Biography

Virpi Räisänen completed her vocal studies at the Utrecht and Amsterdam conservatories under Eugenie Ditewig and Udo Reinemann with the highest distinction and is now one of the most sought-after Finnish female singing talents. She has garnered an impressive list of honours and achievements both as a mezzo soprano and earlier as a concert violinist.

Her warm mezzo voice and her strong musicality are leading her from one success to another. Besides mastering the traditional mezzo soprano repertoire, she has also established herself as a champion of contemporary music having world premiered dozens of new works, most of them written and dedicated to her.

Virpi Räisänen made her stage debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2009 in Luigi Nono's opera Al gran sole carico d'amore, with Ingo Metzmacher conducting the Vienna Philharmonic (Stage director: Katie Mitchell). She was re-invited to the 2010 edition of the festival for the world premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s Dionysos, which was revived at both De Nationale Opera in Amsterdam and at the Staatsoper Berlin.  

In 2011, Räisänen debuted at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with Gordan Nikolitch leading the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, and has since followed a busy schedule as a world-wide sought after concert singer. She has performed lied repertoire throughout Europe, USA, Hong Kong, and Japan with such renowned orchestras as the Orchestre Philharmonique et le Choeur de Radio France with Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra with Sakari Oramo and Hannu Lintu, the Helsinki Philharmonic with John Storgårds, the Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Flemish Radio Choir and Orchestra, Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, and others.

In 2012, her debut lied recital album The Legacy of Mahler was released, followed by Calmo by Lugiano Berio with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2014. Both albums were released by Ondine and received high international acclaim.

During 2015 and 2016, she performed on the stages of La Scala di Milano, De Nationale Opera Amsterdam, Staatsoper Berlin, Finnish National Opera, Helsinki Music Centre, Moscow Conservatory, Berlin Akademie der Künste, Bergen Filharmonic, as well as in Sweden, Austria, USA, among others.

Her projects in 2018 include the role of Hanna Waltz in Olli Kortekangas’ new opera 'Veljeni vartija' (My brother's guard), the main role of Riika in Aulis Sallinen's 'Punainen viiva' (Red Line), a European tour as Volpino in Haydn's 'Lo Speziale' under Jan Willem de Vriend, as well as a semi staged version of Britten's solo cantata 'Phaedra' with The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

Virpi Räisänen has created the project VIULAJA (violin-mezzo) around her ability to sing and play the violin simultaneously.

Furthermore, Räisänen has been Artistic Director of the Oulunsalo Soi Chamber Music Festival in Finland since 2012.

In 2023 Virpi Räisänen can be heard in Ligeti's Requiem with the Berlin Philharmonic under Matthias Pintscher and the Duisburg Philharmonic under Silvain Cambreling.

Virpi Räisänen has been awarded the TAITAJA-award and Finnish State Artist grant.


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Artist Website

www.virpiraisanen.com

Management

non-exclusive

Artist Manager
 
 
 
 Ingunn Sighvatsdóttir
Artist Manager
ingunn@orlob.net 
Mobil: +49-173-2 067 821

Repertoire

Repertoire Concert

Bach, J.S. Christmas Oratorio
  Hohe Messe
  Magnificat
  St. John Passion
  St. Matthew Passion
Beethoven Symphony no. 9
Carissimi Jephte
Duruflé                Requiem
Elgar Sea Pictures / Maria Magdala
Händel Theodora / Irene
Kohlenberg, Oliver Die weise Barke (UA)
Leinonen, Minna 2 Song (UA)
Ligeti Requiem
Mozart Große Messe
  Laudate Dominum
  Requiem
Pergolesi Stabat Mater
Rossini Stabat Mater
Saint-Saëns Oratorio de Noël
Stravinsky Oedipus Rex / Jocasta
Tippett A Child of Our Time
Vivaldi Cessate omai Cessate
  Salve Regina
Verdi Requiem
 

Repertoire Opera

Delibes Lakmé Mallika
Donizetti Viva la Mamma Pipetto
Fagerrud Straat-engel      Bedelaartjes
Gluck Orfeo et Euridice             Orfeo
Händel Alcina Ruggiero
  Floridante Elmira
  Giulio Cesare     Sesto
Hasse Leucippo Dafne
Humperdinck Hansel and Gretel          Witch
Kaipainen X-citement op.81 Girl
Martin Le vin herbé      Alto 4, Alto 6
Mozart Così fan tutte    Dorabella
  Die Zauberflöte 2. Dame
  La clemenza di Tito         Annio
    Sesto
  Le nozze di Figaro Cherubino
Nono Al gran sole carico d’amore Soprano 4
Offenbach Les contes d’Hoffmann                La Muse / Nicklausse
Poulenc Dialogues des Carmélites Mère Jeanne
Purcell Dido and Aeneas Dido
    Sorceress
Rameau Hippolyte et Aricie Phèdre
Rihm Dionysos (UA)  Mezzo-soprano
Thomas Mignon Frederick

Download repertoire as PDF file

News

CD Release "Trasparente"
A one woman's chamber music ensemble: In search of new forms of musical expression, mezzo-soprano Virpi Räisänen accompanies herself on the violin and performs compositions that were written specifically for this unusual combination on her new CD "Trasparente" published by Alba Records. 
To get an impression: www.youtube.com/... 
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