Susanna Mälkki conducts the greatly anticipated world premiere of Kaaija Saariaho’s Innocence at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence on July 3, 6, 10, and 12. Marking her debut with the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Mälkki will conduct the London Symphony Orchestra and a starry cast in this powerful production by Simon Stone.
The festival describes Innocence saying: “Saariaho’s new opera is the occasion for an unprecedented encounter between the great composer and another Finnish artist, the novelist Sofi Oksanen, who has no equal for confronting our present day with the shadows of the past. Innocence, their sweeping choral drama for soloists, choir and orchestra, is a contemporary tragedy made incandescent by powerful music and words that blend the languages of the world.”
The fantastic cast includes Magdalena Kožená as the Waitress, Sandrine Piau as the Mother-in-Law, Tuomas Pursio as the Father-in-Law, Lilian Farahani as Flange, Markus Nykänen as the Groom, Jukka Rasilainen as the Priest, Lucy Shelton as the Teacher, among others.
Innocence will be broadcast LIVE on July 10 at 20:00 via Arte. Additionally, there will be a radio re-transmission on July 11 at 20:00 via France Musique. For more information about Innocence, please visit the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence website.
Photo: Marica Rosengard