PERFORMERS:
Piia Komsi (soprano)
Martti Rousi (cello)
Sibelius Academy cello ensemble
PROGRAMME:
Antonio Vivaldi
Double Cello Sonata No 9 in G Minor
Richard Wagner
Triumphant procession into the cathedral from Act II of the opera Lohengrin (transcription for cello by Friedrich Grützmacher)
Sofia Gubaidulina
Fata Morgana for eight cellos
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Bachianas brasileiras No 1 for eight cellos
Introdução (Embolada)
Prelúdio (Modinha)
George Gershwin
Clara’s lullaby from the opera Porgy and Bess
Aija Puurtinen
Witch and Sun the Father for soprano and four cellos
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Andante cantabile for five cellos
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Bachianas brasileiras No 5 for soprano and eight cellos
Ária (Cantilena)
Dança (Martelo)
The Sibelius Academy Cello Ensemble was established by Martti Rousi and his finest students. Each member of the ensemble is also a soloist, many of them having received prizes at national and international competitions. Leading Finnish composers including Kalevi Aho, Aija Puurtinen and Osmo Tapio Räihälä have written works for the ensemble.
The Sibelius Academy Cello Ensemble performed at the inauguration of the new Music Centre in Helsinki in August 2011, in addition to appearances at concert halls such as the Verkatehdas in Hämeenlinna and the Turku, Sysmä and Kuhmo Music Festivals. The ensemble’s broad repertoire starts with renaissance and baroque music and includes romantic composers such as Tchaikovsky, Wagner and Sibelius as well as featuring such South American classics as Villa-Lobos and Piazzolla. Sopranos including Piia Komsi, Mari Palo and Tuuli Takala perform with the ensemble on a regular basis.
Each of the ensemble’s musicians performs an instrument crafted by leading Italian and French masters, among them David Tecchler, Carlo Tononi, Carlo Giuseppe Testore, Giacomo Rivolta, Nicolas Lupot, Gustave Bernardel, Jaques Thibout.