Estimated duration

2 h, incl. intermission

Organizer

Helsingin kaupunginorkesteri

“It will be hellish music if I succeed,” Bartók wrote in a letter to his wife describing his then half-finished work The Miraculous Mandarin.

Eva Ollikainen, conductor
Osmo Linkola, clarinet

Igor Stravinsky: The Song of the Nightingale
Bernhard Crusell: Clarinet Concerto No. 2
Arvo Pärt: Symphony No. 3
Béla Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin, suite

The archaic, simple and reliable ingredients of Arvo Pärt’s symphony bring to mind early church hymns. The mood changes completely with Béla Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin, which leaves no one indifferent: the premiere was a scandal and the audience rioted. Celebrating Bernhard Crusell’s 250th anniversary, the evening’s soloist will be Osmo Linkola from the orchestra’s own ranks.