LIGHT & WAVES

This programme is part of the “Waves! Light and Sound in Kotka” festival

The interplay of light, water and colour floods the concert hall in this fantastic work of art to music chosen by Olari Elts and lighting effects by Niko Tiainen. The audience can look forward to a concert of astounding shades and effects on an impressive visual journey from the depths of the ocean right out into space.

The concert will also pay tribute to the life and work of the late Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023) with an arrangement for string orchestra of her Terra Memoria dedicated to all the departed, memories of whom live on in the moments we shared together. Deep Dark Shine by Erkki-Sven Tüür makes light shine in the depths. The Ring of Fire and Love by Outi Tarkiainen, commissioned jointly by the Kymi Sinfonietta, Jyväskylä Sinfonia and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra examines the volcanic belt that surrounds the Pacific Ocean, the bright ring of sunlight around the moon at the height of a solar eclipse, and the wonder of birth.

Justė Janulytė’s The Colour of Water transports saxophonist Joonatan Rautiola across the waves and the water’s mirror-like reflections. The music of Adams’ Become River broadens out into a delta of melodic streams flowing toward the depths. The concert is part of the “Waves! Light and Sound in Kotka” festival coordinated by the City of Kotka.

Conductor: Olari Elts
Soloist: Joonatan Rautiola, saxophone
Lighting: Niko Tiainen

Program:

Kaija Saariaho: Terra Memoria (version for string orchestra)
Erkki-Sven Tüür: Deep Dark Shine (Finnish premiere)
Outi Tarkiainen: The Ring of Fire and Love 

Justė Janulytė:The Colour of Water (Finnish premiere)
John Luther Adams: Become River