Verneri Pohjola, composer and jazz trumpeter, born 1977
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Concert Hall, Helsinki Music Centre, Mannerheimintie 13 A, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
Against Darkness proved to be of interest for its twenty-five minutes, I guess it would be tagged modern jazz/third stream, Verneri Pohjola brilliantly virtuosic on his trumpet, whether doodling or uncompromising in loudness (aggression) and effects. perhaps improvised at times, even with Timo Hietala’s notated orchestra in the mix. I thought at times that a film noir soundtrack was being created, ideal for something like the 1944 Billy Wilder-directed Double Indemnity (Barbara Stanwyck & Fred MacMurray), but then a brass chorale turns up, which suggests Bruckner. For an encore it was a duet between Pohjola and John Storgårds on a violin, which didn’t take us any further.
Opening the concert, The Enchanted Lake by Liadov (had he been less obdurate he might have written The Firebird for Diaghilev instead of Stravinsky … and then what would have happened) for Liadov was a master colourist and conjurer of atmosphere, a suggester of breezes, and perhaps of insects hovering and flutter-tonguing over the Lake’s surface. Zemlinsky’s large-scale treatment of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Mermaid – of motifs and descriptions, richly romantic – received a high-octane outing, cinematic, but tender, too; also complete (it is sometime cut). Unfortunately the broadcast developed a fault in that the sound came across like a poor remastering of analogue stock, which hopefully won’t bedevil the playback option, for one thing is certain, that Storgårds and FRSO gave a marvellous performance of the Zemlinsky.
Anatoli Ljadov: The Enchanted Lake op. 62
Verneri Pohjola / Timo Hietala: Trumpet Concerto “Against Darkness”, world premiere (Yle commission)
Alexander von Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau