Lahti Symphony returned from its successful third tour in Japan

The Lahti Symphony Orchestra returned on Saturday, 14 October 2006 from its successful third tour in Japan. In the eight concerts, conducted by Chief Conductor Osmo Vänskä, there were altogether about 11.000 people in the audience and the reception in all concerts was very enthusiastic. Many concert promoters already wished to hear the Lahti Symphony in Japan soon again.

Also the two previous tours in Japan have been very successful for the Lahti Symphony. As the result of the first tour in 1999 Japanese critics named it as the best foreign orchestra to perform in Japan that year. In 2003, Sibelius’s Kullervo, which the orchestra performed in Tokyo, was voted by Japanese critics as the best classical performance of that year in Japan. In the same year in Japan the orchestra was chosen as the 16th best orchestra in the world.

The Lahti Symphony Orchestra had its third tour in Japan with Chief Conducor Osmo Vänskä on 1-14 October 2006. The soloist of the tour was one of the most prominent young Finnish pianists, Juho Pohjonen. There were altogether eight concerts during the tour, e.g. in Tokyo and Sapporo. In the programme there were the Second and Fifth Symphonies and Tapiola by Jean Sibelius, Symphony No. 7 ‘Angel of Light’ by Einojuhani Rautavaara, Il Paesaggio by Joonas Kokkonen, Kullervo by Leevi Madetoja and Piano Concerto by Edvard Grieg.