Pohjola, S.: Kaappi / Rakkaimpani [Operas]

Tuomas Rousi

Released on 01/01/2009 by Alba
Main artists: Tuomas Rousi
Genre: Opera

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With these two brief one-acters, Finnish composer Seppo Pohjola (born 1965) bumps uncomfortably up against the issue that faces every composer who wants to write opera: finding a dramatically effective libretto. Pohjola is obviously a gifted composer; his music is clever, imaginative, and varied, his orchestration is colorful, and his text setting is natural and lyrical. Because of their unfailing inventiveness, wit, and feeling, these operas, The Closet and My Dearest, fare beautifully on disc as purely musical experiences. Because of the lack of drama, though, it's hard to imagine their having much of an impact in the theater. Both plots involve domestic conflict. The Closet, with a libretto by Janne Suutarinen and the composer, is a whimsical exploration of what the consequences might be if a happily married couple was to let their sexual fantasies run wild, and their imaginary lovers were to step into their lives. Pohjola's nouveau neo-Classical style is lively and engaging, but the silly shenanigans going on on-stage don't generate much heat or much interest in the characters. Pohjola assembled the libretto for My Dearest from letters written by his grandparents while they were separated during the Second World War. It makes for a talky opera, in which the only drama comes from each character's unfounded anxieties about the other's possible infidelities during their separation. The humor of The Closet is replaced by warmth and deep feeling, but the undramatic story makes this a piece that wouldn't gain much from being seen enacted on-stage. Both works receive very fine, committed performances by singers and instrumentalists conducted by Tuomas Rousi. Alba's sound is clear, clean, and intimate.
© TiVo

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Pohjola, S.: Kaappi / Rakkaimpani [Operas]

Sirkka Parviainen

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Kaappi (The Closet) (Seppo Pohjola)

Kotona taas [Home again]

Sirkka Parviainen