RSO & Nicholas Collon & Uusi Helsinki Quartet

Nicholas Collon, conductor Uusi Helsinki Quartet Johannes Brahms: Variations on Haydn's Theme, Op. 56a John Adams: Absolute Jest for string quartet and orchestra Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 Comedy is a serious matter. Beethoven knew this while composing his bubbling second symphony, in which the rulebook of classicism flies out the window. And John Adams only realized it later, when he turned Beethoven's scherzos into the piece Absolute Jest. When this unbridled inventive quartet concerto is performed by one of Finland's most admired string quartets, the jokes will surely land. Nicholas Collon opens the evening with a heartfelt Brahms tribute to Joseph “Papa” Haydn, one of music’s wittiest masters.