Turku Music Festival brings Puccini opera to Sigyn Hall in June

The main event of the Turku Music Festival is held from 8 to 29 August 2024 but takes a head start with an opera performance earlier in the summer.

Portrait of Tosca, for three singers and string quartet, distils the events of Puccini’s celebrated opera Tosca into 90 minutes. In this chamber-opera version, the intimate moments of the story more personal and intense than ever before. The title role is taken by soprano Marjukka Tepponen, acclaimed internationally for her Puccini performances. Scarpia, the Chief of Police, is performed by US-born baritone Kevin Greenlaw, and the artist Cavaradossi is performed by Danish tenor Peter Lodahl. Laura Hynninen, cast as a fallen angel, illustrates in colours and shapes what is not said aloud in the libretto.

Iconic operas need to be looked at through a modern lens. Tosca is a vibrant woman with timeless appeal, someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her dreams. She is neither weak nor a victim. Director Siljamari Heikinheimo explains why it is necessary to give more depth to female characters:

“In popular classic operas, the role of a female character is usually explicitly to first be an object for male desire and then die a tragic death. I’m interested in taking a fresh look at these characters and exploring the potential diversity and richness that a director and performer can bring to these characters.”

The powerful title role is taken by Marjukka Tepponen, who has been charming audiences this spring in Dialogues des Carmelites at the Finnish National Opera and in La traviata at the Tampere Opera. She will be joining the soloist ensemble of the distinguished Semperoper in Dresden in autumn 2024.

“This ‘mini version’ of Tosca is an intense sprint. The story is condensed to the extreme and includes all the hit numbers. What is particularly interesting is that the singers and the string quartet work as an ensemble without a conductor, in chamber-music fashion.”

Scarpia is performed by baritone Kevin Greenlaw, who happens to be Marjukka’s husband.

“It’s particularly wonderful to be performing opera with my husband, even if in this one we are antagonists as Tosca and Scarpia. We get to kick off in one of the most intense scenes in the opera repertoire. I love being able to tour with this special version of the legendary Tosca!”

The Portrait of Tosca tour includes performances in Hamina and Helsinki.

Like most classic operas, Tosca is about fiery love, dark passion, brutal violence and death scenes. In this production, the choreography devised by Auri Ahola dusts off these dramatic scenes with fresh movement, and counterpoint is also provided by visual artist Laura Hynninen, cast as an angel illustrating the fate, hope and devastation of the story in colours and shapes. Puccini’s score was arranged for string quartet by Øystein Sonstad, cellist of the Oslo String Quartet, who has a knack for writing for string quartet so that it sounds as resonant as a full symphony orchestra. Performed without a conductor, the production requires the string quartet to be thoroughly immersed in Tosca, which is not an issue for top-notch musicians Jukka Merjanen, Matti Koponen, Eriikka Nylund and Samuli Peltonen.

Liisa Ketomäki, Managing Director of the Turku Music Festival Foundation, sees potential in the collaboration. “While waiting for the completion of Fuuga [Turku’s new concert hall], it is more important than ever to reinforce regional partnerships at a high level of quality. Through collaborations such as this, we are able to offer excellent opera performances and other interesting guest productions while not breaking the bank. I’m also pleased to welcome Kevin and Marjukka back to Turku. They actually met in a production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro jointly produced by the Turku Music Festival, the Turku Philharmonic and the Åbo Svenska Teater in 2013! I have enjoyed following both their careers over the years,” she says.

Sigyn Hall, Saturday 8 June at 18.00, tickets on sale now at tmj.fi.