John Williams, the most successful Hollywood composer ever, here makes a detour into the world of concert music. But this tuba concerto, written for the centenary of the Boston Pops Orchestra, has deep roots in the world of adventure films. In the words of Simon Wildman, who gave the premiere, ‘I’ve always thought this concerto was like a long Superman étude. The writing really seems to suggest flying, action punches, and soul-searching at the fortress of solitude.’ The soloist is the Lahti Symphony Orchestra’s own superman Harri Lidsle.

The young Johannes Brahms was horrified by the prediction that he would become a great symphonist in the spirit of Beethoven. It took almost a quarter of a century before he dared to realise these hopes – and finally to transcend them. Brahms’s fourth and final symphony is a model of music that stimulates the brain, whose logic provides a satisfying symmetry and feeds an insatiable hunger for overwhelming emotion.

Simply the Best – Shallow – Like a Prayer – Believe – Skyfall:

Music of Divas by Diandra is more than a cover show. It’s Tina Turner’s irrepressible groove. It’s the exuberant glamour of Lady Gaga and Madonna. It’s the heartbreaking melodies of Cher and Adele in unprecedented versions.

The three works in this concert were written in the late 19th century and less than 20 years apart, during the most flourishing decades of Romanticism. In César Franck’s symphonic poem a nobleman, defying the Sunday regulations, is besieged by demons during his hunt – the hunter becomes the hunted. Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s last work is not only the most emotive symphony of all time, but also the composer’s poignant farewell to life. British pianist Sir Stephen Hough, renowned for his elegant interpretations, takes on Antonín Dvořák’s heroic melodies.

In January 2023 Masaaki Suzuki impressed the Lahti audience with his performance of Johannes Brahms’s German Requiem. The Japanese conductor now returns to Lahti with an emotional programme that reaches for the heights.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 is secular music, but it too was written ‘Soli Deo Gloria’, to the glory of God alone. One of the most famous movements in music, the Air is just one of many highlights in this suite.

Joseph Haydn, who composed over a hundred symphonies, amused his audiences with his musical jokes. But not always: his Symphony No. 44 in E minor was so poignant and tempestuous that it had to be given the additional title ‘Trauer’ (Mourning), as a content warning. Symphony No. 5 in D major is Felix Mendelssohn’s most profound work in this genre. Written for the 300th anniversary of the Reformation, the work reflects the composer’s rare talent for mature, devotional melodies even though he was only 20 when he wrote it.

With atmospheric crackling vinyl, floating snowflakes and a roaring fire, it’s time to indulge in nostalgia. American jazz royalty Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra brought a swinging Christmas to every home with their classic albums. The velvety sounds of Broadway are also brought to the Sibelius Hall by the British singers Emma Smith and Atila Huseyin and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jules Buckley.

Spring comes with a swing, but the May Day matinee rests on the firm foundations of steadfast tradition. The threat of sleet and snow recedes, at least in the shelter of the Sibelius Hall, where we hear great music from the lighter side of the classical spectrum: exciting rhythms that are familiar and safe, hits that have stood the test of time.

The Lahti Symphony Orchestra’s May Day matinee is perfect for the occasion: sparkling melodies, pieces that call to mind May Day treats, classics with or without bubbles and chords with a sugar-coated finish. In short, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra wishes you a happy May Day again this year – in all seriousness, but not at all in earnest. The wait for spring is now over.

Canadian Luka Coetzee, winner of the 2023 International Paulo Cello Competition, will perform the most poignant of concertos, Dmitri Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto. Tailored for the master cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, this heroic work is not only a feat of athleticism but also an endless torrent of exuberant emotion.  

Antonín Dvořák made his career with his Slavonic Dances with their light, national romantic melodies. On the other hand the pathos of his Seventh Symphony, oozing drama and tragedy, made it ideal for an international audience. Its massive success helped the Czech composer to find his place in the great symphonists’ hall of fame.

Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt was a theatrical event, and the music of Edvard Grieg immortalised it in concert halls. Morning Mood, The Death of Åse, Anitra’s Dance and In the Hall of the Mountain King – Norwegian Tabita Berglund makes her debut in Lahti with a suite that is an all-time hit.

Mozart’s Requiem was written in circumstances that have remained unclear and in complete silence. Nobody was allowed to breathe a word about it, so the nobleman who commissioned it could present it as his own composition. Mozart avoided tackling the job for several months, and finally took action far too late. Sudden illness and death interrupted the composition halfway through and turned the ominous visions into reality: the fateful Requiem Mass became, as it were, Mozart’s swan song in memory of himself.

Completed by Mozart’s friends, the Requiem is a profound portrayal of death and mercy, a masterpiece that has appealed to listeners for centuries, and a myth that gave the life story of an artistic genius an unassailable place in the annals of music. The Lahti Symphony Orchestra, early music specialist Peter Whelan and a select group of Finnish singers lead the way into the Easter season.