Message of friendship will sound at KSO season concert on 28th of March

Published 21.03.2024

Students of Kuopio conservatory and Savonia UAS join ranks of the orchestra in Bruckner’s symphony

The Kuopio Symphony Orchestra’s Close Friends & Distant Lovers season concert on Thursday, 28th of March at 6 pm starts with a double concerto, in which Johannes Brahms included a message of friendship to the violinist Joseph Joachim after their breach. The soloists of the concerto are violinist Anna-Liisa Bezrodny and cellist Jan-Erik Gustafsson. In addition, Anton Bruckner’s 4th symphony, where you can hear knights riding horses and singing songs to distant maidens will be performed under the baton of the KSO chief conductor Eugene Tzigane. At the concert organized at the Kuopio Music Center’s Concert Hall, there will be also students of the Kuopio conservatory and Savonia University of Applied Sciences playing in the ranks of the orchestra. The concert will be live streamed on the KSO’s YouTube channel.

The KSO’s season concert begins with Johannes Brahms’ double concerto, for which he found inspiration in his collaboration with his life-long friend and world-famous violin virtuoso, Joseph Joachim. The piece was actually an olive branch Brahms extended to his old friend after a rift formed between them when Johannes took the side of Joachim’s wife during their divorce proceedings. Joachim’s loyalty to his old friend’s musical genius brought about a reconciliation.

The double concerto will be interpreted by Anna-Liisa Bezrodny / violin and Jan-Erik Gustafsson / cello. Anna-Liisa Bezrodny’s season includes e.g. a performance with violinist Nigel Kennedy and a visit to Oxford as soloist in a concert led by conductor Maxim Vengerov. Bezrodny is also the artistic director of the Tallinn Chamber Music Festival as well as advisor and artistic director of the Eesti Sinfonietta. In addition to the Nordic countries, Jan-Erik Gustafsson has given concerts e.g. as a soloist with the London and Bournemouth symphony orchestras, the Berlin and Netherlands Radio symphony orchestras, and the New York and Vienna chamber orchestras. Jan-Erik Gustafsson is currently the artistic director of Korsholma Music Festival and Festival Porvoo.

After the intermission, we will hear Anton Bruckner’s 4th symphony, also called Romantic, for which he took his inspiration from the Age of Chivalry. The music evokes knights in shining armour, riding on horseback by day, singing songs in honor of distant damsels by night. In the Finale Bruckner turns to the sublime, combining mystery, exultation and religious fervor with delicate lyricism. ”In our troubled times, Bruckner’s music can be an oasis away from the stress and noise of daily life”, describes the chief conductor Eugene Tzigane.

The concert is realized in cooperation with the Kuopio conservatory and the Savonia University of Applied Sciences. The orchestra is reinforced by music students selected via audition from both educational institutions. They will play Bruckner’s symphony under the tutelage of musicians from the KSO.

The Close Friends & Distant Lovers concert will be live streamed on KSO’s YouTube channel, where it can also be seen afterwards for a month.

Before the concert, at 5:30 pm at the Hall of Light, a Pre-Talk open to everyone will be organized, where the artists of the evening will be interviewed.

Tickets: 33 € / 27 € senior citizens and groups min. 20 persons / 11 € children under the age of 16 and students / 4 € concert day discount ticket for students and young people under the age of 20.

KUOPIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Producer & Publicity Manager Elina Prepula, tel. 044 718 2364, elina.prepula(at)kuopio.fi
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