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Anssi Karttunen, artistic director of the Helsinki Musica Nova Festival

ResMusica: Tell us a little bit about the history of the Musica nova festival in Helsinki (runs 6-14 February 2015). Anssi Karttunen: Musica nova Helsinki became the new name of the ...

Saraste conducts the Helsinki Philharmonic in Dutilleux

Jukka-Pekka Saraste's continued advocacy for Henri Dutilleux has ensured that the French master's orchestral works receive regular performances by both the main Helsinki orchestras. This evening's concert featured Dutilleux's Métaboles, one ...

Clefs d’Or ResMusica 2014 : the winners

The Clefs d'Or ResMusica 2014, Awarded to the Outstanding Releases of the Year. The 2014 prize list focuses on discovery and rediscovery ! Topping the list is the last recording of the ...

Pekka Kuusisto’s guide to the Finnish violin, and more

Finnish violin music is undoubtedly dominated by the masterful Violin Concerto of Sibelius, one of the most performed and recorded concertos for the instrument. However, the violin also plays a very ...

Ekaterina Litvintseva, the Arctic Circle pianist

Ekaterina Litvintseva emphasizes her youth and sensitivity in a convincing all-Rachmaninoff program. Everyone already knows about Hélène Grimaud and her wolves; perhaps now when we think of Ekaterina Litvintseva, we will ...

ICMA 2015 : Save the Danish National Chamber Orchestra !

The Jury of the International Classical Music Awards has given the Award in the category Best Collection to the outstanding recording of the Mozart Symphonies with the Danish National Chamber ...

The ARC Ensemble committed to Remembering the Forgotten

"I don't think classical musicians really have duties beyond the normal responsibilities of non-musicians or non-artists. I think we enter very dangerous territory when we give artists special responsibility or ...

Salonen’s Karawane at the Finnish Independence Day Concert

It should come as no surprise that the Helsinki orchestras are fervent supporters of Finnish composers, but this advocacy is usually taken a step further with the annual Finnish Independence ...

Joseph Silverstein, the old master who prefers our time

"Hilary Hahn or Frank Peter Zimmermann reached a level of virtuosity which is well beyond what preceded them" ResMusica: You have been the concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1962 ...

Closing concert of the Anders Hillborg festival

One of the highlights of the Stockholm concert season is the annual composer festival organized by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the Stockholm Concert Hall. Each year's festival offers a ...

ICMA Nomination List 2015 Is Available

The ICMA nomination list for 2015 is available. For the 2015 awards the Jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) has nominated 248 audio and video productions from 85 labels. The ...

The Leonard Bernstein Letters, a jubilant and luxuriant book

A work that is at once appealing, captivating, even fascinating andengaging, superabundant, made up of 650 letters, memos and notes, selected, prioritized, with detailed care and foresight, with thoughtful rigor ...

All-Russian evening with the Helsinki Philharmonic

Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 is firmly established in the core repertoire of just about every cellist on the international circuit, and performances of this work are sufficiently frequent that ...

The Helsinki Philharmonic Choir celebrates Schnittke

The Russian composer Alfred Schnittke would have turned 80 this year, and several Helsinki-based musicians and ensembles have quietly acknowledged this anniversary. On this evening's concert, the Helsinki Philharmonic Choir ...

Andrew Litton conducts all-Russian program with the Tampere Philharmonic

The American conductor Andrew Litton is known in the Nordic orchestral world through his work in Bergen, although he has not been engaged by the major Finnish orchestras, at least ...

Strauss’ Olympic Hymn with the Helsinki Philharmonic

Although Richard Strauss' reputation is firmly established in both the concert hall and the opera house, only a handful of the large number of works he wrote for orchestra are ...

Aura Go explores four generations of Finnish piano music

Ever since Sibelius, the music of Finnish composers has been a constant presence in orchestral concerts worldwide. Sibelius, Rautavaara, Lindberg, and Salonen are all acknowledged for their mastery of the ...

Excellent, but necessary? Christian Tetzlaff plays Shostakovich’s Violin Concertos

The Finnish record label Ondine seems to be quite interested in Shostakovich right now. Since late 2013, Ondine has released four Shostakovich discs: two featuring vocal-orchestral works, and two featuring ...

Lindberg sets a new reference for Pettersson’s Symphonies No. 4 and 16

Every release of Pettersson music under Christian Lindberg's guidance has set the new reference for each work in question. The Swedish composer Allan Pettersson wrote possibly the most physically, emotionally, and ...

The Radio Filharmonisch Orkest explores Maderna, Castiglioni, and Widmann

The sound worlds of Maderna, Castiglioni and Widmann at the Concertgebouw. The Dutch radio orchestras have had a difficult recent history. In 2010, the Dutch government threatened to completely defund the ...

Finnish RSO season opening concert

Hannu Lintu has enjoyed a long relationship with the Finnish RSO and this collaboration became a commitment during the 2013-2014 season, when Lintu became Chief Conductor of this ensemble. In ...

Karita Mattila sings Schönberg at the Helsinki Festival

The second program of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra at this year's Helsinki Festival was focused on Vienna: Mahler's final symphony. Guest conductor Susanna Mälkki provided three contrasting views on ...

Schloss Elmau, Alpine music

ResMusica: Schloss Elmau is a beautiful place.  Can you tell us a bit about its history? What are the links between Elmau and music? Silke Zimmerman:  Schloss Elmau was built in ...

Sibelius Academy Summer Young Talent Series: Elisa Rusi-Matero, violin

One of reasons why classical music continues to thrive in Finland is due to the steady stream of extraordinarily talented musicians trained at the Sibelius Academy. The Summer Young Talent ...

Philharmonia Orchestra on Tour in Salzburg

One, two, three women; ten, twenty, thirty… No doubt about it, the orchestra entering on the stage of the Grand Hall of the Salzburg was not the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, ...

Peter Oundjian and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at the Helsinki Festival

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra, despite being one of Canada's flagship ensembles, has had a difficult recent history. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the orchestra struggled with financial difficulties, a ...

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts all-Shostakovich at the Helsinki Festival

The Finnish musical world is rightly proud of its many conductors working on the international circuit, but there seems to be an extra layer of excitement and anticipation whenever Esa-Pekka ...

Sibelius Academy Summer Young Talent Series : Pinja Laine, cello

2014 marks the 80th birthday year of the great Russian composer Alfred Schnittke. Although Schnittke's first cello sonata and first cello concerto are starting to enter the repertoire, most of ...

Award winners at the Verbier Festival

The Verbier Festival hosted two laureates of the 2014 International Classical Music Awards-- the conductor, Charles Dutoit, and the violinist, Daniel Hope. Charles Dutoit (Lifetime Achievement Award), conducted the Verbier Festival ...

Young talent at the Helsinki Chamber Summer

Now in its tenth year, the Kamarikesä Festival (Helsinki Chamber Summer) was founded to serve as a platform for young and talented Finnish musicians to showcase their artistry in a ...