UNDER THE SUN OF NAANTALI
“The charming and summer sea-inspired environment of Naantali has inspired me to curate the festival program, with the goal of taking the listener above the everyday to enjoy, discover, and feel on a wide scale,” says artistic director Elina Vähälä.
June 3rd: Opening concert Under The Naantali Sun takes the listeners into the embrace of light-filled melodies. Joseph Haydn’s Sunrise String Quartet will be followed by Ottorino Respighi’s Il Tramonto (The Sunset) and the timeless, emotionally moving Pjotr Tchaikovsky classic Memories of Florence. The program will be performed by top musicians arriving at the festival, including violinists Elina Vähälä, Liza Ferschtman ja Jan Söderblom, violist Jennifer Stumm, cellists Claudio Bohorquez and Jan-Erik Gustafsson and soprano Tuuli Lindeberg, which will conclude the evening with the famous Neapolitan song O Sole Mio.
AULIS SALLINEN 90 YEARS: SHAKA – WARRIOR KING
June 5th: The Naantali Music Festival celebrates the 90th birthday of composer master Aulis Sallinen with his new work Shaka – Warrior king with a melodramatic world premiere. The story of the melodrama takes us 200 years back to southern Africa, where the fear and respect-inspiring Shaka (1787-1828) reflects on his conquests both in war and love. The stormy tale features a prominent role played by the actor known from the Helsinki City Theatre’s Moulin Rouge musical actor Matti Leino. On the recording, you will hear Iiris-Lilja Lassila’s and Tauno Palo’s echoes of nostalgia.
June 6th: In The Colors Of The Night Sky concert takes you to the world of French Romanticism, featuring Hector Berlioz’s song cycle Summer Nights, with an arrangement made by Ville Kompa for the festival, interpreted by mezzo-soprano Tuija Knihtilä and her chamber ensemble. Maurice Ravel’s and Ernst von Dohnányi’s colorful worlds will be introduced by flutist Niahm McKenna and clarinetist Christoffer Sundqvist with their friends. In the world premiere of Anna-Mari Kähärä’s horn quintet, horn player Ilkka Puputti and the concertmaster of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Philip Zuckerman, will shine with their quartet.
ABOUT NEW SOUND WORLDS
June 7th: Laura Hynninen & The Magical Harp
Double Emma Award nominee and recipient of the Yleisradio (Finnish Broadcasting Company) Album of the Year Award, harpist Laura Hynninen will guide you on a unique and immersive journey through her music that defies stylistic definitions, with the harp at the center, combined with live electronics.
The folk music ensemble Frigg and the Kamus String Quartet will perform the long-awaited joint concert, where the even rhythms of classical music twist into complex patterns, folk meets baroque, and timeless classics are reborn in bold arrangements. The evening of surprises will be crowned by Marzi Nyman’s commissioned work for this ten-piece folk band.
ICONIC CHACONNE AND FUTURE STARS
June 8th: Violinist Liza Ferschtman will guide us to contemplate Johann Sebastian Bach’s profound messages about the afterlife, with the iconic Chaconne at its core. In 1994, researcher Helga Thoene made a groundbreaking discovery: hidden within the seemingly secular Partita were hints of verses from choral works telling of death and loss. What did Bach want to convey? Was there a detailed plan behind it all? The soulful soprano Tuuli Lindeberg will lead us to the mystery with a vocal ensemble she has assembled.
June 8th: Fantasy and Matter invites us to the divine beauty and imaginative works of French Romantics Claude Debussy, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Gabriel Fauré, where the chamber musicians are joined by the brilliant virtuoso Albert Sahlström, who recently achieved success at the Kuopio Violin Competition. The Future Stars will be heard during the festival in two concerts, as the Naantali Music Festival continues its collaboration with the Finnish String Academy, which trains young musicians, through masterclasses and concerts.
LASSE MÅRTENSON AND LAURI PORRA
Conductor and composer Johanna Almark brings the critically acclaimed, audience-beloved Lasse Mårtenson concert to Naantali: Night by the Sea, Myrskyluodon Maija, and other unforgettable classics will be heard in Almark’s ambitious arrangements for chamber orchestra and vocalist on June 12th.
Lauri Porras’ composition The Four Seasons of Moominvalley celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Moomins, of course, in Moominworld on June 9, 2025! The piece is combined with Carlos da Cruz’s classic animation, including the story of “The Invisible Child,” which will be interpreted by actress Alma Pöysti.
The much-anticipated return of Tapiola Sinfonietta to Naantali
We are living in the most comfortable time in history, yet we still struggle to enjoy it. Have we forgotten the art of joy? This is the question posed by Iiro Rantala in his double concerto Joy of Life, filled with virtuosity and playful energy for orchestra, violin, and piano. The composer himself performs as the soloist, alongside violinist Minna Pensola. The orchestra is conducted by Antti Tikkanen. Childlike playfulness also shines through in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony, using irony, parody, and exaggeration. Known for its virtuosic expressiveness, Tapiola Sinfonietta makes its much-anticipated return to Naantali after a 20-year hiatus on June 13th.
DIANDRA, IIRO RANTALA AND JOHANNA FÖRSTI
The evening concert will be celebrated with Iiro Rantala and Stadin Stuff. Expect Steve Gadd’s music with a tight groove and rich R&B style interpreted by Johanna Försti. Diandra & Co will headline the Kaivohuone evening club, bringing a program of the most famous classics by international stars as well as some of the most captivating and atmospheric pieces familiar to Finns.
TUOMO RANNANKARI FOR THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC FESTIVAL
Familiar from children’s programs, singer-songwriter Tuomo Rannankari and Anssi Salminen will bring some groove to the whole family concert at the Children’s Music Festival on June 6th. This year’s children’s celebration includes a family picnic with blankets and snacks, as well as plenty of activities for everyone. The event is organized in collaboration with Save the Children, the City of Naantali, and Naantali Museums.
