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.