Matthew Whittall commissions

Matthew Whittall has two big orchestral commissions in the pipeline in 2024. One of them, from the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle), is Joy – Symphony for Orchestra and Organ. It was premiered by the Finnish RSO at the Helsinki Music Centre on 22 May 2024. The soloist in this concert conducted by Nicholas Collon was Susanne Kujala. The reviews wrote: “Whittall has recently succeeded in creating an aesthetic territory all of his own that, in its effortless stylistic synthesis, is utterly original. …The orchestration, extremely effective and at times spectacular, suggests Ravel meets Richard Strauss, and the result is an extremely refined landscape. ” (HBL 23.5.)

The Tapiola Sinfonietta and the Vaasa City Orchestra have asked Whittall to write an Oboe Concerto. Anni Haapaniemi is to be the soloist. Matthew Whittall will turn 50 years in January 2025.