Path of Diamonds

Camille Pepin: Vajrayana (Finnish premiere)
Philip Glass: Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra
Robert Schumann: Symphony No 2 in C major Op. 61

The world-renowned Raschèr Saxophone Quartet commissioned a concerto for four saxophones from the American minimalist Philip Glass. The condition was that the piece should be able to be performed with and without an orchestra. Consequently, Glass composed two different versions of the piece, which were premiered by the quartet in 1995. In Kuopio, we will naturally hear the orchestral version, conducted by Karen Kamensek, who received the Grammy Award for her dazzling interpretations of Glass. The mood will be set by Camille Pepin’s Vajrayana (‘Diamond Path’) that is based on the Buddhist worldview, while after the intermission, we will enjoy guaranteed quality from Schumann, whose second symphony contains references to other diamonds in the history of music, Bach and Beethoven.