The Swedish
Theatre in Turku (Åbo Svenska Teatern) brought to its main scene Marc’Antonio e
Cleopatra (Marc Antony and Cleopatra), a baroque opera composed by Johann Adoph
Hasse and directed by Ville Saukkonen. A great thanks to them! It is a shame that Hasse’s operas have
not been shown in Finland before. Even though this opera was only performed
three times and despite its name on a rather small scene, we should all hope
that it will get a second run e.g. in the Alexander Theatre in Helsinki, which
would suit it perfectly.
Hasse’s
opera is a so called serenata which means that it has 2-4 singers and the
length is shorter than the one of full length baroque operas. This opera lasted
(with the interval) only two hours and fifteen minutes. The story is about the
last days of Marc Antony and Cleopatra before their suicides.
One would
have recognized the opera’s director as Ville Saukkonen even without
pre-knowledge, because the setting was simple (only a few boxes) and there were
video projections – as always – in the background and there was also a dancer. I
have to admit that I did not pay a lot of attentions to the projections, since
the singing took almost all my attention, but the dance of Sami Saikkonen (as
the god Anubis) was intriguing. And in the tribute (the finale) to the rulers
of the time (typical for such serenatas) Saikkonen did superb shows as the king
and his wife.
The music of
the opera was played by Kuninkaantien muusikot lead by their concert master Anthony
Marini. Kuninkaantien muusikot uses periodic instruments which gave a truly graceful
tune to the opera. And when this was all performed in a lovely old-fashioned
theatre full of golden decorations and red velvet, the environment itself attuned
you to baroque music.
The role of
Cleopatra was sung with aplomb by Tuuli Lindeberg, one of my favorite sopranos,
who once again lived up to all the expectations. The role cannot be called easy
to sing, but Lindeberg’s agile, multifaceted and strong voice managed even the
most difficult parts without a glitch. Her voice alone was worth a trip to
Turku! The role of Marc Antony was sung by counter tenor Teppo Lampela, who
also sung well. Perhaps he was not quite as glamorous as Lindeberg, but he did
a great job anyway.
In addition
to great singing, the main characters also acted their roles splendidly. Personally
I liked the intensity of the first act more than the second act’s road to the
suicides. The passion between the couple sparkled in their voices and facial
expressions. The small size of the theatre gave the audience a ringside view to
their feelings. One of the high points of the opera were also the duets of
Lindeberg and Lampela. Their voices sounded so beautiful together that they filled
my head even on the long ride home!
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| The Swedish Theatre in Turku |
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| The scene |
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| The performers and director Ville Saukkonen |
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