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.
Here are some links (also found in the list on the right-hand side of the page), grouped by type of programme! Please remember, some of this material is NOT public and ONLY for promotional use.
/// CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Earthrise – A. Barrière, A.E. Egecioglu, M. Henriksson, J.T. Koskinen
”This is not what this century was supposed to be about”
A performance of music theatre at the crossroads between early and contemporary music and improvisation, Earthrise brings to the stage an age of scientific revolutions, science denial and witch trials: our own. Astronomer Johannes Kepler and his mother Katharina Kepler are the unexpected guides inviting us to look for answers in our dreams.
Video teaser & project description
Photos
/ WITH EUROPEAN TOP CHOIRS
Collaboration projects planned with Zürcher Sing-Akademie, RIAS, Collegium Vocale Gent, Norske Solistkor, Helsinki Chamber Choir and others.
/ SMALL SIZE
Alla Guerra d’Amor
The Passions of War, the Rhetoric of Love
This program explores a world where love and war share the same musical language. In works by Monteverdi, Falconieri, Uccelini, Biber and Schmelzer, battle gestures - trumpet-like calls, rhythmic drive, and electrifying stile concitato - become expressions of passion. Across sacred and secular pieces, love emerges as urgent, volatile, and sometimes deeply physical. Danish bass Jakob Bloch Jespersen leads the audience through this charged landscape, where instrumental brilliance and vocal drama intertwine, culminating in a newly commissioned work by Paola Livorsi.
Jakob Bloch Jespersen, bass-baritone
Finnish Baroque Orchestra (8-9 musicians)
En Saga
Nature and Myth in Finnish Romantic Music
This program is a journey into the soundscapes of Finland, where forests, legends and mythic figures take on music form. At its heart lies a rare reconstruction of the original chamber version of En Saga by Jean Sibelius, revealing an intimate and enigmatic side of this iconic symphonic poem. Bernhard Romberg’s Divertimento on the Finnish Folk Song reflects an earlier European fascination with nordic themes. By contrast, the Clarinet Quartet by Bernhard Henrik Crusell marks a step towards a distinct and authentic Finnish voice, combining classical clarity with striking originality. Led by Lorenzo Coppola, one of today’s leading historical clarinettists, the program unfolds as a series of vivid musical scenes shaped by nature, myth and nordic imagination.
Lorenzo Coppola, clarinet
Finnish Baroque Orchestra (6 musicians)
Vivaldi’s Treasure
Echos of Venice: Rediscovering the Salterio and its hidden voices
This program centres on the salterio, a now-forgotten instrument once popular in Venetian ospedali. Its leading performer and researcher, Franziska Fleischanderl, brings salterio back to life in her own arrangements of violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. The program is framed by the same rich milieu: Sonata a Cinque by Tommaso Albinoni, Chaconne by Giovanni Battista Brescianello, and String Quartet by Laura Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen. Educated in one of the ospedali, Sirmen offers a rare glimpse into the artistry these famous musical institutions forested - and the remarkable careers some of their musicians could build.
Franziska Fleischanderl, salterio
Finnish Baroque Orchestra (8 musicians)
/ MIDDLE SIZE
The Playful Philosopher
A Musical Mind in Motion
This programme is a retrospective - not of one composer, but of a creative musical mind unfolding across a lifetime. The childlike ease of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart reveals a genius at play: light, spontaneous, and effortlessly expressive. Joseph Haydn’s early years of independence combined with financial uncertainty give rise to a bold and original musical voice, heard in the experimental instrumentation and striking sound world of Symphony No. 22 ‘The Philosopher’. The lyrical depth of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Violin Concerto in A Minor brings a moment of clarity and inner focus. Finally, Finnish violinist Antti Tikkanen guides the audience through Jean Sibelius’ deeply personal and complex relationship with his favourite instrument - the violin.
Antti Tikkanen, violin
Finnish Baroque Orchestra (minimum 16 musicians)
Illuminations
Bach, Vivaldi and beyond
OPUS Klassik Award winner Stefan Temmingh and renowned Polish harpsichordist Marcin Świątkiewicz have teamed up with the Finnish Baroque Orchestra to present a tour project that contrasts and combines baroque masterpieces with contemporary reflections:
The programme includes Antonio Vivaldi's highly virtuosic Recorder Concerto RV 443 and Johann Sebastian Bach's Triple Concerto BWV 1044 for flute, violin and harpsichord, as well as orchestral works by Johann Bernhard Bach and Vivaldi. In addition, new music by Paweł Szymański and a world premiere by Fabrice Bollon open up exciting perspectives on Baroque forms in the light of the present.
Stefan Temmingh Blockflöte / Recorder
Marcin Świątkiewicz Cembalo & Leitung / Harpsichord & Direction
Finnish Baroque Orchestra (ca. 10-14 Pers.)
Sept./Oct. 2027 (ggf. also 2028)
/ MORE: PURE FiBO!
ELEMENTS
FiBO's own soloists come to the fore with a varied but easily approachable programme
- 10 musicians
THE WAVES OF BALTIC SEA
Finnish folk music and Baroque meet with this melding of improvisation and 17th century Nordic string music
-10 musicians
CONCERTO X 4
FiBO's own soloists team up wtih Polish harpsichordist Marcin Świątkiewicz with a programme of supremely beautiful music
- 15 musicians
THE HEART, VAPOURS AND FLUIDS
Finnish soprano Tuuli Lindeberg joins forces with FiBO to move the affects and heal your ails with 17th century vocal and instrumental music
- 6 musicians
FiBO CONCERTANTE
Youthful and virtuosic violist da gamba Teodoro Baù pushes the boundaries of what is "meant for" viola da gamba, including his own arrangement of an audience favourite, Geminiani's "La Folia"
- 18 musicians
DANCING QUEEN
Music from the life and travels of Queen Christina of Sweden, from her coronation to her abdication. This programme features not only FiBO's instrumentalists, but FiBO's own vocal ensemble, FiBO Singers
- 12 musicians
FiBO AND GUEST LEADERS
THE DANCING FIDDLE
Led by Finnish violinist Kreeta-Maria Kentala, she brings Northwestern Finnish folk music to Baroque orchestral suites, in a programme that is sure to get your toes tapping!
- 22 musicians
WATER MUSIC
Kreeta-Maria Kentala leads FiBO in some refreshing takes on some of the most iconic works of Händel and Bach, with some Finnish Folk music by Viljami Niittykoski along the way
- 27 musicians
THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BOHEMIA
Cosmopolitan Finnish violinist Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch leads FiBO in some of the most luxurious music of Biber and Muffat.
- 15 musicians
DAZZLING DANCES FROM EUROPE
Join Peter Spišský as he takes us on a tour of Europe and the dance music that we'll find along the way. From Germany to England, France to Sweden, it will be sure to make people want to get up and dance!
- 17 musicians
GRINGOLTS AND LOCATELLI
World-class violinist Ilya Gringolts leads FiBO through a labyrinth of virtuosic music
- 13 musicians
IN THE FAST LANE WITH PAGANINI
Although Paganini's first violin concerto is a staple of violin repertoire, rarely is it heard in its completely original form as it is in this programme. Hear Ilya Gringolts, with his violin tuned up one half-step, set off all the fireworks that we know and love with the richness of FiBO's full orchestra.
- 30 musicians
/ FiBO with the Grammy Award-winning Helsinki Chamber Choir:
BAROQUE FROM LATIN EUROPE
From the grandeur of the French court to the sacred splendour of Iberian and Italian cathedrals, this programme offers a colourful journey through Southern Europe's Baroque heritage.
- 41 musicians
TAKE THE MILKY WAY
A stunning juxtaposition of Baroque and modern music, each giving a different perspective on the heavens above.
- 44 musicians
/ STAGE WORKS
Il Ballo -SOULMATES
Early Baroque stage music meets contemporary puppet theatre!
Haydn: The Seasons
Die Jahreszeiten by Finland's finest period ensemble
– – The Finnish Baroque Orchestra, despite fielding ‘only’ 35 musicians, achieved the clarity and precision that are the hallmarks of the finest historically informed performances. It was equally refreshing to see a choir – undoubtedly encouraged by their artistic director Florian Helgath – unafraid to enliven a classical oratorio with well-judged theatricality.
I hadn’t expected to leave a performance of Die Jahreszeiten with a smile on my face. But that’s exactly what I did, on a rainy autumn evening in Helsinki.
acge.net / Albert Ehrnrooth 10/2025
The splendidly prepared Finnish Baroque Orchestra (FIBO) plays a crucial role in this fascinating panorama of emotions, moods, and scenes, often enlivened by a touch of understated humor. – – The highly alert, relatively leanly staffed yet all the more exuberant ensemble from the far North thus proves to be an ideal partner for the choir, which likewise shines through its versatility.
An diesem faszinierenden Bilderbogen an Emotionen, Stimmungen und Szenen, oft auch mit einer Prise unterschwelligem Humor, hat das glänzend disponierte Finnish Baroque Orchestra (FIBO) einen wesentlichen Anteil. – – Der hellwache, relativ schlankbesetzte, aber umso spielfreudigere Klangkörper aus dem hohen Norden ist somit ein idealer Partner für den ebenfalls durch Vielseitigkeit glänzenden Chor.
rauchszeichen.ch / Bruno Rauch 21.10.2025
The Waves of the Baltic Sea
[A] concert that will remain in our memory, and will perhaps be among the most surprising and satisfying of this edition of Femás.
[U]n concierto que quedará en nuestra memoria, y quizás se erija entre los más sorprendentes y satisfactorios de esta edición del Femás.
El Correo de Andalucía / Juan José Roldán 6 April, 2025
In the world of early music, whose repertoire is already almost as well worn as that of conventional classical music, it is becoming increasingly difficult to propose original and innovative concert programs. To this end, two approaches are commonly used: delving into archives and editions in search of forgotten gems, and creating crossovers with other musical styles, most often with folk music.
Last night, the Finnish Baroque Orchestra employed both approaches at once, and not only did they work very well, but they did so in a coherent manner.
En el mundo de la música antigua, cuyo repertorio está ya casi tan trillado como el de la clásica convencional, es cada vez más difícil plantear propuestas de programa originales y novedosas. Para ello suelen usarse dos vías: escarbar en archivos y ediciones en busca de joyitas olvidadas, y hacer crossover con otros estilos musicales, habitualmente con el folklore.
La Orquesta Barroca Finlandesa usó anoche ambas vías a la vez, y no solo funcionaron muy bien, sino que lo hicieron de forma coherente.
Diario de Sevilla / Juan Ramón Lara 6.4.2025
Vespro della Beata Vergine
Composer Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine was nothing short of intoxicating with its colorful variety of textures and rhythmic pulses. The performance by the British choir Solomon’s Knot and the Finnish Baroque Orchestra was magnificent. Much of its power stemmed from the operatic nature of Monteverdi’s hour-and-a-half-long Marian Vespers.
Helsingin Sanomat / Hannu-Ilari Lampila 5 October, 2024
The lost treasure of Crusell
This year, approximately 500 guests listened to the Finnish Baroque Orchestra in the sumptuous Würzburg Residence, a Unesco World Heritage site.
Under the baton of Janne Nisonen, the Finnish Baroque Orchestra made an impact with its refreshing version of Mozart’s Jupiter symphony. Together with the horn player Tommi Hyytinen, the orchestra – which has performed in concert halls all over the world – brought the audience to the world of Bernhard Crusell, a Finnish composer from the early Romantic period. The virtuosic and contagiously convivial orchestral playing by the Finnish musicians was concluded by the German composer Carl Maria von Weber’s symphony, inspired by the hustle and bustle of the opera stage.
Rund 500 Gäste lauschten in diesem Jahr dem Finnish Baroque Orchestra in den prächtigen Räumen der Würzburger Residenz, einem UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe.
Das Finnish Baroque Orchestra, unter der Leitung von Janne Nisonen, beeindruckte mit einer frischen Interpretation von Mozarts Jupiter-Sinfonie. Zusammen mit dem Hornisten Tommi Hyytinen entführte das Kammerorchester, das bereits weltweit in vielen Konzertsälen aufgetreten ist, die Zuhörer in die Welt des finnischen Frühromantikers Bernhard Crusell. Mit einer Sinfonie des deutschen Komponisten Carl Maria von Webers inspiriert vom lebhaften Treiben auf der Opernbühne endete das virtuose und ansteckend gutgelaunte Orchesterspiel der finnischen Künstler.
frankenwein-aktuell.de 17 June, 2024
Then Svenska Messan
It was a remarkable achievement by the Finnish Baroque Orchestra to give the Music Centre audience a chance to hear this work, which is unique in a Scandinavian context. The jackpot, of course, was the fact that the performance was included in the European Top Choirs series. With the Belgian ensemble Vox Luminis—celebrating its 20th anniversary and specializing primarily in baroque music—on stage, nothing could go wrong.
Det var en bedrift av Finländska barockorkestern att ge Musikhuspubliken en chans att höra detta för skandinaviska förhållanden unika verk och lottovinsten var förstås att man lyckats inlemma framförandet i serien Europeiska toppkörer. Med belgiska 20-årsjubilerande, på i första hand barockmusik specialiserade, Vox Luminis på scenen kunde det bara inte gå fel.
Hufvudstadsbladet / Mats Liljeroos 19 February, 2024
Un'alma innamorata
Sampson and the orchestra embraced this with the dark orchestral and vocal textures at the opening of Un’alma…, the sensitively controlled lyrical violin passage that introduces the aria ‘Quel povere core’ and the perfectly co-ordinated (both for timbre and timing) rapid duet work between violin and voice in ‘Io godo’. The whole of Tra le fiamme – from the rhythmic sonority provided by the basso continuo in the jolly compound-time opening, to the clever summoning of breezes from the two flutes in ‘Voli per l’aria’ and the breathtaking running vocal passages from Sampson – was an exercise in consummate understanding of Handel’s exuberant word painting.
The instrumental items – – were also played with a surety of the style and with élan.
musicOMH / Barry Creasy 19 January, 2023
Here the ensemble made a wonderfully full sound, though the intervening arias were more intimate, the second lightly busy and full of charm, the third featuring some vivid string playing.
Planet Hugill / Robert Hugill 20 January, 2023
LIVE CONCERT RECORDINGS:
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Some of the material in fibo.fi/fibopresents is not public! Only for promotional use! Thank You and welcome to see what is going on and coming!