Estimated duration
2 h 45 min., incl. intermission
Organizer
Suomalainen barokkiorkesteri / Finländska barockorkestern / Finnish Baroque Orchestra
The Finnish Baroque Orchestra's Top European Choirs Series continues with the Zürcher Sing-Akademie’s visit! The concert features Haydn’s The Seasons.
NN, soprano
Martin Mitterrutzner, tenor
Manuel Walser, bass
Zürcher Sing-Akademie
Finnish Baroque Orchestra
Florian Helgath, conductor
The Finnish Baroque Orchestra’s Top European Choirs Series continues with the Zürcher Sing-Akademie’s visit! The concert features Joseph Haydn’s colourful oratorio The Seasons (1801). The choir was founded in 2011 and has collaborated with specialists in early music such as René Jacobs and Sir Roger Norrington. The artistic director of the Zürcher Sing-Akademie is Florian Helgath.
The Seasons followed Haydn’s popular oratorio The Creation (1798). Instead of Biblical tone painting and philosophical study, it contains imaginative descriptions of the annual cycle, with wine flowing in the pastoral scenes.
The librettist was once again Gottfried van Swieten. He was a patron of music, diplomat and imperial librarian, as well as the leader of Gesellschaft der Associierten, which arranged large-scale concerts. Haydn’s own career had taken a turn, leading him to work as the court conductor at Esterházy mainly in the summer. He was able to travel and to compose for the lively musical scene in Vienna.
Van Swieten’s libretto, based on the Scotsman James Thomson’s popular pastoral poem, did not inspire Haydn very much. Despite this, the result is a musical tour de force, in which warm Singspiel choirs, delightful arias and fugues of the high oratorio style meet. Grasshoppers, frogs, the divine sunrise and the freezing winter all get their poignant musical descriptions.
In FiBO’s “Top European Choirs” series, the orchestra collaborates with world-renowned international choirs from 2022 to 2025. The Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation support the series from 2023 to 2025. The first concert in this series took place in February 2022 with Det Norske Solistkor, the second one in February 2023 with Arcangelo, the third one in October 2023 with RIAS Chamber Choir and the fourth one in February 2024 Vox Luminis.
The pre-event will take place from 3 to 3.30 pm in the main foyer of the Musiikkitalo, at the café end.
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.
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.
