Musica nova Helsinki:
State of the Union

Live video stream: Sat 6.2.2021 at 16.00

Due to the current restrictions by the Finnish authorities it is not possible to organise an event with an audience.

Instead the concert will be streamed live, and the video recording can be watched until Mon 8 February 9.00 am.

Stream tickets: 15 € Ticketmaster

Helsinki Chamber Choir
Nils Schweckendiek, conductor

IANNIS XENAKIS: À Hélène
LISA STREICH: wallpapers
EUGENE BIRMAN: State of the Union (European premiere)

In cooperation with: Musica nova Helsinki

The Helsinki Chamber Choir will perform the young star composer Eugene Birman’s (b. 1987) socially aware and emotionally charged work State of the Union, a meditative stream of names of extinct animals, TV ad slogans, US military operations and refrains of the Christian right. The Helsinki Chamber Choir is known especially for performing contemporary music, and it has worked with Birman for years and premiered the piece on its US tour in 2016.

The Helsinki Chamber Choir will also perform two works from the festival’s theme composers. Iannis Xenakis’ À Hélène for female chorus is based on the Greek playwright Euripides’ text about the beautiful Helen of Troy. Resident composer Lisa Streich’s wallpapers in turn is composed for baritone and for the ever-changing electronics.