Orchestral Works

No sooner had Jean Sibelius moved to the town of Järvenpää in 1904 than he was commissioned by the Swedish Theatre to write incidental music for Maeterlincks Pelléas et Mélisande. At the time it was his most ambitious undertaking in the genre of incidental music. His setting included ten scenes, losing only one when he adapted the work as a concert suite. Dating from the same year is Musik zu einer Szene, a work full of striking contrasts originally intended to accompany a tableau. The two waltzes of 1921 are transcriptions of piano pieces, and reveal the potent influence of Tchaikovsky. As the oldest orchestra in Finland, the Turku Philharmonic continues to develop and flourish under the baton of renowned conductors. Since 2012, the orchestras 74 musicians have been under the artistic leadership of Leif Segerstam.