Mezzo soprano Virpi Räisänen had already achieved a successful career as a concert violinist before committing herself fully to singing performing mainly as a chamber musician in more than 30 countries all over the world. She graduated her vocal studies from Utrecht and Amsterdam Conservatoriums with highest distinction under Eugenie Ditewig and Udo Reinemann. Afterwards she has been coached by Margreet Honig.
Virpi Räisänen made her debut in Salzburger Festspiele during the summer 2009 in Luigi Nono's opera Al gran sole carico d'amore, which recived a great critical acclaim throughout the world. She sang one of the opera's four main (mezzo) soprano roles with Ingo Metzmacher conducting Wiener Philharmoniker. This brought her a re-invitation to 2010 Salzburger Festspiele and a role in the new opera of Wolfgang Rihm Dionysos, which was revived also at DNO, Amsterdam.
Other highlights included roles as Elmira in (Floridante/Haendel) at the International Händel Festival, Halle, Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice and double roles of La Muse and Nicklausse in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann in Oulu Opera. She also appeared in the role of Iseut aux blanches Mains in Frank Martin's Le vin Herbé in OT Rotterdam and tour in The Netherlands and in the leading part in Bois de Rose (opera in creation) at Festival d’Aix Provence (2011).
Future opera engagements include a.o. revivals of Al gran sole carico d’Amore and Dionysos at Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin.
As an orchestra soloist Virpi Räisänen appeared among others with Orchestre Philharmonique et le Choeur du Radio France (Esa-Pekka Salonen), The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra (Gordan Nickolic), Tapiola Sinfonietta (Anne-Marie Helsing), The Flemish Radio Choir and Orchestra (Bo Holten) Oulu Symphony and Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra (Dimitri Slobodeniouk), European Union Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Nordica (Terje Tønnesen), the New European Ensemble (in works by Kaija Saariaho) and les Choeurs Arsys Burgogne (led by Pierre Cao). November 2011 she will sing together with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo conducting (Erik Bergman, Bardo Thödol, op. 74) at Music Centre, Helsinki.
Lied repertoire Virpi has performed in addition to her native Finland in Scandinavian countries, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, France, Latvia and Japan. She has established herself as a specialist in contemporary music having premiered dozens of new works, many of them written and dedicated for her. She has created a special project called VIULAJA (violin-mezzo) around her ability to play violin and sing simultaneously. Most recent achievement with this project is the music video Trasparente in Ilmari Mäenpää's music dedicated to Virpi Räisänen.
In concert/recital she recently appeared at Bach Festival, Riga, Turku Music Festival, Stift International Music festival (Netherlands) and Espoo Sellosali with Marita Viitasalo (Finland).
Virpi Räisänen has recently been contracted by CD-label ONDINE. She has also been appointed as the new artistic director of Oulunsalo Soi Chamber Music Festival.
Cv-update: season 2011/2012 |
