Jyväskylä Sinfonia: Dance and Storytelling

Thu 3.12. Paviljonki at 6 pm Joonas Pitkänen, conductor Janne Mertanen, piano Béla Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 Uuno Klami: The Cobblers on the Heath Overture Helvi Leiviskä: Orchestra Suite No. 2 Janne Mertanen has, for decades, belonged to the most celebrated and norm-defining Chopin pianists in the world, and his name alone guarantees an unmissable concert experience. Chopin himself was an extraordinary piano virtuoso, but as a shy and sensitive artist he feared the stage, channeling his inner emotions into a wonderfully enchanting and brilliant pianistic texture that has inspired and comforted listeners ever since. Mertanen’s unmistakable expressiveness, sensitivity, and inner strength in piano performance seem to reflect exactly what Chopin himself valued. The poetic visions continue under the baton of the fast-rising conductor Joonas Pitkänen, who explores various layers of folklore—from Bartók’s fiery Romanian dances to the Finnish storytelling traditions of Klami and Leiviskä. Could Esko from The Village Shoemakers, with his thirst for life, and Juhani the forest pioneer—whose story inspired Leiviskä’s film-based suite—ultimately represent two sides of the same coin, just as in Chopin’s music?