Estimated duration
2 h, incl. intermission
Organizer
Suomalainen barokkiorkesteri (FiBO)
From sorrow to joy, farewell to hope. Experience Bach’s vocal splendour in an international top performance, including the Ascension Oratorio!
Serafina Starke, soprano
Ulrike Malotta, mezzo-soprano
Jan Petryka, tenor
André Morsch, bass
Zürcher Sing-Akademie
Finnish Baroque Orchestra
Florian Helgath, conductor
The long-awaited continuation of the Top European Choirs series is here! The previous collaboration between the Finnish Baroque Orchestra (FiBO) and the Zürcher Sing-Akademie in autumn 2025 delighted audiences and musicians alike, and the plans for the next joint project began to take shape already during the tour. The choir is now returning to Finland to perform together with FiBO and soloists, conducted by Florian Helgath. Together, they will guide the audience through the rich world of Johann Sebastian Bach’s vocal music, where profound sorrow gives way to radiant light. The programme also features the rarely performed, touching Ascension Oratorio. The concerts are arranged in Turku, Helsinki, Zurich and Bern.
More than 200 of Bach’s cantatas have survived, making them a significant part of his oeuvre. In them, the composer explored all aspects of human life. Some of the cantatas are secular, but Bach composed most of them to be performed in the churches in Leipzig. Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis dates back to Bach’s earlier Weimar period. It was performed again in 1723, shortly after Bach took up his post as director of the St Thomas Choir in Leipzig. The work is a lavish example of Bach’s early cantata style. In the cantata’s dramaturgy, unrelenting sorrow gives way to joy.
Bach’s cantatas, oratorios and passions are also an endless journey of exploration into the instrumentation of the Baroque orchestra. Even the virtuoso motets, often perceived as only choral works, should be performed with the available instruments. This time, there is a rare opportunity to hear the motet Singet dem Herrn (c. 1726) with a full orchestra. In the piece, vocal rhetoric and instrumental texture blend seamlessly. It encapsulates all the sounds of creation.
The Ascension Oratorio (1738) is Bach’s final oratorio. The Christmas Oratorio, composed four years earlier, was a monumental collection of six cantatas. This later miniature oratorio is a heartwarming gem. It is characterised by a concise narrative, a vibrant orchestration, and original compositional solutions. The profound depiction of the farewell is followed by the hope and expectation of a reunion.
In the Top European Choirs series, FiBO brought prominent international choirs to perform with the orchestra between 2022 and 2025, largely with the support of the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. In this new instalment in the series, Bach’s music is being given the interpreters it deserves.
The pre-concert talk is arranged from 6 to 6.30 pm in the main foyer of the Music Centre, adjacent to the café.
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
When purchasing a concert ticket in the Music Centre’s ticket shop, you can view the sightline from your seat in a 360-degree view.
How to use the 360-degree view: Select your preferred seat on the seating map and then choose the ticket type.
On a mobile device, the 360-degree image opens when you tap the chevron at the top edge of the bottom panel. Tapping the image again opens it in full-screen mode, allowing you to rotate the view.
On a computer, you will find the “My Seat” section in the upper-right corner of the ticket shop. Below the heading, a photo of the Concert Hall is displayed. Clicking the image opens the view from the selected seat. You can rotate the image with your mouse to explore the view from the seat in greater detail.
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.
