Jorma Hynninen

Jorma Kalervo Hynninen (born 3 April 1941) is a Finnish baritone who performs regularly with the world's major opera companies. He has also worked in opera administration.

Life and career Hynninen was born on 3 April 1941 in Leppävirta, Finland. He studied from 1966 to 1970 at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and also took lessons from Luigi Ricci in Rome and Kurt Overhoff in Salzburg. In 1969 he won first prize the Lappeenranta Solo Voice Competition and made his opera debut with the Finnish National Opera as Silvio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.

Hynninen has combined his operatic career with regular appearances in the concert hall with the world's leading orchestras and maestros such as Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Masur, and Esa-Pekka Salonen and in recital in the major cities of Europe and North America.

He has supported the music of his native Finland as well. He performed the title role in the world premiere of Aleksis Kivi by Einojuhani Rautavaara at the Savonlinna Opera Festival. He participated in the world premiere of an operatic trilogy of Aika ja uni (The Age of Dreams) by three Finnish composers: Herman Rechberger (b. 1947), Olli Kortekangas (b. 1955), and Kalevi Aho (b. 1949) on the stage of Olavinlinna Castle on 15 July 2000. He also sang in the premiere of Sallinen's Kuningas Lear in 2000 (Gloucester).

Hynninen's discography includes more than a hundred titles. He has recorded Finnish opera extensively along with works from the international repertoire, lieder collections, and religious music.

Select discography Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, with Klaus Tennstedt (EMI) Dallapiccola: Il prigioniero (The Prisoner) (title role), with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Sony) Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro (Count Almaviva), with Riccardo Muti (EMI) Beethoven / Mozart / Wagner / Mussorgsky: Opera Scenes (Naxos) Nummi: Kevätteiltä (From Spring Roads, song cycle) with Ralf Gothóni (BIS) Sallinen: Elaman ja kuoleman lauluja (Songs of Life and Death), Op. 69 Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Okko Kamu (Ondine) Schubert: Winterreise, Op. 89, (Fuga) and Die schöne Müllerin D.795 (Ondine) Sibelius: The Maiden in the Tower (Bailiff) (1983, BIS) Sibelius: Orchestral Songs (Naxos) Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E flat major 'Symphony of a Thousand', with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Klaus Tennstedt Sibelius: Kullervo, Op. 7, with the Helsinki Philharmonic conducted by Paavo Berglund (1985, EMI); Göteborgs Symfoniker conducted by Neeme Järvi (1985, BIS), Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen (1992, Sony), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste (1996, Finlandia) Sibelius: Sibelius Edition, Vol. 3 – Voice and Orchestra (Naxos) Rautavaara: Vincent (title role), with Fuat Mansurov and the Finnish National Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Ondine) Sallinen: Kullervo (title role), with Ulf Söderblom and the Finnish National Opera and Chorus (Ondine) Sallinen: The Red Line (Topi), with Okko Kamu and the Finnish National Opera and Chorus (Finlandia) plus DVD of 2008 Helsinki production conducted by Mikko Franck (Ondine) Strauss, R: Elektra (Orest), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa