Thursday 28.08.2025 at 18.30
Sibelius Hall, Main Hall
SIBELIUS FESTIVAL 2025 OPENING CONCERT
SINFONIA LAHTI
HANNU LINTU, conductor
JOHANNA RUSANEN, soprano
DAVÓNE TINES, baritone
YL MALE VOICE CHOIR
Gustav Mahler: Todtenfeier (1888)
Jean Sibelius: Kullervo (1892)
Folk poetry was the point of departure for both Mahler and Sibelius: at the turn of the 1880s–1890s, one of them based his production on the nature-inspired poems of Des Knaben Wunderhorn and the other on the verses of the Kalevala. The works in this concert are the starting point for the musical careers of these two great symphonists, and poetry about death is present from the first bar to the last.
5.30 pm Pre-concert Talk / Carpenter´s Hall
Music journalist Jaani Länsiö interviews Hannu Lintu (in Finnish)
Tickets: 58–25 € (adults) / 58–25 € (OAPs) / 29–12,50 € (children, students, unemployed)
Sibelius Festival Pass: 160–120 €
The Festival pass includes orchestral concerts Thu-Sat, cloakroom charge, concert programme and Sibelius Festival bag.
ENCOUNTERS
SIBELIUS FESTIVAL 2025-2027
‘The originality of Jean Sibelius’s output can prevent us from noticing his connections with other composers and musical styles. We know that as a young man he admired Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner and that he was well aware of the stylistic turbulence of the early 20th century. His circle of friends included some of the most important international musicians of the era. The timelessness and contemporary approach of Sibelius’s late period inspired future composers. As part of the Sibelius Festival, we want to show what those connections mean in practice.
One festival is not enough; we need three.
I have considered it a special honour to plan the Sibelius Festival and have sought to keep the focus of the programme on the master composer’s output. The works by other composers have been selected according to the above considerations. I am grateful for this trust and look forward to magical encounters with Sibelius.’
Hannu Lintu, Artistic Director, Lahti Symphony Orchestra´s Sibelius Festival