Isarphilharmonie, Munich, 8 March 2025
Jouni Kaipainen: Sisyfoksen uni
Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1
Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
Although classical music audiences love their ‘classics’, placing a contemporary work at the beginning ensures that the audience hears it with fresh ears before settling into a traditional mindset, and also gives modern composers visibility and links classical music to the present. On this Saturday evening, the Munich Philharmonic, under the baton of the experienced Finnish conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste, opens the concert programme with Sisyfoksen uni (Sisyphus’ Dream) by the Finnish composer Jouni Kaipainen, completed in 1994. The composition depicts this eternal struggle through a slow upward musical movement, symbolising the arduous ascent, followed by rapid descents as the boulder tumbles back down. Interspersed with these cycles are moments of respite – musical daydreams derived from sketches of his earlier works – offering illusory rest amid Sisyphus’ ceaseless toil. Kaipainen mused that perhaps Sisyphus dreamed of lying on soft green grass, certainly not of rolling stones. Saraste treated Sisyfoksen uni as both a physical and psychological journey, drawing out its full expressive power, making each cycle of effort and collapse feel fresh and deeply resonant.
Sisyfoksen uni was followed by Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1, which could be classified as a double concerto rather than a piano concerto, in which the trumpet and piano are equally prominent. The piece is full of parody, sarcasm and pastiche, with sharp contrasts: between playfulness and drama, lyricism and grotesquerie. Its clear, crisp textures demand both precision and clarity. At the piano, Fazil Say delivered an entertaining interpretation with a clean, articulate touch and crispy staccati. The motoric rhythms were charged with energy and tight ensemble coordination. The dialogue between Say and trumpeter Alexandre Baty was conversational, sometimes playful, sometimes mocking. Saraste maintained a sense of spontaneity, allowing the theatrical nature of the music to shine through. The strings kept their textures light and flexible, never overpowering the piano or trumpet.
The final and main work of the evening was Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2, a sweeping, deeply expressive work that combines Nordic grandeur with introspection and a powerful sense of organic growth. Saraste has a deep affinity with the works of Sibelius, having recorded his complete symphonies with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra for RCA. And on this evening, Saraste showed great enthusiasm and the ability to draw out the powerful performance and full potential of the orchestra. Saraste’s interpretation was characterised by a deep affinity for late Romantic music and a commitment to conveying the structural and emotional depth of the symphony. His approach emphasised the organic development and dramatic contrasts inherent in the symphony, aiming to capture its Nordic grandeur and introspective qualities.
