Myth, polkas and folksong to celebrate Finnish Independence

By John Johnston, 02 August 2017

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“The violinist... managed to transmute the theme into a Finnish folk dance”

Reviewed at Cadogan Hall, London on 31 July 2017

Works by Viljami Niittykoski

Andrew Lawrence-King, Kalevala: the Opera

Traditional, Ookkos syöny sianlihaa

Viljami Niittykoski, Joutsenet

Traditional, Lampaan polska

Haapasalo, Mun kanteleeni

Traditional, A major march

Anu Komsi, Soprano

Kreeta-Maria Kentala, Violin

Andrew Lawrence-King, Harp

Eero Palviainen, Theorbo

Milla Viljamaa, Harmonium

Finnish and German requiems in illuminating combination

Peter Quantrill, 8th March

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

****1

Boisterous Brahms at Dvořák’s Prague

Frank Kuznik, 14th September

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

****1

The Barbican honours Kaija Saariaho with an intensive day

Mark Valencia, 7th May

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.

****1

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

Mark Pullinger, 9th October

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.

****1

Take five: Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie celebrates an early birthday

Stephen Pritchard, 11th January

A nine-day celebration that could be also seen as a mini relaunch for the controversial building

****1

Grande Finale 2: Sibelius and Oramo in Stockholm

Roy Westbrook, 22nd May

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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John Johnston

John Johnston was a contributor to Bachtrack 2017-19. John was a true gentleman and lifelong opera "nut" who frequently travelled across Europe to catch performances, making regular pilgrimages to the Bayreuth Festival among others. His supreme knowledge and appreciation of voices meant he took to reviewing like the proverbial duck to water. We enjoyed his style and his insatiable appetite for catching rare operas and new productions wherever he could.

Myth, polkas and folksong to celebrate 100 years of Finnish Independence