Ke Ma, piano
Irina Zahharenkova, piano
Severin von Eckardstein, piano
Janne Nisonen, violin and orchestral leader
Tapiola Sinfonietta
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
Overture to the opera Le nozze di Figaro KV 492
Piano Concerto no. 19 in F major KV 459
Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor KV 466
Six German Dances KV 571
Piano Concerto no. 27 in B flat major KV 595
The concert by the Tapiola Sinfonietta will feature piano concertos by Mozart. The brilliant F major and the tragic D minor, written within a couple of months of each other, will engage in dialogue in the hands of outstanding soloists. Chinese-born Ke Ma is remembered for her characterful performances in the most recent Maj Lind Competition, and highly-acclaimed Estonian-born Irina Zahharenkova has been living in Finland for some time. Severin von Eckardstein will end the concert with Mozart’s last piano concerto. Binding the whole concert together will be the Tapiola Sinfonietta’s leader Janne Nisonen, this time conducting from the front desk.
Pre-concert talk 18:00–18:30.
In cooperation with Tapiola Sinfonietta
YLE will broadcast the concert.
Tickets €10–32 + order fee (from €1,50 www.lippu.fi)
Photos: Ke Ma © Anthony Tam, Irina Zahharenkova © Matti Kyllönen, Severin von Eckardstein, Janne Nisonen © Ida Nisonen
Award winning pianist Ke Ma debuted at Wigmore Hall under the auspices of the Kirckman Concert Society in 2017. She has given concerts across the UK, China, Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Hungary and the US. Highlights have included appearances with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. During 2020, Ke Ma appeared as soloists at the Gold Medal competition with Guildhall Symphony Orchestra. She has performed at the prestigious York Minster as the first Chinese pianist ever. As a committed chamber musician Ke Ma has undertaken a Tunnell Trust Award tour of Scotland. She is currently pursuing her Doctoral studies at Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Multiple award winner Severin von Eckardstein is one of the leading German pianists of today, performing many recitals and numerous appearances with orchestras at the greatest venues in Berlin, Munich, Milan and London. He has performed at renowned international festivals such as the Klavier-Festival Ruhr and Raritäten der Klaviermusik in Husum, and La Roque d’Anthéron. Von Eckardstein often premiers works by contemporary composers, in particular by the American composer Sidney Corbett. He has a keen interest in piano music from the late Romantic age, especially of less known composers such as Nicolai Medtner, whose works hi has also recorded. Von Eckardstein gives regularly masterclasses at the Universität der Künste Berlin as well as in South Korea, Belgium, and Finland.
The Tapiola Sinfonietta has established itself as Finland’s premier chamber orchestra. Founded as the Espoo City Orchestra in 1987, it currently has 44 members. The orchestra is known for its adventurous repertoire planning and has been widely acclaimed for nuanced performances across a wide range of eras and styles. The Tapiola Sinfonietta often performs without a conductor, placing an emphasis on ensemble playing and the personal responsibility of each musician.
In 2000, the orchestra introduced a management model where artistic planning is handled by a management team formed of the General Manager and two orchestra members. Dialogue and a cross-sector approach are characteristic of the orchestra’s work with its Artists in Association, Artists in Residence and visiting conductors and soloists. In the 2023–2024 season, the Tapiola Sinfonietta’s Artists in Association are conductor Ryan Bancroft and guitarist/composer Marzi Nyman, with author Juha Itkonen as Artist in Residence.
The orchestra’s home base is the Espoo Cultural Centre, located in the district of Tapiola, world famous for its garden city architecture. Engaging in exceptionally broad-based audience outreach work, the orchestra addresses all age groups in the City of Espoo, from unborn babies to senior citizens, and gives performances away from conventional concert venues. The Tapiola Sinfonietta appears regularly at music festivals in Finland, and tours abroad have boosted its international reputation along with its award-winning discography. The Tapiola Sinfonietta has made popular appearances at every PianoEspoo Festival since the event was started.
Irina Zahharenkova performs as pianist, fortepianist, and harpsichordist. The range of instruments have led her naturally to music from different eras. Born in Estonia, Irina Zahharenkova is a sought-after festival guest, chamber musician, and soloist of many orchestras’. She has performed at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr and Mendelssohn Festival, and as soloist with Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. She has been reworded in multiple competitions. Being successful in the International Bach Competition in Leipzig and the Prague Spring Competition has led to numerous performance invitations. Irina Zahharenkova has a widening discography including recordings of Mozart’s sonatas and J.S. Bach’s partitas.
Janne Nisonen, concert master of Tapiola Sinfonietta, has career paths that has taken him from violin student to chamber musician and from concertmaster to conductor. He is known for being an elegant performer of classical and early romantic music and for being a bold introducer of new music. Janne Nisonen’s musical roots are in the Kaustinen fiddler-based folk music tradition, which can be heard in his playing and seen in his crossover projects: the collaboration with the Frigg and Sväng Ensembles brought widely new listeners to orchestral concerts in concert halls. In March 2023 Janne Nisonen conducted successfully premiers of three new works with Helsinki Symphony Orchestra at Musica nova Helsinki Festival.