Finnish Baroque Orchestra

Finnish Baroque Orchestra (FiBO)

New commissions for period instruments, fresh interpretations of old repertoire, courageous and innovative working methods, unique concepts that engage a diverse audience - FiBO offers all this while being an influential force in the Nordic cultural scene.

I Press
II Artistic partners and performance arenas
III Artistic planning
IV The repertoire
V A versatile concept innovator
VI Recordings
VII A forerunner

I Press

IL TRIONFO DEL TEMPO E DEL DISINGANNO
8.6.2018 St. Sebald church Nürnberg, Internationale Orgelwoche Nürnberg
Händel

In der atmosphärisch beleuchtenden Sebalduskirche entfalten Hits wie "Crede i'uom ch'egli riposi" und (natürlich!) "Lascia la spina" eine ganz eigene, kontemplative Zauberkraft, mit deren Hilfe die timbre- und charaktermäßig ideal zusammengesetzten Stimmen des Gesangsquartetts (Maria Erlacher, Maria Ladurner, Marian Dijkhuizen und Nino Aurelio Gmünder) ganz leicht und frei durch den Raum schweben können. Das gilt auch für die wunderschönen, abgeklärt vor sich hinströmenden Oboen- und Geigensoli, die Händel seinem Jugendwerk so großzügig spendiert hat. Der Nachhall des mittelalterlichen Kirchenraums tut sein Übriges, um die Betörung komplett zu machen, wirkt sich allerdings nicht gerade vorteilhaft auf die flotteren Instrumentalpassagen aus. Hier muss man ein bisschen Musikbrei in Kauf nehmen - von dessen Entstehung das erstmals bei der Orgelwoche gastierende Finnish Baroque Orchestra jedoch freizusprechen ist. Einen feineren und federnderen instrumentalen Untergrund könnte man den Solisten kaum bieten, als es das Ensemble aus Helsinki tut.

Süddeutsche Zeitung / Stephan Schwarz-Peters 10.6.2018

FiBO & AMANDINE
20.5.2018 Dreieinigkeitskirche, Regensburg, Tage Alter Musik Regensburg
Leclair–Muffat–Telemann
Amandine Beyer, viulu ja liidaus
Suomalainen barokkiorkesteri

Stargeigerin des Originalklangs
Immerhin, nach Regensburg kommen die Stars der Alten Musik. Und dort bekommen sie die Anerkennung, die sie verdienen. Die Geigerin Amandine Beyer etwa, die mit dem Finnish Baroque Orchestra in der Dreieinigkeitskirche einen Abend mit Orchestermusik und Violinkonzerten von Muffat, Telemann und Jean Marie Leclair gestaltete. Beyer ist die Stargeigerin des Originalklangs, furchtlos, unerschütterlich virtuos beherrscht sie ihr Instrument und entlockt ihm das ganze Spektrum seiner Klänge. In jedem Stil scheint sie zu Hause zu sein. Ebenso in Regensburg, wo sie schon oft zu hören war. Das Finnish Baroque Orchestra ist für sie ein idealer Partner. Das Ensemble aus Helsinki gibt es seit 25 Jahren. Es hat sich in dieser Zeit zu einem geschmeidigen Klangkörper ganz ähnlich dem Freiburger Barockorchester entwickelt. Reaktionsschnell, charaktervoll, mit homogenem und klar definiertem Klang.
Es spricht für das Selbstverständnis dieses Orchesters, dass es mit einem Barock-Programm in Regensburg auftrat und in Suiten und Violinkonzerten von Telemann und Jean Marie Leclair seiner Solistin Beyer den Raum für die Entfaltung ihrer stupenden Virtuosität, ihres untrüglichen Geschmacks gab. Aber ehrlich: Mit diesen Musikern, hätte ich mir nichts lieber gewünscht als eines der Violinkonzerte von Mozart. Es sind Musiker mit dem Können und wie diese, die Mozarts Musik zu ihrer ganzen Wirkung bringen können. Gut, Frieden: in München gibt es die Reihe der Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, die uns diesen Standard zum Glück immer wieder vor Ohren führt.

KlassikInfo.de / Laszlo Molnar 5/2018

Instrumentales auf hohem Niveau war heuer unter anderem vom zupackend musizierenden Finnish Baroque Orchestra zu hören. Amandine Beyer animierte das groß besetzte Ensemble vom ersten Geigenpult aus zu spritzigen Darbietungen Muffats und Telemanns („Hamburger Ebb’ und Fluth“) und überzeugte als Solistin in einem Konzert Jean-Marie Leclairs. In der Suite aus „Scylla et Glaucus“ präsentierten die Finnen den Franzosen überraschenderweise als einen Komponisten, der es in Sachen Farben- und Einfallsreichtum beinahe mit Rameau aufnehmen kann.

nmz – neue musikzeitung / Juan Martin Koch 22.5.2018

II Artistic partners and performance arenas

During its thirty years long history, FiBO has performed with several outstanding artists. Among the partners of recent times are, for example, the singers Yeree Suh, Topi Lehtipuu, Silvia Frigati, Gyula Orendt, Gabriel Suovanen, Anu Komsi, Monica Groop, Sandrine Piau, Karina Gauvin and Tuuli Lindeberg. Although the orchestra often performs without a conductor, it has collaborated with many prominent chief conductors of Finnish orchestras, e.g. Paul Hillier, Hannu Lintu, John Storgårds, Tuomas Hannikainen and Juha Kangas. The orchestra has also been led by its concertmasters, like violinists Antti Tikkanen, Amandine Beyer, Sergey Malov, Peter Spissky, François Fernandez, Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch and Georg Kallweit, who have all performed as soloists in the orchestra, too. Violinist Ilya Gringolts, harpist Margret Köll, chalumeau player Asko Heiskanen and fortepianists Alexei Lubimov, Olga Pashchenko and Tuija Hakkila have also acted as soloists in the orchestra. The cooperation with the Meta4 quartet is especially valued by the orchestra. The quartet has, for example, functioned as the orchestra’s principal players when symphonic music has been performed without conductor.

The Finnish Baroque Orchestra regularly gives its Residency Series concerts in the festive setting of the House of Nobility in Helsinki. The Orchestra has performed at all major Finnish festivals, like Helsinki Festival, Kuhmo Chamber Music and Turku Music Festival, as well as in notable halls around Finland. Yearly, the orchestra carries out some one hundred projects including concerts and educational projects, as well as international touring.

III Artistic planning

The orchestra is being developed by an artistic design group, chosen by the instrumentalists themselves. In 2019, the group consists of harpsichord player Petteri Pitko , flutist Pauliina Fred and administrator and violist Laura Kajander. The colourful and diverse ideas rising from the orchestra have a good breeding ground in the communal atmosphere, which is one of the characteristics of the orchestra and the recipe for its success.

IV The repertoire

FiBO’s concert programmes comprise both traditional Baroque concerts and fresh combinations of beloved Baroque pieces. The orchestra also plays Classic and early Romantic music, combined with music commissioned by the orchestra and newly written music. An example of this innovative thinking is the composition Mora (2012) by Jukka Tiensuu, the first Finnish piece written for a large Baroque orchestra, which FiBO has ordered, premiered and recorded. Programmes like "Brexit music", "Dancing Queen", "From Russia with love", "Birth of earth (with Kalevala)" or "Eine kleine Bachmusic" are examples of innovative planning not forgetting active co-operation with other art forms. Il Trionfo del tempo e del disinganno with video and light effects reacently got a lot of attencion of the press in Finland and Germany.

V A versatile concept innovator

FiBO Collegium is the orchestra’s educational team that coordinates various happenings, the contact to the audience, concerts for children, schools and institutions, and the greatly popular senior orchestra. The grandest projects result in Concerto Grosso performances, where several hundreds of professionals and youth gather to play together. Dancers, circus artists and even Olympic athletes have participated in the spectacles – and this is only in waiting for a Viking themed Nordic collaboration!

FiBO Players perform in a chamber sized ensemble that plays the instrumentalists’ favourite music. FiBO Singers, again, is a recently established vocal ensemble consisting of skilled ensemble singers and professional solo singers, and in some concerts they get to be both.

FiBO has also given performances in more unusual venues, for example in a subway car, as home concert ensembles or as the orchestra for a relaxing lie-down concert. Parks, librarys, clubs, etc. are familiar too. New listeners are reached through novel projects and commitments.

VI Recordings

Recordings of the orchestra’s own productions are called the FiBO Records. The first album was recorded in January 2017, and it includes beloved Baroque pieces like the Brandenburg Concertos by Bach, concerts by Vivaldi, starring the orchestra’s own soloists, and Jukka Tiensuu’s Mora with Topi Lehtipuu. The second album was published in February 2019 including only contemporary music from Sarah Nemtsov, Jukka Tiensuu and Perttu Haapanen. FiBO has worked also with other labels like BIS, Alpha, Alba and Ondine.

VII A forerunner

All through its history, FiBO has been a forerunner in many aspects in Finland. Starting as The Sixth Floor Orchestra, it played an important part in the emergence of the Baroque movement, and later on, the excellent playing and ingenious concepts have raised attention. Awards like the Musical Act of the Year and the Record of the Year, the fact that concepts created by FiBO have been reused by others, and increasing governmental economic support are signs of the strong appreciation that the orchestra is enjoying.

The orchestra’s unique programmes and skilful playing have received high praise from audiences and press alike: ”Das Finnish Baroque Orchestra begeisterte im Linzer Brucknerhaus” (OÖ Nachrichten / Wruss 14.3.2015)

The entire audience seemed to smile happily when the entire orchestra began to sing Purcell’s chorus ‘No Stars Again Shall Hurt You’. Helsingin Sanomat / Vesa Sirén 9.6.2016

The interaction between singers and the musicians during the Advent concert left nothing to be desired; it is easy to agree with the superlatives that were heard from the audience after the sold-out oratorio: such a wonderfully heavenly concert is experienced very, very rarely. Östra Nyland / Egil Green 28.11.2016