From frozen daybreak to dense, unending forest, Nordic composers have long looked to their natural surroundings as a reliable muse.
The MSO brings former Chief Conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra Eva Ollikainen to Australia for the first time, to lead the MSO in a program containing both contemporary and classic Nordic works.
A notorious perfectionist and serial reviser, Sibelius himself conducted the premieres of three different versions (1915, 1916 & 1919) of his Symphony No.5. The end result is a symphony that is generally regarded to be one of the most uplifting and inspiring works in all symphonic repertoire. The music feels as if it grows organically, coming to life before an expansive, thrilling finale.
Järventausta’s eight-minute work was inspired by the dark forest view from the composer’s office window. A constant thrum of overlapping orchestral sounds depict the living, wild ecosystem that inhabits this opener.
South Korean star Inmo Yang joins to perform Bruch’s Violin Concerto. Just as Sibelius would, Bruch too agonised over and reworked this piece. He initially intended to title it a “Fantasy” and not “Concerto”, only doing so at legendary violinist Joseph Joachim’s insistence. We have Joachim to thank for really making this solo sing; it was he who refined many of the virtuosic passages throughout the piece.
