Radar: Norwegian Trumpet Glory at RLPO

Ah, Sibelius’ Karelia Suite: you can’t beat it.

You know the one… ba baba ba ba bababa…Or is that Finlandia. Oh, wait (goes to check. No, we were right the first time). It’s a strident piece of nationalistic pomp written when Finland wasn’t even Finland.

Close your eyes, and you can see those pine forests, lakes and sauna huts. You know it, honestly…(at 1:19 you will).

So it’s fitting that a fellow Scandinavian is set to breathe new life in the old patriotic tune, as Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth, at just 24 years old, is arriving tomorrow, to “introduce us to the most tuneful trumpet showpiece you’ve never heard,” apparently.

That’ll be Arutyunyan’s flamboyant Concerto, but there’s plenty of brass-action in Sibelius too,while Vasily Petrenko and the Orchestra bring back their critically acclaimed performance of Mahler’s First Symphony.

All in all, a night not to be missed. And you don’t have to. It’ll be broadcast live on Radio 3, and there’s another performance on Thursday.

Sibelius Karelia Suite
Arutyunyan Trumpet Concerto
Mahler Symphony No.1
Vasily Petrenko conductor
Tine Thing Helseth trumpet
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
7, 8 November

http://www.liverpoolphil.com/8942/events-classical-music/sound-the-trumpet.html