Helsinki residents born in 2020 and 2021 will be able to experience the magic of music and theatre
Helsinki City Theatre and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra join forces once again – the Culture Godchildren will get to experience a renewed version of Prokofiev’s beloved Pekka and the Wolf.
The Helsinki City Theatre, which acts as a cultural sponsor for children born in Helsinki in 2021, and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, which acts as a cultural sponsor for children born in 2020, will jointly produce a concert performance Pekka ja susi (Pekka and the Wolf), which will be performed at the Helsinki Music Centre and on HKT’s main stage at the turn of September and October.
“The new music composed by Jukka Nykänen is joyful, and the hand of the orchestrator Marko Hilpo has steered it in a direction that keeps the audience’s interest alive. Through the new songs, the story of Pekka and the Wolf opens up from a fresh angle,” says Jari Eskola, General Manager of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.
“Pekka and the Wolf is a familiar story to many, and that is why it has been fascinating to look for my own perspective on it. We have studied what dance and movement can bring alongside music and what kind of new meanings they can open up to the story,” says director-choreographer Johanna Elovaara.
“There has been a lot of play, experimentation and shared realisation in the work, and the whole working group has thrown themselves into exploring and building this world. I believe that it is precisely that curiosity and joy that is also conveyed to the audience.”
In addition to the performances for the orchestra’s and theatre’s sponsor families, a public performance of the production of Pekka ja susi will be held in the Concert Hall of the Helsinki Music Centre on Thursday 17 September at 6.30 pm.
Pekka and the wolf
The joint work of the Helsinki City Theatre and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra pays homage to Sergei Prokofiev’s original work and brings new music, dance and theatre magic to it.
It’s morning at the farm where Pekka lives with his grandfather. Grandpa has already started work and the farm animals have woken up. Pekka is a brave boy, but despite his grandfather’s warnings, he doesn’t always remember to close the gate. That is also the case this morning. The duck living on the farm enjoys being able to bathe in a puddle outside the yard for once, but what happens when a wolf comes from the forest next door? Fortunately, Pekka is not only brave but also clever, so there is no need to worry about this.
The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Mikael Loponen and directed and choreographed by Johanna Elovaara. The dramaturgy and lyrics of the songs are written by Sanna Niemeläinen, the set and costume design is by Elina Kolehmainen, and the camouflage is designed by Aino Hyttinen. On stage with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra are Satu Sopanen, Martti Manninen, Raili Raitala and Pekka Louhio. New music for the work has been composed by Jukka Nykänen and the orchestration is by Marko Hilpo.
Culture SponsorsCulture Sponsors are a free cultural service for families in Helsinki. Every child born in Helsinki in 2020 or later will be sponsored by a cultural operator, through whom the child and their family will have a personal contact with art. The Culture Mentor, determined by the child’s year of birth, organises two free-of-charge cultural events for children each year, and the activities continue until the child starts school. The events are planned with the child’s age in mind and are suitable for all families. The Culture Sponsors service is administered by the City of Helsinki’s Culture and Leisure Division. The activities are made possible by a grant from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.
Read more in the press release.