His guest engagements have led him to the major orchestras worldwide, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Munich Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris and the leading Scandinavian orchestras, among others. Recent LEAD! activities include orchestra projects at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne, Aurora Festival in Stockholm and with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. Last but not least, he is a founding member of LEAD! The Orchestra Project, which aims to teach effective musical leadership and communication skills to aspiring young musicians within the context of orchestra playing, in workshops, concerts and masterclasses. He founded the Finnish Chamber Orchestra, the Artistic Advisor of which he still is, and also initiated the orchestra´s annual Tammisaari Festival, for which he is Artistic Director. He also served as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Advisor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. Earlier positions include the principal conductorships of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, where he is now Conductor Laureate, and Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Previously, from 2006 to 2013, Jukka-Pekka Saraste was Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, where he was subsequently appointed Conductor Laureate, the very first such title bestowed by that orchestra.
The symphonic cycles of Sibelius, Brahms and Beethoven were exceptionally well received. During this time, the orchestra built up a reputation both at home and abroad, touring Austria, Spain, the Baltic, and Asia. He maintains a particularly strong connection to the works of Beethoven, Bruckner, Mahler, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Sibelius.Īt the end of the 2018/2019 season, Jukka-Pekka Saraste ended his tenure as Chief Conductor of the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, where he had served since 2010. An artist of exceptional versatility and breadth and renowned for his objective approach, he feels a special affinity with the sound and style of late Romantic music. Born in Heinola, Finland, he began his career as a violinist before training as a conductor with Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. In the suite Kodaly created from the opera, Hungarian cimbalom, alto saxophone, tubular bells and bass trombone are invoked to add their vivid colours to the tall tales of an old soldier.Jukka-Pekka Saraste has established himself as one of the outstanding conductors of his generation, demonstrating remarkable musical depth and integrity. To open the evening, Santtu-Matias Rouvali introduces us to Háry János, the eponymous protagonist of Kodaly’s folk opera. He has all the virtuosity required for the folk-infused first movement, the soulfulness for the second movement’s melancholy song, and the flamboyance for the fiery finale. Violinist Nemanja Radulovic topped the classical charts with his recording of Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto for Deutsche Grammophon in 2018. Sibelius wrote it after witnessing the awe-inspiring sight of sixteen swans in flight: “One of the great experiences of my life! God, how beautiful,” he wrote in his diary. Then comes the moment Sibelius fans have been waiting for – the magnificent ‘swan’ theme of the finale, with its jubilant horn chords and sweeping strings. The second movement is a set of variations on a simple, wistful theme. It begins with a whisper from horns and timpani, which spreads through the woodwind section in a glorious evocation of sunrise.
Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony would make it into many listeners’ top ten. Take a musical journey with “the hottest conductor in Finland” (The Times), from earthy soldiers’ tales to the ecstatic heights of Sibelius.
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