400 Years of the House of Nobility: En saga
The sounds of the grand duchy – Sibelius and his companions
Romberg–Crusell–Sibelius
Pauliina Fred, flute
Lorenzo Coppola, clarinet
FiBO Players:
Antti Tikkanen, violin
NN, violin
Hanna Pakkala, viola
Jussi Seppänen, cello
NN, double bass
Irma Niskanen, programme planning
The 400th anniversary of the institution behind the House of Nobility continues, as we move on from the jubilee concert in May, which featured music from the 17th and 18th centuries, to the 19th century, the century when the House of Nobility was built. The Swedish House of Nobility was founded in 1626, 400 years ago. The founding of the Finnish House of Nobility became a topical issue during Russian rule, and the neo-Gothic House of Nobility was completed in 1862.
What was performed in Finnish concert halls before Sibelius? Of the many Finnish composers, Bernhard Henrik Crusell, the great son of Uusikaupunki, was the most well known, both to his contemporaries and to us. Of course, the Central European repertoire was also performed in the Grand Duchy. A fascinating rarity in FiBO's concert is the reconstruction of the early septet version of En saga by the young Jean Sibelius.
The German cello virtuoso Bernhard Romberg (1767–1841) toured Europe as far as the Russian Empire. His symphonies were also performed in Helsinki at concerts of the Academic Music Society. Romberg's Divertimento over a Finnish melody (1817) is lush music from the borderlands between classicism and romanticism.
Crusell (1775–1838) did his most important life's work in Stockholm, but even in a letter he wrote to Johan Ludvig Runeberg later in life, he still saw himself as a Finn. Crusell honed his clarinet playing with top international names in Berlin and Paris. During his travels, he met Meyerbeer, Weber and Mendelssohn, and he was still a member of the Royal Court Orchestra in Stockholm when Fredrik Pacius began his career as a violinist in the orchestra. Crusell's Clarinet Quartet in D major Op. 7 (1823) was one of his own favourite works.
Sibelius's (1865–1957) En saga is one of the works from his early Symbolist period. Sibelius wrote the chamber work from 1891 onwards in Vienna. In late 1892, he rewrote the music for orchestra, and the American clarinetist Gregory Barrett reconstructed the septet version from the orchestral version. Sibelius characterised the mysteriously enchanting work as profoundly Finnish.
Duration: 1 h 45 min (incl. intermission)
There's a pre-concert talk at the House of Nobility from 6 pm to 6.30 pm.
Tickets 15/29/37/52 € (price according to the seat) including handling costs + 1,5 € delivery fee per order: Ticketmaster's points of purchase and ticketmaster.fi
Student tickets at the door 10 € (if tickets are still available)
Series tickets for the residency series of the House of Nobility 74/94 € (price according to seat) including handling costs + 1,5 € delivery fee per order: Ticketmaster's points of purchase and ticketmaster.fi. Series tickets can be purchased until the series' first concert September 17). Note! When you buy online, the system offers its best seat. If you want to choose a specific seat, it is possible at Ticketmaster's points of purchase.
Group offers and ticket inquieries: lippu@fibo.fi
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The House of Nobility is not fully accessible. There are steps at the entrance, and access from the lobby to the assembly hall, which serves as a concert venue on the second floor, is via stairs.
The accessible entrance is located at Hallituskatu 2 B. The doorman will open the door upon request. Please call him when you are at the door at +358 50 395 2349.
An accessible restroom is available on the second floor, next to the concert café area.