: Fantasia on British Sea-Songs
Arne, arr. Sargent: Rule, Britannia!
Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1
Parry, orch. Elgar: Jerusalem
The National Anthem
Soloists; BBC Singers; BBC Symphony Chorus; BBC Symphony Orchestra / Sakari Oramo

Sibelius for Chinese President’s wife

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Folke Gräsbeck playing Sibelius’s Steinway at Ainola (Photo: © Sibelius One)

The pianist Folke Gräsbeck has given a special Sibelius concert at Ainola for Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping of China.

The performance took place on Wednesday 5 April 2017. On Sibelius’s newly renovated Steinway piano, Folke Gräsbeck performed The Solitary Fir Tree, The Birch and The Spruce (from ‘The Trees’, Op. 75), The Columbine from Op. 85, Con passione and Finlandia. The rarity Con passione, JS 53 (1919), was selected because it was composed for the artist Oscar Parviainen, several of whose paintings are at Ainola.

The concert was organized at the instigation of Jenni Haukio, wife of President Sauli Niinistö of Finland, who knew of Peng Liyuan’s great liking for the music of Sibelius.


Peng Liyuan (photo: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic licence)

Born in Shandong, Peng Liyuan is head of the Chinese Song and Dance Ensemble in the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army, and ranked first class in the civil service with the military rank of major general; she is the wife of the current Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The daughter of an opera singer, she gained popularity as a soprano from her regular appearances on the annual CCTV New Year’s Gala, and has won many honours in singing competitions nationwide. She was the first in China to obtain a Master’s degree in traditional ethnic music. Since 2011 she has also been World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

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Rouvali to the Philharmonia

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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

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More new releases from Fennica Gehrman

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Two further works by Sibelius have been issued in new editions by the publisher Fennica Gehrman.

The edition of the Overture in F minor for brass septet is based on the composer’s manuscripts at the National Library of Finland, and makes the work available for the first time in its original instrumentation. The overture dates from the summer of 1889 and was composed for the brass septet directed by Christian Haupt in Lovisa.
Score and parts: ISBN-13: 9790550113039. Price: € 55.30
Click here to order.

Also released is an orchestral arrangement by Ernest Pingoud of the well-known Op. 75 piano pieces, ‘The Trees’. Ernest Pingoud (1887–1942) was a Finnish composer of Alsatian parentage, known for his colourful orchestral scores; he was a pupil of the Anton Rubinstein, Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov at the St Petersburg Conservatory. The five pieces are among the best-known of Sibelius’s piano works and include Granen (The Spruce), an indispensable part of the repertoire of Finnish pianists.
ISBN-13: 9790550113237. Price: € 24.90
Click here to order.