Francesco Cavalli – Giovanni Faustini
La Calisto
Explore baroque opera with all your senses
In early 2027, the new and the old collide when the baroque opera La Calisto invites the audience to an immersive experience of its world.
Francesco Cavalli’s La Calisto, based on a Greek myth, had its world premiere in 1651. In this new interpretation of the tragedy, the protagonist Calisto, a beautiful nymph, refuses to accept the role of a sacrificial virgin imposed upon her. But can you refuse victimhood, and what is the role of the surrounding community as an enabler of abusive power? The work, which dates back nearly 400 years, is presented to the modern viewer as a contemporary essay on distance and the roles we assign and assume.
The multi-sensory, communal and spatial experience offers surprising new perspectives on both opera and immersive performance. The new interpretation is a co-production of 00100ENSEMBLE, The Finnish Baroque Orchestra FiBO and the Finnish National Opera.
The visual and spatial world of the work is designed by a team specialised in immersive performances and assembled by 00100ENSEMBLE. Their experiential interpretation plunges the audience into the middle of the events onstage. As the pioneer of early music, FiBO, and the Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera join forces, La Calisto is invigorated with bold arrangement and colourful orchestration. The performance also features other music by Cavalli and his contemporaries, along with improvised soundscapes.
The performance is part of a three-year collaboration of the Finnish National Opera and the Finnish Baroque Orchestra FiBO, funded by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. Learn more about the collaboration.
“To live in liberty is sweet and dear.”
– Faustini
Pricing
Ticket categories: standard ticket 52 € / pensioner 45 € / discount ticket 26 € (for students, military or non-military service members, children and youth aged 20 and under and the unemployed)
Early bird ticket: 35 €. On sale from 6 October to 11 October.
The performance is partly observed standing up. There are unnumbered seats available during most of the performance. Accessible seating is available for those with limited mobility for the entire duration of the performance. Unfortunately, the performance is not wheelchair accessible.
tickets and performances
synopsis
The young nymph Calisto serves Diana, the goddess of the hunt, and swears upon remaining a virgin. Then she catches the eye of Giove (Jupiter), the god of the sky. Together with his herald Mercurio (Mercury), Giove devises a plot. He takes the form of Diana to seduce Calisto.
Meanwhile, genuine but forbidden love blooms between the real Diana and Endimione (Endymion). In his disguise, Giove makes Calisto believe that Diana loves her, too. When Calisto later approaches the real Diana, Diana does not understand what she is trying to say and, to her great shock, banishes her. Giove’s wife, Giunone (Juno), discovers the deception and wreaks her revenge upon the innocent Calisto, transforming her into a bear.
In the end, Giove lifts Calisto up in the sky in the constellation of The Great Bear. Or is it Calisto who chooses her final fate?
creative team
MUSIC Francesco Cavalli
LIBRETTO Giovanni Faustini
DIRECTING AND ARTISTIC CONCEPT 00100ENSEMBLE: Anni Hernetkoski, Onni Hämäläinen, Lauri Lundahl, Pauliina Palo, Noora Salmi, Wilhelmina Sederholm, Henna Tanskanen
MUSICAL DRAMATURGY Tuuli Lindeberg, Marianna Henriksson, Anthony Marini
VOCAL COACHING Tuuli Lindeberg, Marianna Henriksson
INSTRUMENTATION Marianna Henriksson, Anthony Marini
MUSICAL DIRECTION Marianna Henriksson, Anthony Marini
CAST
Experience an immersive performance
La Calisto fills the entire performance space. It is not a traditional performance, which the audience follows from their own seats. Instead, the viewer gets to follow the story from the middle of the events, yet with no requirement of active participation.
We recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes, as the performance is partly observed standing up. There are unnumbered seats available during most of the performance. Accessible seating is available for those with limited mobility for the entire duration of the performance. However, designated wheelchair accessible tickets are not available for this performance.
Dark clothing is recommended in the audience.
stage
The opera La Calisto is performed in the Main Building of the Museum of Technology and in the Energy Hall.
During the performance, the audience walks approximately 250 metres outdoors, as the performance moves from the Main Building to the Energy Hall. The route is lit.
Refreshments can be bought onsite during the interval.
arrival
The Museum of Technology is located near Arabianranta in Helsinki at Viikintie 1, 00560 Helsinki. The Main Building of the museum is a conspicuous round yellow building on the island.
We recommend arriving at the museum by public transport. The nearest bus stops are named after the Museum of Technology. You can, for example, take bus 71 or 78 from the railway station to the Museum of Technology. For the most up-to-date routes and schedules, consult the HRT route planner.
If you arrive by car, you can park in the parking lot of Jokisuuntie around 250 metres from the museum’s main entrance.
