Helsinki Baroque Orchestra

Helsinki Baroque Orchestra

Häkkinen inspires his musicians into a softly atmospheric evocation of pastoral spaciousness interspersed with shadows of gentle agitation. Excellent.
– Nalen Anthoni, Gramophone 10/2012 (Editor’s Choice)

For twenty years Helsinki Baroque Orchestra’s performances and recordings have been captivating audiences with their potent combination of emotional eloquence and infectious vitality. The orchestra’s programmes frequently include first modern performances of unpublished or reconstructed masterpieces, and also shed unexpected and often provocative new light on more familiar works. Their music-making has contributed to the ensemble’s reputation as major exponents of Baltic and German Baroque music.

At home, groundbreaking productions of Hasses’, Handel’s, Haydn’s, Koželuch’s operas have earned the orchestra wide recognition. Since 2011, Helsinki Baroque Orchestra’s monthly series at the Helsinki Music Centre has reached a large, new and enthusiastic public. A visionary selection of repertoire and guest artists has ignited the audience in an unprecedented way, and in the process catalysed Early Music’s elevation to something of a cult status in Finland.

Aapo Häkkinen is an interesting guy who, with minimal external gestures, has created an exciting sex appeal around his ensemble. Of course it’s ultimately all about impeccable musicianship, which … seems to be unrivalled in the Nordic countries.
– Mats Liljeroos, Hufvudstadsbladet, 3.1.2012

Equally at home in a more intimate setting, Helsinki Baroque Orchestra has launched its own midsummer festival in the idyllic setting of Janakkala’s medieval stone church.

Helsinki Baroque’s sound has enthralled listeners from the Amsterdam Concertgebouw to Berlin’s Konzerthaus and the Cologne Philharmonie, and at major festivals such as Bremen, Rheingau, Washington, and Jerusalem. Recurring soloists and guest directors include Franco Fagioli, Isabelle Faust, Reinhard Goebel, Erich Höbarth, René Jacobs, Julia Lezhneva, Werner Güra, Carolyn Sampson, Enrico Onofri and Skip Sempé.

Doch das war nur der Höhepunkt. In diesem Konzert stimmte auch sonst alles.
– Joachim Lange, Leipziger Volkszeitung, 5.6.2012