The opera Innocence by Kaija Saariaho will have its German premiere on September 28 at Musiktheater im Revier under the baton of Valttari Raumilanni, with stage direction by Elisabeth Stöppler. It will be presented in a new co-production by Musiktheater im Revier and Oper Leipzig.
Innocence deals with the aftermath of a shooting at an international school. Ten years later, the shooter’s brother is to be married. As the wedding festivities unfold, the trauma of the past catches up to the family, guests, and staff. The original Finnish libretto written by Sofi Oksanen has been adapted into a multilingual libretto by Aleksi Barrière.
The opera was premiered to critical acclaim at Festival International d'Art Lyrique d'Aix-en-Provence in July 2021. It was commissioned by the Festival International d’Art Lyrique d’Aix-en-Provence, Dutch National Opera, Finnish National Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and San Francisco Opera.
Saariaho won several awards for Innocence, including, in March of this year, the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society award for Large-Scale Composition.
The premiere is followed by eight performances, from October until March 2025. For more information, please see the website of Musiktheater im Revier.
