Helsinki Festival
The Orchestra’s concerts at Finlandia Hall (Finlandiatalo) marked a special homecoming for Music Director Osmo Vanska and a reunion with violinist Viktoria Mullova. In 1980, when Viktoria won the coveted Sibelius prize onstage at Finlandiatalo, a clarinetist named Osmo Vanska was playing principle clarinet in the symphony. Some 26 years later, the two shared the same stage, performing the same work, Sibelius’s Violin Concerto. Only this time, Vanska was on the podium. Not only that, but Sunday’s concert was the first time Mullova had returned to play that piece in Helsinki. The standing room only crowd let them know they hoped it wouldn’t be so long an absence again.
In addition, if it was even possible to top the Proms, the Orchestra played what many felt was the best performance of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony of the entire tour. The Orchestra has reached a level of ensemble that Vanska characterizes as “breathing together”, an important outcome of intense touring.
The second concert featured Barber’s Essay No. 1, Stravinsky’s Petrushka, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 Eroica. The crowd was no less enthusiastic and kept the Orchestra onstage for several encores. Following the concert, loyal Orchestra patrons Kathy and Charlie Cunningham hosted an “almost end of the tour” reception with a delicious spread of typical Finnish fare: salmon, potatoes, dark bread, and reindeer.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
