Programme change for Santtu-Matias Rouvali & Bruce Liu concerts – Grieg replaced by Chopin
The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra’s spring season opens with two eagerly awaited concerts on 15 and 16 January 2026, featuring a significant programme change.
Instead of the previously announced Edvard Grieg Piano Concerto, audiences will hear Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, performed by Bruce Liu, winner of the 2021 International Chopin Competition. TPO will be under the baton of its Honorary Chief Conductor, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, making a much-anticipated return to the podium.
“Bruce Liu, a Chopin laureate enjoying a meteoric rise on the world stage, makes his Tampere debut with Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto – a work at the very heart of his repertoire. Our Honorary Chief Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali returns to lead the orchestra, and these January concerts promise a magnificent start to our spring season,” says Eija Oravuo, General Manager of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.
Born in Paris and raised in Montréal, Bruce Liu’s artistry reflects his multicultural heritage -blending European refinement, North American dynamism, and the long tradition of Chinese culture. Since his Chopin competition triumph, he has appeared with leading orchestras and conductors worldwide. Last summer, Liu and Rouvali shared the stage at the BBC Proms with the Philharmonia Orchestra – now this exceptional duo reunites in Tampere.
The second work on the TPO concerts’ programme is Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C major, “The Great” – the last major symphony of the classical era, a masterpiece of “heavenly length” whose profound beauty was only fully appreciated decades after its creation.
Santtu-Matias Rouvali & Bruce Liu
Thursday 15 January & Friday 16 January 2026 at 7 pm, Tampere Hall Main Auditorium
Santtu-Matias Rouvali, conductor
Bruce Liu, piano
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
Programme:
Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor
Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major, “The Great”
Both concerts feature the same programme. The Friday performance is part of the subscription series.
Tickets available from Tampere Hall Ticket Sales, Culture Shop Aplodi and Lippu.fi sales channels.
