World City Guide

Culture

Although young by European standards, Helsinki is alive with cultural activity. After World War I and Finland’s independence from Russia, the country boomed both economically and culturally. Helsinki is Finland’s hot spot for cultural events. The major annual events are in summer, although there are productions throughout the year. The largest concerts are shown at the Hartwall Areena, Areenakuja 1 (tel: (020) 41997 or 0600 10 800/020 for tickets; website: www.hartwall-areena.com), or the Hall of Culture, Sturenkatu 4 (tel: (09) 774 0270; website: www.kulttuuritalo.fi). Another venue with a constantly changing list of dance, music and theatre is the Kaapelitehdas (Cable Factory), Taliberginkatu 1C (tel: (09) 4763 8300; website: www.kaapelitehdas.fi), an ex-Nokia factory, now resident to over 100 artists.

For the latest events, visitors can pick up a copy of Helsinki This Week (website: www.helsinkiexpert.fi/helsinkithisweek_eng) at 200 distribution points around the city, or visit the online theatre listings (website: www.teatteri.org). Tiketti is the Ticket Theatre Information Centre, Forum 3rd Floor, Yrjönkatu 29C (tel: (0600) 11616; website: www.tiketti.fi). Tickets are also available online, through Lippupalvelu Oy (tel: (0600) 10800 (¬1.30 per min); website: www.lippupalvelu.fi), Finland’s nationwide ticket retailer.

Music: The main concert hall for national and international acts is Finlandia Hall, Mannerheimintie 13E (tel: (09) 40241; website: www.finlandia.hel.fi), which is home to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (website: www.hel.fi/filharmonia), founded by Robert Kajanus in 1882. The Hall of Culture (see above) is also used. Concerts are staged by the students at the Sibelius Academy of All Music, Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 9 (tel: (09) 407 151400; website: www.siba.fi/welcome-eng.html). Details of the times of performances and programmes are available from the customer service desk at the City of Helsinki Tourist Office. Chamber music is held in various venues, including churches such as Temppeliaukio, Lutherinkatu 3 (tel: (09) 494 698). The works of Jean Sibelius are popular with Helsinki audiences, although the works of rising stars such as Magnus Lindberg, are also widely performed. The Finnish National Opera, the Suomen Kansallisoopera (website: www.operafin.fi), has its residence at the Finnish National Opera House, Helsinginkatu 58 (tel: (09) 4030 2211).

Theatre: There are two main venues, both showing mainly classical productions (such as Ibsen) in Finnish. These are the Finnish National Theatre (Suomen Kansallisteatteri), Läntinen Teatterikuja 1B (tel: (09) 173 311; website: www.nationaltheatre.fi), and Helsinki City Theatre (Kaupunginteatteri), Eläintarhantie 5 (tel: (09) 394 0422, tickets or 39401, information; website: www.hkt.fi).

Dance: The Finnish Ballet School also has its residence at the Finnish National Opera House (see above). More information on all the other various dance companies in Helsinki is available online (website: www.danceinfo.fi).

Film: Helsinki has many cinemas. Each week, a programme showing times and venues is published by the City of Helsinki Tourist Office. Box offices open an hour before the first show of the day.

The Finnish Film Archive, Pursimiehenkatu 29-31 (tel: (09) 615 400; website: www.sea.fi/english), requires membership (available on the day) and allows one ticket to all performances. The archive shows classic and cult films. Mainstream films can be seen at one of the city’s multiplexes: The Bristol, Mikonkatu 8 (tel: (0600) 007 007), Kinopalatsi, Kaisaniemenkatu 2B (tel: (0600) 944 944), Forum 1-7, Mannerheimintie 16 (tel: (0600) 007007), and Tennispalatsiisti, Salomonkatu 15 (tel: (0600) 007 007). Virtually all films are screened in their original soundtracks, with subtitles in Finnish and Swedish.

Finnish cinema is highly acclaimed – a large part of which can be attributed to a Finnish film-making fraternal team, Mika and Aki Kaurismäki. Both brothers set some of their films in Helsinki, including Mika’s gangster flick, Helsinki Napoli All Night Long (1987) and Aki’s take on Dostoyevsky’s classic Crime and Punishment (1983).

The Helsinki Film Festival is held in September each year (tel: (09) 6843 5230; website: www.hiff.fi).

Literary Notes: One of Helsinki’s more noted writers and commentators is Eino Leino, whose work Helsingissä (1905), documented life under the Russians. Another work outlining this era is by Maila Talvio, who wrote Itämeren tytär (1929-36), a trilogy about 18th-century Helsinki. The widely acclaimed author, Mika Waltari, penned the trilogy, Isästä poikaan, describing three generations in Helsinki from the 1860s to the mid-1930s. Other social commentators have included Anders Cleve, whose short stories in Gatstenar (1959), describe life in 1950s Helsinki and Alpo Ruuth, whose book Kotimaa (1974) documented a young working-class couple’s life in the 1960s. More recent works include Rosa Liksom’s popular collection of short stories, Yhden yön pysäkki (1985). Last, but not least, Tove Jansson (1914-2001), creator of the ‘Moomin’ children’s books, was born in Helsinki. She wrote the originals in Swedish, but she is still considered the real Finnish international literary ‘superstar’, translated into 25 languages worldwide.