CONCERT PROGRAMME
J. Sibelius. “The Swan of Tuonela” from “The Lemminkäinen
Suite”, Op. 22
F. Mendelssohn. Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64
J. Sibelius. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43
Welcoming Spring, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra invites you to a special concert featuring one of today’s brightest violin stars, Bomsori Kim from South Korea. “She is a violinist ready for anything. With virtuosity, stage charisma, and a clear, warm, and rich violin tone, Bomsori knows how to make every moment her own,” – wrote Crescendo Magazine. The violinist recently made her debut at one of the world’s most renowned classical music festivals, the “BBC Proms”, performing with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, at the “Hollywood Bowl” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and at “Wigmore Hall” in London with British pianist Danny Driver. Among the prestigious venues she has performed in are Vienna’s “Musikverein”, Amsterdam’s “Concertgebouw”, London’s “Royal Albert Hall”, Berlin Philharmonie, and New York’s “Carnegie Hall”. In February 2021, Bomsori signed an exclusive contract with the prestigious recording label “Deutsche Grammophone”, releasing three critically acclaimed albums that have earned prestigious awards. This evening, on the LVSO Concert Hall stage, B. Kim will perform one of the most significant works of the Romantic era for violin – the Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 by the German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847), a cornerstone of the violin repertoire.
The concert will also feature the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius, performing Jean Sibelius’ (1865–1957) symphonic poem “The Swan of Tuonela”. This is one of the four legends that make up the 1895 “Leminkäinen Suite”, also known as “Four Legends from the Kalevala”. Based on the most famous Finnish epic, the River Tuonela symbolizes the underworld, and the swan floating on it guards the kingdom of the dead.
In the second half of the concert, the audience will hear one of J. Sibelius’ most important works – the Second Symphony in D major. Composed in 1902 during Russian restrictions on the Finnish language and culture, the work is also called the “Symphony of Independence”. After the premiere of the Second Symphony, the composer wrote: “While creating it, I felt as if the Almighty had given me the pieces of the mosaic of Paradise and asked me to put them together.”