G.P.

Johann Sebastian Bach is one of my favorite composers, and his music has held a special meaning to me since childhood. My mother being a flute teacher I of course heard a lot of classical music at home, and besides Bach I remember being fond of symphonies of Mozart and Sibelius already early on. But what makes Bach especially dear to me is the fact that I used to perform several of his cantatas as a boy soprano/alto at the local Lutheran church which used to have a very active concert life those days.

You might be able to imagine the shock a little Suzuki cellist (who always played by ear) went through when he was first time given his vocal score of BWV 78 "Alles nur nach Gottes Willen" with a strange clef and all those intimidating sixteenth notes. In fact I had to practice it so much that I can sing my part even today! It is no exaggeration that I can thank Bach and his cantatas for my sight singing abilities. During those years Bach kind of went to my blood even though I did not yet have any kind of ambition to become a musician myself.

Later on, when I already was studying cello more seriously, I had my second important encounter with my "old friend J.S." After reading some writings about baroque music by Nikolaus Harnoncourt I went and bought my first ever classical recording, which was all six Brandenburg Concertos by Bach. I locked myself in a room to listen to the album from beginning to end, and during the final movement of the fifth concerto I remember being so touched by the genius of this music that to this day it is the closest I have ever come to a spiritual experience. I was hooked, addicted to this music from that day on.

Knowing all of the above, you then probably understand why I was really excited when a couple of weeks ago I got a chance to conduct an all Bach program in the same church where I used to sing as a boy! In the program we performed Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor, the organist of the church played the famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor, and then I led a performance of the "Lutheran" Mass in G minor with the chorus formed of the Cantors of this and the neighboring parishes. Coincidentally, the Gloria of this mass has exactly the same music as the opening of the cantata BWV 78, completing the sense of musical homecoming for me.

The orchestra, Castor & Pollux, was familiar to me from one earlier concert, and most of the players I know from the times I used to be the last desk cello in the Kerava music school orchestra. It is great to see adult amateurs keep up their playing ability and come together year after year to play great music! Also the violin soloist, Johanna Ellenberg, used to study at the Helsinki Conservatory at the same time with me. Our concert was so well received by a church full of Bach lovers, that we decided to repeat the same program next year in both of the neighboring parishes.

While I am waiting for that happy occasion I am already planning the rest of the season 2013-14, and believe it or not, it will be my tenth season conducting professional orchestras! To honor it I have decided that one of my projects (there will be many others too) is to perform all of the magical Brandenburg concertos. When I launch my season with St. Michel Strings and Saimaa Sinfonietta in September it will open with the 2nd Brandenburg concerto, and the last concert of fall 2013 with St. Michel Strings will take off with the 3rd Brandenburg concerto. The rest of them I am still looking spots for. Send me a note if you have any ideas!

Shalkyma concert hall in Karaganda

My most exotic concert trip so far this year was to Karaganda, Kazakhstan. It came about at a short notice when one of my old conducting teachers, Piotr Gribanov, contacted me just a few weeks before the concert date and promised that I can plan any kind of a program I want. I settled for a French program, since I had performed some of this music in my other programs this season as well - Ravel Pavane, Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No.3 and Bizet Symphony in C Major.

Going to Kazakhstan - a former Soviet state - was for me like a trip to my past, when I was still a student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and used to guest conduct some Russian orchestras. Kazakhstan has two official languages and one of them is Russian, which made me quite comfortable moving around town and dealing with the local people. The city is built in a typical Soviet style with street names dedicated to Lenin or Gorki, for example. I also found very typical Russian dishes in the cafés and restaurants (however, I did not taste the local culinary delight, horse meat).

My concert announcement on the "lyre" outside the hall

I had great time working with the Karaganda Symphony Orchestra and enjoying the nostalgic feeling in the city. My violin soloist for the concert was Diyar Kazenov, a young violinist from the capital, Astana, a pleasure to work with. I also met the second conductor of the orchestra, Anton Torbeev - a very promising young artist from Russia who helped me a lot during the week. One day I also listened to the rehearsal of the folk instrument ensemble. I was very excited to see that the most ancient Kazakh folk instrument, "kobys", is very similar to the Finnish "jouhikko"!

Our concert proved to be a big celebration for the local music lovers. The hall was packed and the crowd was cheering already when the first musicians walked onstage. For us musicians it makes a difference when we feel welcomed and appreciated by the audience, and I must say the Karaganda audience has been the most enthusiastic I've seen so far in my concerts. I was also happy to see some people from the Finnish Embassy, who came to my concert all the way from the capital!

Rehearsal of the Folk Instrument Orchestra

After the concert I was sad to say goodbye to so many new friends I made in Kazakhstan. I am pretty sure I will be back sooner than later to work again with the Kazakhstani musicians. For those Russian speakers, here is a review published in the local newspaper, "Industrial Karaganda".