Klaus Mäkelä Claude Debussy
Igor Stravinsky
Christian Sinding
Edvard Grieg

Claude Debussy (1862–1918) write the tone poem Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, in English, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, in 1894, inspired by Stéphane Mallarmé’s poem The Afternoon of a Faun. The work would become one of his most famous and a milestone in music history.

In 1909, the impresario Serge de Diaghilev founded the ballet company Ballets Russes. In the years before, Diaghilev had created great interest in Russian culture in Paris, and the ballet company became a sensation. The young Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was central to the success.

In his fire ballet, The Firebird, offered sounds and rhythms the audience had never heard the likes of. It was a huge success at the premiere in 1910 and a breakthrough for the composer. The action is a combination of different stories from Russian folk poetry. 

Debussy also wrote music for the 1912 ballet Jeux (Games) for Ballets Russes. The action is set on a tennis court, and when the ball disappears in the twilight, a young man and two young women follow. The games continue outside of the court, with hide-and-seek, fights and embrace.

Christian Sinding (1856–1941) got his big international breakthrough with the piano piece Frühlingsrauschen in 1897. Danse Orientale is from a collection of piano pieces from the year before, and the orchestral version, arranged by the brit Charlie Piper in 2010, is performed at this concert.

Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) released in total 66 piano works under the title Lyric Pieces. Conductor Anton Seidl orchestrated four of the pieces in the fifth volume from 1891, and Grieg revised them before his death - including the terrific piece March of the Trolls.