The works of Jean Sibelius, in addition to expressing strong feelings of national identity, also create powerful sound images of magnificent landscapes, just like his tone poem Nightride and Sunrise, which takes us on a sleigh ride through the expanses of the North. Although his Symphony No. 3 is performed less frequently, it is considered representative of the composer’s typical style because of the many innovations in harmonic language, melodic development, and form, which he introduced in this work for the first time. In contrast, Julian Steckel interprets a solo section of Ernst Bloch’s rhapsodic concerto for cello and orchestra Schelomo, the Hebrew name for King Solomon. This evening’s concert is conducted by Hossein Pishkar, a young Iranian conductor, whose life path has led from his native Tehran through Germany to the music stages of the world.

Program Notes