Avanti!’s spring 2017 concerts will feature a diverse selection of new and classical music as well as baroque hits. The concert season culminates with the Spring Enchantment concert, headlined by the dramatic soprano Karita Mattila. The concert will open with the premiere of a new orchestral work by Lauri Kilpiö.
Avanti!’s spring programme includes three concerts: the crowning concert of the Musica nova festival in February in the spirit of György Ligeti, the acclaimed Riitti concert in March at the Tuomiokirko Church in Porvoo, and the Spring Enchantment concert in May at the Music Hall.
SPRING LUMOUS 27.5.2017, Music Hall Concert Hall
On the last Saturday in May, Karita Mattila will be the soloist in the Spring Enchantment concert at Helsinki Music Centre. Mattila shot to international fame after winning the Cardiff Song Contest in 1983, when the chamber orchestra Avanti! was founded. Now the paths of these booming musical phenomena cross again.
The concert, supported by the Pro Musica Foundation, will premiere a new orchestral work by Lauri Kilpiö, one of the most interesting composers of his generation. The work was commissioned by the Pro Musica Foundation.
“The sonic characters in my upcoming orchestral piece are mainly sounds and textures, sometimes built up from non-compositional noise. However, my work is not sound art, but motivic music. I am extremely happy to have been commissioned by the Pro Musica Foundation to carry out a large, demanding and very inspiring compositional project together with the Avanti! orchestra,” says Kilpiö.
The concert will open John Cagen composed by 4’33”, which is considered a classic example of non-music or conceptual music. After the premiere, the concert will continue with songs by the luminous soprano Karita Mattila, who will play the many tones of love: longing, betrayal, romance and happiness. French singer Henri Duparc’s songs are distinguished by a subtle longing and sensuality. Sibelius and Runeberg glorify young love in the song Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte, in which a girl is betrayed. In the Rydberg song På verandan vid havet, the tense silence expresses a yearning for eternity, while in the Runeberg song Våren flyktar hastigt, the mere memory of spring encourages love.
There’s also a touch of romantic bliss in Robert Schumann ‘s “Spring” symphony, in which a newly married composer finds romantic omens in the season.
The concert will be conducted by Olari Elts.
NOTE! Changes and additions have been made to the concert programme. The information has been updated on 23.1. and 12.4.
Spring season starts in the spirit of György Ligeti
MUSICA NOVA: IN THE SPIRIT OF LIGETI 12.2.2017, Paavo Hall, Helsinki Music Centre
The musical legacy of Hungarian-born avant-garde composer György Ligeti will be heard in the opening concert of Avanti!’s spring season, In the spirit of Ligeti, on 12 February. For the general public, Ligeti’s music is best known for Stanley Kubrick’s cult films 2001: A Space Adventure and Eyes Wide Shut. In the closing concert of Musica nova, György Ligeti’s influence can be heard in the compositions of his most important pupils and his son.
Lukas Ligeti’s Curtain brings together the legacy of European modernism and African rhythms. Inspired by the visual arts, the work explores the “painting on” and erasure of material over a melodic and harmonious ground in a manner reminiscent of animation artist William Kentdrige. A string quartet serves as the canvas on which Ligeti paints, creating a tension between the sounds of the quartet and those of the larger ensemble.
The final part of Unsuk Chin’s cosmigimmicks
Ligeti’s other important pupil, Benedict Mason, also bows to his mentor. Hinterstoissener traverse uses only one note, G. The extremely minimalist approach allows a close examination of rhythm and dynamics.
The concert is part of the Musica nova Helsinki festival programme and will be conducted by Clement Power.
Praised Riitti concert to be heard at the Tuomiokirko in Porvoo
RITE 14.3.2017, Porvoo Cathedral
First heard in April 2016 in Helsinki’s Temppeliaukio Church, the concert Riitti will be continued to rave reviews. Avanti! returns to the atmospheric Tuomiokirkko in Porvoo on 14 March with a highly acclaimed programme. Taking advantage of the space and acoustics of the church, the concert will combine new and old music.
Among the well-known composers of the Baroque period will be Henry Purcell’s The Queen’s Funeral Marchand Marin Marais’ Sonnerie de Ste-Geneviève du Mont de Paris, from the biopic All the Mornings of My Life .
As the name suggests, Avanti!’s Riitti concert will make use of ritual, both in terms of the works and their form. Ranging from the solemnity of the Baroque to the futuristic atmosphere of the 20th century, the concert includes not only Baroque hits but also rarely heard 1950s tape recordings. The concert will culminate in the ‘Story Opera Ballet’, a cello concertocommissioned by soloist Juho Laitinen from Jukka Tiensuu.
“New music is important to me. I don’t just mean recently composed works, but sounds in general that awaken new aesthetic, philosophical and ethical experiences. The commission is not only an act of cultural policy, but also a tool to seek out these awakenings,” says Laitinen.
The concert is part of the Taidetehtaan Classics series and will be conducted by Lauri Ahokas.
