Concert Review | HKO’s concert revealed the development of the status of female musicians over the centuries

Culture|Concert review

Classic

Helsinki City Orchestra at Musiikkitalo on November 25, conductor Chloé Dufresne. Heini Kärkkäinen, piano. – Kajanus, Netzel, Schumann.

It was funny the experience of hearing the music of a black-and-white Finnish film from a time before film had even been invented. Robert Kajanus composed by Finnish rhapsody D minor could very well have illustrated the gentle longing of a young person on a summer day. I can’t forget you, boy -melody was surrounded by excellent frames from equally romantic melodic developments.

A great forgotten gem was followed by another rarity, By Laura Netzel from the piano concerto, op. 84. It was first performed in 1897, with two pianos. The orchestral version had its premiere in Stockholm 2020, then in Mikkeli and now in Helsinki. Netzel’s work has been written purely for orchestra very recently and the finale has been supplemented. This presentation was heard Petteri Nieminen finalized version.

Heini Kärkkäinen I’ve missed piano. He is one of the best with a versatile timbre, which Netzel’s interpretation showed. There is plenty to experience, as the composer constantly breaks the structure of the work and the musical grammar of his time in the concerto. It is interesting how much good and skillful Netzel has managed to compose despite the fact that, as a woman, the rebel of that time had to learn from where she could and got something out of it.

As Kärkkäinen also characterizes the work, there are recognizable features and influences of the time. The piece begins Rachmaninoff with big gestures, squirms Debussy to impressionism and ends up disrupting the rhythm of the orchestra at the same time as the piano has its own thing. The piano part is virtuoso.

The Helsinki City Orchestra was the conductor Chloé Dufresne under the leadership, the palette is admirably assembled, although the shortcomings of the orchestration theory are obvious. Still, many amazing insights make you wonder what Netzel would have achieved in a different world.

by Robert Schumann third symphony, Rhinelander freshen the ears. Structure, harmonic transport, orchestration – everything is clear. Apparently, Dufresne had spent most of the practice time working with Netzel, because the symphony played as a smooth, sure passage, with an emphasis on power.

The inscribed possibilities of making the music come alive are still waiting to be found, but it is absolutely certain that Dufresne will get to them in due time. Today, a person, regardless of gender, gets the education and support they need, also on the podium to reap victories.