Tuija Hakkila, piano
Emil Holmström, piano
Tiina Karakorpi, piano
Anna Kuvaja, piano
Meeri Pulakka, soprano

In the early Romantic era, the most common setting for hearing music was the homes of the affluent or the club-like concerts of music societies. The boundary between private and public performances was often blurred, but public recognition, publication, and earning a living through art were vital for musicians. Many of Franz Schubert’s masterpieces, such as the Fantasia in F minor, were written for intimate gatherings even as his public fame began to grow. This concert features Tuija Hakkila, a legendary pioneer and expert on historical keyboards!

Similarly, Fanny Hensel spent much of her career presenting music at the Mendelssohn family’s Berlin residence. Only late in life did she begin publishing her works, starting with her most successful songs and piano miniatures. Pianist Tiina Karakorpi has studied Hensel’s life in depth, exploring the tensions between her art and family expectations.

Hensel’s unpublished Hero und Leander scene is fascinating to compare with Franz Liszt’s Second Ballade, said to be inspired by the same tragic love story.

Programme:

Franz Schubert: Fantasia in F minor for piano four hands
Tuija Hakkila, piano
Anna Kuvaja, piano

Fanny Hensel: June from Das Jahr
Anna Kuvaja, piano

— Stretch break —

Fanny Hensel:

• Sechs Lieder für eine Stimme mit Begleitung des Pianoforte, Op. 7

• Fünf Lieder mit Begleitung des Pianoforte, Op. 10

• Hero und Leander. Dramatische Szene (1831)
  Meeri Pulakka, soprano
  Tiina Karakorpi, piano

Franz Liszt: Ballade No. 2 in B minor, S.171
Emil Holmström, piano

Duration: approx. 70 minutes, no intermission

Tickets: €15–35 + service fees (from €1.50 + 0.65% per order at www.lippu.fi)
Ticket packages for Karhusaari concerts available online.