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The Avant Chamber Orchestra concert on Sunday 12 December will feature modernist classics. Fellow composers Karlheinz Stockhausen and György Ligeti will be explored through chamber and solo works in the Knights’ Hall.

One of the works to be performed is Tierkreis (“Animal Track”), one of Stockhausen’s most popular compositions, composed between 1974-75. Tierkreis goes through all twelve stars of the zodiac in simple melodies that can be played on almost any instrument. Stockhausen laid down a lot of rules for his work, but on the other hand gave a lot of freedom.

The people of Avant create their own version of the work. Musicians who are not unfamiliar with Stockhausen’s music have been gathered to perform and arrange the work. Among the musicians interpreting Stockhausen are accordionist Veli Kujala, kantele player Eija Kankaanranta, saxophonist Sampo Kasurinen and Karoliina Kantelinen, who also sings in the Värttinä band.

Avant’s artistic director, clarinetist Kari Kriikku, who also plays in the work, promises a performance that may surprise not only the audience but also the musicians themselves. “In Avant’s version, the liberties taken by Stockhausen are stretched to the limit – without forgetting the rules.”

Kriikku does not deny Stockhausen’s role as one of the leading figures of modernism. “Stockhausen’s interest began with his early work. But for many devoted fans, it was too much when he started composing about constellations and planets. I find all kinds of Stockhausen interesting.”

Another true modernist classic is György Ligeti’s Chamber Concerto, with the polyrhythmic cadenzas and solo stems of the 13-piece ensemble conducted by Taavi Oramo. The chamber works will be paired with solo works, giving a different perspective on the composers’ productions. Ligeti’s intense and extremely fast Continuum for harpsichord will be performed by Sanni Antikainen and Stockhausen’s Piano Piece IX will be interpreted by Mariola Aniolek.

Modernist classics: the Stockhausen & Ligeti concert on Sunday 12.12.2021 at 18:00 at the Ritarihuone in Helsinki. Tickets 30/25/15 € + delivery fee (from 1 €) in Lippupiste’s online shop(www.lippu.fi).

Guidelines for concert audiences

Avanti! strongly recommends the use of a face mask, good hand hygiene and keeping a safe distance from other parties. Only part of the hall’s capacity is available for sale. You cannot attend the concert if you have mild symptoms of covid19 or suspect exposure to the infection.

Red Nose Company and the National Theatre bring the life and works of Aleksis Kivi to the Great Stage

The work, which is part of the 150th anniversary year of the National Theatre, will premiere on 17 February 2022.The co-production also includes the Chamber Orchestra Avanti!, the City Theatres of Jyväskylä, Lahti, Kuopio and Turku, and the Tampere Workers’ Theatre.

Aleksis Kivi is a comedy about a man who became a monument. Why has Kivi been put on a pedestal in our country? What was the price he paid for his uncompromising dedication to his art and for going his own way?

Aleksis Kivi explores themes related to the national writer, from death to love, from existentialism to money, and from nature to the problems of the modern world. The show also explores the lesser-known aspects of the writer and the people who influenced his life, allowing Kivi to be the artist he wanted to be.

Of course, the Seven Brothers and Esko of the Nummisutarians will be on stage. Kivi’s strong female roles, such as Lea, whose eponymous play (1869) is considered to be the beginning of Finnish theatre, will also have their rightful place.

Red Nose Company actors Timo Ruuskanen and Tuukka Vasama are known for their insightful interpretations of classics and seamless interplay. Their clown interpretations of works by Kari Hotakainen, Ilmari Kianno and Miguel de Cervantes have reached over 40 000 Finns. The performance will be co-directed by Linda Wallgren, whose Kivi interpretations have recently been seen in Turku and Lahti. The performance, which radiates humour and playfulness, highlights Kivi’s versatility as a user of language and a master of style. The script was created in collaboration with Eva Buchwald, dramaturg at the National Theatre. The lyrical text is accompanied by the Avant Chamber Orchestra String Quartet led by Niko Kumpuvaara.

In preparing the performance, the working group has read Kivi’s biographies, contemporary descriptions, letters and criticisms, and above all, Kivi’s complete works, together and separately. “There are many different stories about the life of Aleksis Kivi. We do not know what the truth is about him. But we do have his writings – they are the truth about him for us actors,” says Timo Ruuskanen.

“For me, the most important thing about Kivi is the language,” Tuukka Vasama reflects. “Kivi himself has said that writing is like walking in the forest. And that’s what reading his texts is for me to a large extent, walking in the Finnish landscape.”

First performance on the Great Stage of the National Theatre 17.2.2022

Ten performances at the National Theatre. The production will continue on tour from the Kansallisteatteri to various parts of Finland in autumn 2022. The co-production also includes Jyväskylä City Theatre, Lahti City Theatre, Kuopio City Theatre, Tampere Workers’ Theatre, Turku City Theatre and the chamber orchestra Avanti!

Working Group
Actors Timo Ruuskanen and Tuukka Vasama
Accordion, music direction Niko Kumpuvaara
String Quartet (Chamber Orchestra Avanti!) Eriikka Maalismaa / Terhi Paldanius / Tommi Asplund (violin), Olga Reskalenko / Santtu Podzniakov (viola) / Joasia Cieślak (cello)
Text and dramaturgy Eva Buchwald, Timo Ruuskanen, Linda Wallgren and Tuukka Vasama Direction Timo Ruuskanen, Linda Wallgren and Tuukka Vasama Dramaturg Eva Buchwald Set and costume design Tarja Simone Lighting design Ville Virtanen Make-up design Petra Kuntsi Music arrangement Marzi Nyman and Niko Kumpuvaara

Find out more about the work on the show’s website.

Red Nose Company is a Helsinki-based theatre group, one of the most sought-after touring theatres in Finland. The group’s performances of Don Quixote, Babylon, Red Line and Runway Road, as well as the family performances of The Emperor’s New Clothes and Frankenstein, have captivated audiences all over Finland. In 2019, the group broke its audience record: 22 000 spectators.

After a long hiatus that limited its activities, the chamber orchestra Avanti! will return to full concerts in the historic hall of the Knights’ Hall on 12 December. Modernist classics Karlheinz Stockhausen yes György Ligeti take centre stage in a concert that is at the heart of Avant’s approach to the work.

Fellow composers Stockhausen and Ligeti moved in different directions in their musical styles, but both can be considered equally virtuosic and futuristic. The cult figure Stockhausen gave his own twist to the signs of the zodiac with his Tierkreis. These will be transformed in an avant-garde and avant-garde style, with traditional orchestral instruments being joined by harmonica and kantele, among others, to interpret Tierkreis.

Colourful surfaces and changing textures are the delights of Ligeti’s Chamber Concerto. The 13-piece ensemble is led by the rising star of the conducting scene Taavi Oramo. The chamber works will be paired with solo works for keyboard. Ligeti’s intense micropolyphonic Continuum for harpsichord is performed by Sanni Antikainen and Stockhausen’s piano piece IX takes hold Mariola Aniolek.

Modernist classics: the Stockhausen & Ligeti concert on Sunday 12.12.2021 at 18:00 at the Ritarihuone in Helsinki. Tickets for the concert go on sale on Fri 15.10. at 12 noon in Lippupiste’s online shop. Tickets cost 30/25/15 € + delivery fee (from 1 €). www.lippu.fi).

Avanti! strongly recommends the use of a face mask and good hand and sputum hygiene.

AUF: Music for all – three orchestras together again on Tuesday 14 September at 19:00 in the Concert Hall of the Music Centre.

You can enjoy the music at the Musiikkitalo or watch the free livestream on the Helsinki Channel. The concert broadcast will be available free of charge for one month, until Tuesday 12.10.2021.

The concert will also be radioed and broadcast on Yle Radio 1 on Thursday 16.9.2021 at 19.02. The concert will also be available on Yle Arena from 16 September for 30 days.

The programme for the concert can be found here.

Avanti!, UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra & Finnish Baroque Orchestra (FiBO)
Taavi Oramo, conductor

Three independent orchestras from the capital will join forces in a concert that crosses boundaries but combines styles and eras. Together and separately, the musicians of Avant, UMO Helsinki and FiBO will perform works that bring together old and new, light and serious. The programme includes the premiere of Sampo Kasurinen’s Do Androids Dream, composed for the unique AUF ensemble, and Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, with jazz arrangements by Ursula Reich alongside original Baroque versions.