Johanna Rusanen

A woman on the verge of divorce hopes to shed her excess kilos over the weekend at a much-lauded sanatorium, until her husband checks into the same facility. Composed by jazz pianist Iiro Rantala and written by best-selling novelist Minna Lindgren, Sanatorio Express is a side-splittingly funny opera about modern neuroses and relationships. A great introduction to opera for first-timers, it will also please aficionados with its deep connection to the tradition of comic opera.

Autumn season at the opera opens with Covid fan tutte, starring leading Finnish soloists The first opera in the autumn repertoire will be Covid fan tutte, featuring for example soprano Karita Mattila and conductors Esa-Pekka Salonen and Hannu Lintu. The new libretto to the score of Mozart’s Così fan tutte will be written by Minna Lindgren. The premiere of Covid fan tutte will take place at the end of August. Directed by Jussi Nikkilä, the opera will be sung by Finland’s most prominent soloists, including Karita Mattila, Miina-Liisa Värelä, Tommi Hakala, Johanna Rusanen, Tuomas Katajala, and Waltteri Torikka. Minna Lindgren will write a topical libretto to the score of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, combining elements of satire and reality shows.