Finlandia, eternally the Woods will sing
Wednesday 20 May / 20.15 - 22.00
Arttu Kataja, baritone / Pauliina Tukiainen, piano
The young Jean Sibelius was enchanted as a child by the beauty around the Finnish coastal town of Loviisa where his family spent their summers. You will find some 40 lakes and sweeping views of sea and land. It honours Finland as the ‘land of a thousand lakes’. Loviisa, Sibelius said, stood for sunshine and happiness. Loviisa was freedom. That's what nature can give you.
Sibelius let his love for the land, nature and folk tales shine through in his music. His contemporaries therefore characterised his works as ‘truly Finnish’. Who better to let you experience this than Finnish musicians Arttu Kataja and Pauliina Tukiainen. They will let you experience Finland through the eyes - and ears! - of Finns with, of course, liederen by Sibelius and works by Kuula, Kilpinen, Madetoja and Gothóni.
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
lllall on. 17/6 (Forsman-Koskimies)
Kaiutar op. 72/4 (Larin-Kyösti)
Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte op. 37/5 (Runeberg)
Fågellek op. 17/3 (Tavaststjerna)
På verandan vid havet op. 38/2 (Rydberg)
Norden op. 90/1 (Runeberg)
Melodram ‘Ett ensamt skidspår’ JS77b (Gripenberg)
Cereals op.75/5 (from: Five pieces)
Under strandens granar op. 13/1 (Runeberg)
Drömmen on. 13/5 (Runeberg)
Hjärtats morgon op. 13/3 (Runeberg)
break
Toivo Kuula (1883-1918)
Tuijotin tulehen kauan op. 2/2 (Leino)
Yö (Leino)
Kesäyö kirkkomaalla op. 6/1 (Koskenniemi)
Sinipiika op. 23/1 (Koskenniemi)
Yrjö Kilpinen (1892-1959)
Illalla at. 19/7 (Leino)
Kesäyössä op. 21/4 (Koskenniemi)
Leevi Madetoja (1887-1947)
Luulit, ma katselin sua... op. 68/3 (Onerva)
Talvikuutamolla op. 26/5 (Larin-Kyösti)
Yrtit tummat op. 9/1 (Onerva)
Ralf Gothóni (*1946)
Soittajapaimen (from: Finnish folksongs )
Tulle, tulle kultani (from: Finnish folksongs )
Great Hall
Evangelical Brotherhood
Zusterplein 12, 3703 CB Zeist
Arttu Kataja / baritone
Arttu Kataja studied singing in Helsinki and is a two-time prize winner of the Internationaler Mozartwettbewerb in Salzburg. Since 2006, he has held a permanent position as a member of the ensemble of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin and has performed many roles. His full schedule takes him to major venues worldwide for performances and CD recordings with the Akademie für Alte Musik, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra and the Basel Chamber Orchestra, among others. Besides opera, Kataja can also be heard regularly in oratorios and liedrecitals. With pianist Pauliina Tukiainen, he released the CD Serious Songs, which was named ‘album of the year’ by Finnish radio.
Pauliina Tukiainen / piano
Pauliina Tukiainen has built a reputation as a versatile interpreter of the song repertoire. She studied in Finland and Germany, won numerous prizes and scholarships while studying Art Song and was coached by leading musicians such as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Christoph Prégardien and Wolfgang Rihm. She has given song recitals worldwide in renowned concert halls and at international festivals.
Tukiainen is artistic advisor of the Bonner Schumannfest, where she set up a stage for young song duos. She also taught at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main and Freiburg. She is a popular jury member and teacher for master classes and workshops. Since October 2017, she has held a chair of ‘liedgestaltung’ at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 2026, she is one of the lecturers at the festival's master class.
Arttu Kataja stood out with his captivating baritone voice: being able to sing a ferociously difficult aria with such apparent ease is something few people manage.
Then there is the precise interaction with Pauliina Tukiainen on the piano, which is rarely heard as warm, as direct and at the same time as chamber music.