24.07.2012
Gala Concert to Mark the Centenary of the Savonlinna Opera Festival
The world-famous opera festival, held annually in Finland, is touring abroad for the first time in its history. The gala concert to mark the centenary of Finland’s best-known musical event will take place at the Mikhailovsky Theatre on 6 March.
Jan Hultin, the festival’s General Director, is approaching the concert with a great sense of responsibility:
“I strongly believe that we need to strike a balance between classical music and pop culture, especially among young people. Our festival does a great deal to popularize opera and modern classical music. The operas and concerts in Savonlinna during the festival are attended by around 60,000 people — no mean feat, bearing in mind that the population of the town is less than 30,000. We work with musicians from various countries, but it seems to me that there is no country with such a strong opera and ballet culture as Russia, and audiences here are very special. Performing here is not only a responsibility but also a great pleasure”.
The programme for the gala concert is being prepared by Jari Hämäläinen, the Artistic Director of the Savonlinna Opera Festival. Excerpts from the operas Die Zauberflöte, Don Carlos, Macbeth, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, Der Fliegende Holländer, Carmen and Boris Godunov will be performed by the Savonlinna Festival Choir, the Mikhailovsky Theatre Orchestra and outstanding singers from various countries. They will include the Finnish bass Jaakko Ryhänen, the Hungarian soprano Csilla Boross, the Romanian tenor Cristian Mogosan and the Argentinean bass-baritone Matías Tosi, as well as the young soprano Miina-Liisa Värelä, who recently made her debut at the Finnish National Opera.
The gala concert on 6 March is the first stage in a programme of close collaboration between the Savonlinna Opera Festival and the Mikhailovsky Theatre.
Jan Hultin, the festival’s General Director, is approaching the concert with a great sense of responsibility:
“I strongly believe that we need to strike a balance between classical music and pop culture, especially among young people. Our festival does a great deal to popularize opera and modern classical music. The operas and concerts in Savonlinna during the festival are attended by around 60,000 people — no mean feat, bearing in mind that the population of the town is less than 30,000. We work with musicians from various countries, but it seems to me that there is no country with such a strong opera and ballet culture as Russia, and audiences here are very special. Performing here is not only a responsibility but also a great pleasure”.
The programme for the gala concert is being prepared by Jari Hämäläinen, the Artistic Director of the Savonlinna Opera Festival. Excerpts from the operas Die Zauberflöte, Don Carlos, Macbeth, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, Der Fliegende Holländer, Carmen and Boris Godunov will be performed by the Savonlinna Festival Choir, the Mikhailovsky Theatre Orchestra and outstanding singers from various countries. They will include the Finnish bass Jaakko Ryhänen, the Hungarian soprano Csilla Boross, the Romanian tenor Cristian Mogosan and the Argentinean bass-baritone Matías Tosi, as well as the young soprano Miina-Liisa Värelä, who recently made her debut at the Finnish National Opera.
The gala concert on 6 March is the first stage in a programme of close collaboration between the Savonlinna Opera Festival and the Mikhailovsky Theatre.
