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Homecoming: Susanna Mälkki, Chief Conductor Designate of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
"The most essential thing is to keep the musical standards very high" ResMusica: You began your professional career as one of the principal cellists of the Gothenburg Symphony--one of the top orchestral cello positions in Scandinavia if not Europe. However, after only three years you decided to pursue conducting full-time. Did you always aspire to be a conductor, or did other events inspire you to take your current path? Susanna Mälkki: Actually, the ...
All-Finnish with John Storgårds and the Helsinki Philharmonic
Storgårds was able to find the elusive balance between presence and clarity. Music by living Finnish composers is an important part of programming for the Helsinki Philharmonic. While the "big three" composers Lindberg, Saariaho, and Salonen receive fairly regular performances, the Helsinki Philharmonic also ensures that lesser-known Finnish composers have their orchestral works performed in concert. On this evening's program, the Helsinki Philharmonic presented two new works by Finnish composers along ...
All-Russian with Susanna Mälkki and the Helsinki Philharmonic
With Mälkki on the podium, the Helsinki Philharmonic has to be heard to be believed. The appointment of Susanna Mälkki as the next music director of the Helsinki Philharmonic has been met with an almost overwhelming sense of elation among Helsinki audiences. Nevertheless, there may be a sense of fear in some corners that contemporary music will be featured even more prominently with Mälkki on the podium. A brief review ...
Original Sibelius and an Aho premiere: Hannu Lintu and the Finnish RSO
Sibelius is getting the royal treatment in his home country this year, as the music world celebrates the 150th birthday of the great composer. While performances of the usual suspects (the symphonies and the most popular tone poems) are found in abundance in Finland this year, the Finnish RSO has decided to take a different approach to the celebrations by presenting earlier versions of established masterpieces. At least based ...
Osmo Vänskä at the Lahti Sibelius Festival
"One felt as though they could hear every detail in perfect balance." Although Finland is home to some of the world's greatest Sibelius interpreters and orchestras, the Sinfonia Lahti/Osmo Vänskä partnership is not only the most prolific but arguably the most enlightening. Vänskä's fanatical adherence to the score as well as his clear and searingly intense interpretations have won him deep respect in this repertoire. Not surprisingly, Vänskä's return to the ...
Sibelius con gioia: Sakari Oramo and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe
"This was Sibelius writ large, played with joyful abandon" This year the music world celebrates the 150th birthday of Sibelius, and it should come as no surprise that fans of the great composer are spoiled for choice in Finland this year. Numerous complete symphony cycles, performances of early versions of established masterpieces, and the Sibelius violin competition are just some of the many highlights taking place this in Finland this year. Sibelius' ...
Women Composers of Classical Music in 369 Biographies
The primary great value of Mary F. McVicker’s work is that she has succeeded in cataloguing an overwhelming mass of material for those of us who would never have known how to, or been capable of, either undertaking the task or completing it. She has organized her book by time periods (The Renaissance Transition, The Baroque Area, The Beethoven Watershed etc…), by countries (Italy, France, the United States, Poland, Romania, ...
Tribute to Henri Dutilleux by the French conductor Pascal Rophé and the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (ONPL)
In 2016, music lovers and all music business are going to celebrate the 100th anniversary of one of the greatest French composers : Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013). The Orchestre national des Pays de La Loire and Pascal Rophé (new Music Director since 2014) are already working on this event. Dutilleux shared his life between Paris and La Loire's river banks near Angers. They just recorded a set of rare and unknow pieces by Dutilleux for ...
Croatian Radiotelevision Has Joined The ICMA Jury
ICMA (International Classical Music Awards) announces the Croatian Radiotelevision HRT as a new full Jury member. With headquarters in Zagreb, HRT (Croatian: Hrvatska radiotelevizija) is a public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels. The official delegate for the ICMA Jury is Mrs. Sanda Vojkovic. HRT is the 17th member of ICMA and Croatia the 14th country represented in the Jury. ICMA President Rémy Franck says: « We are very ...
Leonard Slatkin, from Detroit to Lyon
"I'm not into maintenance. I'm into forward thinking." Leonard Slatkin is currently Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre National de Lyon, having previously held positions with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In this interview, Slatkin reflects on his beginnings in music, his accomplishments, recovering from a protracted musician's strike in Detroit, and making music in Detroit and Lyon. ResMusica: ...
New Festival In Katowice: Kultura Natura
ICMA’s partner for the 2018 Award Ceremony, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra presents a new festival, Katowice Kultura Natura which will run from the 15th until the 24th of May 2015. Under the artistic direction of the NOSPR’s Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Alexander Liebreich, this music festival will showcase renowned soloists, ensembles and orchestras from Poland and abroad, in varied and ambitious programmes. The Festival was established by the ...
Okko Kamu completes his Sibelius symphony cycle
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Kamu’s performance was his ability to make this arguably perfect work sound even more perfect. It should come as no surprise that lovers of Sibelius will find an embarrassment of riches in Finland this year, the 150th anniversary of the great composer’s birth. The Sinfonia Lahti has arguably done more for Sibelius’ recorded legacy than any other orchestra, and it seems only appropriate that this ...
Inspired by Italy: John Storgårds conducts Mendelssohn and Sibelius
A sense of refinement permeated Storgårds interpretation of the opening movement. Italy has long been a source of inspiration for diverse composers both from the past and present. In this evening's program, conductor John Storgårds continued his season-long survey of the Sibelius symphonies, coupled with Mendelssohn's symphonic reflections on Italy. Mendelssohn's music is considered by many to be largely free of angst and conflict; his Symphony No. 4 (also known as his ...
Alan Gilbert, maestro for the 21st century
Alan Gilbert, music director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, will be on tour in Europe in late April. As usual, he will conduct unconventional programs, from Ravel to a world premiere of Péter Eötvös. ResMusica meets one of the most versatile conductors of our time. "Today musicians and musical organizations as a whole need a paradigm of the orchestra-conductor relationship that is different from what was the norm even twenty ...
Liechtenstein Music Academy is ICMA’s partner for the new Discovery Award
The International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) create their Discovery Award, aimed at distinguishing young musicians from 12 to 18 years. This new award category is created in close collaboration with the Foundation International Music Academy in the Principality of Liechtenstein. „Today, the competition between young talented musicians is particularly strong, and we believe that the best ones should benefit from the best possible support”, said ICMA President Remy Franck. „We therefore ...
Join ResMusica’s team of critics
Take your chance, apply to join ResMusica’s international team of music and dance critics ! You are passionate about opera, classical music and dance and you want to share your passion through a high quality editorial online magazine? Join ResMusica.com, a leading international music reviews website established in Paris (France) since 1999. We are looking for contributors around the world for our international English speaking audience. Join our team of 40 music ...
A violent attack against El Sistema
A violent attack against “The System” in the form of a wet firecracker. This new rag, because that’s what it truly is, created a unique situation when it disappeared from the shelves of London booksellers in two weeks, probably because, from a prejudiced viewpoint, it aggressively and even violently denounces a “System” conceived and carried out with passion and love by José Antonio Abreu, maestro and militant, as well as by ...
Francois-Xavier Roth conducts the Finnish RSO in all-Hungarian Program
Roth managed to find the elusive balance between rustic coarseness and refinement. Francois-Xavier Roth is a not a stranger to the Finnish RSO, having previously directed these forces in a varied and satisfying program of Mantovani, Eötvös, and Strauss. On this evening's concert, Roth returned with an all-Hungarian program featuring the music of Bartók and Kurtág. Based on the results, it is clear that his rapport with the orchestra has remained ...
Big Success For ICMA Ceremony And Gala In Ankara
The International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) organized their Award Ceremony and Gala Concert, 28 March at the Bilkent Concert Hall in Warsaw, hosted by the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra conducted by Isin Metin. The Award Ceremony was presented by ICMA’s President Remy Franck, and awards were given to such artists as Dmitrij Kitajenko, Christian Tetzlaff, YuryRevich, Jodie Devos, Evgeny Koroliov, Xiao-Mei Zhu, Adam Fischer, Wu Wei, John Holloway, the Seoul Philharmonic, ...
Celebrating Sibelius in his city of birth
Okko Kamu paired the composer’s darkest and most introspective symphony with his most valedictory. The Sinfonia Lahti has probably done more for Sibelius’ recorded legacy than any other orchestra in the world. The orchestra also hosts the annual Lahti Sibelius Festival, which is one of the main highlights of the Finnish summer concert season. It seems only appropriate that during Sibelius’ 150th anniversary year the orchestra presents a complete symphony cycle ...
Osmo Vänskä on Sibelius
"The most important guy on stage is the composer, never the conductor." ResMusica: Let’s start with a general question: Why Jean Sibelius? Why does he speak to you? Why do you think he continues to speak to audiences today? Osmo Vänskä: For me, personally, I think it was just because I was born in Finland. My parents took my two older brothers and I to concerts. My dad was a fiddler, and ...
Dmitrij Kitajenko, Lifetime achievement award ICMA 2015
"It is my very personal opinion that today, an orchestra does not need to have a Music director, unless it expects him to deal with sponsors or politicians." ICMA : Maestro, have you been born into a musical family? Dmitrij Kitajenko : Not at all! My mother was a teacher and my father an engineer. However our house was next to the choir school of the Moscow Boys Choir. Since my mother had noticed ...
Finnish premiere of Magnus Lindberg’s Second Piano Concerto
Nicolas Hodges brought a degree of refinement and grace to Lindberg's often percussive writing. Magnus Lindberg's tenure as composer-in-residence with the New York Philharmonic resulted in several new works, including his second piano concerto. Dedicated to Yefim Bronfman, the concerto was clearly conceived with Bronfman's imposing virtuosity in mind. Similar to the other works from Lindberg's New York tenure, the second piano concerto radiates with both exuberance and joy. One of the ...Radio Orpheus Named Media Partner Of The Tchaikovsky Competition
Russian Radio Orpheus – a member of the ICMA Jury – has been chosen as official media partner for the 15th International Tchaikovsky Competition which will be held in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, Russia, from June 15 to July 3, 2015. This year the competition is dedicated to the 175th anniversary of Piotr I. Tchaikovsky. Radio Orpheus is realizing its own media project, including a cycle of special programs about the competition’s ...
Isin Metin To Conduct 2015 Gala Concert With The Bilkent Symphony
The ICMA Gala Concert on March 28 in the magnificent Bilkent Hall in Ankara, Turkey, will be conducted by Isin Metin. He is conducting all the pieces with soloists. Three guest conductors, Dmitrij Kitajenko, Adam Fischer and Alexander Liebreich will also be part of the program.The Bilkent Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1993 as a unique artistic project of Bilkent University. Developed and managed by the Faculty of Music and ...
ICMA Jury Member Radio Orpheus Engages In The Revival Of Musical Heritage
At a press conference in Moscow, Irina Gerasimova, General Manager and Artistic Director of the Russian State TV and Radio Music Centre, Orpheus, presented the multimedia project Revival Of The Musical Heritage Of Russia operated in collaboration with the company E.ON Russia. The first two realizations are the restoration of the only lithographic copy of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s Textbook on Harmony and the recording on CD of Anton Arensky’s rare opera ...
Osmo Vänskä returns to the Helsinki Phil in an all-Prokofiev program
Over a decade has passed since Osmo Vänskä last appearance with the Helsinki Philharmonic. On this evening's concert, Vänskä conducted the Helsinki Philharmonic in a program of Prokofiev favorites. Osmo Vänskä began his career as an orchestral clarinetist, and served for several seasons as principal clarinet in the Helsinki Philharmonic. Since then, Vänskä has achieved fame as a conductor, particularly for his interpretations of Sibelius. Although Vänskä has returned to Helsinki ...
Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé in Vaughan William’s Pastoral Symphony
It looks like Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé orchestra might bring us the Vaughan Williams symphony cycle par excellence of the 21st century. Recommended without hesitation. The British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams was arguably one of the great symphonic composers of the last century. While his nine symphonies have been well served on disc, these works are performed relatively infrequently, especially outside of the composer's home country. Having previously recorded ...
Yury Revich: It’s all about sharing music and arts
ICMA : Yury, what does being ICMA’s ‘Young Artist of the Year’ mean to you? Yury Revich : It’s a great honor of course, I’m very happy that my dedication to music and arts is recognized with this fantastic award, and I’m sure it will bring me many new and wonderful opportunities! ICMA : You began very early to play the violin. Do you come from a musical family? YR : Yes, I started ...
