Okko & Otto 12.3.

Thu 12.3. Paviljonki at18

Okko Kamu, conductor
Otto Antikainen, violin

Jean Sibelius: The Lover Suite
Jean Sibelius: Six Humoresques for violin and orchestra
Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 3

Okko Kamu’s gentle, natural approach has become familiar, comforting, and significant to audiences in Central Finland over the past years – so of course it continues, in the form of the Sibelius cycle!

This spring, as he celebrates his 80th birthday, Kamu brings to the fore Sibelius’s Third Symphony. Often called neoclassical, and modest both in expression and orchestration, this symphony has not traditionally been regarded as one of the cornerstones of Ainola’s great works. Yet such restraint suits Kamu perfectly – not least because his 1970s recording of the piece has been hailed as perhaps the finest of all time.

The meeting of generations is also palpable when Otto Antikainen, a recent finalist in the Sibelius Violin Competition, steps in as soloist, tackling Sibelius’s rarely heard and irresistibly charming Humoresques in their entirety. As a companion, the “Rakastava” triptych revisiting moods from the Kanteletar invites listeners: can you hear the whisper of ancient pines, the great wind that only young and old masters together can awaken?