Lahti Symphony Orchestra: A Savage Beat

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Magic Flute, Overture
Sauli Zinovjev: A Savage Beat (first Finnish performance) *
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1

* composer-in-residence, Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Johannes Brahms’s First Symphony took almost 25 years to compose, owing to a crippling combination of self-criticism and perfectionism. When it was completed, the symphony was nicknamed ‘Beethoven’s Tenth’, because it seemed to carry the heavy burden of the entire German symphonic tradition on its shoulders. The struggle between infinite ambition and a self-esteem in need of reassurance still rings true today as a reminder of the resilience of human nature.

‘A Savage Beat makes percussion concerto history. Sauli Zinovjev’s powerful work takes listeners on a wild journey where ancient and modern percussion instruments meet in a tempestuous landscape. Japanese magic, shimmering gongs, energetic steel pans and many other instruments create an impressive, breathtaking experience.’ This is how the work is described by the German percussionist Vivi Vassileva, whose virtuoso interpretations have been said to sweep listeners off their feet.