Steam Engine – Music from Händel’s London to the present day

After spending his youth in Italy, Georg Friedrich Händel settled in London in 1712 and quickly rose to fame as a master of Italian opera. London was a centre of international trade, and many of its residents also had the money for entertainment and leisure. As a result, the
audience was thirsty for operatic entertainment, and Händel, with his skills, hit the jackpot in the music business of this metropolis. The Industrial Revolution began in England, and the invention of the steam engine made production more efficient than ever before. Industrialisation created growth, jobs and wealth, allowing many to prosper. On the other hand, however, there were mounting environmental problems as early as the 17th century; the big city's air was blackened by coal burning, and people were plagued by pollution.

In April, the Finnish Baroque Orchestra will premiere Ville Raasakka's work “Steam Engine" at its residence concert at the House of Nobility. The texts of this new work deal with the history of the steam engine and the industrialisation of England. The programme features works by Händel and Charles Avison, his contemporary, transporting the listeners to 18th-century London. Soprano Olga
Heikkilä will be the soloist in Raasakka's work as a selection of aria's from Händel's opera “Rinaldo". 

Händel–Avison–Raasakka
Olga Heikkilä, soprano

The Finnish Baroque Orchestra
The House of Nobility
24.4.2022 at 18.00 

Tickets 14,50-52€ from Ticketmaster, duration 1 h 30 min, incl. intermission

Petteri Pitko introduces the concert at the House of Nobility on 24 April from 5–5.30 pm.