opera

Eerik XIV

Eerik XIV had world Premiere

On Tuesday 22 November, the new Logomo Hall opened with the premiere of the Eerik XIV opera. The opera was commissioned by the City of Turku from composer Mikko Heiniö and librettist Juha Siltanen in honour of the Capital of Culture year. The last performance will be on Tuesday November 29th.

Eerik XIV is composed by Mikko Heiniö and the libretto is written by Juha Siltanen. The lead, as young king Eric, is performed by mezzo-soprano Charlotte Hellekant and Eric’s spouse Karin Månsdotter is portrayed by Helena Juntunen. The opera is directed by Erik Söderblom and conducted by prominent opera maestro Leif Segerstam.

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Eerik XIV

Eerik XIV live broadcast online on Saturday

The opera Eerik XIV will be broadcast live online on Saturday November 26th at 3-6.25 pm. The premiere on Tuesday got a splendid welcome. There are still tickets for all the performances, but to enable that also people who don´t have the opportunity to come to Turku get to see the unique performance, the opera will also be broadcasted on the Internet.

Eerik XIV brings together film and opera on one stage. The audience follows simultaneously both the making of the opera as well as large projections on different levels. Eerik XIV is a story about King Eric, his beloved Karina Månsdotter, about power, imprisonment, love and madness.

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Traffic arrangements for the Logomo area to change with the new hall

On Tuesday 22 November, the new Logomo Hall will open with the premiere of the Eerik XIV opera. The opera was commissioned by the City of Turku from composer Mikko Heiniö and librettist Juha Siltanen in honour of the Capital of Culture year. The opening of the new hall will change the entrance to the Logomo performance venue.

The Eerik XIV opera is directed by Erik Söderblom, and the musical performance will be conducted by Leif Segerstam. The team of soloists will consist of top Finnish and Swedish opera singers. Music will be performed by Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, with Turku Conservatory Chamber Choir and Turku Opera Choir.

The opera is produced by the Turku Music Festival Foundation as part of the official Capital of Culture programme.

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The Medium took over Domino

Gian Carlo Menotti's The Medium is a two-act short opera about the Medium, her daughter and a mute boy servant, who stage spiritualist sessions for their clients. The piece will be directed by familiar movie and theatre actors Kari-Pekka Toivonen and Merja Larivaara.

Often full of drunken rage, the Medium has for years cashed in on the miseries and tragedies of her clients by organising staged spiritualism sessions together with her daughter and a mute boy servant. One day, the sessions take a new direction, as the Medium feels a set of hands strangling her and hears voices that should not be there. What will happen when the ingeniously built performance comes tumbling down?

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Karita Mattila

An Evening with Karita Mattila

Opera singer Karita Mattila will be taking the stage at the Viva la Diva! concerts in her home town Turku. The leading soprano will be performing with Turku's own bass Matti Salminen as well as tenor Jorma Silvasti. The queen of the evening and the dashing gentlemen are accompanied by Turku Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Susanna Mälkki.

The Viva la Diva! concerts are one of the highlights of the Turku 2011 programme. In the velvety August night, audiences are treated to two concerts of the most cherished world-class gems from the world of opera and operetta. The Turku castle park serves as a stunning venue for the star-studded performers, housing a concert stand for an audience of 5,000.

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Summer of culture conludes with the last weekend of August

Turku’s extremely active Capital of Culture summer season concludes at the last August weekend, i.e., on 25–28 August. The River Aura is set to witness yet another massive public event – much like the highly popular opening night.

In August, The Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regatta will pay homage to the Capital of Culture year and bring grand sailing ships to Turku. Following the actual Tall Ships Races sailing event, the cultural regatta is the first thematic Tall Ships Race ever organised in Finland.

The dozens of ships arriving at the River Aura in August include the Russian four-masted barques Sedov and Kruzenshtern, two of the largest sailing ships in the world. Access to the sailing ships is free of charge.

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Karita Mattila

Honorary Doctor La Karita

The world-renowned Finnish opera singer, Karita Mattila, will express her gratitude to her hometown this summer by performing three grand concerts in Turku Castle Park. One of her reasons for being grateful is the honorary doctorate that will be awarded to her by the University of Turku at the end of May.

On 26-28 May, the University of Turku will award 19 honorary doctorate degrees. Perhaps the best known of the honorary doctorate recipients are former Speaker of Parliament Sauli Niinistö and opera singer Karita Mattila.
“This all certainly came as a total surprise! It is especially wonderful that this honour is being awarded by the University of Turku in my Finnish hometown. The whole event, from the grinding of the sword to the ball, will last four days and I intend to take full advantage of it,” Karita assures.

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Henrik and the Hammer of Witches – Folk Opera on Witch Hunts

Opera in Swedish, Finnish subtitles

As the August nights grow increasingly darker, a nightmarish drama set during the witch-hunts of the 1600s will be staged in the courtyard of Turku Castle. What will happen to Henrik, a poor student sentenced to death for witchcraft and making a pact with the Devil?  People standing accused also include Professor Martinus Stodius and Henrik’s beloved Lisen.

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Ticket sales to Eerik XIV started on March 17th

Ticket sales to the opera Eerik XIV, a part of the Cultural Capital programme of Turku, started on Thursday March 17th at 9 a.m. Tickets are sold via Lippupiste.

Eerik XIV is a new Finnish opera production, commissioned by the city of Turku in honour of the Cultural Capital year. The opera is composed by Mikko Heiniö and the libretto is written by Juha Siltanen. The lead, as young king Eric, is performed by mezzo-soprano Charlotte Hellekant and Eric’s spouse Karin Månsdotter is portrayed by Helena Juntunen.

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Turku has a flying future

In 3011, everything flies: schools, cows, books and especially people. Most things are far easier than today. Most things are far easier than today. Children’s Opera Future Trek - Turku 3011 has its first performance February 1st at Pääskyvuori School.

Children’s Opera Future Trek - Turku 3011 is based on ideas and materials created in workshops held at the junior classes of Turku elementary schools. Based on the workshop material, Emma Puikkonen has created a libretto for children’s opera. Pia Kalenius will create the costumes, staging and the dolls seen on stage.

During the spring children’s opera will have the performances in Turku elementary schools. In August the opera will have performances at Turku Music Festival.

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