Sibelius’ monumental Kullervo performed on December 4th by KSO, Polytech Choir and soloists Johanna and Ville Rusanen
Published 28.11.2025
Kuopio Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by First Conductor Eugene Tzigane
Close to Finnish Music Day, on Thursday, December 4th at 6 pm at the Kuopio Music Centre, audience will experience Jean Sibelius’ large-scale Kullervo. Joining the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra on stage are the brilliant Polytech Choir and the outstanding soloists Johanna and Ville Rusanen. The orchestra will be led by one of its First Conductors, Eugene Tzigane.
The year 1892 was long regarded as the “year zero” of Finnish music history, the point where the narrative begins. That year saw the premiere of Jean Sibelius’ massive Kullervo, which initially received a rather reserved reception from the press. The audience, however, recognized that they were hearing their own music — a work drawing from Finnish folklore, something entirely new and unprecedented.
The piece fell into obscurity for decades. In recent decades, however, conductors have rediscovered its hidden potential. The 1990s witnessed a flood of Kullervo recordings, and in the 2000s the work has remained a flagship export for Finnish orchestras. According to Sibelius.fi, Kullervo is “an overindulgent, seam-bursting masterpiece — it is the King Kong of orchestral literature, whose rawness and sheer mass inspire fear and awe, yet whose heart is ultimately romantic.”
The concert will be conducted by the orchestra’s First Conductor Eugene Tzigane, with soloists familiar to Kuopio audiences: soprano Johanna Rusanen and baritone Ville Rusanen. The choral parts will be performed by the excellent Polytech Choir, prepared by its Artistic Director Tatu Erkkilä.
The concert lasts approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes, with no intermission.
Before the concert, at 5.30 pm at the Light Hall, there will be a Pre-Talk open to all, where attendees can meet the evening’s artists.
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 (available for purchase on the concert day at the Kuopio Music Centre Ticket Office). Prices include the Kuopio Music Centre service fee 2 € / ticket. The service fees vary depending on the place of purchase.
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KUOPIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Producer & Publicity Manager Elina Prepula, tel. 044 718 2364, elina.prepula(at)kuopio.fi
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