Imaginary birds of an enchanted garden will sing at KSO's season concert on April 25th

Published 19.04.2024

Eero Saunamäki as soloist of Kalevi Aho’s recorder concerto

On Thursday 25th of April at 6 pm we will enjoy singing of imaginary birds in a musical garden, when Finland’s most famous recorder artist Eero Saunamäki interprets Kalevi Aho’s recorder concerto celebrating his 75th anniversary at the Kuopio Music Centre’s Concert Hall. The Kuopio Symphony Orchestra’s Garden of Light and Shadow season concert also includes Louise Farrenc’s bold overture and Leevi Madetoja’s bright 3rd symphony. The orchestra is led by conductor Sasha Mäkilä.

Kalevi Aho, who is celebrating his 75th anniversary in 2024, is one of the most significant Finnish contemporary composers of our time. Aho’s extensive composition production includes e.g. concertos for all the orchestral instruments as well as several instruments that don’t usually appear in an orchestral composition. Such a special concerto is the concerto for recorder and chamber orchestra from 2020. It was composed for the recorder artist Eero Saunamäki, who will perform the concerto at the KSO’s season concert on April 25th. The atmosphere brought by Kalevi Aho’s music is e.g. depicted as if stepping into nature; the recorder concerto is like an enchanted garden filled with singing of imaginary birds. Saunamäki amazes by playing no less than five different recorders.

Opening the concert, Louise Farrenc’s Overture No. 1 from 1834 is a majestic piece of music, whose heavy initial chords grow into a rapidly progressing orchestral revelry. Farrenc was a well-known artistic figure during her lifetime, but fell into oblivion outside of France. In recent years, Farrenc’s orchestral music has been rediscovered and especially her overtures are frequently performed.

Leevi Madetoja began composing his third symphony in France in 1925 – a certain French spirit can be felt in the first movements of the work. Madetoja’s music is often described as a combination of Finnish deep thinking and French-style sophistication. The conductor of the concert, Sasha Mäkilä, is also known as a researcher of Madetoja’s works. Mäkilä has studied the composer’s life, as well as the manuscripts of the works and prepared corrected and revised sheet music editions from them. In addition to his work as a conductor, Mäkilä is a sought-after pedagogue and regularly visits the Manchester College of Music to teach, as well as organizes popular orchestral conducting masterclasses in Finland, Estonia and the USA.

On the same day, 25th of April at 12 o’clock you can enjoy the open rehearsal of the KSO, where the orchestra will play a piece from the evening’s concert. Admission to the open rehearsal is free. In addition to the music, Restaurant Oodi’s lunch is available in Valohalli from 11 am to 2 pm. The price of lunch is €11.

Before the concert, at 5:30 pm in Valohalli, a Pre-Talk event open to everyone is organized.

Tickets: 33 € / 27 € senior citizens and groups min. 20 persons / 11 € children under the age of 16 and students / 4 € concert day discount ticket for students and young people under the age of 20.

KUOPIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Producer & Publicity Manager Elina Prepula, tel. 044 718 2364, elina.prepula(at)kuopio.fi
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