| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 6-Dec-2012 Queen's Hall, Edinburgh | SCO and Storgårds in Rautavaara, Beethoven and Mendelssohn |
Finland’s Einojuhani Rautavaara is no stranger to the SCO, who premièred his Autumn Gardens in 1999; nor to this concert’s conductor, fellow Finn John Storgårds, who recorded a disc of his works earlier this year. Although not a world première, this was a UK first performance of his Into the Heart of Light for string orchestra. Even in the years when he embraced serialism Rautavaara somehow managed to incorporate its key-avoiding nature into an essentially romantic tonal language.Read full review... | |
| 5-Jul-2012 Cheltenham College Chapel | Première after Première: BBC Singers at the Cheltenham Festival |
In most concert listings, premières seem to be thrown in as a one-off to offset a relatively risk-free billing. In this Cheltenham Music Festival concert, this was not the case. With no less than five premières in an evening of seven choral works, those present could be assured that they were hearing something new. The programme choice was engaging and enlightening, giving insight on different ways that the human voice can be used as an instrument.
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| 20-Apr-2012 Barbican Centre: Hall | John Storgårds conducts the BBCSO with Truls Mørk |
A very interestingly programmed concert, this. Two Finnish and two English composers, all represented with pieces that to a greater or lesser extent are programmatic. First we heard Delius' "Walk to the Paradise Garden" from his opera A Village Romeo and Juliet (here arranged by David Lloyd-Jones). The languidly intoxicated eroticism of this piece is absolutely extraordinary, aching with Debussian impressionistic warmth, but always in a recognisably English language.Read full review... | |
| 17-Mar-2011 Cadogan Hall | Musical Portraits |
A well conceived thematic programme which made for a delightful evening from an eager, young orchestra. We were welcomed into Cadogan Hall by a group of musicians playing traditional Finnish dances in the gallery, which student Einojuhani had worked up into a thoroughly viable concert starter, which showed immediately that this was an orchestra to listen to.
Grieg's Holberg Suite may be over familiar (typical Classic FM fare) but was brought vividly to life again by the Arenskys.
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