It's very pleasing to report that almost four years after The Filter outed Helena Juntunen as a truly outstanding soprano and begged for her return to the UK, she will indeed be coming back! In January and February 2010 Juntunen will appear in the middle two of the London Philharmonic Orchestra's four Sibelius symphony cycle concerts, singing Songs from the Op.36, Op.37 and Op.38 sets by Sibelius on Saturday 30 January and the composer's Luonnotar on Wednesday 3 February.
The Filter has been a committed Juntunen fan since her debut appearance at the Proms with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Osmo Vänskä in July 2007 (Vänskä also conducts the above London Philharmonic Orchestra concerts). We then travelled to Helsinki in January 2008 for her stunning portrayal of Mimi in the Finnish National Opera's La Boheme (both reviews are posted on the review site, see left).
The Filter was back in Helsinki at the weekend, checking out some serious snowfall in the Vantaa area, experiencing more from the world's best airline and witnessing a performance of Juntunen-like character and commitment - this time from the lead female vocalist in whichever band was playing at the Apollo Live Club on the Mannerheimintie on Saturday night. I can't seem to establish who the band were though...
In the meantime, don't miss Helena Juntenen in London next January.
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