Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra has played a key role in Finnish musical life from the late 19th century, when it gave the premiere performances of the symphonies of Jean Sibelius, down to the present day. It was the first permanent orchestra in Scandinavia and has operated without a pause since its founding.
The orchestra was founded in 1882 as the Helsinki Orchestral Society, with the support of prosperous Helsinki merchants. In 1914, it merged with the rival Helsinki Symphony Orchestra and took its present name. The orchestra's home base is the Helsinki Music Centre. The Philharmonic was fundamentally shaped by founder Robert Kajanus, who remained chief conductor for five decades and brought much of Sibelius' orchestral music to the world. The group's early years are unusually well documented; the Helsinki Region Infoshare Database includes information on every concert given by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and its predecessors since 1882. In 1932, Kajanus was succeeded by Georg Schneevoigt, who also had led the orchestra during World War I. With Sergiu Comissiona (1990-1993) as one of just a few exceptions, most of the orchestra's conductors have been Scandinavian, and several have gone on to significant international careers. Notable conductors who passed through Helsinki on the way to other international capitals have included Paavo Berglund (1975-1979) and Leif Segerstam (1995-2007). In 1994, the Philharmonic recorded Sibelius' tone poem Kullervo, Op. 7, for the EMI label; later that same year, it issued a recording of works by Einojuhani Rautavaara on Ondine, and it has continued to record mostly for that label.
The group's record of Sibelius premieres has extended into the 21st century; in 2011, the orchestra was the first to perform fragmentary sketches the composer left for his destroyed Symphony No. 8. Recordings on Ondine have continued to appear, devoted mostly but not exclusively to music from Finland and other Nordic countries; for Warner Classics in 2017, the orchestra issued a complete cycle of Sibelius' symphonies. Following Segerstam, the Philharmonic's conductors have been John Storgårds (2008-2014, and he was also heard on a Gramophone Award-winning album of music by Rautavaara in 2007) and Susanna Mälkki, its first female leader. Her contract is slated to run through 2023, with an option for renewal beyond that year.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Sibelius: Complete Symphonies
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Polytech Male Choir, Pekka Kuusisto, Leif Segerstam
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 6 feb. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Karelia Suite, Rakastava & Lemminkäinen
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Klassiek - Released by BIS on 2 feb. 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
RAUTAVAARA, E: Symphonies Nos. 1-8 (Franck, Pommer, Segerstam)
Belgium National Orchestra, Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Leipzig, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Mikko Franck, Max Pommer, Leif Segerstam
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 24 feb. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvořák: Violin Concerto in A Minor & Romance in F Minor - Suk: Fantasy in G Minor, Op. 24
Christian Tetzlaff, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 11 mrt. 2016
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Jean Sibelius : Œuvres symphoniques
Frank Peter Zimmermann, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 24 aug. 2010
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
RAUTAVAARA, E.: Garden of Spaces / Clarinet Concerto / Cantus arcticus (Stoltzman, Helsinki Philharmonic, Segerstam)
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Stoltzman, Leif Segerstam
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 1 jan. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Violin Concertos 1 & 2
Christian Tetzlaff, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 1 sep. 2014
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Concerto pour violoncelle n°2 - Modificata - Concerto pour percussion
Truls Mørk, Colin Currie, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 1 feb. 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
SIBELIUS, J.: Tempest Suites Nos. 1 and 2 / The Oceanides / Night Ride and Sunrise (Helsinki Philharmonic, Segerstam)
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Leif Segerstam
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 1 jan. 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau - Sinfonietta, Op.23
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 2 mrt. 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Symphonie n°2 - Kullervo, op.15 - Élégie, op.4 n°1
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 29 jan. 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
SUK, J.: Asrael (Helsinki Philharmonic, Ashkenazy)
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 1 jan. 2009
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
SIBELIUS, J.: Lemminkainen Suite / Tapiola (Helsinki Philharmonic, Segerstam)
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Leif Segerstam
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 1 jan. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bartók: Orchestral Works
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Susanna Mälkki
Klassiek - Released by BIS on 1 okt. 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rautavaara: Angels and Visitations
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 4 sep. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Orchestral Songs
Soile Isokoski, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Leif Segerstam
Vocale muziek (wereldlijk en religieus) - Released by Ondine on 1 jan. 2006
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
RAUTAVAARA, E.: Piano Concerto No. 3 / Autumn Gardens (Ashkenazy)
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 1 jan. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rautavaara: Rubáiyát, Balada, Canto V...
Gerald Finley, Mika Pohjonen, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Helsinki Music Centre Choir, John Storgårds
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 13 mei 2016
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
3 Hymnes - Arias d'opéra
Soile Isokoski, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Okko Kamu
Vocale muziek (wereldlijk en religieus) - Released by Ondine on 4 sep. 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
SIBELIUS, J.: Kullervo (Helsinki Philharmonic, Segerstam)
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Soile Isokoski, Leif Segerstam, Tommi Hakala, Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 13 mei 2008
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Madetoja: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 & Okon Fuoko Suite
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds
Klassiek - Released by Ondine on 7 jan. 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo