‘BRAHMS’S FIFTH’

Lili Boulanger’s status as the most promising frontrunner among French composers was tragically cut short when she was only 24. Her last work, the triumphant D’un matin de printemps, is a reverential reminder of the fleeting nature of moments of happiness.

Johannes Brahms composed four great symphonies – this orchestral arrangement of the Piano Quartet in G minor could well be regarded as a fifth. The original quartet is transformed into a grandiose, larger-than-life symphony thanks to Arnold Schoenberg’s skilfully applied technique as an arranger.

The interpretations of Akiko Suwana, a regular guest with the world’s top orchestras, have been praised as virtuosic and ecstatic, and her sound has been hailed as deep, warm and penetrating. Performing on the Dolphin Stradivarius, which once belonged to Jascha Heifetz, the Japanese violinist will make her Lahti debut as the soloist in Sergei Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto.