Estimated duration

2 h, incl. intermission

Organizer

Helsingin kaupunginorkesteri

Turkish pianist and composer Fazil Say is a pianist and composer whose music draws its distinctive colour from both jazz and Middle Eastern traditions.

Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor
Fazil Say, piano

Fazil Say: Mother Earth (first performance in Finland)
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 4

Fazil Say himself performs as the soloist of his piano concerto Mother Earth, in which countries, forests, seas and rivers each get their own part. The work, which premieres at the Osaka World Expo in spring 2025, invites us to pay attention to climate change and the preservation of life.

Johannes Brahms used to speak of his completed compositions in a dry tone. He completed his Fourth Symphony while spending summer days in the Austrian village of Mürzzuschlag. The composer feared that the work had absorbed influences from the region’s climate: “The cherries don’t ripen in these parts; you wouldn’t eat them!” Ignore the composer’s own comments. The Fourth Symphony is his symphonic masterpiece, filled with the warmth of May.

Season tickets on sale 28 October – 24 November, single tickets go on sale 2 December.