Anssi Karttunen,cello
Susanna Mälkki, conductor

Two violin sounds – a sforzato and a pizzicato – provided the basic material for the tape used in Kaija Saariaho’s first orchestral work. The French premiere of Verblendungen in 1984 marked the starting point for Saariaho’s international breakthrough. Notes on Light, in turn, has been described by cellist Anssi Karttunen, to whom the work is dedicated, as a rich journey into the heart of light.

“I am a choral singer myself and wanted to use Finnish choral singing as the basis of my work,” says composer Matthew Whittall of his work “Silence Speaks” commissioned for Helsinki Variations and inspired by a Christmas song by Jean Sibelius.

Matthew Whittall Silence Speaks (world premiere)
Kaija Saariaho Notes on Light
Kaija Saariaho Verblendungen
Sibelius Symphony No. 4