Telemann: Orpheus

Information

Tickets €45
Pensioners €30
Children (up to 16 years) and students €15

The performance lasts approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission.

The opera is surtitled in Finnish. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Artistic Team:
Vilppu Kiljunen – Director
Markus Lehtinen – Musical Direction
Marianna Metsälampi – Assistant Director
Sampo Pyhälä – Set Design
Anton Kulagin – Lighting Design
Pia Lasonen – Costume Design
Tuija Luukkainen – Makeup Design

On stage:
Singers from the Sibelius Academy Opera Programme
Sibelius Academy Opera Orchestra, concertmaster Minna Kangas
Sibelius Academy Opera Choir

The Sibelius Academy’s First Opera Visit to Tampere Hall – A Finnish Premiere of a Telemann Rarity

For the first time ever, the Sibelius Academy’s opera programme brings its production to Tampere. A rarity from the Baroque era, Orpheus (1726) by Georg Philipp Telemann, will have its Finnish premiere on Friday, September 26 at the Helsinki Music Centre and will visit the Main Hall of Tampere Hall on Wednesday, October 8. The production is directed by Vilppu Kiljunen. The soloists, opera orchestra, and choir of the Sibelius Academy will be conducted by Professor Markus Lehtinen, head of the opera programme. Tickets for the guest performance are now on sale.

Orpheus (Die wunderbare Beständigkeit der Liebe), composed in 1726 by Georg Philipp Telemann, is a multilayered Baroque opera that remained forgotten for over 250 years until its rediscovery in the 1970s. This rare gem now comes to life in Finland for the first time, performed by the Sibelius Academy’s opera programme in Helsinki and Tampere.

The familiar myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is given a new twist with the addition of Queen Orasia, a character driven by passion and power. The libretto, compiled by Telemann himself, includes numerous quotations from other operas of the time – all in their original languages. German recitatives link arias, duets, and choral sections, shifting seamlessly between German, French, and Italian.

The opera is directed by internationally acclaimed Finnish opera director Vilppu Kiljunen, known to Tampere audiences for his successful productions of Tannhäuser and Nabucco at Tampere Hall. Musical direction is by Professor Markus Lehtinen, who brings 40 years of international experience as an opera, ballet, and concert conductor. Set design is by Sampo Pyhälä, lighting by Anton Kulagin, costumes by Pia Lasonen, and makeup design by Tuija Luukkainen.

“The mythical figure of Orpheus has been interpreted throughout the ages. Was he a fortune-seeker defying the gods, a peerless singer, a self-absorbed adventurer, or something else entirely? Is Orpheus’ fate also our own – do we follow our passion, only to hesitate and look back? There is something pure and familiar in Orpheus, and he must be portrayed on stage with clarity and simplicity,” describes director Vilppu Kiljunen.

The Sibelius Academy’s opera programme is an intensive 2.5-year Master of Music programme, where students gain deep insight into preparing and performing opera roles. Productions are created in collaboration with professionals from both Finnish and international opera and performing arts scenes. In recent years, operas from the early music period have gained increasing popularity, with a particular rise in interest in Baroque opera.

“During their master’s studies, students of the Sibelius Academy opera programme perform in four full-scale productions with orchestra, and one staged opera project accompanied by piano. We are delighted to bring the programme to Tampere for the first time, along with this rare Telemann opera. The work offers fresh and bold opportunities for interpreting music and drama, freeing performers from the burden of overly rigid traditions. Performing on the stage of Tampere Hall’s Main Auditorium will be a unique experience for our students,”
says Professor Markus Lehtinen.

Production by: Sibelius Academy Opera and Tampere Opera

The Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation has supported the development of opera and chamber music activities at Tampere Hall during the years 2024–2025.