Live opera tonight – no-one sleeps in Helsinki
UncategorizedTonight, Slippedisc, courtesy of OperaVision takes you live to the Finnish National Opera for their new, visually stunning production of Puccini’s Turandot. Director Sofia Jupither sets out to focus on the essence of Puccini’s
interest in private and the public lives, power and responsibility, love and vulnerability.
Puccini composed the opera in the heyday of exoticism and orientalism; an Europe-centric view of the Far East is in danger of distancing modern audiences from Puccini’s masterpiece. As Jupither describes in the interview below, her ambition is to pull down decades-old stereotypes embedded in the work and show the people beneath them, revealing the central themes of the opera, the psychology of the characters and a story of our society today.
The Armenian soprano Astrik Khanamiryan is the beautiful Chinese princess who has issued a decree for her suitors: whoever cannot solve her riddles to win her hand will be beheaded. As unlucky suitors fail and fall, up steps the prince of the Tatar people, Calaf sung by Georgian tenor Mikheil Sheshaberidze.
Sung in Italian with subtitles in English, Italian and Finnish.
The Plot: a beautiful Chinese princess has issued a decree for her suitors: whoever cannot solve her riddles to win her hand will be beheaded. As unlucky suitors fail and fall, up steps Calaf, a prince of the Tatar people.
Interview with the director Sofia Jupither:
Funny place tho Opera of Helsinki…. I have never seen a show there but I would like. Inside the hall, the stage seems superb and warn for the spectator but outside it looks like a french regional hospital.
Funny; while attractive, I thought the Concertgebouw looked a little old-school hospital like as well.
I’am not a fan of the architecture of the outside of the Concertgebouw; But inside…. Anyway my favorit place in Helsinki is Atenuem.