1977 – a Violin Concerto
“An event well beyond the ordinary” – HBL
“Nothing less than a milestone in the history of the Finnish violin concerto” – HBL
2023
Duration
37 min.
Instrumentation
Solo violin 2222 2221 12 hrp, pno, strings
Commissioned by
The Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE, BBC Radio 3 and Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra
Premiere by
Pekka Kuusisto, violin and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Nicholas Collon
May 21 2025
Helsinki, Finland
1977 – A Violin Concerto is my first large-scale concerto for soloist and orchestra, jointly commissioned by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle), BBC Radio 3, and the National Arts Centre.
In this work, the solo violin guides the listener through the course of a single year. The piece is made up of twelve movements, each representing one month and reflecting one or more real events that took place in 1977.
These twelve months are arranged into three continuous arcs: the first captures the winter and spring (January–April), the second portrays summer (May–August), and the third expresses the transition from autumn into winter (September–December).
The winter–spring movements are connected by themes of unexpected and life-altering experiences, as well as feelings of melancholy, longing, loss, and tragedy.
Summer brings with it hope, resilience, and fresh starts — it introduces the exhilaration of falling in love, passion, joy, and optimism.
The autumn–winter section opens with a dramatic break, leading into a solo violin cadenza. This moment conveys the innocence of a young child in the face of the world, playfulness, unconditional love, and a sense of care. The solitary violin is gradually joined by flickers and sparks from the orchestra that grow into a powerful, flowing blaze.
The synopsis played a central role in the composition process, acting both as inspiration and as a libretto for the work’s form, musical material, characters, and emotions. The music can be experienced on its own, or together with the synopsis for those who wish to follow its narrative.
Ultimately, the music draws from my personal experiences tied to the concerto’s themes. Feelings of despair, hope, and love have been shaped into the language of music. For this reason, the piece is dedicated not only to violinist Pekka Kuusisto, but also to my partner Sara and to our six children who never came into this world.
And to our seventh, who did.
Past performances
May 21 2025
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Pekka Kuusisto, violin
Conducted by Nicholas Collon
Music Centre
Helsinki, Finland
May 22 2025
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Pekka Kuusisto, violin
Conducted by Nicholas Collon
Music Centre
Helsinki, Finland
Sheet Music
Schott Music
Schott Music GmbH & Co. KG
Weihergarten 5
55116 Mainz
info@schott-music.com
+49 6131 246-0
Press Quotes
“Let us be clear about one thing: the world premiere of Sebastian Hilli’s (b. 1990) violin concerto was not only the major highlight of the Radio Symphony Orchestra’s season finale, but an event well beyond the ordinary. The piece, written in 2023 and titled 1977 – a Violin Concerto, is nothing less than a milestone in the history of the Finnish violin concerto.
This is pure program music, and what’s more, with a highly original set-up: the months of the title year and the concrete historical events associated with them serve as the dramaturgical framework for the aesthetically and emotionally nuanced, multifaceted narrative.
The first four months form a slow movement filled with sorrow and desperation, but also longing and a resigned beauty. The next four months become a kind of scherzo, where hope and light gradually seep in. The final four months of the year then offer a fairly comprehensive emotional summary, culminating in an ending that is optimistically tinged, yet refreshingly open.
All of this, of course, serves as a set of cues. Hilli never indulges in descriptive tone painting or pastiche, although sophisticated allusions do appear at times. Rather, in a fashion reminiscent of Liszt, he allows the various themes to inspire and unfold on a conceptual, abstract level—and the piece can be fully appreciated even without the written synopsis at hand.
Stylistically, in typical Hilli’s fashion, it’s an open-ended narrative — but overall, it’s tonal (never banal) expression, where the repetitive elements that have increasingly come to characterize Hillis’s recent music are given an ever more prominent role as the piece progresses. This is music that is both deeply personal and—despite its apparent simplicity—strikingly original. John Adams came to mind, and one could certainly do worse when it comes to influences.
Perhaps most impressive, though, is Hilli’s writing for the solo violin. The part is extremely virtuosic, yet seamlessly integrated into the orchestral texture, which is rendered with crystalline clarity—and Pekka Kuusisto brought it to life with a performance that was at the same time dazzlingly brilliant and effortlessly unaffected. Nicholas Collon and his musicians also seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves with Hillis’s finely crafted score.”
Mats Liljeroos, HBL, May 22 2025
“The musical language of 1977 – a Violin Concerto, which received its world premiere, was so captivating that one could have listened to twice as much, even though the concerto already lasted 37 minutes. Originally planned for 2023, the performance was postponed, matured, and ultimately gave rise to a unique concerto dedicated to Pekka Kuusisto.”
Annmari Salmela, Helsingin Sanomat, May 22 2025
Listen
The premiere of 1977 – a Violin Concerto (2023), performed by Pekka Kuusisto and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas Collon: