Symphony of Art and Nature • Lossimuusika

Kadriorg Art Museum's new exhibition "Symphony of Nature and Art. The Serlachius Art Collection" presents the collection of the Gösta Serlachius Art Foundation in Estonia for the first time. The core of the collection founded by industrialist Gösta Serlachius is the art of the golden age of Finnish art, i.e. art from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, where the work of Akseli Gallen-Kallela is central. Old masters from Western Europe, which were historically part of the collection, are also represented, as well as (Finnish) contemporary art, the collection of which is the foundation's mission today.

Linda Hedlund graduated from the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, in 2002 and went on to complete her doctorate in violin performance from the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, in 2010. Since 2019 she has specialised in baroque violin performance at Novia University of Applied Sciences in Finland.  Dr. Hedlund has been successful in various competitions and has worked as first concertmaster a.o. at the Pacific Music Festival Japan (1999) with Michael Tilson Thomas and with Tapiola Sinfonietta (2004). She has also gained orchestra experience in some of the main orchestras in Europe and Asia and has appeared as leader/soloist with Sinfonia da Camera Finlandia, the Austrian Chamber Orchestra, various baroque  ensembles and  recording projects.Performing internationally as soloist and chamber musician, Hedlund has partnered with a.o. principal players of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist prof. Oliver Kern for chamber music. She has also performed as soloist with a.o. La Tempesta orchestra, Istanbul Milli Insurance Orchestra, Vogtland Philharmonie, Wegelius Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Borromini, Les Solistes de Monte Carlo, Presidential Orchestra of Northern Cyprus, Austrian Chamber Orchestra, Lohja City Orchestra, Kauniainen City Orchestra and OSUEL Symphony orchestra in Brazil. Linda Hedlund has performed successfully as soloist and chamber musician at many prestigious festivals including Helsinki Festival (Finland), Musica Nova (Helsinki), Grafenegg Festival (Austria), Nancyphonies (France), Honart Festival Konzerthaus Wien, Teatro Bibiena, Mantova and in Carnegie Hall, New York. Her performances have also been broadcasted on radio and TV in Finland (Yle), Rai TV 3, Turkish state television, RSI/Arte in Switzerland, Radio Classic, Borusan radio, Czech Republic (Radio Free Europe), in Austria (ORF) and in the US (WFMT).

 In addition to her career as a performing artist, she is active as teacher and has given master classes in a.o. USA University of Hawaii, Cervo Master Classes in Italy, South-America, Singapore and Asia as well as serving as member of jury in the international music competition in Singapore. She founded the Emäsalo Music Festival in 2006, taking place each summer in southern Finland. On her acclaimed debut CD (issued under the Finnish label Fuga in 2008) she collaborated with pianist Oliver Kern in sonatas by Franck, Saint-Saëns and Debussy. Another CD (with guitarist Otto Tolonen) was released 2011 by Classic Concert Music Group, Salzburg as well as a live concert video (USB), Tango Intimamente with tango arrangements for violin and harp together with  Floraleda Sacchi (Amadeus Arte 2019). A critically acclaimed album with music for violin and orchestra by a.o. George de Godzinsky was released in 2021 by Naxos and an album with premiere recordings of Finnish music for violin and orchestra will follow up.

Risto-Matti Marin (b. 1976) has been hailed as being in the absolute top class of all Finnish pianists. He has recorded many internationally acclaimed solo piano discs, and several discs of chamber music. He has also made a number of recordings for the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle). Marin’s repertoire varies from the cornerstones of classical/romantic piano works to rare pieces, transcriptions, and contemporary music.

Marin earned his doctoral degree in 2010 from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. In addition to his work as a piano recitalist and chamber musician Marin lectures on piano music and teaches at masterclasses in Finland and abroad. He also works as a part-time teacher in Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki.

As a soloist, as well as a chamber musician together with classical saxophonist Olli-Pekka Tuomisalo, Marin has premiered many Finnish contemporary works, by Eero Hämeenniemi, Sebastian Fagerlund and Matthew Whittall, among others. Recently, Marin was the co-dedicatee, along with Angela Hewitt, of Whittall’s piano concerto “Nameless Seas”, of which he gave the European premiere in November 2017 as soloist with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Olari Elts.

Two discs of unknown Finnish piano repertoire, a contemporary music disc “Sixth Sense” (released in 2018), and a disc of romantic Finnish piano music “Hidden Treasures” (released in 2019), both received nominations in the best classical album category of Finnish Emma Awards. February 2021 was released the fourth and final CD of Marin’s survey of the complete transcriptions of Liszt’s symphonic poems made by his pupil August Stradal (1860–1930) – all of them first recordings.