The theme of Helsinki Early Music 2007 is Baroque music cities: 17th century London, Classical Vienna, northerly Lübeck, the thriving publishing centre Amsterdam and the Venice of the golden era. Each has something special to add to the colourful palette of musical history. In the 17th and 18th centuries, many towns served as cultural centres producing music in a characteristic style of their own. Nowadays musical styles and trends spread from one continent to another in a flash via the electronic media, but this was not so before the age of mass communications. Ideas passed from one musician to another and local musical cultures blossomed in the cities.

The festival will once again act host to some new and interesting guests. The Argentinean violin virtuoso Manfredo Kraemer will be here to conduct the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, and the Italian ensemble La Venexiana – renowned worldwide for its renderings of Italian madrigal repertoire – will be performing music from Venice’s golden era. Other artists during the week will include English soprano Evelyn Tubb, appearing with the Sprezzatura ensemble, and Finnish Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen and Tuija Hakkila in a violin-and-piano duo playing chamber music of the Viennese Classical era. The Battalia ensemble with soprano Tuuli Lindeberg as its soloist will present an evening of music Lübeck-style.