Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra: Le Grand Macabre

• Time:

  • Mon 24.8.2026 19:00

  • Tue 25.8.2026 19:00

  • Duration: approx. 2h 25min, interval

• Address:

  Helsinki Music Centre, Concert Hall
  Mannerheimintie 13 A
  00100 Helsinki

• Tickets:

  18–105 € (Musiikkitalo)

  Get tickets

Event Introduction

György Ligeti’s opera Le Grand Macabre is one of the most significant cult works of the 20th century – a raucous and irreverent celebration of the apocalypse that shakes the foundations of operatic tradition. It laughs in the face of both life and death, offering a firework display of musical virtuosity. The work is simultaneously brutal, absurd, and deeply human. Le Grand Macabre will receive its Finnish premiere at the 2026 Helsinki Festival.

Ligeti himself called the piece an ”anti-anti-opera.” Remaining true to his nonconformist style, the composer distanced himself both from traditional opera and the experimental music theatre of the 1960s that questioned it. Ligeti introduced something entirely new: extremely complex and masterful music combined with ribald, madcap, humorous, and visual expression. Since its premiere in 1978, the work has grown into a showstopper for singers and musicians alike, delighting audiences as one of the essential operas of the century. The piece begins with the iconic fanfare for car horns and leads the audience through a world inspired by the Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, where gluttony, sex, politics, and fear blend into a carnivalesque concoction.

At the Helsinki Festival, the work will be experienced as a semi-staged production, visualized by top-tier professionals and starring an international cast of stellar soloists: Sarah Aristidou, Heidi Melton, Andrew Watts, and Karl Huml have performed the work on the world’s most prestigious stages. They are joined by rising talents such as the 2024 Mirjam Helin Competition winner Jingjing Xu, alongside a group of elite Finnish and international soloists. The production is directed by the Oper!-awarded British director Frederic Wake-Walker, known for his original and fresh interpretations. A unique visual world will be created for the Music Centre by Sasha Balmazi-Owen, recipient of the prestigious 2025 Olivier Award for Best Set Design. Nicholas Collon conducts the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra with his trademark intensity, joined by the Grammy-winning Helsinki Chamber Choir under the direction of Nils Schweckendiek.

More information:

Age recommendation: 14+

Language: English

Subtitles in the mobile app
We are providing Finnish and English subtitles for the performance. You can view the subtitles on your own smartphone using an app called Subtitle Mobile. More detailed instructions on how to use the app will be published closer to the performance date.

Credits:

Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Nicholas Collon, conductor

Helsinki Chamber Choir
Nils Schweckendiek, choir direction

Frederic Wake-Walker, direction
Sasha Balmazi-Owen, visualization

Soloists:
Chief of the Gepopo / Venus: Sarah Aristidou, soprano
Nekrotzar: Leigh Melrose, baritone
Piet the Pot: Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, tenor
Mescalina: Heidi Melton, soprano
Astradamors: Karl Huml, bass
Prince Go-Go: Andrew Watts, countertenor
Minister, White Party: Tuomas Katajala, tenor
Minister, Black Party: Luke Terence Scott, baritone
Amando: Jingjing Xu, mezzo-soprano
Schabernack: Jussi Merikanto, baritone
Schobiack: Tomi Punkeri, baritone
Ruffiack: Sakari Topi, baritone
Secret police and executioners, Prince Go-Go’s master of ceremonies and servants, Nekrotzar’s hellish entourage: Helsinki Chamber Choir

Supporters:

 

The Mirjam Helin Singing Competition, organized by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, supports the participation of prize-winning singers in the production.

 

Categories

Classical and Contemporary Music

Map

Accessibility

Musiikkitalo is fully accessible.
Musiikkitalo’s information desk loans wheelchairs.
Accessible toilet facilities can be found on all of the Musiikkitalo’s floors.

Accessible parking spots are located on the Q-Park Finlandia parking hall’s lowest level, which leads to the Centre’s Main Lobby via a lift.

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