Biography
He gained his first education with his father, also a singer, who worked as a teacher a the Jean Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Kim Borg, Hans Hotter, Jevgenij Nesterenko and Erik Saedén had a share on his further education. Already in his 17 years he sang in the main town of Finland, Helsinki, a bass solo part of Raphael in Haydn’s Creation of the World. In 1981 he won the Finnish National Competition in Lappeenranta; in 1983 he debuted in Finnish National Opera in Helsinki as Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, the role which has from then began to be his representative one. In these times his successful stage and concert career in the Scandinavian cultural centres begun; in 1984 he sang in Swiss television a bass solo in J. S. Bach‘s Die Johannespassion. Then came a huge success in Mozart productions of baroque theatre at the Drottningholm castle, 1986 as Leporello in Don Giovanni, 1987 as Figaro, 1988 as Nardo in La finta giardiniera. In London Royal Festival Hall he sang in Händel‘s Salomon, at the Salzburg festival in Verdi‘s Don Carlos under the baton of Herbert von Karajan. Followed performances at festivals in Schwetzingen, Wexford (1985 in Händel‘s Ariodante), Amsterodam (1988 as Masetto in Don Giovanni as Papageno in The Magic Flute) and in Grand Théâtre in Genf. In 1989 he guest performed in the Michigan opera as Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro. In Paris he sang Gustav Mahler’s Die Kindertotenliedern. In 1995 he participated in the first scenic performance of Erik Bergman’s opera Det sjungande trädet in Helsinki as Prince Hatt. He guest performed in Tampere in 1996 as Silvio in Comedians. Recordings: for HMV (Symphony no. IX. by L. van Beethoven, Haydn’s masses), for Philips (Verdi’s Macbeth, The Magic Flute from Drottningholm), DGG (Verdi’s La forza del destino, Faust in Prokofiev’s Fiery Angel, Peer Gynt by E.Grieg), for Decca (Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro), for Arts (Linda di Chamounix by G. Donizetti, Il matrimonio segreto by D. Cimarosa) and others.