In a series of six events spanning 15-29 October, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra will run FRSO Festival Thomas Adès celebrating the composer and his work. Set in The Helsinki Music Centre, the festival is comprised of four orchestral performances and two chamber recitals and will be host to two first performances and five Finnish premieres.
On 29 October, Pekka Kuusisto will give the world premiere of Adès’ violin and orchestra version of Märchentänze with the FRSO conducted by the composer. Also in the programme is the seminal Asyla, Sibelius’ Sixth Symphony, and the Finnish premiere of Four Iberian Miniatures by Francisco Coll; Adès’ only composition student to date.
On 20 October and 21 October the composer will conduct the first Finnish performance of his Inferno – the first part of a new ballet Dante based on The Divine Comedy. Inferno is divided into 13 sections illustrating different levels of hell and has been met with great acclaim since its first performance with Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2019. Dante is due to be premiered in full at Royal Opera House, London in October with choreography by Wayne MacGregor and designs by Tacita Dean.
The opening concert ‘The Daring Duchess’ on 15 October brings together Adès’ opulent Hotel Suite from Powder Her Face and the elegant cello and orchestra work Lieux retrouvés for their first outings in Finland. Nicholas Collon will conduct the FRSO for the evening with Tomas Nuñez taking the solo role in the latter work. This will be followed on the same night by a performance of the string quartet The Four Quarters.
A second chamber concert will feature on 24 October with Adès’ arrangements of four Purcell songs for voice and piano along with the world premiere of a new clarinet, viola, piano arrangement of Three Berceuses from The Exterminating Angel. Adès will be at the piano for this performance, with mezzo-soprano Jenny Carlstedt, and members of the FRSO.
The festival comes shortly after the Finnish premiere of Adès’ orchestral ‘chacony’ Dawn on 8 September with FRSO conducted by Nicholas Collon.