Karina Canellakis & Alice Sara Ott
Programme
Kaija Saariaho
“Lumière et pesanteur”
Maurice Ravel
Piano Concerto in G Major
Interval
Jean Sibelius
“Lemminkäinen”-Suite, op. 22
Performers
Karina Canellakis
conductor
Alice Sara Ott
piano
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Information about the programme
Lumière et pesanteur, written by the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho as a gift for the conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, radiates a shimmering sonic texture that is captivating, and serves as a brief opening prelude. Maurice Ravel’s brilliant and jazzy Piano Concerto in G major, written between 1929 and 1931, is entrusted to the sensitive and assured hands of pianist Alice Sara Ott – its colorful, playful style providing an exciting contrast to the dark, incisive soundworld of Jean Sibelius. The American conductor Karina Canellakis has chosen to showcase this soundworld by performing the four-movement suite that portrays the adventures of the hero (and womanizer) Lemminkäinen, as found in the Finnish national epic Kalevala.
Further concerts
