Finland Kaija Saariaho, Innocence: Chorus and Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera / Clément Mao-Takacs (conductor). Finnish National Opera, Helsinki, 26.10.2022. (GF)
Production:
Libretto – Sofi Oksanen
Dramaturge and translator – Aleksi Barrière
Director – Simon Stone
Sets – Chloe Lamford
Costumes – Mel Page
Lighting design – James Farncombe
Sound design – Timo Kurkikangas
Choreography – Arco Renz
Cast:
The Waitress (Tereza) – Jenny Carlstedt
The Mother-in Law (Patricia) – Anu Komsi
The Father-in-Law (Henrik) – Tuomas Pursio
The Bride (Stela) – Iida Antola
The Bridegroom (Tuomas) – Markus Nykänen
The Priest – Jyrki Korhonen
The Teacher – Lucy Shelton
Markéta (Student 1) – Vilma Jää
Lilly (Student 2) – My Johansson
Iris (Student 3) – Julie Hega
Anton (Student 4) – Simon Kluth
Jerónimo (Student 5) – Camilo Delgado Diaz
Alexia (Student 6) – Olga Heikkilä
Extras – Inka Auvinen, Jul Han, Pila Lehto, Janne Mattila, Sini Parkkinen, Janina Taurinen, Sointu Toiskallio, Miika Alatupa
The coming into being of Innocence originated within the spring of 2013, when Kaija Saariaho invited Sofi Oksanen and Aleksi Barrière to dinner after having been contacted by the Royal Opera House ‘about possibly writing an opera inspired by the contemporary world’, and she or he was excited concerning the alternative to compose a piece involving a number of characters languages and views on the identical occasion. The course of developed slowly however in the summertime of 2020 rehearsals started, with a scheduled premiere that summer time. Due to the pandemic it needed to be postponed, nonetheless, and the work was first carried out in the course of the 2021 Aix-en-Provence Festival on July third, to nice acclaim (assessment right here).
It is a posh work in 5 acts that seamlessly observe one another and are enacted on two completely different timelines: a marriage get together within the current and a traumatic occasion of ten years earlier that deeply affected the marriage company. At occasions the 2 timelines run in parallel and overlap. Structurally one can say that the story is a jigsaw puzzle, the place new items are added steadily, in the end giving the onlooker a whole image of the good tragedy affecting all 13 characters. The story unfolds in a two-storied revolving dice. On the decrease degree are the restaurant and the marriage reception, on the higher degree is a world faculty, the scene of the tragic occasion, a faculty capturing killing ten college students and a trainer. The precise capturing just isn’t proven, however there are horrible scenes with slain our bodies and bloodstains on the partitions.
In the essential story Tuomas and Stela, he Finnish, she Romanian, are getting married. Stela is glad and unaware of the tragedy that befell the household ten years earlier. At the marriage get together a Czech waitress, Tereza, known as in to assist. She finds out that she knew the groom’s household. For her the household ‘ended her life ten years ago’. On the parallel timeline six college students and their trainer talk about what occurred, and it seems that one of many college students is Tereza’s daughter Markéta, who was killed within the tragedy. The bridegroom’s mom needs to ask her eldest son to the marriage, however the father warns that he doesn’t belong to the household anymore. The viewers learns that the brother was the shooter and has lately been launched from jail. Tereza reveals this to Stela and the marriage company, however the mom defends her son and says that Markéta was additionally guilty, since she bullied her son. On the opposite timeline the scholars verify this. In the final act, Tuomas reveals that he, his brother and Iris, a good friend of each, deliberate the capturing collectively, however on the final second Tuomas and Iris received chilly ft, leaving the perpetrator to hold out the crime out on his personal. In the tip nobody – besides probably Stela – is absolutely harmless, everybody feels responsible in some respect. No one can escape their previous. In the quick epilogue, a number of the survivors categorical hopes for a extra optimistic future, whereas Markéta seems a remaining time, telling her mom to ‘let her go’. It is a deeply shifting story with a densely emotional libretto that by no means releases the depth, not even for a second.
Innocence is a remarkably multi-facetted murals, offering a number of perspective on the characters and the traumas narrated. The 13 characters are individually outlined, and but none of them are primary characters. They categorical themselves in varied methods, from ‘traditional’ operatic singing to spoken, half-spoken and people music impressed expressions. The position of Markéta stands out, as carried out by Vilma Jää, a people music singer who sings previous Karelian songs with a vivid, gentle high-pitched soprano voice, angelic in tone. Interesting can be the truth that the capturing takes place in a world faculty and contains singing in at least 9 completely different languages. Kaija Saariaho’s rating requires a big orchestra with a large number of colors, however it’s not a piece dominated by the orchestra, which is basically subordinate to the voices. The ‘overture’, performed earlier than the curtain rises, begins in darkish, ominous colors. Then comes a bassoon solo, a brief, stunning melody, that’s repeated a number of occasions. Near the tip of the opera it returns, however solely as soon as. The which means of this motif eludes me – except it’s innocence.
Director Simon Stone has clearly labored in shut concord with composer, librettist and dramaturge and the entire manufacturing feels very homogenous. It is price noting that a number of members of the solid additionally took half on this planet premiere at Aix-en-Provence final yr. Tuomas Pursio because the Father-in-Law and Markus Nykänen as his son Tuomas have been glorious of their roles, I’ve already talked about Vilma Jää’s Markéta, and several other of the opposite college students additionally repeated their roles. Of the newcomers Jenny Carlstedt was a really convincing Tereza and Anu Komsi an excellent Mother-in-Law. Iida Antola drew a delicate portrait of the harmless Stela, whereas Jyrki Korhonen was a really subdued Priest who has misplaced his religion. The enjoying and singing of the refrain and orchestra beneath the younger Clément Mao-Takacs have been of the best order.
This is an opera that is still in a single’s reminiscence and ideas lengthy after the curtain went down. I really feel privileged to have had the great fortune to expertise it and hope that many extra will seize the chance.
Göran Forsling