Autumn season concerts 2022 tell stories, bring own stars on stage and introduce contemporary music

Published 13.05.2022

Season tickets for autumn 2022 are available for purchase

Behind the KSO Autumn 2022 season concerts there are stories about a secret language of Chinese women, a quest for finding the Holy Grail and Nutcracker and Mouse-King, a fairytail of Christmas time among others. In addition to international guests the audience can enjoy KSO’s own stars on stage. The autumn season program includes two Finnish premieres and we will meet also contempopary composers at the concerts. The season tickets for the autumn season are available for purchase.

The KSO autumn 2022 season program includes both classics and contemporary pieces. The artistic committee of the orchestra has been in an active role in creating the program. The aim has been to introduce interesting perspectives in every concert for people who haven’t enjoyed KSO concerts before.

At the season opening concert on the 29th of September the orchestra’s new harp Minerva Gold will be introduced by Viviane Nüscheler, winner of the Helsinki international harp competition. The main number will be Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women by Tan Dun, who won the Oscar with his music to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The piece is based on a secret and fast-disappearing world of Nu Shu, the only existing language in the world today used exclusively by Chinese women since the 13th century. On the first half of the concert we will hear the Finnish premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s Orpheus Undone and also Richard Strauss’ Don Juan conducted by Jessica Cottis.

The next Finnish premiere will take place on the 6th of October when American composer Avner Dorman will conduct his Piano concerto No 3. The concerto composed in 2021 was commissioned by the soloist of the concert, Mackenzie Melemed, winner of the Maj Lind Piano Competition 2017, and Diana R. Glimm. Dorman describes the concerto as ”a work that expresses extreme emotions and sudden changes, from the depth of despair to complete ecstasy”. The concert begins with Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s inventive Symphony in E flat major and ends with Igor Stravinsky’s fresh Symphony in C major.

The concert on 27th of October has been inspired by ancient myths and legends. The evening begins with an excerpt of Sergey Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite. As the soloist we will see Peter Herresthal, who will interpret Kaija Saariaho’s famous violin concerto Graal Théătre as well as Vers toi qui es si loin for solo violin. Josef Suk’s Pohadka is an adventure with swans and peacocks. The concert is conducted by Aliisa Neige Barrière, daughter of two composers – French Jean-Babtiste Barrière and Finnish Kaija Saariaho who will be celebrating her 70th anniversary this year.

On the 3rd of November we will enjoy the Mexican Manuel Ponce’s Concierto del Sur, the king of guitar concertos from Latin America. The soloist will be one of the foremost international Finnish stars, guitarist Ismo Eskelinen, who has his roots in Savo. The concert begins with Moritz Moszkowski’s popular Spanish Dances. Conductor Eugene Tzigane will also take us to North America, where Antonín Dvořák composed his Symphony No 9 From the New World using the songs of American natives as the material.

The KSO winds will take the spotlight on the 17th of November. The concert starts with W.A. Mozart’s masterful Gran Partita conducted by the French Paul Meyer. Jean Francaix Hommage a l’ami Papageno is an imaginery dialogue with Mozart, composed in year 1984. According to Francaix ”it is a musical expression of my gratitude towards the musician whom people left to die in poverty”.  In addition to the pieces by the wood winds we will enjoy music performed by the KSO brass ensemble Kiss My Brass.

On the 24th of November the orchestra’s own star, Johannes Polda will take the stage as the violin soloist of the concert. He will interpret Dmitri Shostakovich’ Violin concerto No 2, a powerful, inward and deep work according to Polda. ”The biggest realization has been that playing the violin is a never-ending process of learning and discovering new sides of the instrument”, he says. The concert is opened by Joseph Martin Kraus’ overture Olympie composed for a play in 1791 and it ends with Johannes Brahms’ lyrical Symphony No 1 conducted by the Swedish Fredrik Burstedt.

On the Day of Finnish music, the 8th of December we will enjoy the visit and music of a Finnish composer and writer, Osmo Tapio Räihälä. The evening’s programme includes his French horn concerto composed in 2013 and commissioned by Jukka Harju, the soloist of the concert. Räihälä won the Finlandia Prize 2021 in the Non-Fiction category with his book Miksi nykymusiikki on niin vaikeaa? (Why Is Contemporary Music So Difficult?). According to him the music of the French horn concerto ”is yours, dear listener – make of it what you like”.  Before the concerto we will hear The Wood-Nymph by Jean Sibelius and the evening ends with Sibelius’ Symphony No 2 conducted by Atso Almila, the second conductor of the KSO.

A concert version of Piotr Tchaikovky’s ballet Nutcracker will end the Season Concert series on the 15th of December. The Nutcracker is an all-time favourite and a magical Christmas tradition for all the family. E.T.A. Hoffmann’s fairytail Nutcracker and Mouse-King tells the story of Clara, a girl who receives and enchanted Nutcracker and in her sleep during the Christmas night encounters the Nutcracker Prince, toy soldiers and the Sugar Plum Fairy among others. The KSO conducted by Kalle Kuusava wil be joined on stage by a project choir consisting of singers from Kuopio Senior High School of Arts, Lumit, as well as from Sibelius Academy, the Kuopio Unit of the University of Arts.

The Season Tickets including all 8 concerts are availabe for purchase with Early Bird prices until the 21st of June 2022. Normal Season Ticket prices are valid between the 22th of June until the 29th of September.

Early Bird prices: 200 € / 160 €. Normal prices: 220 € / 179 €. Prices include the Kuopio Music Centre service fee 2 € / ticket. The service fees vary depending on the place of purchase.

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