SEASON SERIES CONCERT 5: WAR AND PEACE

Thursday 29.10.2026 at 6pm Kuopio Music Centre Concert Hall

At 5.30 Atrium
PRE-TALK

Kuopio Symphony Orchestra
Kreeta-Maria Kentala, lead

Johann Joseph Fux: Turcaria – Partita in C major K331
Heinrich Biber: Battalia à 10
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer: Die Fechtschule
Georg Friedrich Händel: The Music for the Royal Fireworks in D major

“During the Baroque era, the visual arts were full of drama, and music, too, teemed with angels on one side and demons on the other. Many of Europe’s long wars also found their way into musical depictions. In this concert we practise the noble art of fencing, drunken soldiers bellow before battle, cannons thunder, the Viennese resist the Turks besieging their city, and finally we celebrate the arrival of peace with fireworks.” 
Kreeta‑Maria Kentala 

The music of the Baroque era is approached with full-hearted dedication under the direction of violinist Kreeta‑Maria Kentala, an expert in historical performance practices. Kentala breathes fresh, down‑to‑earth musicality into Baroque works, drawing from her Kaustinen folk‑fiddling roots. Expect lively, inventive, colourful, brilliant, and thoroughly entertaining pieces. 

J. Fux’s Turcaria reflects the Turkish fashion and “Oriental” exoticism that swept through Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Fux combines martial rhythms, dance‑like swing, and the imaginative flair of the era to create a work that is at once striking, playful, and accessible.

Biber’s Battalia à 10 portrays the atmosphere of battle with playful drama. The work features military rhythms, percussive bow effects, and even the radical polytonality of its time – all packed into a compact, engaging whole. The result is a Baroque firework display that surprises and delights the listener. 

Schmelzer’s Die Fechtschule is rhythmically sharp, playful, and full of musical “fencing moves.” The piece transports the listener into the lively and dramatic world of a 17th‑century fencing school, offering both virtuosity and good‑natured theatricality. Short, punchy, and entertaining – a perfect spark in a classical concert. 

Georg Friedrich Händel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks was originally composed for the royal outdoor festivities in London in 1749. The music is explosively energetic, majestic, and instantly recognisable: fanfares, marches, and glowing orchestral colours create a festive atmosphere that sweeps the listener along. 

Duration approx. 1 hour 20 minutes including interval.

The concert is included in the Season Series Ticket and Mini Series Ticket 1.

Produced by the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra
Tickets: 34,60 € / 28,10 € senior citizens and groups min. 20 persons / 10,60 € children under the age of 16 and students

SEASON SERIES TICKET

Includes 8 Season Series concerts:
10.9. – 1.10. – 8.10. – 22.10. – 29.10. – 26.11. – 3.12. – 10.12.

Early Bird price 200 € / 160 € senior citizens
Available: 16.4. – 28.5.
Buy Season Series Ticket

Normal price 220 € / 179 € senior citizens
Available: 29.5. – 10.9.

MINI SERIES 1

Miniseries 1
Includes 4 Season Series concerts

Early Bird price 110 / 90 € senior citizens
Available: 16.4. – 28.5.
Buy Miniseries 1

Normal price 120 € / 95 € senior citizens
Available: 29.5. – 10.9.