Sakari Oramo and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra brought the 2011 Beethovenfest Bonn to a rousing conclusion with their account of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. The programme also featured Christian Gerhaher and Lilli Paasikivi who shared a selection from Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn, while Liszt’s Orpheus opened the concert. 

Commenting on the performance, the Bonner Rundschau wrote: ​“It can’t get more soulful than that. The strings demonstrated a wide range of colours, with stunning pianissimo passages – what a touching way to bring the Festival to an end.“ 

The following night Oramo led the FRSO in a stunning performance of Sibelius’s Symphony no. 5 in the glorious surroundings of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, with Gerhaher and Paasikivi joining once again for the Mahler.