Lahti Symphony Orchestra: Sibelius festival – Symphony Concert

SYMPHONY CONCERT

SINFONIA LAHTI
HANNU LINTU, conductor
MIINA-LIISA VÄRELÄ, soprano
KLAUS FLORIAN VOGT, tenor
AIN ANGER, bass

Jean Sibelius: The Lemminkäinen Suite (1891)
Richard Wagner: Die Walküre, Act I (1870)

Pre-Concert Talk at Main Hall at 5.30 pm
Eero Tarasti: Wagner and Sibelius – the encouter of two composers (in English)

Sibelius’s Wagnerian opera project foundered in the early 1890s, but lives on powerfully in the four Lemminkäinen tone poems. There are many similarities between the Kalevala and the Nibelungenlied, and both played a major role in the rise of national identity in the late 19th century. Lemminkäinen and Siegfried are perfect material for a late-Romantic composer, as if carved from the same tree – untamed and forthright.

ENCOUNTERS

SIBELIUS FESTIVAL 2025-2027
‘The originality of Jean Sibelius’s output can prevent us from noticing his connections with other composers and musical styles. We know that as a young man he admired Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner and that he was well aware of the stylistic turbulence of the early 20th century. His circle of friends included some of the most important international musicians of the era. The timelessness and contemporary approach of Sibelius’s late period inspired future composers. As part of the Sibelius Festival, we want to show what those connections mean in practice.

One festival is not enough; we need three.

I have considered it a special honour to plan the Sibelius Festival and have sought to keep the focus of the programme on the master composer’s output. The works by other composers have been selected according to the above considerations. I am grateful for this trust and look forward to magical encounters with Sibelius.’

Hannu Lintu, Artistic Director, Lahti Symphony Orchestra´s Sibelius Festival