Time and Tides
WITH PEKKA KUUSISTO
In association with
Pekka Kuusisto Violin/Director
Ruby Hughes Soprano
Aidan O’Rourke (Lau) Fiddle†
Dolphin Boy DJ†
† Please note: Aidan O'Rourke and Dolphin Boy feature only at the Glasgow and Edinburgh concerts.
Gaze beyond the concert hall to the wonders of the natural world, the endless cycles of deep time, in this elemental programme directed by visionary Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto.
From the sweeping magnificence of Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür’s beacons of light to Scottish composer Helen Grime’s lyrical welcoming of warmth and light, this is a concert to transport and inspire. Kuusisto gives the first UK performance of the beguiling new violin concerto by former SCO Associate Composer Anna Clyne, and immerses us in his own country’s haunting birdsong courtesy of Rautavaara’s moving tribute to nature.
Ahead of the premiere of Time and Tides, acclaimed fiddler, Aidan O'Rourke (Lau) joins Pekka for a joyful folk fiddle jam session, using as its starting point some of the folk tunes that inspired Anna Clyne's new work. Then the improvisation starts! And in the foyer Dolphin Boy sets the mood with tunes inspired by the onstage musical action.
*Commissioned by Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Swedish Chamber Orchestra.
Gaelic rowing tunes from the Western Isles, old Finnish and Swedish songs. This is the good stuff! Melodies that root us. It’s a special joy to explore this material with Pekka, who brings such a bright and generous open spirit to everything he does. In the tunes we’ve been finding shared words and appreciating each other’s accents. Maybe most interesting is the space in between: that’s where the improvisation starts taking off. Let’s see what comes.
