Helena's Song (2023)
(for solo violin and orchestra)

Sebastian Fagerlund (b. 1972) was moved to write Helena’s Song for violin and orchestra (2023) by that character’s aria in Act II of his opera Höstsonaten (Autumn Sonata, Helsinki 2017), and it was commissioned jointly by the FRSO and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Says Fagerlund of his work: “The most important scene in the opera is, for me, in Act II, when Helena, who until then has been mute, stands up and starts telling of her experience. I’m really pleased with this scene; it became strong and beautiful, and I’d been thinking for a long time of making it the basis for a work for solo violin and orchestra. John Storgårds, who conducted the premiere of the opera, immediately jumped at the idea.” 

Helena’s Song is clearly a work in its own right. “At the beginning, the solo violin has a couple of phrases from Helena’s song in the opera, but it then goes off in new directions. It’s like a Stilleben – a still life; the main characters are absent but Helena’s emotions are present. Without words, it’s possible to enter even deeper into Helena’s mindscape.” 

Helena’s Song adds a new dimension to Fagerlund’s works with a soloist. Generically, it harks back to a format much favoured in the Romantic era, but there are also examples in, say, Lutosławski’s Chain II (1984–1985) and Partita (1988), both for violin and orchestra. Cast in the role of both soloist and conductor tonight is John Storgårds. Considering that the piece is such a moving scene from an opera, it seems most appropriate for a single musician to crystallise Helena’s emotions. 

Kimmo Korhonen