» Helsinki Baroque Orchestra
Ensemble
Biography
The Helsinki Baroque Orchestra is an ensemble that has made a name for itself with its unmistakable way of presenting early music. Since its foundation in 1997, its style has been fresh, communicative and captivates listeners with its vitality and emotional eloquence. The orchestra has long since become an integral part of Finnish and international musical life. And the fact that the musicians all come from the still relatively young Finnish "early music scene" is a welcome change in the European orchestral landscape.
Aapo Häkkinen, who has led the ensemble since 2003, has contributed to this success. A harpsichordist by training, he has sharpened the orchestra's profile with his extensive knowledge of the repertoire and his uncompromising musical expertise. The Helsinki Baroque Orchestra now performs at the most important venues and festivals worldwide, from the Cologne Philharmonie to the Suntory Hall in Tokyo - with stops at London's Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Laeiszhalle Hamburg and the Frauenkirche Dresden, as well as at major festivals such as Bergen, Bremen, Rheingau and Jerusalem, to name but a few
The well-thought-out programs often include premieres of unpublished or reconstructed masterpieces, though well-known works are also brought to the stage with equal dedication, but then often presented in an unexpected, provocative light. The orchestra has received widespread acclaim with groundbreaking productions of operas by Monteverdi, Handel, Hasse, Koželuch and Schubert.
In 2019, it performed Johann Adolf Hasse's Irene in a concert performance in Helsinki, bringing the opera back to the stage for the first time since its premiere in 1738. Works such as Cartellieri's Rübezahl and Galuppi's La Caduta di Adamo also promise exciting new discoveries in the coming years
Although the orchestra now travels all over the world, it naturally remains a permanent fixture in Finnish musical life. In 2011, an early music series was launched in the newly opened Helsinki Music Center, Musiikkitalo, which reaches a wide audience. With its visionary selection of repertoire and guest artists, it has helped early music achieve something of a cult status in Finland. Returning soloists and guest conductors include Max Emanuel Cenčić, Franco Fagioli, Reinhard Goebel, René Jacobs, Julia Lezhneva, Riccardo Minasi, Valer Sabadus, Carolyn Sampson, Skip Sempé and Dmitry Sinkovsky.
It has also launched its own midsummer festival in the idyllic setting of the medieval stone church of Janakkala
The Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, on period instruments, delivers an excellent performance: they play with spirit, accuracy and all-out commitment, and sound quite imposing and sonorous. Conductor Aapo Häkkinen consistently shapes the score to capture effectively just about every aspect of the music’s drama.
MusicWeb International
Monday saw the appearance of the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, and a programme of music from the late 17th century Düben Collection in Uppsala, including works by Buxtehude, Förster, Geist and Meder. This was an extremely impressive concert, with excellent playing and singing and a very well thought out and presented programme.
Early Music Review
Upcoming concerts
16.04.2025, München
Paradise Lost
with Ana Vieira Leite, Soprano
17.04.2025, Lörrach (D), Burghof
Paradise Lost
with Ana Vieira Leite, Soprano