Karita Mattila is one of today’s most radiant sopranos. Mattila was recently interviewed by reporter Raila Kinnunen.
opera
Salome by Richard Strauss will be premiered on the main stage of Finnish National Opera in spring 2022. Director Christoph Loy shares his thoughts about Strauss's masterpiece.
Life in the sewing studio is surprisingly fast and furious. We asked seamstress Outi Riikonen to explain what she does at the costume department of the Opera House.
Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci provides an amazing start to Hannu Lintu's first season as the Principal Conductor of the Opera and Ballet. Read Hannu's thoughts about the two operas.
Minna Lindgren describes how Cosí fan tutte by Mozart and da Ponte turned into something totally different and pushed aside Wagner’s Die Walküre.
W. A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni is director Jussi Nikkilä’s first genuine deep dive into the world of opera. ”The story is about a sex addict. I wanted to take a bold approach to the theme. Don Giovanni is an adult male who has operated in a certain way for decades. His entire character, his behavioural pattern and what he does to people provide an ideal landscape and dramatic tension for a director.”
Why is Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème considered as an opera classic?
“I see Der Ring des Nibelungen as one of the finest works of the opera genre. I was already fascinated by it when I was young. I started to watch Das Rheingold half-heartedly, but the opera had me hooked and I was compelled to see the other parts, too. I was instantly carried away by both the music and the story. I’d seen many operas before, but this was a life-changing experience; the story is so interesting and captivating,“ says director Anna Kelo.
"I see each orchestra as a unique person, like different people. Sometimes there’s immediate chemistry between the conductor and the orchestra. That’s what happened with the orchestra of the FNOB." Read an interesting interview of our Principal Guest Conductor Patrick Fournillier.