Lahti Sibelius Festival 2008 'Lemminkäinen, Sibelius's Hero'

The 9th International Sibelius Festival of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra will be held at the Sibelius Hall on 11-14 September 2008 with its new Artistic Director, conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste. The theme of the festival is ‘Lemminkäinen, Sibelius’s Hero’ and the programme consists of works from Sibelius’s early period. ‘At the Sibelius Festival 2008 I want to present such music by Sibelius, in which he has interpreted the origin of Finnish music with his fine and individual style’, Saraste tells and continues: ‘This particular period in the history of Finnish music presented at the festival has always fascinated me, and it still does.’ During the festival there are three orchestral concerts (11-13 September), two chamber music concerts (13 and 14 September) and other Sibelius-themed programme.

In the programme of the opening concert on 11 September 2008 there are the Overture in E major (1891), the original version of the tone poem En Saga, Op. 9, and the complete score of Karelia (1893). In Karelia the soloists are baritone Ville Rusanen and vocalists Heikki Laitinen and Taito Hoffren.

 In the orchestral concert on Friday 12 September will be heard the King Christian II Suite, Op. 27 and Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22. In the programme of the orchestral concert on Saturday 13 September there will be played the works Snöfrid, Op. 29, ballade The Captive Queen, Op. 48, Symphony No. 1, Op. 39 and Finlandia, Op. 26. The choir parts of the concert will be sung by the Dominante Choir.

Ticket sales will commence on 2nd January 2008 for single tickets; group sales and advance reservations will begin in the autumn 2007. Enquiries: Lahti Symphony Orchestra group sales, telephone: +358 3 814 4460, fax: +358 3 814 4451, e-mail: kristiina.palvanen@lahti.fi.