The Human Heart in the Helsinki Music Centre, Camerata scene, the 28th of February, 2020

Even though I am not the greatest fan of modern opera, I do, of course, go and see them when possible and sometimes, thanks to such a policy, you see operas that are really worth seeing and hearing. Heinz-Juhani Hofmann’s opera “The Human Heart” is one such opera. It is a tough experience and it makes you think.

“The Human Heart” is a monologue opera, which tells about pedophilia: the act itself and its consequences. The spectator can see in front of him/herself a child, her broken self, the abuse and what happens afterwards. I honestly cannot recommend this opera to very sensitive people despite the importance of the theme.

The heart of “The Human Heart” is the singer Jutta Seppinen. Or perhaps a singer is a too restrictive word to use in this case. She talked, sang, danced, moved, performed; she was the middle point of everything, there were on the stage in addition to her only two music stands, a container of water and the lights by light technician Jukka Kolimaa. Seppinen’s natural speech and singing were joined together with her speech and singing coming from a tape. You can easily say that this work would not be without the magnificent Jutta Seppinen. Though, you as easily say that it also would not be without Petri Kekoni (direction/choreography) and sound technician Anders Pohjola. This group of people had together created a superb performance.   

When the opera started, for a while I was flabbergasted. It felt as if the work started somewhere in the middle: quick-paced repetition of words and a hypnotic rhythm were totally disconnected. But the further the opera progressed, the more it sucked the spectators into the story and the clearer the connections between the disconnected mantras of the first few minutes to the story became. When in the end of the opera Seppinen successively played first the abuser and then the child, I think not a single one of the spectators could remain indifferent. The scene was unbelievably horrible, cruel, but incredibly impressive. It made you silent.