Scottish percussionist Colin Currie makes his debut with the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra on Friday 23 October at 7:30pm, at the Auditorio de Tenerife in Santa Cruz.
Under the baton of Dutch conductor Antony Hermus, Currie will perform Andy Akiho’s Percussion Concerto, a work written specifically for him in 2019. It will be performed by the orchestra for the first time.
The programme also includes two works by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius: Finlandia and his Symphony No. 3.
Currie describes Akiho’s concerto as a piece full of colour, energy and rhythm. Its four movements explore the possibilities of percussion in some rather unusual ways. The opening movement, for example, uses just one octave of tuned rice bowls, played with four chopsticks.
Currie premiered the work in Portland, Oregon, with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra and has since performed it in several countries. Known for his commitment to contemporary music, he considers the concerto one of the high points of percussion performance.
Sibelius: From National Pride to Musical Reinvention
The second half of the concert turns to Sibelius, bringing together two works from different stages of his career.
Finlandia, composed in 1899 to accompany a historical pageant, became a powerful symbol of Finnish resistance to Russian rule. Its political associations made the Russian authorities uneasy, and for a time it had to be performed under alternative titles. Music apparently wasn’t supposed to cause quite that much trouble, but there we are.
Sibelius’s Symphony No. 3, premiered in 1907, marked a shift towards a more concentrated style of composition. Rather than the sweeping Romantic sound of his earlier symphonies, the work develops through carefully connected musical ideas.
That same year, Sibelius met fellow composer Gustav Mahler. Their views on symphonic music differed considerably. Sibelius believed a symphony needed a strong internal structure, while Mahler argued that it should be like the world and encompass everything.
Antony Hermus returns to the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra following his previous visit in November 2024. Alongside his symphonic work, the Dutch conductor has an active opera career. He is currently conductor laureate of the Belgian National Orchestra and will become chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in the 2027/2028 season.
Before the Concert
The Tenerife Association of Music Friends (ATADEM) will host a free introductory talk about the programme, presented by Sergio Rodríguez. It takes place at 6:30pm in the Auditorio de Tenerife’s Sala Avenida, an hour before the concert.
Tickets are available through the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra website, by telephone or at the Auditorio de Tenerife box office.
The free Lanzadera Sinfónica bus service, operated by TITSA, will also connect various points in the north and south of the island with the auditorium. Places must be reserved by 11pm on the day before the concert and are subject to availability.
Fundación CajaCanarias is the orchestra’s principal partner for the 2026/2027 season.