On May 6, the Metropolitan Opera will stream the archived HD capture of Kaija Saariaho’s haunting opera L’Amour de Loin, featuring Susanna Mälkki in her Met debut conducting Robert Lepage’s dreamlike production. Since its world premiere at the Salzburg Festival in 2000, L’Amour de Loin has earned a place among the most acclaimed stage works of the 21st century.
The production stars Eric Owens as Jaufré Rudel, a troubadour in 12th century France who has become tired of his hedonistic life and longs for an idealized love, Susanna Phillips stars as Clémence, Countess of Tripoli, and Tamara Mumford as the Pilgrim. Saariaho’s hypnotic and bewitching score heightens the magic of the characters’ inner lives as they explore the meaning of love, longing, life, and death. For more information about the production and the Met Opera’s Nightly Opera Streams, click here.
“This production is lucky to have the impressive Ms. Malkki conducting. All the modernist sonorities and layered strands in this dense, complex music come through. She is excellent at animating the buzzing, frenetic riffs, and fleeting ostinatos that ripple through the score. It was only last year that this charismatic conductor, then 46, made her auspicious New York Philharmonic debut. The Met must have her back as often as possible.” (The New York Times)