Hands across the Baltic

By Matthew Rye, 23 August 2017

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“Mahler’s larger, brasher sound world felt as though it needed more space to breathe”

Reviewed at Berwaldhallen, Stockholm on 22 August 2017

Sibelius, Symphony no. 7 in C major, Op.105

Mahler, Das Lied von der Erde

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

Susanna Mälkki, Conductor

Gerhild Romberger, Mezzo-soprano

Simon O'Neill, Tenor

Premiere of Zinovjev's Taste of Metal in Helsinki

No’a L. bat Miri, 13th February

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra offers up a double-serving of Tchaikovsky, with Hannu Lintu and Daniel Lozakovich, alongside the world premiere of Sauli Zinovjev's First Symphony.

***11

Saraste and the Helsinki Philharmonic in Hamburg

Mengguang Huang, 22nd November

The Helsinki Philharmonic’s winter visit to Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie offers a vivid portrait of Finnish musical identity at its most compelling.

****1

From darkness to light: Beethoven 9 in Helsinki

Zoltán Szabó, 18th December

The traditional end of year performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony took on extra significance in this, his 250th anniversary year.

****1

Sibelius played to the manner born by the Helsinki PO

Peter Marks, 10th December

An all Sibelius concert played with precision and flair by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra fails to provide fresh insights into the composer's enigmatic works but violinist Christal Lee is a soloist to watch.

***11

Gripping musical storytelling in Lahti

Peter Connors, 31st August

The Finnish forests, the creation of the world and a mythical hero were vividly brought to life in the opening concert of the 15th Sibelius Festival in Lahti

*****

Captivante visite de l’Orchestre philharmonique d’Helsinki à Bruxelles

Patrice Lieberman, 10th October

Première visite à Bruxelles de l'Orchestre philharmonique d'Helsinki depuis 1900 : sous la direction formidable de Susanna Mälkki, la phalange finlandaise a livré une performance mémorable.

****1

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Matthew Rye

Matthew read music at Oxford and worked in music journalism for 30 years as a writer, critic and editor. He wrote numerous programme and CD booklet notes, spent 13 years as a Daily Telegraph critic, worked at BBC Music Magazine and was reviews editor of The Strad. He also wrote for The Wagner Journal and Opera and blogged at ferneklang.blogspot.co.uk. He was general editor of 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die (Cassell Illustrated, 2007) and was the author of a new series of eBooks, Masterpieces of Music (Erudition).

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