Violinist Jennifer Koh will be the star of the Porvoo Summer Festival this summer. She will perform György Ligeti’s Violin Concerto at the Avanti Hall concert on Friday 28 June. Composed in 1990, the Violin Concerto is a lyrical work at its core. The harmony is blurred by natural-sounding French horns and four ocarinas reminiscent of flutes, with the addition of two flutes and a wide range of percussion. The result is an intimate but explosive soundscape of chamber music.
Friday’s concert will also feature Richard Strauss’ Introduction to the opera Capriccio and Franz Schreker’s Chamber Symphony for 23 solo instruments. The concert will be conducted by Baldur Brönnimann, conductor and artistic director of the Suvisoitto Festival.
After the concert Avanti! Lounge with Jennifer Koh offers the audience the opportunity to meet the evening’s soloist in the warmth of the Art Factory, as Koh performs solo vocal works by Kaija Saariaho and Missy Mazzoli, among others, before dark. On Saturday 29 June from 14-16, Koh will perform in Porvoo’s cafés, where he will play commissioned solo vocal works in intimate mini-concerts.
An uncompromising interpreter of new music
Jennifer Koh is known as an open-minded and versatile artist and an uncompromising performer of new music. She has premiered over 70 works during her career, with compositions by Kaija Saariaho and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Koh has studied Finnish music extensively and has also recorded Uuno Klam’s Violin Concerto (BIS).
The latest issue of Rondo Classic (5/2019) features a review of the latest Saariaho x Koh album: “American violinist Jennifer Koh, who will be a guest at Porvoo’s Suvisoito next summer, makes the sensual profile of Saariaho’s music glow, at times delicate and at times demonic.” The music of Saariaho, interpreted by Koh, will be enjoyed at Suvisoito.
Tickets and festival bus
Tickets for the summer concert are on sale on Lippupiste’s website www.lippu.fi/avanti and by calling 0600 900 900 (1,98€/min. + pvm). Festival pass enquiries directly from Avant’s office.
As usual, the festival bus will take you from Helsinki to Porvoo and back after the concert. Bus tickets are also sold by Lippupiste.
Photos by Jürgen Frank
