Estimated duration
1 h 15 min., no intermission
Organizer
Helsingin juhlaviikot
The 2026 Helsinki Festival opens in grand fashion with Rufus Wainwright’s major work Dream Requiem.
Wainwright’s moving requiem for choir, orchestra, soprano and narrator premiered in Paris in 2024. At Helsinki Festival, the work will be performed by Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Dalia Stasevska, actor Laura Birn, soprano Anna Prohaska and the Key Ensemble choir.
Wainwright composed the work during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when human tragedy at moments felt overwhelming. At the same time, wildfires raged across the world. Wainwright wrote the requiem for the people who were lost, for the past we have detached from, and for a future we do not yet know. At the same time, the piece is an ode to touch, togetherness and the human voice – all that became dangerous during the pandemic. In the text of Dream Requiem, Lord Byron’s stark poem Darkness intertwines with the Latin Requiem Mass.
The requiem form has been important to Wainwright since his teenage years, when he first heard Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem. The themes of the mass for the dead have always been present in Wainwright’s brilliant and beloved pop music, and he has also composed two operas.
At the Paris premiere of Dream Requiem, the role of the narrator was performed by the legendary actor Meryl Streep, and the work was conducted by Mikko Franck. Since then, the piece has received an ecstatic reception in Barcelona, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Los Angeles. Helsinki Festival and Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra are among the work’s commissioners.
Rufus Wainwright will also appear at the festival in a solo concert at Huvila on the Night of the Arts, 20 August 2026.
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Dalia Stasevska, conductor
Key Ensemble
Jutta Seppinen, choir director
Laura Birn, narrator
Anna Prohaska, soprano
Commissioned by:
Radio France, Royal Ballet, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Palau de la Musica Catalana Barcelona, Auditori de Barcelona, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Helsinki Festival, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.
Tickets to Musiikkitalo concerts and other events are available to purchase on our website, by telephone and at our physical box office.
Book tickets for 10–20 or more people is by contacting group sales service by email at ryhmat@musiikkitalo.fi or by telephone on 0600 411 101 (Monday to Friday, 9:00–15:00).
How about a cup of coffee, a bite to eat or a glass of bubbly during the interval? Order your drinks in advance to beat the queues and make the most of your concert visit. Interval refreshments are not available at all concerts.
Our location could not be more central or easier to get to. Almost all forms of Helsinki public transport stop right outside our doors, cycle parking is provided at all our entrances, and Aimo Park Finlandia, our nearest multi-storey car park, offers lift access directly to our main foyer.
At Helsinki Music Centre we are proud to be an accessible and welcoming place for everyone. Tactile handrails and signage have been fitted across the building, and there are tactile indicator strips on the floor too to guide partially sighted and blind visitors. Induction loops are always available, and guide or companion dogs are of course permitted within the building.
Concert Hall
The route to your seat is always printed on your ticket. Check the door number to find out which entrance to take. The seating areas are marked with letters. There is level access to all wheelchair seats from the main entrances. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with our venue – our staff are always on hand to help you find your seat.
Black Box, Camerata and Sonore
Use the row number printed on your ticket to find your seat. Wheelchair seats are situated on the same level as the entrance. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with our venue – our staff area always on hand to help you find your seat.
Unallocated seating
Please choose your seat on the day.
Floor plans
You can view our floor plans before your visit.
Cloakroom
We ask you to leave your coat and any larger items in the cloakroom. The cloakroom is free of charge.
Latecomers
Latecomers will be asked to wait until a suitable break in the performance or admitted after the interval.
Photography
You are not permitted to record concert performances at Helsinki Music Centre. However, you may take photographs before and after the concert and during applause. Individual concert organisers may have their own, more detail guidance regarding recording and photography.
Dress code
We’re happy to say we have no dress code at Helsinki Music Centre, and we positively encourage you to come as you are. However, we would be grateful if you could avoid wearing strong perfume during your visit so that people with asthma and fragrance sensitivity can enjoy our concerts symptom free.
