Contemporary art music meets modern electronic at Musica nova Helsinki
Finland’s largest contemporary music festival Musica nova Helsinki takes over concert venues of the capital city from February 1 to 12. This biennially held festival presents again an interesting combination of the very latest music and contemporary classics.
The theme of Musica nova Helsinki 2017 is Open Spaces. In addition to new classical music, the festival focuses more than before on electronic music and avant-garde pop. The current artistic director of Musica nova Helsinki is conductor André de Ridder.
There are several premieres of Finnish composers in the festival as well: The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra will premiere Sauli Zinovjev’s new work for orchestra, Batteria. The same opening concert includes the Finnish premiere of Sebastian Hilli’s Reachings. Antti Auvinen’s new concerto for Moog synthesizer will be premiered by UMO and Kari Ikonen in Kamppi Centre in three different concerts. Paavali Jumppanen gives premiere to Perttu Haapanen’s trilogy of works for piano and electronics. Tiina Myllärinen’s new work Railo will have its premiere by the Helsinki Chamber Choir, and Tapiola Sinfonietta will premiere Jarkko Hartikainen’s Habitus.
Uusinta Ensemble will perform works by young Nordic composers, including Traeumerei by Ville Raasakka. Veli Kujala will have his own recital concert at Kamppi Chapel, in which he performs his composition Hyperchromatic Counterpoint.
The concert by the defunensemble will showcase recent electroacoustic music of international and Finnish origin and culminate in a premiere of Islaja’s works arranged for defunensemble.