Thursday 19.09.2024 at 18.30

SINFONIA LAHTI
TABITA BERGLUND, conductor
LUKA COETZEE, cello

Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1
Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1
Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 7

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.