This morning I boarded a Finnair flight, again. Luckily I avoided the strike of the company´s pilots in November and the famous chaos with the luggage at the Helsinki airport during the first days of December. I certainly hope Finnair survives the difficult times. After extended stay abroad it´s always nice to board a Finnish aircraft, it´s a kind of extension of the fatherland: friendly but reserved service, familiar but not very good food, Finnish newspapers with nothing new in them...
But there is a frequent torment which drives me crazy: the music during boarding, taxing and takeoff. What makes the airline companies to think that the customers want to hear distorted jazz or appalling Pan Flute arrangements of something which sounds only vaguely familiar. Stop that, please! The situation is most painful in the morning when the passengers would like to relax and maybe even get some sleep. The Finnish Musician`s Union have (at least used to have) a special prize for public environments which are free of muzak. Maybe they should have a special antiprize for this kind of cacotopical terrorism as well.
And then there´s another annoying thing: useless announcements during the flight. "We are at the moment flying over the Isle of Gotland" ," our altitude is 11 000 metres", "the city of Mumbai on the left hand side", "we´ll start by heading south towards Berlin, then turn west and fly along the French border, over Geneva...". And all this in three languages! Who cares!?!? Just take me where I´m going and let me sleep.
It might look as if I were in a bad mood. Not at all. I just returned from Bremen. Die Glocke is a fenomenal hall and the audience there is always so warm and attentive. And Sharon Kam... what can I say...she´s the Maria Callas of the Clarinet.
18/12/2009
06/12/2009
Standing composers...
Someone just made me study Norman Lebrecht´s recent and unnecessary list on those contemporary composers "who will still be heard 50 years from now".
http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2009/11/last_composer_standing_-_the_r.htm
It´s difficult to understand the reason for these pollings. They might be entertaining for some readers but the real substance is of course missing. The biggest record companies will naturally send their blessings to Mr Lebrecht and it seems that he is making them a favor in a same way the Finnish cultural minister Stefan Wallin is about to make a favor for Nokia, though the latter case is about copyright laws.
The music enthusiasts have never been very good prophets since the greatest composers are always ahead of their own time and Mr Lebrecht very wisely refers to other possible reasons for the obvious distortions on his list. Contemporary fame does not necessarily predict eternal life, not even life after 50 years. There must be few Albrectsbergers, Salieris and Reichas on this list. Which ones, I can´t say. I´m not a prophet either.
This actually happens to link very well with our concert on Friday last week in Tampere.
The week was musically interesting and logistically victorious. Veli-Matti Puumala´s magnificent and huge orchestral piece was rehearsed and performed in the presence of the composer. The score is literally huge as well. I remember few years ago a critic writing that "the score is in the size of a doberman but you still need a magnifying glass to read it". The premiere at the Helsinki Festival twelve years ago was disaster because the conductor booked for the occasion didn´t (or couldn´t) study it properly. The way how the piece came out this time was hopefully nearer to the composer´s intentions but there are still things we have to fix before the recording sessions in January. One of the most unique and difficult features in this piece is the stage layout of the orchestra. There are about one hundred musicians seated in semicircles, descant instruments in the front and lower instruments in the back. This creates new and fascinating textures and sounds. For the stage managers this creates a nightmare. Here are two pictures taken by our orchestral manager Maritta Hirvonen. In the first one the musicians of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra are desperately trying to locate their seats before the first rehearsal and in the second picture they are finally seated and the rehearsal is in process. The first Puumala orchestral CD will be released next spring to make sure that also his music will be heard 50 years from now.
We had also another composer present. Einojuhani Rautavaara (No. 11 on Lebrect´s list) had travelled from Helsinki to hear the Scandinavian premiere of his new "Incantations", concerto for percussion and orchestra. It meant a lot for us that he came, it was moving to see him there and an honour to play for him. Colin Currie was as impeccable as always. Such a pleasure to play with him. I´ll see him next time in Baltimore where "Incantations" gets the US premiere in April 2010.
A selection of songs by Sibelius was sung by Jorma Hynninen. It´s amazing how he always seems to find more new and surprising aspects of these popular songs. I just learned that he´s asked Kimmo Hakola to write him a new song cycle which he could perform in 2011 when he turns 70!
The first four months in Tampere are over and we are still getting along.
Strange.
http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2009/11/last_composer_standing_-_the_r.htm
It´s difficult to understand the reason for these pollings. They might be entertaining for some readers but the real substance is of course missing. The biggest record companies will naturally send their blessings to Mr Lebrecht and it seems that he is making them a favor in a same way the Finnish cultural minister Stefan Wallin is about to make a favor for Nokia, though the latter case is about copyright laws.
The music enthusiasts have never been very good prophets since the greatest composers are always ahead of their own time and Mr Lebrecht very wisely refers to other possible reasons for the obvious distortions on his list. Contemporary fame does not necessarily predict eternal life, not even life after 50 years. There must be few Albrectsbergers, Salieris and Reichas on this list. Which ones, I can´t say. I´m not a prophet either.
This actually happens to link very well with our concert on Friday last week in Tampere.
The week was musically interesting and logistically victorious. Veli-Matti Puumala´s magnificent and huge orchestral piece was rehearsed and performed in the presence of the composer. The score is literally huge as well. I remember few years ago a critic writing that "the score is in the size of a doberman but you still need a magnifying glass to read it". The premiere at the Helsinki Festival twelve years ago was disaster because the conductor booked for the occasion didn´t (or couldn´t) study it properly. The way how the piece came out this time was hopefully nearer to the composer´s intentions but there are still things we have to fix before the recording sessions in January. One of the most unique and difficult features in this piece is the stage layout of the orchestra. There are about one hundred musicians seated in semicircles, descant instruments in the front and lower instruments in the back. This creates new and fascinating textures and sounds. For the stage managers this creates a nightmare. Here are two pictures taken by our orchestral manager Maritta Hirvonen. In the first one the musicians of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra are desperately trying to locate their seats before the first rehearsal and in the second picture they are finally seated and the rehearsal is in process. The first Puumala orchestral CD will be released next spring to make sure that also his music will be heard 50 years from now.
We had also another composer present. Einojuhani Rautavaara (No. 11 on Lebrect´s list) had travelled from Helsinki to hear the Scandinavian premiere of his new "Incantations", concerto for percussion and orchestra. It meant a lot for us that he came, it was moving to see him there and an honour to play for him. Colin Currie was as impeccable as always. Such a pleasure to play with him. I´ll see him next time in Baltimore where "Incantations" gets the US premiere in April 2010.
A selection of songs by Sibelius was sung by Jorma Hynninen. It´s amazing how he always seems to find more new and surprising aspects of these popular songs. I just learned that he´s asked Kimmo Hakola to write him a new song cycle which he could perform in 2011 when he turns 70!
The first four months in Tampere are over and we are still getting along.
Strange.
29/11/2009
Rochester and back to Finland
There was a second week in the US. After the warm and sunny Atlanta I spent a musically rewarding week in more Scandinavian climate with the Rochester Philharmonic. Rochester is a city with an interesting history linked closely to the Eastman Kodak Company. The Kodak Concert Hall dates from early 1920´s and is both huge and acustically excellent. The Eastman School of Music is one of the most prestigious music institutes in America and the Philharmonic are working closely with the students of the school. As most of the Northern American cities Rochester is in the middle of a change in the economical infrastructure. I had an opportunity to meet the most enthusiastic donors and members of the board and got the impression that there is a bright future for the orchestra.
The Rochester Phil is a modern ensemble with lots of energy and will. I had a chance to spend some time with these people and was impressed on how much they care about their orchestra and the audience. In the concert "Cantus Arcticus" by Einojuhani Rautavaara found a new home in the spacious acoustics of the Kodak Hall. That piece never fails to move the public. We played also Shostakovich 1st Symphony. I´ve conducted this piece a lot during the last 12 months and think it´s time to let it rest for a while now and take a closer look at his other symphonies. The 11th comes with the Indianapolis Symphony in March 2010 and I´m seriously planning to program 2nd, 3rd and 4th in Tampere.
Augustin Hadelich played a convincing and moving version of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. I´ve known about Augustin for a long time but this was the first time we played together. There is something very special in his musicianship and I´m glad we have plans for the future.
I´ve been back to Finland for six days now and I´m still in the middle of an excruciating jet lag. The seven hour time zone difference is the worst. Combining that with the Piano Concerto and Capriccio by Stravinsky can be dangerous. This week we had Alexander Toradze playing those pieces in Tampere. I always learn a lot when playing with him and also this time was quite fenomenal. Stravinsky´s neoclassical works are usually played without warmth and soul. But not this time. There is so much beauty and deepness of thought behind that graphic background and Alexander Toradze showed us how to make all that audible. I´m deeply grateful for that.
The Rochester Phil is a modern ensemble with lots of energy and will. I had a chance to spend some time with these people and was impressed on how much they care about their orchestra and the audience. In the concert "Cantus Arcticus" by Einojuhani Rautavaara found a new home in the spacious acoustics of the Kodak Hall. That piece never fails to move the public. We played also Shostakovich 1st Symphony. I´ve conducted this piece a lot during the last 12 months and think it´s time to let it rest for a while now and take a closer look at his other symphonies. The 11th comes with the Indianapolis Symphony in March 2010 and I´m seriously planning to program 2nd, 3rd and 4th in Tampere.
Augustin Hadelich played a convincing and moving version of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. I´ve known about Augustin for a long time but this was the first time we played together. There is something very special in his musicianship and I´m glad we have plans for the future.
I´ve been back to Finland for six days now and I´m still in the middle of an excruciating jet lag. The seven hour time zone difference is the worst. Combining that with the Piano Concerto and Capriccio by Stravinsky can be dangerous. This week we had Alexander Toradze playing those pieces in Tampere. I always learn a lot when playing with him and also this time was quite fenomenal. Stravinsky´s neoclassical works are usually played without warmth and soul. But not this time. There is so much beauty and deepness of thought behind that graphic background and Alexander Toradze showed us how to make all that audible. I´m deeply grateful for that.
22/11/2009
Henk Badings
Few weeks ago I performed with the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic and harpist Lavinia Meijer. She is a talented and impressive harpist (there seems to be an increasing number of harp players making an international career: Xavier de Maistre, Emmanuel Ceysson and now Lavinia) and during the concert at the Concertgebouw she received the Dutch Music Prize. For her concerto she had chosen a piece by Dutch composer Henk Badings.
Badings (1907-1987) was born in Dutch East Indies and being largely self taught he developed an interesting and slightly syncretic style. I´ve been trying to find out about his career and life which seems to have been quite stormy and controversial though many conductors during his lifetime tried to champion his music. Luckily there seems to be some new recordings around.
I was positively surprised and delighted when I got the score of his harp concerto. Rehearsals and the concert made me convinced that Badings is a composer who needs more attention abroad. His style is light, harmonically interesting and everything is elegantly orchestrated. He also made use of overtone scales.
Finally this episode made me think of all those dozens composers from the 20th century who have or had a reputation and followers in their own countries but who are not very famous abroad. Maybe there was another composer at the same time who got more attention or maybe their champions forgot to play their music when they went abroad. Maybe there are not recordings or maybe the existing recordings are not good enough so that they could give a clear picture of a rare musical talent.
We have already good recordings of composers like Aarre Merikanto, Geir Tveitt, Allan Petterson, Percy Grainger, Henk Badings and Andrzej Panufnik, who were always too modern or too conservative for their own countries and time and whose fame diminished after their death. These composers and many others would deserve an international career, post mortem. This would of course mean that we conductors should sometimes let the classical, romantic or contemporary opening piece to go and replace it with something exciting and forgotten.
Badings (1907-1987) was born in Dutch East Indies and being largely self taught he developed an interesting and slightly syncretic style. I´ve been trying to find out about his career and life which seems to have been quite stormy and controversial though many conductors during his lifetime tried to champion his music. Luckily there seems to be some new recordings around.
I was positively surprised and delighted when I got the score of his harp concerto. Rehearsals and the concert made me convinced that Badings is a composer who needs more attention abroad. His style is light, harmonically interesting and everything is elegantly orchestrated. He also made use of overtone scales.
Finally this episode made me think of all those dozens composers from the 20th century who have or had a reputation and followers in their own countries but who are not very famous abroad. Maybe there was another composer at the same time who got more attention or maybe their champions forgot to play their music when they went abroad. Maybe there are not recordings or maybe the existing recordings are not good enough so that they could give a clear picture of a rare musical talent.
We have already good recordings of composers like Aarre Merikanto, Geir Tveitt, Allan Petterson, Percy Grainger, Henk Badings and Andrzej Panufnik, who were always too modern or too conservative for their own countries and time and whose fame diminished after their death. These composers and many others would deserve an international career, post mortem. This would of course mean that we conductors should sometimes let the classical, romantic or contemporary opening piece to go and replace it with something exciting and forgotten.
16/11/2009
Atlanta and other stuff
Sorry....I haven´t been very active in blogging recently. That´s because I promised myself that I´ll blog only if I feel like that, not because I have to fill some void in the cyber space. I just loaded a new album by Leona Lewis and got the inspiration for few lines. Additional help for this monumental task is provided by the excellent merlot by Duckhorn Vineyards (Napa Valley)....
During the last month there have been many memorable concerts. Eine Alpensinfonie and Le Sacre du Printemps in Tampere combined with two unique Beethoven experiences. Corey Cerovsek played a deeply beautiful version of the Violin Concerto and Steven Osborne delighted the Tampere public with the 4th Piano Concerto. Once again it was great to work with Steven Osborne. We discussed the 4th concerto a lot: phrases, proportions, drama and tempi only to realise that there are no answers. These questions can only be solved by intuition, while actually making music. I think we solved a lot in the concert but there are certainly enough enigmas left for the next thirty years . I hope one day I have a chance to play a complete Beethoven cycle with Steven (...this is a hint for all the distinguished Vice Presidents of Artistic Planning)
There was also an interesting week in Amsterdam and Concertgebouw with the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic. This and a certain composer Henk Badings deserve a separate entry later.
I´ve just wrapped up a week with the Atlanta Symphony. A happy week. ASO is a brilliant orchestra and I was impressed by their flexibility and musicality. We played Tchaikovsky, Glazunov and Shostakovich, each composer representing very well his own generation in Russian composing. I couldn´t help remembering one of my teachers, Ilya Musin, who once during one of his numerous master classes at the Sibelius Academy told us how Shostakovich (they were same age) used to show him the schetches of the First Symphony and how they played it together on the piano in the classroom of the St Peterburg Conservatory. For a musician the past is always near.
Atlanta was also one of the nicest cities I´ve been in the US. My friend, percussionist Colin Currie says Atlanta is a big-hearted city and he´s absolutely right. The culinary experiences were unforgettable.
Duckhorn is empty and I have go to sleep. Tomorrow flight to Rochester. More Shostakovich one....
Thanks ASO, Tai, Amy, Carol, Rebecca and Garrett!
During the last month there have been many memorable concerts. Eine Alpensinfonie and Le Sacre du Printemps in Tampere combined with two unique Beethoven experiences. Corey Cerovsek played a deeply beautiful version of the Violin Concerto and Steven Osborne delighted the Tampere public with the 4th Piano Concerto. Once again it was great to work with Steven Osborne. We discussed the 4th concerto a lot: phrases, proportions, drama and tempi only to realise that there are no answers. These questions can only be solved by intuition, while actually making music. I think we solved a lot in the concert but there are certainly enough enigmas left for the next thirty years . I hope one day I have a chance to play a complete Beethoven cycle with Steven (...this is a hint for all the distinguished Vice Presidents of Artistic Planning)
There was also an interesting week in Amsterdam and Concertgebouw with the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic. This and a certain composer Henk Badings deserve a separate entry later.
I´ve just wrapped up a week with the Atlanta Symphony. A happy week. ASO is a brilliant orchestra and I was impressed by their flexibility and musicality. We played Tchaikovsky, Glazunov and Shostakovich, each composer representing very well his own generation in Russian composing. I couldn´t help remembering one of my teachers, Ilya Musin, who once during one of his numerous master classes at the Sibelius Academy told us how Shostakovich (they were same age) used to show him the schetches of the First Symphony and how they played it together on the piano in the classroom of the St Peterburg Conservatory. For a musician the past is always near.
Atlanta was also one of the nicest cities I´ve been in the US. My friend, percussionist Colin Currie says Atlanta is a big-hearted city and he´s absolutely right. The culinary experiences were unforgettable.
Duckhorn is empty and I have go to sleep. Tomorrow flight to Rochester. More Shostakovich one....
Thanks ASO, Tai, Amy, Carol, Rebecca and Garrett!
12/10/2009
Liverpool
I´m now back from Liverpool where we had two very nice but heavy programmes in three different concerts. Rautavaara´s "Before the Icons" got a UK premiere on Wednesday. I´m sure it will become one of his most popular orchestral pieces together with Cantus Arcticus. It´s got the crisp spirit of his 50´s style combined with fine and delicate orchestration of his mature style.
Angela Hewitt played the Schumann concerto and I very much liked her measured and intelligent version of this piece. But why is the finale always so difficult??? Was Schumann´s rhytmical concept revolutionary, ingenious or just naive?
Brahms Fourth Symphony was played in two programmes. What an exhausting piece to to conduct. Not that it`s very long but It´s so well composed and there´s so much meaning concentrated in his complex counterpoint that the performers must struggle all the time between expression and balance. Every note has it´s place in the score almost in a webernian manner.
Last concert ended on Sunday with Eroica. We only had a short rehearsal in the morning but it went surprisingly well. RLPO is having a big boost with Petrenko at the moment. In Liverpool I became to wonder the similarities between Tampere and the industrial cities in Britain. The orchestras have to justify their existence all the time and this can be done only by giving first rate concerts for own audiences and by building an international reputation by recordings and tours.
Getting back to Tampere for Alpine Symphony and Rite of Spring and looking forward to working again with Steven Osborne and Corey Cerovsek with his fantastic "Milanollo" Stradivari.
Angela Hewitt played the Schumann concerto and I very much liked her measured and intelligent version of this piece. But why is the finale always so difficult??? Was Schumann´s rhytmical concept revolutionary, ingenious or just naive?
Brahms Fourth Symphony was played in two programmes. What an exhausting piece to to conduct. Not that it`s very long but It´s so well composed and there´s so much meaning concentrated in his complex counterpoint that the performers must struggle all the time between expression and balance. Every note has it´s place in the score almost in a webernian manner.
Last concert ended on Sunday with Eroica. We only had a short rehearsal in the morning but it went surprisingly well. RLPO is having a big boost with Petrenko at the moment. In Liverpool I became to wonder the similarities between Tampere and the industrial cities in Britain. The orchestras have to justify their existence all the time and this can be done only by giving first rate concerts for own audiences and by building an international reputation by recordings and tours.
Getting back to Tampere for Alpine Symphony and Rite of Spring and looking forward to working again with Steven Osborne and Corey Cerovsek with his fantastic "Milanollo" Stradivari.
And we finally saw the Sun....
Yes, the huge score of "Seht die Sonne" behaved well, both logistically and musically. What a great piece it is. It´s my favourite among Magnus Lindberg´s works along with the Clarinet and the Violin Concertos. Orchestra enjoyed playing it a lot and that´s mostly because of Magnus´musicianship. This is what good composing consists of: vision and technique. Good luck and strength to Magnus with the NY Phil!
Topi Lehtipuu sung a fine "Poeme de l`Amour et de la Mer" and once again Wagner and Chausson proved to be a good combination. Just that the orchestration of the original Tannhäuser Overture is a bit clumsy. Why didn´t he compose the whole beginning again for the performances in Paris?
Topi Lehtipuu sung a fine "Poeme de l`Amour et de la Mer" and once again Wagner and Chausson proved to be a good combination. Just that the orchestration of the original Tannhäuser Overture is a bit clumsy. Why didn´t he compose the whole beginning again for the performances in Paris?
27/09/2009
Music in many shades and hues/ digesting Hindemith
This weekend has been recovering from a Hindemith overdose last Friday, Das Marienleben and Mathis der Maler.Once again I was amazed how emotional his music actually is. And difficult to play. And difficult to phrase naturally.Well...I think we did fine.
This week we have a new challenge: Seht die Sonne by Magnus Lindberg, his "2nd symphony".The first problem seems to be logistical: the score is too big for my music stand....
This week we have a new challenge: Seht die Sonne by Magnus Lindberg, his "2nd symphony".The first problem seems to be logistical: the score is too big for my music stand....
20/09/2009
Regards from Poland
I´ve just returned from one of the most ambitious contemporary music festivals in Europe, Sacrum Profanum in Krakow, Poland. I´ve always thought that the music of our time should be integrated into the programmes and not treated as some kind of a curiosity but Krakow was a delightful surprise. Poland seems to be a country were culture is an important part of daily life. I´ve rarely seen this kind of interest from the media, public and press alike. Poland shows that culture is and should be an important force in the society.
Playing the sensitive music by Jonathan Harvey in industrial surroundings wasn´t that easy, though. The venue was a shock in the first and only rehearsal we had and the Ensemble intercontemporain and our great technicians had to work hard in order to make the music and electronics work. And that´s what they finally did. After the chaos of the afternoon the concert went surprisingly well and there was a very special atmosphere. Merci beaucoup, EIC.
05/09/2009
Good start
Great concert yesterday! Thanks for all. And thanks especially for Gabriel. I think it would be very difficult to find a singer more suitable for those stunning monologues by Frank Martin. There is something very special in these songs and I don´t think you have to be a religious listener at all to realise that there is a huge amount of hope behind this music and the beautiful text by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Martin´s music should be played more. Maybe in the future we´ll programme Polypyque or even Le Vin Herbé.
I suppose finishing the concert with the Poeme de l´Extase took us as far from Martin´s protestant world as possible. It´s a less complex piece than most people think but it´s certainly true that the huge amount of short themes make the symphonic development impossible and balancing difficult. I´ve tried to read the composers chaotic verses which he wrote to serve as some kind of an explanation of the piece but found the score much more informative. In Scriabin´s (and Wagners´s) case the music itself creates more profound and genuine feelings than the text on which it´s based on.
I was reminded this week that Beethoven was my age whan he composed his 7th symphony. For some reason I found that information spooky.
This weekend is dedicated for some rest and four scores by Jonathat Harvey. It´s been many years since I´ve conducted anything with this much electronics. Harvey is an interesting composer and studying his scores has been quite a journey. I´m looking forward to the first rehearsals with the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris on Tuesday.
I suppose finishing the concert with the Poeme de l´Extase took us as far from Martin´s protestant world as possible. It´s a less complex piece than most people think but it´s certainly true that the huge amount of short themes make the symphonic development impossible and balancing difficult. I´ve tried to read the composers chaotic verses which he wrote to serve as some kind of an explanation of the piece but found the score much more informative. In Scriabin´s (and Wagners´s) case the music itself creates more profound and genuine feelings than the text on which it´s based on.
I was reminded this week that Beethoven was my age whan he composed his 7th symphony. For some reason I found that information spooky.
This weekend is dedicated for some rest and four scores by Jonathat Harvey. It´s been many years since I´ve conducted anything with this much electronics. Harvey is an interesting composer and studying his scores has been quite a journey. I´m looking forward to the first rehearsals with the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris on Tuesday.
23/08/2009
Finally....
My website is finally back! I´m so sorry you had to wait for almost 12 months but the process was much slower than I could ever imagine. Anyway, Teemu Mattila has again done great job with the design based on some new photographs by Jonas Lundqvist, Sini Pennanen and Heikki Tuuli.
The timing however is perfect since the first week of September will be my first official week as a Music Director of the Tampere Filharmonia. After four more or less nomadic years it feels good to have a base somewhere, especially in Finland because during my travels I have missed a lot working in my own familiar culture and in my own language. I suppose this makes me a very typical Finn. You will also soon hear about another contract which will bring even more stability to my schedules.
We have already started the work in Tampere this week with two different CD recordings. The first project was around Italian composer Nino Rota and his eclestic two Piano Concertos (played by superb Janne Mertanen). Other pieces recorded were the Trumpet Concerto and orchestral scherzo "Ghost of Buster" by our Composer in Residence Jouni Kaipainen. Both CDs will be for the Alba label with which we have plans for many interesting projects.
My first official subscription concert will be on the 4th of September and the programme will include some of my most favourite music. More about that soon.
It was very hot in Porvoo Summer Sounds this year....a snapshot by Heikki Tuuli
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