“Skandinaviens Barockensemble Nr. 1”
– Kölnische Rundschau
Founded in 1997, the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra brings new perspectives to the interpretation of early music. Aapo Häkkinen has been the artistic director since 2003, under whose leadership the orchestra has risen to become one of Europe’s most respected period ensembles.
In the fall of 2011, the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra began a regular concert series at the Helsinki Music Center and at the Holy Cross Church in Rauma. In the summer of 2013, the orchestra founded a baroque festival in Janakkala.
The Helsinki Baroque Orchestra has performed at numerous high-profile venues in Finland and abroad, including the Finnish National Opera, the Savonlinna Opera Festival, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall in London, the Cologne Philharmonic, and the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid. In 2016, the orchestra made its debut in Japan, China, and South Korea, all of which it has since revisited. This year, the orchestra will perform in the UK, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Latvia, among other countries.
“Aapo Häkkinen is an interesting character who, with minimal outward gestures, has created an exciting sex appeal around his ensemble. Ultimately, of course, it is all about superb musicianship, which, at least in Finland – and possibly in the Nordic countries – is unrivalled.”
– Hufvudstadsbladet
The ensemble’s position as a flagship of Finnish cultural exports and exchange has been further strengthened in recent years. Guest conductors have included Rinaldo Alessandrini, Reinhard Goebel, Erich Höbarth, Riccardo Minasi, Enrico Onofri, Skip Sempé, and René Jacobs. Leading international soloists include Franco Fagioli, Werner Güra, Soile Isokoski, Vesselina Kasarova, Julia Lezhneva, Viktoria Mullova, Valer Sabad, and others.
Recordings have been made for labels such as AEOLUS, Naxos, and Ondine. The recording of Dussek’s symphonies reached Naxos’s international top 10 sales list in 2012, received the German ECHO award, and was included in Gramophone Awards magazine’s recommendations. The complete recording of Bach’s harpsichord concertos won the French Diapason d’or de l’année award in 2018.
The Helsinki Baroque Orchestra has premiered a wealth of key repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries in Finland, including works by Bach, Buxtehude, Charpentier, and Kraus, Cartellier’s Rübezahl, Hasse’s Irene, Haydn’s L’Isola disabitata, Handel’s Acis and Galatea, Koželuch’sGustav Vasa, Pergolesi’s Lo Frate ’nnamorato, Vivaldi’s Ottone in villa, Schubert’s Alfonso und Estrella, and Schumann’s Genoveva. The orchestra has also premiered new music composed especially for it.
The orchestra’s patrons are opera singer Monica Groop and Lord Mayor Jussi Pajunen.
