“Meeting of the Giants” – At the Baltic Sea Festival 2010 with Mendelssohn’s Elijah
The Elijah tour takes the MCO northwards from Musikfest Bremen to Stockholm, where the 8th Baltic Sea Festival will take place from 22 August to 2 September. Esa-Pekka Salonen, with whom the MCO made its debut in early 2010, founded the festival in 2003 together with Valery Gergiev and Michael Tydén, the Managing Director of the Swedish radio Berwaldhallen.
The Baltic Festival is known as one of the most exciting and ambitious festivals in Europe—not only because programming, but also in terms of its ideals. The festival’s motto is “Create a better future of the Baltic region”, and top-notch artists (many, but not all, of whom are from the Baltic states) have gathered under this banner every summer since 2003. The region’s aims to improve its future focus especially on environmental protection, and a united approach is essential for success. The festival sees itself as a platform for these countries, which, as Esa-Pekka Salonen expresses, are connected to each other “through a relationship which has existed for many hundreds of years”. Strengthening this connection and increasing awareness about environmental protection are key goals of the Baltic Sea Festival. Seminars and exhibitions on environmental and political topics, organised together with the festival’s partner WWF (World Wildlife Fund) take place alongside the concerts.
Music, naturally, is the festival’s main focus; this summer’s theme is “Composers and their work”. Various world premieres are planned alongside performances of the works of those composers celebrating anniversary years in 2010—Frédérik Chopin, Gustav Mahler und Arvo Pärt. In addition, a workshop on “Composing Today” is planned. With two youth orchestras in attendance, an array of young composers, and a workshop on “Youth after the Fall of the Wall,” youth is also a main focus of this year’s festival.
The MCO concert will take place in the Berwaldhalle in Stockholm. The Berwaldhalle (which opened its doors in 1979) is the most important venue for classical music in Stockholm besides the Konserthuset. A large fraction of this building is built into a five million year-old granite mountain. The performance hall itself is modelled after the Berlin Philharmonie and seats 1300 visitors.
The festival leadership has promised a “meeting of the giants” with the 2010 programme. Alongside the MCO, other European top orchestras, soloists and conductors (among them Ricardo Muti) will make appearances at the Baltic Sea Festival. Besides Elijah, Daniel Harding will conduct a concert with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Since 2008, the MCO has devoted much time to developing its presence in Northern Europe: alongside performances at the Arts Festival of North Norway, the MCO performed at the first Matteifestivalen in Luleå in January 2009. The MCO’s Stockholm debut was in 1998 as part of its first Don Giovanni Europe tour.
22 AUG 2010 / SUN 18:30 / Elias, LUCERNE FESTIVAL>> MORE 24 AUG 2010 / TUE 20:00 / Elias, MUSIKFEST BREMEN >> MORE
