Izabele Jankauzkaite, conductor

Lauri Sallinen, clarinet

Jean Sibelius: Suite Mignonne op. 98a

Béla Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances

Lotta Wennäkoski: Ele

Edvard Grieg: Two Nordic Melodies for strings op. 63

Witold Lutosławski: Little Suite for Chamber Orchestra

Zoltán Kodály: Dances of Galánta

Clarinettist Lauri Sallinen has made a name for himself as a crosser of boundaries. Lithuanian conductor Izabele Jankauzkaite, second-in-command at the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, makes her début with us. Suite mignonne is a late work by Sibelius, a nostalgic collection of waltzes and polkas from the good old days. Grieg’s Two Nordic Melodies is also a melancholy work, even if cattle husbandry was by no means a fading industry in the 1870s. Bartók, Kodály and Lutosławski drew inspiration and energy from eastern European folk dances whose jaunty beats and shifting metres transport the listener away from everyday cares and out of time. Ele [Gesture] for clarinet and strings by Lotta Wennäkoski goes a few steps further, reminding us of the physical nature of music by translating Sallinen’s movements and facial expressions into music.

Pre-concert talk 17:10-17:30.

Tapiola Sinfonietta 2025-2026