SEASON SERIES CONCERT 7: SEBASTIAN FAGERLUND & CHRISTOFFER SUNDQVIST

Thursday 03.12.2026 at 6pm Kuopio Music Centre Concert Hall

At 5.30 Atrium
PRE-TALK

Kuopio Symphony Orchestra
Eugene Tzigane, conductor
Christoffer Sundqvist, clarinet

Jaakko Kuusisto: Wiima Op. 27 (2008/2011)
Sebastian Fagerlund: Clarinet Concerto No 2 (2025)
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No 1 in c minor Op. 68 (1876)

Jaakko Kuusisto’s Wiima was originally commissioned by the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, and the work reflects the composer’s deep connection to the movement and light of Finnish nature. True to its name, Wiima portrays the flow of wind – its sudden changes of direction, its lightness, and its bursts of force. Kuusisto builds the music from bright harmonies, rhythmic pulse, and streamlined melodies that sweep through the orchestra like a current of air. It is quintessential Kuusisto: energetic, immediate, and offering the orchestra ample opportunity to shine. 

Sebastian Fagerlund’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2 is written for his long‑time collaborator Christoffer Sundqvist, whose virtuosity and expressive freedom have been central sources of inspiration. The result is a powerful, multilayered work in constant motion: from dark, tense colours to bright, almost hypnotic textures. Fagerlund’s hallmark rhythmic drive and organically breathing form make the concerto an intense journey for both soloist and orchestra. Modern and strongly narrative, the work draws the listener into its ever‑shifting world. 

Johannes Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 is one of the great symphonic landmarks of the Romantic era – a work that took the composer nearly twenty years to complete. This slowly matured masterpiece opens with a dramatic, tension‑filled introduction and grows toward a radiant finale in which the symphony blossoms fully. Beethoven’s symphonic legacy was both an inspiration and a burden for Brahms; the shadow of the master loomed so large that he hesitated for years before attempting a symphony. The long gestation reflects his desire to honour the tradition Beethoven had shaped. This connection is audible throughout: the symphony’s dramatic opening and monumental architecture echo Beethoven’s influence, and the noble, hymn‑like theme of the finale has often been heard as a conscious dialogue with the Ninth Symphony. Yet Brahms’s voice is unmistakably his own — he continues the symphonic line Beethoven began, but does so with his characteristic warmth, poetry, and deeply human expression. 

Duration approx. 1 hour 50 minutes including interval.

The concert is included in the Season Series Ticket and Mini Series Ticket 1.

Produced by the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra
Tickets: 34,60 € / 28,10 € senior citizens and groups min. 20 persons / 10,60 € children under the age of 16 and students

SEASON SERIES TICKET

Includes 8 Season Series concerts:
10.9. – 1.10. – 8.10. – 22.10. – 29.10. – 26.11. – 3.12. – 10.12.

Early Bird price 200 € / 160 € senior citizens
Available: 16.4. – 28.5.
Buy Season Series Ticket

Normal price 220 € / 179 € senior citizens
Available: 29.5. – 10.9.

MINI SERIES 1

Miniseries 1
Includes 4 Season Series concerts

Early Bird price 110 / 90 € senior citizens
Available: 16.4. – 28.5.
Buy Miniseries 1

Normal price 120 € / 95 € senior citizens
Available: 29.5. – 10.9.