Most Beloved Classics – an evening of evergreen orchestral favourites
Welcome to an evening that offers nothing but the very best! If you are looking for a concert filled with melodic jewels, approachable works and the pure enchantment of orchestral music, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra’s Most Beloved Classics on Friday 27 March at 7 pm is the perfect choice for you.
Following the opera season, TPO´s spring concert series continue at Tampere Hall with Most Requested Classics. This audience‑pleasing programme is built from beloved orchestral favourites – a night where every piece speaks directly to the heart. Joyful colours, compelling stories and vibrant rhythms carry listeners across Europe and all the way to Latin America.
The evening is conducted by Christian Vásquez, whose energetic and charismatic presence captivated Tampere audiences during his previous visit with the Latin Night concert. A product of El Sistema and a sought‑after guest conductor around the world, Vásquez leads TPO in a programme that seems tailor‑made for his temperament.
The concert opens with Leonard Bernstein’s sparkling Candide Overture, one of the most popular orchestral crowd‑pleasers of the 20th century. In just a few minutes, the piece delivers a whirlwind of drama and operatic humour.
The tempo then settles into the refined elegance of Maurice Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte. This gentle and exquisitely shaped miniature offers the most delicate moment of the evening, its atmosphere lingering long after the final chord fades.
The first half concludes with Nikolai Rimsky‑Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol. A dazzling showcase for the entire orchestra, the work brims with instrumental solos, lively rhythms and irresistible energy that sweeps the audience away time and again.
After the interval, Manuel de Falla’s rhythmic, flamenco‑coloured world sets feet tapping. The Three‑Cornered Hat, Suite No. 2, bursts with dance, vitality and cinematic drama.
Bedřich Smetana’s Vltava (The Moldau) is among classical music’s most beloved tone poems – a river flowing towards Prague, rendered in sweeping, emotionally powerful sound.
The Czech spirit continues with Antonín Dvořák’s Slavonic Dance No. 8, Op. 46. Inspired by the fiery Bohemian dance furiant, the work’s quick‑silver rhythms and exuberance show Dvořák at his finest.
The evening concludes with Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 8. Its pulsing rhythm and seductive melody transport the listener to Caribbean breezes, carrying the same hypnotic allure that made the composer’s Danzón No. 2 world‑famous. Under Vásquez’s baton, this music truly comes alive.
A warm‑hearted, uplifting and thoroughly entertaining evening awaits – the kind that leaves you smiling long after the final note.
Fri 27 March 2026 at 19.00, Tampere Hall, Main Auditorium
Most Requested Classics
Christian Vásquez, conductor
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
Most Requested Classics is presented in partnership with TPO’s main sponsor, Aamulehti.
This concert is not part of the season series. Tickets are available from Tampere Hall ticket office, Culture Shop Aplodi and Lippu.fi sales channels.
