Matthew Whittall and Lotta Wennäkoski were awarded Composer of the Year titles in the classical music category at the Finnish Music Publishers’ gala on 5 September. The prize went to Whittall for his large-scale Joy for organ and orchestra that delighted audience and critics alike at its recent premiere by the Finnish RSO. Wennäkoski received her prize for her string…
Uusi pianokoulu Minun pianoni on ilmestynyt! Innostavien kappaleiden kautta opitaan perusrytmit, tahtiosoitukset ja nuotit kahden oktaavin alueella. Säestyksiä löytyy kirjan sivuilta ja myös soivina versioina QR-koodien takaa. Värikkäät kuvat, tarinat ja hahmot piristävät soittohetkiä, ja pienet teoriatehtävät tukevat pedagogisesti tarkkaan mietittyä etenemistä. Kirjan on kehitänyt Italiassa pianonsoiton opettajana työskentelevä musiikin maisteri ja musiikkipedagogi Julia Reinikainen….
This year marks the 75th anniversary of Kalevi Aho, one of Finland’s most celebrated contemporary composers. There will be numerous concerts to mark the event during 2024. The Saimaa Sinfonietta commissioned him to write his 18th symphony (world premiere in Mikkeli on 8 February). The Oulu Symphony Orchestra under Jessica Cottis premiered Aho’s Double Concerto with Christel Lee (violin) and Jonathan Roozeman (cello)…
Žibuokle Martinaitytė‘s new work for violin and string orchestra entitled EKAGGATA will be performed by the three orchestras. The commission was initiated by violinist and conductor Hugo Ticciati and O/Modernt Chamber Orchestra in Sweden. The Lithuanian National Philharmonic will premiere the work in Vilnius, Lithuania on 25 October, during the Gaida festival, and the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra…
Some new works by Antti Auvinen are to premiere in autumn 2024. In November, the Sointi Big Band and the Helsinki Chamber Choir will be performing a work for choir and big band conducted by Atso Almila in Tampere, Helsinki and Kuopio. A double concerto commissioned by the Finnish Baroque Orchestra for soprano and recorder…
The Frankfurt Chamber Opera staged the German premiere of Sanatorio Express (Pikaparantola) by Iiro Rantala on 13–31 July. The libretto, by Minna Lindgren, was translated into German. The performances were hailed by the press: “Iiro Rantala, the enterprising jazz pianist and representative of a probably typically Finnish penchant for self-irony, has succeeded with this chamber opera in two…
Lara Poe‘s music is rapidly gaining ground. Her Laulut maaseudulta (Songs from the Countryside) for voice and orchestra was premiered on 25 August at the 2024 London Proms by the orchestras of the Sibelius Academy and the Royal College of Music conducted by Sakari Oramo. The soprano soloist is Anu Komsi. After the Proms, the work will travel…
The Saimaa Sinfonietta has commissioned Olli Kortekangas to write a Guitar Concerto to be premiered in Lappeenranta on 14 November with Janne Malinen as the soloist. Other new Kortekangas works include Piir (Border), a blend of poetry and music performed in European cities with a mutual border; first in Valga, on the border between Estonia and Latvia, on 7 May and then…
