THE BEST OF THE NORTH

PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA LONDON

London is home to several world-class symphony orchestras, including the Philharmonia Orchestra. The list of its principal conductors alone is impressive: Otto Klemperer, Riccardo Muti, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Esa-Pekka Salonen … Founded in 1945 as EMI’s recording orchestra, the ensemble has recorded over 1,000 albums over the years, ranging from Bach to modern music, including both operas and symphonic works. Its closeness to the audience is reflected in numerous innovative projects and concert formats: film music, installations, contemporary works and innovations in the digital sphere. In addition to its base in London, it maintains residencies in other English cities, including Leicester and Canterbury. In 2021, the young Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali was appointed principal conductor of the orchestra.

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN

Among the many star conductors from the Finnish-Baltic region, he is one of the most distinguished: Esa-Pekka Salonen. Born in Helsinki, he made his breakthrough in 1983 with the Philharmonia Orchestra London, which appointed him its Artistic Director in 2008. He has held further chief conductor posts in Stockholm, Los Angeles and San Francisco. He made a name for himself above all as an interpreter of contemporary music, including works by Saariaho, Adams and Lindberg. In 2006, the magazine ‘Musical America’ named him Musician of the Year, and in 2024 he received the highly prestigious Polar Music Prize. Salonen also chaired the Sibelius Conducting Competition and the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm, which he co-founded. In addition, he is also active as a composer; he received the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for his violin concerto from 2009.

JOHAN DALENE

The Swedish-Norwegian violinist Johan Dalene, who trained with Per Enoksson in Stockholm and with Janine Jansen, won the prestigious Carl Nielsen Competition in 2019. Prior to that, he was a member of the Verbier Festival Academy and the Norwegian Crescendo Programme. Johan Dalene, who was named ‘Young Artist of the Year’ by the British magazine Gramophone in 2022, is now pursuing a successful international career in Europe and the USA, where critics have praised not only his virtuosity – underscored by the Stradivarius on which he plays – but also his stage presence. As a passionate advocate of the music of his time, the young artist premiered the concerto composed for him by the Swedish composer Tebogo Monnakgotla in 2023. He also devotes himself to chamber music with renowned partners.

JEAN SIBELIUS: SYMPHONY NO. 7 IN C MAJOR, OP. 105

Jean Sibelius’s 7th Symphony was originally intended to consist of three movements, but the relentless densification of the material ultimately resulted in a single large-scale movement with a multitude of thematic connections. In doing so, the composer consistently continued along the path of his recently completed 6th Symphony. Three solemn trombone calls at the end of each section provide a point of reference for the listener; behind them lies what is likely a tribute to Aino Sibelius, the woman who endured all the self-doubt and unreliability of her artist husband. With the Seventh, Sibelius brought his symphonic output to a close.

MAGNUS LINDBERG: CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA NO. 1

Versatility is his hallmark: the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg writes for small and large, traditional and modern ensembles, incorporating Far Eastern influences as well as electronics, punk rock and film music. This ability was particularly in demand when the Mostly Mozart Festival commissioned him in 2006 to write a violin concerto for a classical orchestra. The colour and richness Lindberg draws from this ensemble is fascinating. Time and again, the solo violin rises like a ray of sunshine above the impressionistically fanned-out strings, yet the work is no stranger to powerful attacks and humorous interjections either.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN E FLAT MAJOR, OP. 55 "EROICA"

With his Third Symphony, Ludwig van Beethoven threw open the door to the 19th century. Here, he breaks new ground not only musically, using the simplest of materials to create great arcs of tension, but also by linking these techniques to the themes of the time: the building of a new society, revolutionary action, and looking to the future. A symphony of worldview, then, which was originally intended to be dedicated to a very specific ‘hero’: Napoleon. It was only when Napoleon crowned himself emperor that Beethoven removed the dedication: ‘He is nothing more than an ordinary man!’