Lahti Symphony Orchestra: Sibelius Festival 2026 – Opening Concert

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT 10 % discount is valid 29.8.–29.9.2025.  

HANNU LINTU, conductor
INMO YANG, violin
Richard Strauss: Don Juan (1888)
Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto (1905)
Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (1902)

‘I can do more, but he is greater’, Richard Strauss said about Sibelius. Strauss conducted the final version of Sibelius’s Violin Concerto at its premiere in Berlin in 1905. When Sibelius travelled to Italy in 1901, his vision was to compose music for the story of Don Juan. The result, however, was a symphony whose tensions and outbursts may have originated from that plan.

5.30 pm Pre-concert Talk

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