Archives: Tapahtumat

In Naantali, the annual cycle does not follow familiar paths. Uneven rhythms and fiery pace take over Sebastian Fagerlund’s Octet and Astor Piazzolla’s Winter, while Vernon Duke takes a Broadway bathed in light to a Paris in spring. Experimental music master George Crumb’s haunting Music for a Summer Evening resonates with every listener.

Arto Noras, the Finnish Grand Old Man of cello, and the international students of his masterclass perform their works prepared during the Music Festival both together and individually.

As well as operas and concertos, W. A. Mozart composed unrivalled light music that was played all over Europe’s courts and spas. The playful Divertimento for three wind instruments was written for the common amusement of a group of friends, while the Divertimento in E-flat major was probably the world’s first string trio. Light or not, every note carries the weight of Mozart’s unique touch.

Naantali Music Festival features a high-quality music course for young cello and violin students. The final concert of the Vallis Gratiae Academy showcases works prepared during the week, interpreted by top young talents.

Hardly any element of nature resounds in music as clearly as the sea: its waves, its peace, its endlessness – and its unstoppable power. The soft swells and treacherous undertows of the traditional In Honorem Maris concert is provided by the music of Debussy, Fagerlund and Ravel.

The idyllic setting of Naantalin Kaivohuone combines light classical music and traditional afternoon tea with sweet and savoury treats. The hour-long concert contains familiar and atmospheric compositions performed by the Aboa Quartet.

“These notes of mine kiss all of you. They call for you passionately,” wrote Leoš Janáček to his young beloved in the cover letter of his string quartet. Richard Wagner’s haunting Tristan and Isolde also deals with lust and longing for one’s beloved. American composer Amy Beach’s piano quintet, full of late Romantic passion, has become a favourite with audiences and critics alike in recent years.

All the darkness in the world is not enough to extinguish the light of a single candle, and without shadows there would be no light. Sebastian Fagerlund’s dramatic Transient Light and Ralf Gothóni’s melodrama, based on a Zen Buddhist story, bring us face to face with age-old questions. Paavali Jumppanen performs Franz Liszt’s most iconic piano work, the Piano Sonata in B minor, which reaches from darkness to light.

Music is an omen, at least for Gustav Mahler. Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children) was written three years before the death of his own child. He composed Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), a symphony that ends in a farewell, to avoid the same fate that had led Schubert and Beethoven to an early grave – alas, things turned out differently. Legendary lied pianist Hartmut Höll and rising star Yajie Zhang perform Mahler’s songs, whose prophecies came true.

Four of the concert’s enduring favourites tell stories of life and death. While Mozart’s quartet rings with uninhibited joy, Johannes Brahms’s trio, composed in memory of his mother, is an ethereal picture of beautiful memories. Jörg Widmann’s Jagdquartett, one of the most performed pieces of our time, takes us on a terrifying hunting trip from which there is only one way out.

In the concert Schubertiade we’ll hear the most beloved works of Franz Schubert performed by soprano Helena Juntunen and pianists Barry Douglas and Paavali Jumppanen.

It sounds antique, it has an ancient name and a patinated surface – but is it old? While Ottorino Respighi and Alfred Schnittke’s series resonate with the glories of early Baroque, Anna Clyne’s Rest These Hands brings about goosebumps with sounds from beyond history. The concert takes listeners on a journey into a past that may never have existed. The programme culminates in the performance of the youngest performer of the Naantali Music Festival of all times, violinist Lilja Haatainen, who is only 12 years old but has already won her share of international competitions.

Musical Divine Service organised by the Naantali Parrish.

J. S. Bach’s mammoth Clavier-Übung series culminates with the Goldberg Variations, a journey of over an hour to the heart of musical form. Created “for music lovers to refresh their spirits”, the wistful aria and its 30 variations have given life to both wild legends and indescribable sentiments for over 250 years. The arrangement for string trio is performed by Minna Pensola, Antti Tikkanen and Tomas Djupsjöbacka of the Meta4 group.

Heinrich Ignaz Biber transformed the possibilities of violin playing in 1670 with a collection of pieces whose emotional and virtuosic demands reached higher than ever before. The Mysterium sonatas depict the Catholic Church’s Rosary, the mysteries of Jesus’ life in a spirit of joy, sorrow and praise. This rarely heard baroque melody is performed by Dutch violinist Liza Ferschtman and Estonian-born pianist Irina Zahharenkova from Finland.

The winner of the Sibelius Violin Competition 2022, Inmo Yang visits Naantali together with Lahti Symphony Orchestra and conductor John Storgårds.

Finnish blues queen Marjo Leinonen and saxophonist Jukka Perko and his PreBoppers band offer evergreen, heel-rocking jazz in the spirit of BIllie Holiday, accompanied by three-course dinner.

Finnish music was born in the forest. Finnish music was born in the forest. Jean Sibelius heard the echoes of both his great symphonies and his aphoristic piano pieces in birdsong and humming trees, and it was from nature’s mysterious seduction that the thrilling story of the Wood Nymph was born. For Outi Tarkiainen, inspired by the nature of Lapland, the forest provides a hiding place, a platform for spiritual growth and a home for ancient stories. Outi Tarkiainen is one of the fastest rising Finnish composers of her generation internationally.

Samuli Edelmann’s iconic albums called ‘Vaiheet’ consist of compositions of his father Toni Edelmann. Now the most beloved songs will be heard accompanied by e.g. a string qurtet.

Naantali Winter Concert 2023, Songs of Armonlaakso, consists of works by Selim Palmgren, a composer who spent his summers in Naantali. The artists of the concert are soprano Annukka Kuivisto, pianist Henrik Järvi, Chamber Choir Key Ensemble directed by Jutta Seppinen and organist Miika Hartikainen.

Naantali Music Festival starts with a bang! Duo per Due, composed especially for this concert by Auli Sallinen, is premiered by Arto Noras, who has led the Music Festival for 40 years, and the new artistic director, violinist Elina Vähälä. Belgian composer César Franck’s works are filled with passion and the pathos of late Romanticism, while Korean composer Jeajoon Ryu’s cello sonata translates the beauty of the 19th century into contemporary language.

Olli Kortekangas’ church opera for singer, dancer, organ and clarinet, cello and piano is based on Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Letters from Prison.

The new Skipper Quartet follows in the footsteps of the original Skipper Quartet, which has become a cultural institution. The songs and narratives of their dramatised concert will tickle the ears and funny bones of music lovers as the two brothers-in-arms of the Quartet grapple for top spot.

Naantali Children’s Music Festival: Magic Bus Travel Thu June 9th at 6 pm, Kristoffer Hall, Naantali. Siina & Taikaradio invite the whole family on a bus trip where anything is possible, and everyone can join in the singing and playing!