Program

Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) was one of the greatest conductors of the past century, an accomplished pianist and a beloved host of music programmes on TV. He was of course also a composer, even if this is sometimes overlooked even today. Although he wrote plenty of ‘serious’ music, such as three symphonies and a violin concerto, as a composer he is routinely filed under ‘popular’ music. Critical reception of his works reflected the spirit of the post-war times: mainstream art was heavy on reason and logic and dismissive of the approach favoured by Bernstein, i.e. to capture the soul of the listener without passing through the cerebral cortex.

Bernstein the composer is best remembered for his musicals West Side Story (1957) and On the Town (1944) and for his score for the film On the waterfront starring Marlon Brando (1954). Candide (1956/1973/1989), a Broadway operetta based on the eponymous satire by Voltaire, was laborious in its genesis and went through a number of facelifts. Its first production was a dud: it was cancelled after only 73 performances. By comparison, West Side Story had a run of 732 performances plus a tour.

The Overture to Candide is one of the most popular concert overtures. Bernstein himself conducted it for the first time with the New York Philharmonic in concert in January 1957, and within two years it had been performed by some 100 orchestras. This is scarcely surprising, as it is an upbeat satirical whirlwind that updates Rossini’s theatrical comedy to a new and urban lifestyle with irresistible appeal.

What Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) really thought about things is and remains a mystery. The West saw him as a tool of the Communist regime whose principal goal was to polish the bloodstained shield of his overlords. In the Soviet Union, he was a celebrated Hero of the People. His memoirs, published posthumously by journalist Solomon Volkov (Testimony, 1979), provided an utterly different perspective: here, the composer claimed to have opposed Stalin in every way he could, mainly by hiding critical barbs between the lines. The authenticity of this narrative was questioned immediately after publication and continues to be debated to this day. We will probably never know the truth.

Officially, in any case, Shostakovich worked for the propaganda machine of the regime, willingly or not. His grand wartime symphonies, the Seventh (1941) and Eighth (1943), boosted morale and were admired far and wide, even across the Atlantic — after all, the USA and the USSR were allies at the time. Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony (1945) was expected to continue the series of patriotic works, but the composer went in another direction. This symphony is humorous (though the joy seems forced at times), bringing a ray of light into a dark time.

Allusions to the war are found mainly in the martial rhythms of the first movement, although these come across as tin soldiers marching to the tune of a Haydn-like frolic. The second movement features melancholy solos, while the third movement is a fleet-footed scherzo. The fourth and fifth movements are like night and day: a sombre elegy melting into the utterly dark irony of the finale.

Caleb Young is an American conductor who excels in bringing both American and European classical music to life. Young has received mentorship under maestros such as Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Hannu Lintu. He regularly works with John Williams and Gustavo Dudamel. 

Highlights of the 25-26 season include Young’s debut with The Halle Orchestra in Manchester, and concerts with Opera North Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony and Iceland Symphony. He also returns to Fort Wayne Philharmonic, with which he had an impactful eight-year tenure. Young was instrumental in founding orchestra’s innovative “Music and Mixology” series, which continues to engage new audiences.

During the pandemic, Young expanded his influence through a radio show on National Public Radio that brings classical music to a broader audience. A graduate of Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, Young holds a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting. His pedagogues include David Effron, Arthur Fagen and John Ratledge. 

Antoine Tamestit stands as a singular voice in the world of classical music, redefining what it means to be a viola player in the 21st century. He has premiered major contemporary works by composers such as Jörg Widmann, Thierry Escaich, Bruno Mantovani, and Olga Neuwirth. A passionate advocate for new music, Tamestit believes that performing contemporary works is essential to keeping the viola repertoire vibrant and evolving.

Tamestit’s 25/26 season includes returns to London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. 

Born in Paris, Tamestit studied with Jean Sulem, Jesse Levine, and with Tabea Zimmermann. In 2022, he received the prestigious triennial Hindemith Prize of the City of Hanau in recognition of his contribution to contemporary landscape within classical music. Antoine Tamestit plays on the very first viola made by Antonio Stradivarius in 1672.

The principle of putting on regular concerts given by an orchestra of top musicians has remained right up to the present day in the over 140 years since the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra was formed. It premiered most of the symphonic works by Jean Sibelius with the composer himself conducting, and continues its commitment to contemporary music by commissioning works by composers both Finnish and foreign. 

Now a band of 102 musicians, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra annually performs to a total audience of over 110,000 and has become an important constituent of its host city’s cultural capital. It also reaches people who for one reason or another cannot attend concerts at the Helsinki Music Centre, for in addition to making international tours, it sends small ensembles out across the city, provides opportunities for young people to perform and, through its active education programme, is able to make contact with special groups. For the third time it invited an entire age group – this time all the children born in Helsinki in 2020 – to enjoy music with their families over the next seven years as members of the HPO Kids -program.  

The HKO Screen concerts and background interviews screened live or recorded on the Internet makes the process of creating a piece of music even more readily accessible. 

The orchestra has a three-member Artistic Leadership Team, which comprises Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Co-director Pekka Kuusisto and Composer-in-Residence Anna Thorvaldsdottir.