SLIGHTLY FOLKSY
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
Mounting the podium for this concert is the Kymi Sinfonietta’s own oboist-conductor Dimas Ruiz Santos. The works he has chosen bear echoes of folk music while also delving right to the roots of music; how have classical composers borrowed ideas from folk music? One interesting highlight is the Country Dance by one of Finland’s earliest symphonists, Ida Moberg. Dvořák’s Romance for violin and orchestra, Ligeti’s Concert românesc in wild Romanian folk vein, and Schubert’s sixth symphony, bursting with joie de vivre guarantee a feel-good concert evening.
Artists
Conductor:
Dimas Ruiz Santos
Soloist:
Essi Höglund
Program
Ida Moberg: Landtlig dans (Country Dance)
Antonín Dvořák: Romance in F Minor Op. 11, B. 39
György Ligeti: Concert românesc
Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 6 in C Major, D. 589
SPRINGTIME & NOSTALGIA!
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
May Day would not be the same without a concert by the Kymi Sinfonietta celebrating spring with a feast of cheerful music and top-rate artists. The programme of shining gems and classics is enough to make anyone fizz.
Artists
Conductor:
Heikki Elo
Vocalists:
Anne Mattila
Mikael Konttinen
Program
J.S. BACH: ST JOHN PASSION
- Kouvola Central Church
- Kotka Concert Hall
The Kymi Sinfonietta’s Easter tradition is as thriving as ever, this time in a performance of the St John Passion with versatile conductor-tenor Topi Lehtipuu and a brilliant band of soloists. The St John Passion is a prime example of Bach’s timeless musical genius and skill. As we listen, we become immersed in not only the last events of Christ’s life but also a tradition beginning with Bach in which the mighty power of the great musical masterpieces brings the Easter story alive in the present day. Our long-standing collaboration with the Kotka Cantata Choir continues.
Artists
Conductor & tenor:
Topi Lehtipuu
Choir:
Kotka Cantata Choir
Program
Johann Sebastian Bach: Johannes-passio
Hyväntekeväisyyskonsertti: Apua Ukrainalle!
- Kotka Concert Hall
Artists
Conductor:
Maria Itkonen
Program
Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D Major “Classical” Op. 25
Pēteris Vasks: Distant Light, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Ottorino Respighi: Gli Uccelli (The Birds)
Maurice Ravel: Ma mère l’Oye (Mother Goose)
CHILDREN’S CONCERT: CATS & DOGS! Katti Matikainen & Nakkirakki take the stage
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
What do you need to make music? Two characters (a cat and a dog) familiar to Finnish children explore and talk – in Finnish – about the world of music performed under the baton of Jukka Myllys.
Artists
Conductor:
Jukka Myllys
Cast:
Silja Sillanpää (Katti Matikainen) ja Ville Mononen (Nakkirakki)
Script:
Silja Sillanpää
Program
WAGNER & BRAHMS: SIMPLY SUBLIME
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
Anna-Maria Helsing is one of the most renowned and in-demand conductors of her generation, and a pioneer in the sense that she was the first woman in Finland to receive a Chief Conductor tenure. Her eagerly-awaited visit to our orchestra is now to take place in a Wagner-oriented programme. The soloist is Swedish soprano Julia Sporsén, famous for her expressive performance and ability to live the part.
Artists
Conductor:
Anna-Maria Helsing
Soloist:
Julia Sporsén, soprano
Program
Johannes Brahms: Serenade No. 1, D Major, Op. 11
Richard Wagner: Aria “Dich, teure Halle” (from “Tannhäuser”)
Richard Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
Richard Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder (arr. Felix Mottl)
IF TREES COULD SPEAK – FOCUS ON THE BASSOON
- Kotkan Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
The Kymi Sinfonietta welcomes Estonian bassoon superstar and multiple Grammy nominee Martin Kuuskmann. Contemporary music occupies a large role in his repertoire. Together with Olari Elts he is now to play the Bassoon Concerto by Iceland’s Páll Ragnar Pálsson, a joint commission from the Kymi Sinfonietta and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. The Overture by Reynaldo Hahn is a real treat, with its feel for nature, its playfulness and its wonderful optimism.
Artists
Conductor:
Olari Elts
Soloist:
Martin Kuuskmann, bassoon
Program
Jean Sibelius: The Trees Op. 75 (orchestral arr. Ernest Pingoud)
Páll Ragnar Pálsson: PLAY (commissioned jointly by the Kymi Sinfonietta and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra)
Reynaldo Hahn: Mozart Overture for Chamber Orchestra
W. A. Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, KV 543
I ♥ BAROQUE
- Kotka Concert Hall
This concert curated and led by our leader, Raymond Cox, presents Italian, German and French music of the Baroque, sometimes in combination. The rich rhythms and melodies of Vivaldi, Bach and Couperin, along with the warmth and subtlety of Baroque music are sure to melt any listener’s heart. The concerto-form works are a chance for members of our own orchestra to demonstrate their talent.
Artists
Leader:
Raymond Cox
Soloists:
Eero Kiukkonen, trumpet
Laura Vaittinen, trumpet
Stevan Sretenović, violin
Dimas Ruiz Santos, oboe
Program
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Trumpets and String Orchestra in C Major, RV 537
Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C Minor, BWV 1060
François Couperin: L’Apothéose de Lully
HARMONIEMUSIK – MUSIC FOR WINDS
- Online concert (with presenter)
This concert is a chance to fully appreciate our multi-talented Kymi Sinfonietta wind players. The theme of the concert is Harmoniemusik, a term referring to the music played by a band known as a Harmonie consisting of from five to ten wind players – usually at least two per instrument – in the latter half of the 18th century. Funded by the aristocracy, they would perform beautiful, light, easy-listening background and dance music at less formal occasions. In this concert we hear two Harmonie works, a slightly earlier German one – Beethoven’s lively Wind Octet in E-flat – and a later representative of the French musical tradition with Neoclassical overtones. The elegant Petite Symphonie by Charles Gounod will be played by nine wind instruments. The concert has been masterminded by our own French horn player, Henriikka Teerikangas.
Artists
Kymi Sinfonietta wind ensembles
Program
Ludwig van Beethoven: Wind Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 103
Charles Gounod: Petite Symphonie
POSTPONED: FOLK FUN
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
CONCERT WILL BE POSTPONED AND RESCHEDULED (AUTUMN SEASON 2022)
The lively, zippy concert by the Frigg Folk Music Band conducted by Jaakko Kuusisto is a guaranteed early-spring tonic in a programme combining Nordic tradition and earthy Americana folk with the sound of a large orchestra. Frigg’s unconventional style has earned itself a label all of its own in the world music media: Nordgrass.
Artists
Conductor:
Jaakko Kuusisto
Frigg Folk Music Band
Program
OPENING CONCERT (ONLINE) – MUSIC FROM THEATRE
- Live Stream Concert - Kotka Concert Hall
ONLINE CONCERT (LIVE STREAM) ON WED 19 JANUARY AT 19:00
Two great masters – Jean Sibelius and Richard Strauss – transport us to the enchanting world of music for the stage. Conducting their magnificent music for theatre in his familiar spirited style is our own Artistic Advisor Olari Elts.
Direct link to the concert: https://vimeo.com/event/1719083
Artists
Conductor:
Olari Elts
Program
Jean Sibelius: Belshazzar's Feast, Orchestral Suite Op. 51
Richard Strauss: Le bourgeois gentilhomme/Der Bürger als Edelmann, Suite Op. 60
BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS BAROQUE
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kouvola Central Church
Did you know that many of the Christmas songs and carols so loved by the Finns have roots stretching back hundreds of years, to the Baroque? Sini Vahervuo (recorder), Matias Häkkinen (harpsichord and conductor) and Jarmo Julkunen (guitar & ukulele) have been touring together for years, taking in Christmas concerts all over Finland. We are now pleased to welcome them to the season’s closing concert of the Kymi Sinfonietta together with Jussi Salonen (tenor) for a programme of Baroque Christmas songs, some more and some less familiar. The concert will have a presenter and members of the audience will have a chance to sing.
In cooperation with the Ensemble Nylandia.
Artists
Leader
Matias Häkkinen, cembalo
Soloist
Jussi Salonen, tenor
Program
VIRTUOSO VIGOUR!
- Kotkan Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
This concert is packed with grand emotions and virtuoso vigour. Kalevi Aho draws on the cello’s tremendous potential in his second Cello Concerto. Its singing legato and virtuosic energy will be conjured forth by Jonathan Roozeman, one of the Finnish cellists at present most in demand in the world. Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn were not only brother and sister; they were also a partnership of immensely musical talents. Though Fanny is nowadays one of the best-known female composers, her Overture in C was not published until 1994. A little gem, it is full of captivating musical charm. The third symphony by her brother Felix impressively unfolds a vision of Scotland’s majestic scenery and illustrious history. Olari Elts will conduct the concert.
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Soloist
Jonathan Roozeman, cello
Program
Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn: Overture in C
Kalevi Aho: Cello Concerto No. 2
Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 ‘Scottish’
BIZARRE BAZAAR
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
Clarinet wizard Kari Kriikku, by popular request! Here is an artist whose unbelievable, entertaining performances leave no one cold. Bizarre Bazaar is a musical oriental souk, its stalls evocative of Eastern Europe and Arabia seasoned with Nordic gravity. Its breath-taking rhythms echo klezmer, tango and fado. The clarinet is an instrument popular in the folk music of many countries and Kriikku has, over the years, collected a host of works that have stirred him from many cultures. These have then been arranged for clarinet and orchestra. Visiting us tonight are such exotic percussion and string instruments as a darabuka drum and a Turkish lute, and the music will take us through such countries as France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Romania, ending up in Arabia. Klezmer lovers will also be
catered for, and the musical surprises and zest will guarantee an entertaining night out.
Artists
Leader and clarinet
Kari Kriikku
Program
TALES FROM THE 1001 NIGHTS
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
A concert of powerful, colourful emotions and stories! The Kymi Sinfonietta commissioned multi- musician and composer Arttu Takalo (a native of Kouvola) to write a work to be premiered at this concert. An eminent vibraphonist, he is one of the soloists in this Concerto for Percussion and Vibraphone. The other soloist is Tapio “Mongo” Aaltonen, a guy familiar from many celebrated line-ups and a wizard on all kinds of percussion. The other number on the programme is a rare treat. Scheherazade, the magical, stunning suite by Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov, has not previously been heard in this part of Finland, so it will now be a joy to hear it in an arrangement made by Jani Kyllönen. With us to conduct this exotic piece inspired by one of the ‘Tales from the 1001 Nights’ is much-sought-after conductor, Erkki Lasonpalo.
Artists
Conductor
Erkki Lasonpalo
Soloists
Arttu Takalo, vibraphone
Mongo Aaltonen, percussion
Program
incl.
Arttu Takalo: Double Concerto for Percussion and Vibraphone, world premiere (a Kymi Sinfonietta commission)
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade (arr. Jani Kyllönen)
3 x OLLI MUSTONEN
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kouvola City Hall
A master in many musical capacities, Olli Mustonen needs little introduction. Tonight he appears in
three roles: conductor, pianist and composer. His solo number is the Piano Concerto No. 9
‘Jeunehomme’ composed by Mozart at the age of 21. Regarded as the first great masterpiece of the
Classical era, it is also one of the world’s greatest wonders. Mustonen’s own Nonetto is a favourite
with Kymi Sinfonietta audiences, thanks in part to its rhythmic drive.
Artists
Conductor & piano
Olli Mustonen
Program
incl.
W. A. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9, ‘Jeunehomme’
Olli Mustonen: Nonetto
RED HOUSE! WAVES!
- Kotka Concert Hall
Tonight’s programme is a fantastic mixture of enchanting musical stories, told by musicians who truly live the part, the magic and lights. Red House! Waves! parades before us some of the brightest and most fascinating musical phenomena and most celebrated composers. We begin with a burst of energy and the Furious Fantasy of British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. The fast-beating Hele by Lotta Wennäkoski, one of the Finnish composers best known in the world, was composed for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and its title alludes not only to a musical grace note but also to clarity and light. Puzzles and Games from the opera ‘Alice in Wonderland’ by South Korean UnsukChin drops us through a rabbit hole into the rich, magical world of Lewis Carroll. Providing the keys
to this colourful alternative reality is expressive soprano Piia Komsi.
The Chamber Symphony by Pulitzer Prize-winning John Adams flows rhythmically along like a force of nature – or the animation character Roadrunner that was one of its inspirations. This tremendous work also highlights the virtuoso skills within the orchestra’s ranks.
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Soloist
Piia Komsi, soprano
Program
Mark-Anthony Turnage: A Furious Fanfare
Lotta Wennäkoski: Hele
Unsuk Chin: Puzzles and Games from ‘Alice in Wonderland’
John Adams: Chamber Symphony
BEST-LOVED MOZART
- Kotkan Concert Hall
- Kotka Concert Hall
Our guest is Janne Nisonen, one of the most versatile Finnish musicians of his generation and one able to switch with ease between the roles of conductor, leader, solo violinist and chamber musician. Tonight he conducts the orchestra in a magnificent Mozart programme that is like a cross-section of that composer’s most impressive works. The soloist in the Clarinet Concerto, a work of beautiful, lyrical melodies that sound so easy but are so difficult to play is Harri Mäki. A top Finnish clarinettist, he is a Professor of woodwind music at the Sibelius Academy in addition to his performing career. The concert ends with Mozart’s refreshing Symphony No. 40, one of the best-loved symphonies of all time.
Artists
Conductor
Janne Nisonen
Soloist
Harri Mäki, clarinet
Program
incl.
W. A. Mozart: Clarinet Concerto (1791)
Symphony No. 40 (1788)
A THOUSAND YEARS OF ETERNAL LOVE
- Kotkan Concert Hall
- Kotkan Concert Hall
- Kouvola Central Church
- Kouvola Central Church
A delightful evening of beautiful love songs and refreshing Baroque music. Harpist-soprano Arianna Savall is one of the world’s most illustrious performers of Baroque repertoire. Daughter of famous Spanish parents – violist Jordi Savall specialising in music of the Baroque and singer Montserrat Frigueras – Arianna assimilated the practices of Baroque performance at a very early age. After studying, she first performed with her parents in the Hespèrion XXI ensemble and in 2008 formed an ensemble of her own, Hirundo Maris, together with Norwegian multi-musician Petter Udland Johansen.
Petter Udland Johansen is a singer, conductor, composer and instrumentalist with a wide musical spectrum, and has worked with great success with ensembles like Hirundo Maris, Pechrima, Sagene Ring and Capella Antiqua Bambergensis.
Arianna and Petter tell:
“How can you build a musical bridge that extends from Hildegard von Bingen's medieval visions, through the human rebirth of the renaissance, to pompous unbelievable world of the baroque?
The answer we have found is: Love! Love is perhaps the most beautiful thing a human being can experience, and the music is always filled with Amor's accurate arrows.
The music we have chosen is not just worldly but also taken from the religious, mysterious, and spiritual love, filled for longing for the eternal love, where we will be one with time and space. In the middle however, we always set the intense dialogue between the lovers. We have also been asked for a dance to the entrancing tones of an Italian Tarantella, as well as of a Spanish Folía, and perhaps by the most famous dance form the Baroque period, which has inspired countless composers, The Chaconne! We believe and hope that this program can show how timeless music can be, even though it comes from a bygone time, human emotions and needs have not changed.
Petter Udland Johansen has arranged this music for Kymi Sinfonietta for this special occasion and we are looking forward to this new adventure to create something brand new, with respect for the old and for what then is created in the present.”
Artists
Leader
Raymond Cox
Soloist
Arianna Savall, soprano & Baroque (triple) harp
Petter Udland Johansen, tenor & mandolin
Program
The most fabulous Baroque love songs
TRAVELS WITH AN ACE PIANIST
- Kotkan Concert Hall
- Kotkan Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
The guest soloist in the first concert of the season under the Kymi Sinfonietta’s Artistic Director Olari Elts is world-famous pianist Alexander Melnikov. Born in Russia and nowadays resident in Germany, Melnikov was a pupil of the legendary Lev Naumov in Moscow and took prizes in the most prestigious international competitions. His outstanding talent was soon spotted, and he has been collaborating with the world’s finest musicians and orchestras ever since. He also made a study of historical performance practices at an early age and has appeared with some of the best-known early-music ensembles.
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Soloist
Alexander Melinkov, piano
Program
Kymi Sinfonietta at Kymijoen Lohisoitto: THE NAVAL BATTLE OF RUOTSINSALMI
- Kotkan Concert Hall
2020 was Ruotsinsalmi theme year in Kotka. Kymijoen Lohisoitto and the Kymi Sinfonietta wanted to contribute to this by commissioning a new composition on the topic from conductor-composer Atso Almila. The result was Sodan soutumies (A Seaman’s Tale) that brings to life the moving story of a soldier called Antti caught up in one of the most famous tragedies of the naval battle of Ruotsinsalmi. The narrator of Almila’s enchanting story is baritone Markus Nieminen. The naval battles of Ruotsinsalmi were internationally significant: the second one, in 1790, is the biggest ever waged in the Baltic and one of the biggest in the world in the number of vessels involved. The number of 18th-century wrecks at the bottom of the sea where the battle took place is rare by any
standards and a real treasure trove for researchers. What stories there must be hidden in the watery depths! By popular request, the concert will include the second performance of a piece, Laivarautaa, by local musician-composer Marko Puro in which the metal percussion instruments are objects that once belonged to ships.
The work by Atso Almila was funded by local organisations in collaboration with the Vellamo
Maritime Centre.
Artists
Conductor
Atso Almila
Soloist
Markus Nieminen, baritone
Program
incl.
Marko Puro: Laivarautaa
Atso Almila: Sodan soutumies (a Kymijoen Lohisoitto commission, world premiere)
OPENING CONCERT OF THE AUTUMN SEASON "Zarzuela!"
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
We begin our exciting autumn season with a peep into the musical tradition of Spain, the popular Spanish music theatre known as Zarzuela – a genre that encompasses romances delivered in operatic style along with folk dances and clowning. Zarzuela is the musical drama of day-to-day events, opera of everyday life. Tonight’s programme presents some typical romantic Zarzuela and introduces the typical female characters that people it. The audience can also enjoy music customarily performed in very different environments; the concert could well be described as a series of colourful postcards from Spain. “Johanna Isokoski represents the classical soprano tradition with a supple, lyrical voice that lends itself both to mighty, artful arias and the more restrained glow of Lied,” wrote the Keskisuomalainen newspaper. Johanna Isokoski’s soprano has been described as crystal-clear, effervescent and exceptionally beautiful. She has also been praised for her radiant stage presence and her ability to adapt to both sensitive and comic roles. The conductor and architect of tonight’s programme is Dimas Ruiz Santos, principal oboe in the Kymi Sinfonietta, choir leader and orchestral conductor.
Artists
Conductor
Dimas Ruiz Santos
Soloist
Johanna Isokoski, soprano
Program
Zarzuela
SEASON OPENING CONCERT
- The link to the online concert will be published on this webpage.
Artists
Conductor and vocal soloist:
Taavi Oramo
Harp soloist:
Päivi Severeide
Poem reader / poet:
Auli Särkiö
Program
Claude Debussy:
Dance sacrée et danse profane
Heta Aho:
Two Tanka songs:
Älä hymyile
Illalla jätän
Three songs to Edith Södergran's poems:
Ett yndelsiga havet
Du som aldrig
Revance
Claude Debussy:
La Mer est plus belle
Auli Särkiö:
Maritime poems
FROM THIS LINK TO THE CONCERT!
(Note: the link will not open until the day of the concert) >>
VELVETY STRINGS
- Kotka Concert Hall
Artists
Leader
Raymond Cox
Soloist
Linda Fogelsone, violin
Program
Jean Sibelius:
Suite for violin and strings, soloist: Linda Fogelsone
Leoš Janáček:
Idyll, suite for string orchestra
Philip Glass:
Movement from Symphony No. 3 for string orchestra
Einojuhani Rautavaara:
Divertimento
WINDS GO RAGTIME
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kouvola Town Hall
Artists
Program
Scott Joplin:
Overture to the opera ‘Treemonisha’
George Gershwin:
Excerpts from the opera ‘Porgy and Bess’
Ferenc Farkas:
Old Hungarian Dances
Carl Orff:
Excerpts from ‘Carmina Burana’ (arr. Friedrich K. Wanek)
THE HEART OF RIO
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Pato Club, Kuusankoski
Soulful works by Rio de Janeiro maestros Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti, Edu Lobo and others in the loving hands of Visa, Vova and Ville.
Artists
Soloists
Visa Haarala, flugelhorn
Vladimir Belov, vibraphone
Ville Herrala, bass
Program
DAZZLING BRILLIANCE
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
This concert spotlights some of the Kymi Sinfonietta’s own players under its leader Raymond Cox. Many will recognise them from their charismatic performances on social media. Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante brings out the finest characteristics of each of the solo instruments, drawing them together in a work that is full of playfulness and delightful humour. Regarded as a great humourist in classical music, Haydn also had an extremely keen feel for narrative and contrast. These attributes also join hands in his Symphony No. 80, in which humour finally has the last word.
Artists
Leader
Raymond Cox
Soloists
Auli Kontinen, flute
Dimas Ruiz Santos, oboe
Karita Siljander, bassoon
Janne Laine, horn
Program
W. A. Mozart:
Sinfonia concertante in E-flat for four winds and orchestra
Joseph Haydn:
Symphony No. 80
ENCHANTING CELLO
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Soloist
Jonathan Roozeman, cello
Program
Joseph Haydn:
Cello Concerto in C
Aaron Copland:
Appalachian Spring suit
A TRIBUTE TO UUNO KLAMI ON THE 120TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH
- Kotkan konserttitalo
Esa Ylönen, pianist and Chairman of the Uuno Klami Society, joins players from the Kymi Sinfonietta in an appealing concert of charming chamber music by Uuno Klami, a composer from Virolahti in SE Finland, on the 120th anniversary of Klami’s birth. This concert is a unique opportunity to hear some of Klami’s lesser-known and seldom-performed works with a presenter to provide some background information. Dedicated to the music of Uuno Klami, Esa Ylönen and composer Eero Kesti have done much to make Klami’s chamber music more easily accessible to players by editing works by him (published by Fennica Gehrman). The programme will include two movements from the Piano Quartet in D considered to be the best work composed by Klami as a student, and one of his most entertaining pieces, Rag-Time & Blues for clarinet, trumpet, piano and two violins. There will also be a few light gems in nostalgic Viennese vein.
Artists
Program
Uuno Klami:
Piano Quartet in D
Berceuse for violin and piano
Souvenir, waltz for violin and string quartet
Rag-Time & Blues for clarinet, trumpet, piano and two violins
Humoresque, Op. 36, No. 1
Chanson triste, Op. 36, No. 2
Valses lentes et amoureuses
TAAVI ORAMO IN FOCUS
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kouvola City Hall
Rising, multi-talented musician and conductor Taavi Oramo makes his debut with us, as does the commission from Sauli Zinovjev.
Artists
Conductor & soloist
Taavi Oramo
Program
Sauli Zinovjev:
Un Grande Sospiro (commissioned by the Kymi Sinfonietta, Tapiola Sinfonietta & Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne)
G. Mahler/A. Schönberg:
Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen
Joseph Haydn:
Symphony no. 101, “Clock”
TAAVI ORAMO IN FOCUS
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kouvola City Hall
Rising, multi-talented musician and conductor Taavi Oramo makes his debut with us, as does the commission from Sauli Zinovjev.
Artists
Conductor & soloist
Taavi Oramo
Program
Sauli Zinovjev:
Un Grande Sospiro (commissioned by the Kymi Sinfonietta, Tapiola Sinfonietta & Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne)
G. Mahler/A. Schönberg:
Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen
Joseph Haydn:
Symphony no. 101, “Clock”
“GRAND EMOTIONS ON THE SILVER SCREEN”
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
Items by well-known composers for the silver screen in a concert that well demonstrates the role of music in creating events and moods.
Artists
Conductor
Eero Lehtimäki
Program
“GRAND EMOTIONS ON THE SILVER SCREEN”
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
Items by well-known composers for the silver screen in a concert that well demonstrates the role of music in creating events and moods.
Artists
Conductor
Eero Lehtimäki
Program
BEETHOVEN – RADICAL GURU III
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
One of the high points of the Beethoven jubilee: a work commissioned from Jarkko Hartikainen sets the scene for Beethoven’s mighty Eroica symphony. Some much-loved French music finds ace flautist Sharon Bezaly in sentimental mood.
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Soloist
Sharon Bezaly, flute
Program
Witold Lutosławski:
Preludes
Nicolas Bacri:
Flute Concerto
Claude Debussy:
Syrinx
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Jarkko Hartikainen:
New work commissioned by Kymi Sinfonietta, world premiere
L. van Beethoven:
Symphony no. 3, “Eroica”
BEETHOVEN – RADICAL GURU III
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
One of the high points of the Beethoven jubilee: a work commissioned from Jarkko Hartikainen sets the scene for Beethoven’s mighty Eroica symphony. Some much-loved French music finds ace flautist Sharon Bezaly in sentimental mood.
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Program
Witold Lutosławski:
Preludes
Nicolas Bacri:
Flute Concerto
Claude Debussy:
Syrinx
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Jarkko Hartikainen:
New work commissioned by Kymi Sinfonietta, world premiere
L. van Beethoven:
Symphony no. 3, “Eroica”
“RINGING IN THE PAST”
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
Fantastic wind instruments both ancient and new. Anything can become music in the hands of multi-instrumentalist Abraham Cupeiro. The conductor is one of the Kymi Sinfonietta’s own musicians, principal oboe Dimas Ruiz Santos. Together they have just returned from recording some of the works on this programme with one of London’s top orchestras.
NOTE! Public dress rehearsal earlier in the day at 12.30.Advance notice required: toimisto@kymisinfonietta.fi or 05-2344891
Artists
Conductor
Dimas Ruiz Santos
Soloist
Winds wizard Abraham Cupeiro
Program
Joaquín Rodrigo
Johan Daniel Berlin
Abraham Cupeiro
Carlos Vázquez
Béla Bartók
“RINGING IN THE PAST”
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
Fantastic wind instruments both ancient and new. Anything can become music in the hands of multi-instrumentalist Abraham Cupeiro. The conductor is one of the Kymi Sinfonietta’s own musicians, principal oboe Dimas Ruiz Santos. Together they have just returned from recording some of the works on this programme with one of London’s top orchestras.
NOTE! Public dress rehearsal earlier in the day at 12.30.
Advance notice required: toimisto@kymisinfonietta.fi or 05-2344891
Artists
Conductor
Dimas Ruiz Santos
Program
Joaquín Rodrigo – Johan Daniel Berlin – Abraham Cupeiro – Carlos Vázquez – Béla Bartók
BEETHOVEN – RADICAL GURU II
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
Star guest Viviane Hagner as the soloist in Beethoven’s every-popular Violin Concerto. Jörg Widman provides a snappy opening before Beethoven’s sunny, cheerful 8th Symphony.
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Soloist
Viviane Hagner, violin
Program
Jörg Widmann:
Con brio
L. van Beethoven:
Symphony no. 8
Violin Concerto
BEETHOVEN – RADICAL GURU II
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
Star guest Viviane Hagner as the soloist in Beethoven’s every-popular Violin Concerto. Jörg Widman provides a snappy opening before Beethoven’s sunny, cheerful 8th Symphony.
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Program
Jörg Widmann:
Con brio
L. van Beethoven:
Symphony no. 8
Violin Concerto
BAROQUE CONCERT
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kouvola City Hall
Rich and colourful music of the Baroque: splendid arias by George Frideric Handel in which the soloist is Tuuli Lindberg, one of Finland’s finest Baroque singers, accompanied by a large orchestra. The orchestral music of Rameau is an enchanting mix of colour and invention.
Artists
Leader
Raymond Cox, violin
Program
G. Fr. Handel:
Arias
J. Ph. Rameau:
Orchestral music
BAROQUE CONCERT
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kouvola City Hall
Rich and colourful music of the Baroque: splendid arias by George Frideric Handel in which the soloist is Tuuli Lindberg, one of Finland’s finest Baroque singers, accompanied by a large orchestra. The orchestral music of Rameau is an enchanting mix of colour and invention.
Artists
Leader
Raymond Cox, violin
Soloist
Tuuli Lindeberg, soprano
Program
G. Fr. Händel:
Arias
J. Ph. Rameau:
Orchestral music
OPERA NIGHT: excerpts from ‘FIDELIO’
- Kotka Concert Hall
- Kuusankoski Hall
Beethoven’s magnificent, powerful opera Fidelio in an almost full concert version.
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Program
L. van Beethoven:
Overture and arias from the opera ‘Fidelio’
“IN THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS”
- Kotka Church
- Kouvola Central Church
Our pre-Christmas concerts present a programme of some of the best-loved Christmas music. This time we combine works by two composers, Mozart and Mendelssohn, both Wunderkinder in their day. The Kymi Sinfonietta also brings together singers from the north and south of the region: Sonus from Kouvola and the Kotka-Canto Chamber Choir from Kotka. The two choirs will perform in both concerts. Collaboration with locals is also important for the concerts’ conductor, Olari Elts. The soloists will be baritone Riku Pelo and soprano Marika Hölttä.
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Program
Felix Mendelssohn:
Symphony No. 6
Ave Maris Stella for soprano and orchestra
Vom Himmel Hoch, cantata based on the hymn
W. A. Mozart:
Symphony No. 31
Laudate Dominum for soprano, choir and orchestra
Regina Coeli for soprano, choir and orchestra
The Snowman
- Kotkan konserttitalo
- Kotkan konserttitalo
- Kuusankoskitalo
A live performance by the Kymi Sinfonietta of the evergreen classic The Snowman, a touching Christmas story of friendship. This award-winning British animation film premiered in 1982 captures hearts both young and old.
Artists
Conductor
Kimmo Tullila
Soloist:
Ukko Väisänen
Program
JOINT CONCERT WITH THE JYVÄSKYLÄ SINFONIA
- Kuusankoski Hall
- Kotka Concert Hall
The Kymi Sinfonietta continues the collaboration with the Jyväskylä Sinfonia that got off to such a good start last year. This time the concert will feature all-time favourites by Lindberg, Sibelius and Rachmaninoff. The soloist in the Sibelius Violin Concerto is the young, highly-talented Rebecca Roozeman, winner of this spring’s Juhani Heinonen Violin Competition. Together the two orchestras conducted by Ville Matvejeff will be able to do full justice to the richly romantic second symphony by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Artists
Conductor
Ville Matvejeff
Program
Magnus Lindberg:
Chorale
Jean Sibelius:
Violin Concerto
Sergei Rachmaninoff:
Symphony No. 2
FINALS CONCERTS OF THE IV INTERNATIONAL UUNO KLAMI COMPOSITION COMPETITION
- Kuusankoski Hall
- Kotka Concert Hall (+Results and prize-giving ceremony)
The tension rises in the finals concerts of one of the world’s most popular composition competitions, the International Uuno Klami now being held for the fourth time. Audiences at these concerts will have a chance to hear no fewer than five world premiere performances. The five works were chosen from the 283 entries in the competition, and four of them feature a top instrumentalist as soloist. The presenter is the charismatic Jussi-Pekka Rantanen familiar to Finnish TV viewers. The winners will be announced and the prizes awarded after the concert in Kotka.
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Program
Christopher Culpo (France)
Mundus Imaginalis*
Pertti Jalava (Finland)
Viola Concerto*
Andrea Portera (Italy)
Klecksophonic Lieder*
Tomi Räisänen (Finland)
Portal, Marimba Concerto*
Roberto Sansuini (Italy)
Four Tales for Small Orchestra*
Jury:
Kalevi Aho (Chairman), Magnus Lindberg,
Erkki-Sven Tüür and Olari Elts
*world premiere performance
VIOLA IN MY LIFE I “Voilà the viola!”
- Kotka Church
- Kouvola Town Hall
Olari Elts’s other new concert series is “Viola in my Life” focusing on top viola players from round the world. It would, says Elts, be a pity not to use such a resource. Some solo violists also lead their concerts. First on the list is the celebrated Brit Lawrence Power, in a programme that cleverly links early repertoire with works by British composers. The other soloist is velvety-voiced Irish tenor Robin Tritschler.
Artists
Leader and violist:
Lawrence Power
Soloist:
Robin Tritschler, tenor
Program
John Dowland:
If my complaints for tenor and ensemble
Benjamin Britten:
Lachrymae
Arcangelo Corelli:
Movement from Concerto Grosso No. 6
Michael Tippett:
Corelli Fantasia
H. Purcell – L. Stokowski:
Dido’s Lament: “When I am Laid in Earth” from the opera Dido and Aeneas
Benjamin Britten:
Nocturne for tenor and instrumental ensemble
Esa-Pekka Salonen:
Pentatonic Etude for viola
PAAVALI JUMPPANEN AND KEYBOARD
- Kotka Church
- Kuusankoski Hall
Paavali Jumppanen, a great hit with audiences on his previous appearances with the Kymi Sinfonietta, returns to lead and act as soloist in two great masterpieces in the piano repertoire. Though Bach, Mozart and Beethoven never met, Mozart and Beethoven were influenced by the music of Bach, and Beethoven by Mozart. Each nevertheless wrote in an original style all his own, as we will hear in the two concertos.
Artists
Pianist and leader
Paavali Jumppanen
Program
J. S. Bach:
Movements from Die Kunst Der Fuge
W. A. Mozart:
Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, KV 488
L. van Beethoven:
Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”
BRASIL! ”Brasilialaiset ystäväni”
- Kyminsuu Culture Centre, Karhula
- Kuusankoski Hall
- Kyminsuu Culture Centre, Karhula
Once again we turn the spotlight on some of our first-class players as our principal trumpet Visa Haarala acts the soloist, leader and arranger in a sizzling programme with friends from Brazil and the Kymi Sinfonietta. The majority of the pieces are by pianist-composer Gabriel Geszti, but there will also be others by Brazilian composer-musicians Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti, Moacir Santos and others.
Artists
Leader and arrangements
Visa Haarala
Program
BEGUILING ITALIAN BAROQUE Capriccio stravagante!
- Kotka Church
- Kuusankoski Church
Our leader, Raymond Cox, has devised a pleasing menu of colourful, virtuosic music of the Italian Baroque ranging from Carlo Farina’s furious Capriccio stravagante to arias from Antonio Vivaldi’s opera Ottone in villa. Starring as our soloist is countertenor Teppo Lampela, master of a type of voice seldom heard in Finland.
Artists
Leader
Raymond Cox, viulu
Program
Antonio Vivaldi:
Arias from the opera Ottone in villa (1713)
Giovanni Alberto Ristori:
Movements from the cantata Dai crini omai scuotete (The Day of the Coronation of Her Majesty Anna Empress of Russia, 1736)
Carlo Farina:
Capriccio stravagante (1627)
Marco Uccellini:
Movements from Sonate, arie e correnti (1642)
Antonio Bertali:
Ciaccona (1662)
Francesco Geminiani:
Concerto grosso No. 12 “La folia” (after the well-known Violin Sonata La folia by Arcangelo Corelli, 1729)
RED HOUSE concert series: “The magic of the silent movie – The New Babylon”
- Karhuvuori Sports Hall (Steveco Arena), Kotka
- Pato Areena, Kuusankoski
The Kymi Sinfonietta’s series of popular silent movies continues in the second Red House concert offering audiences their first chance to see the Russian silent classic in magnificent surroundings: The New Babylon directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg (1929) to the music composed for it by Dmitri Shostakovich performed live by the Kymi Sinfonietta. The vivid, colourful music is a good example of its composer’s musical humour.
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Program
Dmitri Shostakovich:
The New Babylon
RED HOUSE concert series: I “City Life”
- Karhuvuori Sports Hall (Steveco Arena), Kotka
- Pato Areena, Kuusankoski
A concert you simply cannot afford to miss. Hypnotic rhythms are the key to the first concert in this new Red House concert series devised by Olari Elts. For it we have chosen a magnificent selection of readily accessible contemporary classics. Leading the cavalcade is Magnus Lindberg’s Red House, followed by the fantastic violin concerto by American composer John Adams. The soloist is top violinist Chloë Hanslip, who has recorded the concerto with London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The works by American Steve Reich also have some catchy rhythms. Adding colour to the rhythmic beat in City Life is sound material collected in the busy New York streets.
Artists
Conductor
Olari Elts
Solist
Chloë Hanslip, violin
Program
Magnus Lindberg: Red House
John Adams: Violin Concerto
Steve Reich: Runner, City Life
AVAJAISKONSERTTI "Yleisön toivekonsertti"
- Merikeskus Vellamo
- Merikeskus Vellamo
- Kouvolan kaupungintalo
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Artists
Kapellimestari
Atso Almila
Program
Classical and lighter music by popular request, including:
Jules Massenet: Meditation for violin and orchestra
Lasse Mårtenson: Myrskyluodon Maija
Edvard Grieg: Solveig’s Song
Dmitri Shostakovich: Waltz No. 2
Franz Schubert: Ave Maria
Jean Sibelius: Valse triste
Franz Lehár: The Vilja Song
Astor Piazzolla: Libertango
Monty Norman: James Bond signature tune
Example: Upcoming concert
- Kotka Concert house
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Artists
Program
Magnus Lindberg: Red House
Steve Reich: Runner
Steve Reich: City Life