BBC Symphony Orchestra success at the Lahti Sibelius Festival
Phil Hall
BBC Symphony Orchestra
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Sibelius and his family at Ainola
The BBC Symphony Orchestra first went to Finland in 1956 (with Sir Malcolm Sargent) and returned 40 years later with Vernon Handley. Thus it was a rather unusual pleasure to escape the rigours of the Proms for a few days and become a part of the 150th birthday celebrations for Sibelius in the Finnish city of Lahti.
It was a particular pleasure for me as my very first orchestral job was at the other end of the 150km Lake Päijänne, in the small city of Jyväskylä.
Our first concert was a repeat of our Prom comprising two early works by the Finnish master, Sibelius: En Saga and Kullervo, the latter with the expanded Polytech Male Voice Choir, from Helsinki Aalto University of Engineering, who lent our chief conductor Sakari Oramo one of their splendid graduation hats for this photo...
Sakari and the students proudly show off their graduation hats
Finnish is a very phonetic language and the choir's authentic vowel sounds and chiselled consonants really sent shivers down the spine in this gory story, even more so as they all sang from memory. Similarly, the soloists Johanna Rusanen-Kartano and Waltteri Torikka injected huge passion into their tragic roles. Before the interval Sakari had ignited a rollicking performance of En Saga which elicited a text message from Sibelius's great-grandson no less, saying it was the best performance he had ever heard.
After the concert various sections of the local Lahti Symphony Orchestra entertained their Brit counterparts. The Finnish principal double bass apologised to the BBCSO basses saying, 'I'm sorry, if I had known you were all this nice I would have cooked for you in my home!'
The next morning was free so people made plans - some went fishing in one of the many lakes, some went on boat trips, and I managed to squeeze into a car bound for Ainola, Sibelius's house an hour's drive south of Lahti.
Phil's pilgrimage is rewarded...
I had wanted to go there for 30 years and despite being full of (very well-behaved) Finnish school children, the place oozed charm and character. Funny to think that members of the BBCSO had performed in Sibelius's lounge on that 1956 tour. Very moving, too, to see his writing desk and the bed in which he passed away. The excellent tour guide informed us of the composer's high-maintenance life-style which extended to his not allowing water pipes to be installed, as he didn't want even the noise of running water to disturb his creative process. His daughters too were only allowed to practice their instruments when he was out... I made a mental note to tell that to my children...
Inside Ainola
In the afternoon we rehearsed with the festival director, Okko Kamu. He told us that he last conducted the BBCSO 45 years ago and wondered if anyone remembered! He thanked us for the previous night's Kullervo which, he said, was stunning.
The concert comprised two of Sibelius's best-known works: the Violin Concerto (with Sergey Malov) and the Second Symphony. There is a nice tradition in Finland (also in Japan) of applauding the orchestra until every member has arrived on stage, 'tho I always worry they may be clapped-out by the end. Sergey gave a very intimate reading of the piece and followed it with a movement from Bartók's solo Sonata.
After the interval Okko conducted a beautifully paced and vigorous account of the symphony, ending with a wonderfully rousing coda which reminds me every time of many Finnish flags fluttering. This symphony is particularly special here and my old Finnish desk partner Jukka Hämäläinen informed me afterwards that he wept twice in the concert. Playing both this symphony and Kullervo in this beautiful hall on this, the great man's anniversary year, has been a privilege and something special which I suspect will stay long with all the members of the orchestra. Then it was time to say 'Kiitos' and 'Hei hei', fly home and finish (no pun intended) that other festival we had started in London two months ago..
Sakari Oramo conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Mozart's Serenade in B flat, K366 ('Gran Partita'), Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht and Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier Suite No.1 at the Barbican Hall on Wednesday 21 October at 7.30pm. The concert is broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Ticket information is here.
