HPO to kick off concert season with an open-air screening for the entire city

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra will kick off its concert season on Friday 5 September by inviting the entire city to watch a live screening in front of the Musiikkitalo Music Centre. At the open-air screening, the orchestra's concert will be visible and audible on the media wall outside the Musiikkitalo. The concert can be enjoyed from benches to be provided or from your own picnic blanket on the lawns by the Kansalaistori square.

A soft landing to the world of symphony concerts

The open-air screening is free of charge, and the terrace café outside the Music Centre will be open throughout the evening. The open-air screening is a great way to try out whether a symphony concert is suitable for you or the younger members of your family. You can even enjoy your own picnic on the lawns on the Mannerheimintie side of the concert hall.

A pre-concert talk will be held before the concert at 6:15pm on the glazed patio, where Jari Eskola, the orchestra’s new General Manager, will introduce the themes of the concert. The pre-concert talk is also free of charge and will offer excellent tips for what to listen out for during the concert.

Brahms’ Lullaby bids good night to the city

The concert beings at 7pm in the Musiikkitalo concert hall, and at the same time the live stream will also begin on the media wall outside the concert hall. The first half of the concert will feature works by contemporary composers, as the programme will include works by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra's composers-in-residence from the past couple of years. The concert begins with the Finnish premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir's Aeriality, conducted by Chief Conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste, followed by Samy Moussa's Stasis for eight spatialised French horns with gongs. Before the intermission, the audience can enjoy Anna Clyne's Prince of Clouds, with solo violin by Pekka Kuusisto and the orchestra's own Second Concertmaster Kreeta-Julia Heikkilä. Principal Guest Conductor Pekka Kuusisto will also conduct Moussa's and Clyne's works.

Following the intermission, as the sun sets, Saraste will conduct Johannes Brahms' Second Symphony, which is particularly famous for the lullaby theme of the first movement. By the time the concert ends, we will hopefully have bid our hometown a very good night.