Boston Symphony Orchestra - Saariaho, Mozart, and Sibelius

 John Storgards Makes His BSO Debut

The Boston Symphony Orchestra welcomes world renowned Finnish conductor John Storgards for a compelling evening of music from his homeland, as well as Mozart's luxuriant, joyful and aurally lush Piano Concerto No 22. in E-flat. The sets off at a thrilling pace with Paris-based Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho's 'Ciel d'hiver', the second movement of her celebrated orchestral piece Orion which whisks listeners away to a realm of ancient myth, magic and might with stunning orchestral textures and multi-layered polyphony.

The ensemble is then joined by the German ivory-tickling virtuoso Martin Helmchen, who'll pit his dextrous fingers against Mozart's gregarious Piano Concerto. Written simultaneously with The Marriage of Figaro, the work echoes its convivial nature and is filled with fanfares, heroics and Mozart's exceptionally rich arranging technique. The evening comes to a close with Finnish late romantic icon Jean Sibelius' last two symphonies, numbers six and seven. Works of dramatic contrast, they are united in their dazzling displays of rage, passion, enlightenment and Sibelius' own compositional genius.