Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Sakari Oramo

Oramo leads the BBC Symphony Orchestra and trumpeter Verneri Pohjola in a moving tribute to Kaija Saariaho with the UK premiere of her concerto HUSH.

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London

26 Jan 2025

An evening of poignant elegy from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO

By Susannah Moody

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London

Sakari Oramo and spellbinding soloists in a memorable Dream of Gerontius

By Mark Valencia, 13 December 2024

A solo trio of David Butt Philip, Dame Sarah Connolly and Roderick Williams draw on extensive stage experience to inhabit their roles in a naturally assured, vividly communicative fashion.

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London

16 Dec 2024

A memorable Dream of Gerontius from the BBCSO and Sakari Oramo

By Mark Valencia

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London

Magical potency from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO in late Romantic music

By Chris Garlick, 08 November 2024

Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO are in their element in rich repertoire including Szymanowski, Pejačević, Wagner and Strauss.

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London

09 Nov 2024

Magical potency from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO

By Chris Garlick

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London

Hope dies last: Sakari Oramo's triumphantly tragic Mahler 6 hits home

By Peter Quantrill, 26 September 2024

Fresh insights, bold choices and searing momentum from Sakari Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra in their Barbican season opener.

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London

30 Sep 2024

Hope dies last: Oramo's triumphantly tragic Mahler 6 hits home

By Peter Quantrill

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London

Reaching the summit: Oramo scales the Alpine Symphony with the BBCSO

By Chris Garlick, 09 August 2024

The BBC Symphony Orchestra shines in Strauss, in particular the characterful woodwind solos and the fulsomely resplendent brass.

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London

11 Aug 2024

Reaching the summit: Oramo scales the Alpine Symphony with the BBCSO

By Chris Garlick

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London

Sea Pictures: Oramo and the BBCSO in contrasting, yet linked, British works

By Roy Westbrook, 24 May 2024

When is a work actually finished ? Only when composer, publisher, editors and performers agree that it is... Sakari Oramo conducts the London premiere of Knussen's Cleveland Pictures.

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London

26 May 2024

Sea Pictures: Oramo and the BBCSO in contrasting British works

By Roy Westbrook

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London

Rites of consolation: Finnish and German requiems in illuminating combination

By Peter Quantrill, 08 March 2024

Anu Komsi stars in Brahms at the Barbican; Sakari Oramo revives memorial tributes by Rautavaara and Sallinen.

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London

11 Mar 2024

Finnish and German requiems in illuminating combination

By Peter Quantrill

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London

Musical passports issued by Oramo, Frang and the BBC Symphony Orchestra

By Alexander Hall, 20 January 2024

Each of the three pieces by Andrew Norman, Stravinsky and Sibelius had an unlocking principle at its heart. Sakari Oramo, his soloist Vilde Frang and his BBC players proved powerful advocates.

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London

21 Jan 2024

Musical passports issued by Oramo, Frang and the BBCSO

By Alexander Hall

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London

A breath of Scandinavian fresh air from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO

By Chris Garlick, 08 December 2023

Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO were at the top of their game, bringing a bracing breath of Scandi fresh air and clear light, on a dark December eveneing.

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London

10 Dec 2023

A breath of Scandinavian fresh air from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO

By Chris Garlick

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Prague

Boisterous Brahms at Dvořák’s Prague

By Frank Kuznik, 14 September 2023

Sakari Oramo leads the Czech Philharmonic in a powerful German Requiem with vocal support from the Prague Philharmonic Choir, Anu Komsi and Christian Senn.

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Prague

15 Sep 2023

Boisterous Brahms at Dvořák’s Prague

By Frank Kuznik

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London

Urgency and splendour: Mahler 3 at the Proms

By Rohan Shotton, 19 August 2023

Sakari Oramo conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in an electrifying account at the BBC Proms.

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London

21 Aug 2023

Urgency and splendour: Mahler 3 at the Proms

By Rohan Shotton

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London

Prom 35: Oramo, Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Mahler and Berg

By Mark Valencia, 10 August 2023

The BBCSO's Chief Conductor steps in to lead a resplendent Mahler 7; Leila Josefowicz is the soloist for a transcendent Berg Violin Concerto.

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London

13 Aug 2023

Prom 35: Oramo, Josefowicz and the BBCSO in Mahler and Berg

By Mark Valencia

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London

Total Immersion: the Barbican honours Kaija Saariaho with an intensive day

By Mark Valencia, 07 May 2023

The Barbican and BBC welcome the Finn to the exclusive pantheon of the order of “Total Immersion” – a full day devoted to the music of a single living composer.

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London

09 May 2023

The Barbican honours Kaija Saariaho with an intensive day

By Mark Valencia

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London

Polish, but unpolished: uneven Bacewicz and Szymanowski from the BBCSO

By Dominic Lowe, 10 February 2023

Sakari Oramo presents a pair of Polish symphonies by Bacewicz and Szymanowski, interrupted by Mozart's Sinfonia concertante, but the evening struggles to take off.

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London

12 Feb 2023

Polish, but unpolished: uneven Bacewicz and Szymanowski from the BBCSO

By Dominic Lowe

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London

Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra mix the unfamiliar with the familiar

By Alexander Hall, 03 February 2023

Take lesser-known pieces by Bacewicz, Mozart and Elgar, and finally one of Dvořák’s most lyrical symphonies: these were the dishes served up by Sakari Oramo, Julie Price and the BBCSO.

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London

04 Feb 2023

Oramo and the BBC SO mix the unfamiliar with the familiar

By Alexander Hall

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London

Icy blast: Oramo’s Total Immersion into the world of Sibelius, the storyteller

By Mark Pullinger, 09 October 2022

Sakari Oramo, Anu Komsi and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson take a deep dive into the world of Sibelius' tone poems in two concerts with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

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London

09 Oct 2022

Icy blast: total immersion into the world of Sibelius, the storyteller

By Mark Pullinger

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London

English music across the generations from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO

By Chris Garlick, 15 August 2022

A trio of English works, including the UK premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage's virtuosic Time Flies.

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London

16 Aug 2022

English music across the generations from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO

By Chris Garlick

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London

Back with a bang: Verdi's Requiem opens the BBC Proms season in grand style

By Mark Pullinger, 15 July 2022

A huge hall, a huge orchestra and a huge chorus letting rip with a monster of the choral repertoire… We've missed this.

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London

15 Jul 2022

Back with a bang: Verdi's Requiem opens the BBC Proms season

By Mark Pullinger

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London

Scaling the summit: Sakari Oramo conducts Langgaard's Pastoral of the Rocks

By Mark Pullinger, 08 April 2022

A rare chance to hear the first of the Danish maverick's 16 symphonies, plus Nicola Benedetti shines in Korngold's luscious Violin Concerto.

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London

09 Apr 2022

Scaling the summit: Sakari Oramo conducts Langaard

By Mark Pullinger

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London

Give me brutal, give me beautiful: BBCSO and Oramo mark the Barbican's 40th anniversary

By Alexander Hall, 04 March 2022

In this unusual combination of works, a complex motet by Judith Weir emphasised brutalism, while a complete ballet score by Ravel sets Apollo against Dionysus. A young Finnish soloist joined her compatriot Oramo for an English Romantic concerto.

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London

05 Mar 2022

BBCSO and Oramo mark the Barbican's 40th anniversary

By Alexander Hall

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London

Familiar messages, rituals and sounds: pre-Christmas delights from the BBC SO

By Alexander Hall, 03 December 2021

With Advent in full swing, and as 2021 draws to a close, it is comforting to be reminded of seasonal rituals expressed through the power of music: Sibelius, Finzi and Britten with BBC SO forces under Oramo.

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London

04 Dec 2021

Pre-Christmas delights from the BBC SO

By Alexander Hall

London

Malcolm Arnold's Fifth Symphony resurrected by Sakari Oramo and BBCSO

By Chris Garlick, 27 August 2021

An all-British composer line-up at the Proms also included Walton's Viola Concerto, John Foulds and Charlotte Bray.

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London

29 Aug 2021

Malcolm Arnold's Fifth Symphony resurrected by Sakari Oramo and BBCSO

By Chris Garlick

Berlin

Sakari Oramo navigates from the familiar to the novel with the Berlin Philharmonic

By Edward Sava-Segal, 05 June 2021

Sakari Oramo jumps in for a Berlin Phil programme which includes Unsuk Chin's Piano Concerto.

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Berlin

06 Jun 2021

Sakari Oramo navigates from the familiar to the novel in Berlin

By Edward Sava-Segal

Stockholm

Grande Finale 4: Sakari Oramo and the RSPO conclude a majestic Sibelius cycle

By Roy Westbrook, 29 May 2021

In between the two symphonies, there was an extra Sibelius item, and this time it was a novelty.

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Stockholm

31 May 2021

Grande Finale 4: Oramo and the RSPO conclude a majestic Sibelius cycle

By Roy Westbrook

Stockholm

Grande Finale 3: Favourite Sibelius from Oramo

By Roy Westbrook, 26 May 2021

Oramo's structural insight ensures ideal tempo relations between sections, so crucial in Sibelius.

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Stockholm

27 May 2021

Grande Finale 3: Favourite Sibelius from Oramo

By Roy Westbrook

Stockholm

Grande Finale 2: Sibelius and Oramo in Stockholm

By Roy Westbrook, 22 May 2021

In this second of Oramo's farewell concerts, the RSPO play Sibelius' Third and Fourth Symphonies; Anu Komsi sings a compelling Luonnotar.

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Stockholm

23 May 2021

Grande Finale 2: Sibelius and Oramo in Stockholm

By Roy Westbrook

Stockholm

Curtain up on a Grand Finale: Sibelius and Oramo in Stockholm

By Roy Westbrook, 19 May 2021

The finale’s thrilling ardour was not diminished in the empty hall, as we approached the triumphant ending that Sibelius, despite being armed with bass drum, cymbal and triangle, omitted to write.

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Stockholm

20 May 2021

Curtain up on a Grand Finale: Sibelius and Oramo in Stockholm

By Roy Westbrook

Stockholm

Bertrand Chamayou and Sakari Oramo deliver standout Ravel in Stockholm

By Phillip Nones, 25 March 2021

Four Ravel masterpieces shine anew in fresh, vibrant interpretations by Bertrand Chamayou, Sakari Oramo and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic.

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Stockholm

25 Mar 2021

Bertrand Chamayou and Sakari Oramo deliver standout Ravel in Stockholm

By Phillip Nones

London

Alwyn's Miss Julie rescued from the operatic desert

By Mark Pullinger, 03 October 2019

William Alwyn's operatic take on Strindberg is rarely performed – a complete mystery considering this excellent concert staging at the Barbican by the BBCSO under Sakari Oramo.

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London

04 Oct 2019

Alwyn's Miss Julie rescued from the operatic desert

By Mark Pullinger

London

Prom 67: premieres and sublime Sibelius from Oramo and the BBCSO

By Roy Westbrook, 08 September 2019

Who would have thought celebrating a Black Mass could be quite such fun?

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London

09 Sep 2019

Prom 67: premieres and sublime Sibelius from Oramo and the BBCSO

By Roy Westbrook

London

Prom 43: The very new and the once new as Oramo and the BBC SO redefine tradition

By Alexander Hall, 19 August 2019

What to put with Beethoven's greatest statement on the universality of the human spirit? The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Sakari Oramo, Neil Ferris and Andreas Haefliger make a case for renewal.

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London

20 Aug 2019

Prom 43: Oramo and the BBC SO redefine tradition

By Alexander Hall

London

Prom 13: Star-struck Messiaen from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO

By Chris Garlick, 28 July 2019

Olivier Messiaen deeply personal voice and its influence echoed far and wide across the decades and across national boundaries.

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London

29 Jul 2019

Prom 13: Star-struck Messiaen from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO

By Chris Garlick

London

Larcher and Mahler create worlds for the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Oramo

By Roy Westbrook, 24 May 2019

Oramo gave a generally convincing account of Mahler's seventh, if at times one with a sense of taming a beast.

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London

25 May 2019

Larcher and Mahler create worlds for the BBCSO and Oramo

By Roy Westbrook

London

Clear-eyed and unsentimental Elgar and Dvořák from Oramo, Benedetti and the BBC Symphony

By Alexander Hall, 26 April 2019

The concerto was by Elgar, the symphony by Dvořák: the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Sakari Oramo and Nicola Benedetti make powerful and compelling statements.

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London

27 Apr 2019

Fine Elgar and Dvořák from Oramo, Benedetti and the BBC Symphony

By Alexander Hall

Zurich

Believing in the music: Martin Fröst and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic

By Sarah Batschelet, 20 March 2019

Works by Rolf Liebermann, Mozart and Mahler recently brought down the house at Zurich’s Tonhalle Maag, in no small part because of Martin Fröst’s illuminating performance.

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Zurich

22 Mar 2019

Believing in the music: Martin Fröst and the RSPO

By Sarah Batschelet

London

Precision and transparency from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO in Ligeti

By Chris Garlick, 02 March 2019

This final concert of the BBCSO’s Total Immersion day dedicated to György Ligeti, proved to be something a revelation, both in terms of the variety of the music and the quality of the performances.

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London

03 Mar 2019

Precision and transparency from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO in Ligeti

By Chris Garlick

London

Oramo and the BBCSO offer three Austrians from three centuries

By Roy Westbrook, 22 February 2019

Even in a flawed performance, The Song of the Earth fills the hearer with its life-affirming carpe diem message.

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London

23 Feb 2019

Three Austrians from three centuries

By Roy Westbrook

London

Steven Isserlis silences the Schumann doubters

By Stephen Pritchard, 23 January 2019

Virtuoso makes the case for late Schumann with triumphant performance of the cello concerto

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London

24 Jan 2019

Steven Isserlis silences the Schumann doubters

By Stephen Pritchard

London

Powerful Prokofiev and charming Copland from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO

By Chris Garlick, 17 October 2018

Three works written in the turbulent years after the end of World War 2 were featured in this dynamic concert with the BBCSO under the baton of Sakari Oramo.

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London

18 Oct 2018

Powerful Prokofiev, charming Copland

By Chris Garlick

Berlin

Fantastic variations: Brett Dean's new Cello Concerto impresses at the Philharmonie

By Hugo Shirley, 04 October 2018

Sakari Oramo conducts the European première of a fine new work alongside familiar Grieg and Sibelius.

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Berlin

06 Oct 2018

Fantastic variations: Brett Dean's new Cello Concerto

By Hugo Shirley

London

Prom 56: Blistering Bruckner from Oramo and the BBCSO

By Young-Jin Hur, 24 August 2018

In what was a non-textbook performance of Bruckner, Oramo achieved a performance of utmost thrill, replete with clarity and conviction.

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London

25 Aug 2018

Prom 56: Blistering Bruckner from Oramo and the BBCSO

By Young-Jin Hur

London

Endings and beginnings: choral classics and a new commission from BBC Singers and Oramo

By Nick Boston, 20 August 2018

English choral classics from 100 years ago, contrasted with a confident and effective new piece by Laura Mvula, all given strong performances by the BBC Singers and Sakari Oramo.

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London

22 Aug 2018

Choral classics and a new commission from BBC Singers

By Nick Boston

London

Prom 47: a searing new violin ‘concerto’ from Philip Venables... and Bartók

By Matthew Rye, 17 August 2018

Biography, autobiography and the music of two composers combined in the latest BBC commission unveiled at the Proms.

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London

19 Aug 2018

Searing new violin ‘concerto’ from Philip Venables... and Bartók

By Matthew Rye

London

Prom 6: Love laid bare in a passionate Turangalîla from Oramo and the BBCSO

By Olivia Bell, 18 July 2018

Revelling in the luscious orchestrations and sumptuous melodies, it was a rare treat to bask in such obvious delight from both conductor and orchestra.

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London

20 Jul 2018

Prom 6: Love laid bare in a passionate Turangalîla

By Olivia Bell

London

Prom 1: Five Telegrams and a Harbinger of War from the BBCSO and Sakari Oramo

By Mark Pullinger, 13 July 2018

Marking the centenary of the end of the First World War, Anna Meredith and 59 Productions' work proves a powerful, often surprisingly upbeat, commission.

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London

14 Jul 2018

Prom 1: Five Telegrams and a Harbinger of War

By Mark Pullinger

London

Affirmative end to Sakari Oramo's BBCSO Sibelius cycle

By John Johnston, 06 January 2018

With its vertiginous vocal leaps and broad intervals, Komsi's pure pitch-perfect soprano soared like the eldrich keening of a sea bird. The spareness and incantatory intensity were heightened by the BBCSO and Oramo.

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London

07 Jan 2018

Affirmative end to Sakari Oramo's BBCSO Sibelius cycle

By John Johnston

London

Celebrating Finnish nationhood with the BBCSO and Oramo

By Alexander Hall, 06 December 2017

An all-Sibelius programme given by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sakari Oramo, featuring a UK première, an instrumental rarity and the First Symphony.

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London

07 Dec 2017

Celebrating Finnish nationhood

By Alexander Hall

London

Fire and ice: striking Sibelius and stunning Hillborg from Oramo, Batiashvili and the BBCSO

By Mark Thomas, 29 November 2017

Sakari Oramo led an inspired BBC Symphony Orchestra in cultured performances of Sibelius, while Lisa Batiashvili produced a monumental UK première of Anders Hillborg’s evocative Violin Concerto No.2.

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London

30 Nov 2017

Fire and ice: striking Sibelius and stunning Hillborg

By Mark Thomas