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Jukka-Pekka Saraste has established himself as one of the outstanding conductors of his generation, demonstrating remarkable musical depth and integrity. 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.

 

An artist of exceptional versatility and breadth, Saraste feels a special affinity with the sound and style of late Romantic music. Equally, he maintains a strong connection with the music of our time, such as that of Dutilleux, Lindberg, Salonen and Saariaho, among others. He conducted world premieres of works by Wolfgang Rihm, Friedrich Cerha, Pascal Dusapin and others. Moreover, he is a co-founder of the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, which has a strong emphasis on contemporary music.

 

 

The WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne (WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln) is a German orchestra based in Cologne. The orchestra was founded in 1947 by Allied occupation authorities after World War II, as the orchestra of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR; Northwest German Radio). The orchestra was named Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester (Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra) and from the 1990s WDR Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra is particularly known for its performances of 20th-century and contemporary music. It has commissioned and premiered works from such composers as Luciano Berio, Hans Werner Henze, Mauricio Kagel, Krzysztof Penderecki, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Bernd Alois Zimmermann.

 

 

The WDR Rundfunkchor Köln (West German Radio Choir Cologne) is the choir of the German broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), based in Cologne. It was founded in 1947. The choir of 45 singers has a repertory of medieval music to contemporary music, sacred music, oratorio, operetta, and music of computer games and film. The regularly perform cantatas and a cappella works in churches of the region.

 

 

SWR Vokalensemble is the vocal ensemble of the broadcaster Südwestrundfunk (SWR), based in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1946 as Südfunk-Chor Stuttgart in 1946 to perform studio work for Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR) which merged in 1998 with the Südwestfunk to form the SWR.

 

The ensemble was awarded the Echo Klassik in both 2011 and 2012.

 

 

Conductor: Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Orchestra: WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne
Chorus: WDR Rundfunkchor Köln, SWR Vokalensemble

 

Brahms: Schicksalslied, Op. 54

- Intermission -

Sibelius: Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.43