The countdown is on! Our next concert, “Inspired by Place,” is less than a week away, and our new Music Director Nick Wallin shares his thoughts on the upcoming performance. The concert features three pieces, all associated with a place: Symphony No. 2 in D Major of Jean Sibelius, the famous Finnish composer, is the major work featured in the second half of the concert; two shorter pieces, “An American Port of Call” by Adolphus Hailstork and “Oblivion” by Astor Piazzolla, fill out the first half.
Q: While Sibelius’s symphony came to symbolize Finland’s fight for independence from Russia, the first two pieces are less specific in terms of place. Or are they?
A: Hailstork wrote his piece to celebrate his hometown—Norfolk, Virginia. It is one of the busiest ports on the entire Atlantic coast. “Oblivion” is nowhere, of course, but the tango style in which Piazzolla composes is instantly connected to his home country of Argentina. So, in program order, we’ll be travelling from the US south to South America, and ending up way north in Finland!
Q: The LFCO is so pleased to have you joining us for our second concert this season under your baton. You have shared with us during rehearsals your interest in travel. Ahead of our performance of the Sibelius, we are wondering if you’ve ever travelled to that part of the world and, if so, what were some of your favorite memories?
A: My mother was born in Estonia and she and her parents came to the US after World War II. Estonia is a tiny Baltic country right across the gulf from Finland. Estonia has several symphonic composers of note, but nobody as famous or as celebrated as Sibelius. On a recent sabbatical in Estonia, my family and I took the ferry over to Helsinki and spent a couple of days seeing the sights. The music school there is now named for Sibelius and there is a beautiful monument to Sibelius as well. This is a country that commissioned Sibelius to compose a symphony to celebrate his own 50th birthday! He is certainly a Finnish national treasure and it was such a joy to soak up those locations.
Please come join the LFCO on this upcoming adventure together! Tickets are still available!
