Opera from Armi Ratia brings Ilmajoki’s tune festival to modern instances

Composer Eeva Kontu writes flowing, colourful and dramaturgically well timed song.

Armi – a portrait of a robust girl. Stand-up performance at the Ilmajoki tune competition. Composition by means of Eeva Kontu, libretto and direction with the aid of Heta Haanperä.

At the Ilmajoki tune festival we've got traditionally visible operas approximately well-known men of our records, which alternately improve Finnish national feeling, alternately boost the spirit of the Ostrobothnia province, and ordinarily draw from the remote beyond. This yr is distinct: Eeva Konnun composed through Armi – a portrait of a robust female is, because the call indicates, a story about a terrific Finnish girl, Rathiasta weaponswhose innovative background, Marimekko products, nevertheless stay on in the normal existence and celebrations of many Finns.

The idea of ​​an opera about Armi Ratia had at the beginning died over a year in the past Jaakko Kuusiston, who, however, did not have time to compose the piece. Choosing Konnu for this project proved to be an top notch solution.

Take care writes flowing, colorful and dramaturgically well timed song, in which there is room for arias of notable feelings and in which the climaxes are interesting – exactly as opera must be.

Kontu skilfully takes into account the voice kind and character of his soloists. The function of Armi is a composed mezzo-soprano Lilli Paasikivelle, who had already finished his singing career. Fortunately, this choice didn’t paintings, due to the fact the function of the grown-up Armi grew to become out to be one of Paasikivi’s exceptional. His degree air of secrecy was so robust that it held the target audience in its grip even in the episodes where he isn't singing.

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Armi-opera is mainly a piece of robust female characters.

Young Armin inside the position, you can listen someone with a stagey, glowing voice Minna-Leena from Lahtea, whose soprano is starting to be ready for bigger levels. He additionally did an impressive position Vuokko Nurmesniemena additionally vulnerable to coloratura soprano Maid Komsi, whose technical virtuosity got here into its own right here. As a infant, Armina executed sweetly Kerttu Kurjenluoma.

Also different soloists, inclusive of baritone Aarne Pelkonen In the position of Ratia’s spouse or tenor Tuomas Miettola of their numerous changing roles, succeeded convincingly, however it doesn’t take away from the reality that this opera is particularly a work of sturdy female characters.

Weapons-opera’s orchestra, the Seinäjoki City Orchestra, become led by means of a conductor Kaapo Ijas.

 

 

Lilli Paasikivi making a song the function of Armi Marimekko inside the center and Piia Komsi singing the position of Vuokko Nurmesniemi on the right. Picture: Jussi Niukkala

Musically Weapons is possibly the exceptional I’ve heard on Ilmajoki, and there are not any lawsuits approximately the visual side both. Juho Lindström has staged the outside stage of the birthday party in a cutting-edge way and shamelessly makes use of symbolism regarding Marimekko. The fresh stage photograph is made of the huge letters Armi and a superb weave within the colorings of the rainbow, which can be changed to exclusive iconic fabric as wished.

The fabric are besides the maximum primary element of the set. Also director-librettist Heta Haanperä is predicated on fabrics, from which a big-scale striped pattern is frequently constructed inside the arms of the choir. Leena Rintalan the designed suits sometimes additionally discuss with Marimekko.

Choreography Osku Heiskanen the fast dance scenes were easily integrated into the rest of the choir’s sports, and the jobs also exchange unexpectedly. The show does no longer lack momentum. The youngsters’s choir performs splendidly, as always. A small compositional blunder takes place in that an unaccompanied a cappella set has been written for an grownup choir, which grew to become out to be too tough for fans. If the piece is done subsequent summer season, it’s clean to repair it via orchestrating something to aid the choir.

In the libretto statistics, gossip, and public secrets interwoven. At least we noticed every other on stage Kekkonen, Tarmo Mann, Jörn Donner and maybe additionally Ella Eronenand it’s a good component, due to the fact without them the work might are becoming slowed down in immoderate pathos.

Weapons-opera Ilmajoki Musiikkijuhlat has arrived nowa days. I desire the opera many performances, additionally organized outdoor the opera arena at the banks of Kyrönjoki.

In the jobs Lilli Paasikivi, Minna-Leena Lahti, Aarne Pelkonen, Mari Palo, Piia Komsi, Jeni Packalén, Tuomas Lehtinen, Tuomas Miettola, Nicholas Söderlund, Mila Kujala, Kerttu Kurjenluoma. Seinäjoki City Orchestra, Ilmajoki Opera Choir, Opera Children’s and Youth Choir.

Correction nine.6. At 1:23 p.M.: Contrary to what became first written inside the overview, Kerttu Kurjenluoma, now not Mila Kujala, performed the function of Lapsi-Armi within the best. In the overall performance statistics, librettist-director Heta Haanperä’s last call was also incorrectly written as Haanpää.

Correction 21.6. At three:26 p.M.: Changed the wording of the final sentence of the overview to say the Kyrönjoki beach opera area, in which the piece was accomplished. Previously, the sentence stated Ilka’s discipline.