On 23 February, the lecture-concert “Sibelius and his Italian colleagues” took place at Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki. The event, dedicated to the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, was organised by the pianist Folke Gräsbeck in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Helsinki.
Maestro Gräsbeck, widely regarded as one of the leading interpreters of Sibelius’s piano repertoire, retraced the composer’s life and his travels to Italy, highlighting the influence of the Italian cultural milieu on his artistic production. Particular attention was devoted to Sibelius’s close ties with contemporaries such as Ferruccio Busoni (who was also his teacher), Ottorino Respighi and Francesco Paolo Tosti.
Maestro Gräsbeck was joined by the baritone Petri Kirkkomäki and the violist Giulia Ermirio, Artistic Director of the Sibelius Festival Golfo del Tigullio. Founded in 2015, the Festival is held in the Ligurian locations where Sibelius stayed during his travels to Italy at the beginning of the twentieth century.
