The aftermath of a school shooting is the subject of an opera, “Innocence,” that will get its U.S. premiere in San Francisco beginning June 1. “Innocent” is the last opera by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who died of brain cancer last year. Two worlds play out on its split-level rotating set.
This image released by the San Francisco Opera shows a rehearsal of Kaija Saariaho ’s opera “Innocence,” on May 22, 2024. The opera is having its US premiere at the San Francisco Opera on June 1. SAN FRANCISCO — An uneasy orchestral prelude sets the mood: muffled percussion, brooding woodwinds, anguished strings. The curtain rises and the first voices we hear are of two young men cowering in the shadows.“I can’t board a plane … I can’t sit with my back to the door,” another says in Spanish.
For 100 intermission-less minutes on a split-level rotating set, the two worlds play out, separately at first but gradually intertwining as we learn the tragic connections between the bridegroom’s family and the long-ago events at an international school. “Don’t expect long, romantic Puccini melodies,” she said. “That’s not what this is at all. But the beauty of this piece is in its truth and in its precision and what you can bring from that.”
If that grief is palpable, less clear is the “innocence” of the title. It turns out no one in the story is without some responsibility, not even the waitress whose daughter was one of the victims and who is working at the banquet unaware the family’s older son was the shooter.Curiously, Saariaho’s initial idea for the opera stemmed from Da Vinci’s fresco of “The Last Supper.”
From this kernel, Saariaho and her librettist, Finnish novelist Sofi Oksanen, developed the scenario, which has 13 singing or speaking roles: seven at the school and six at the wedding banquet. As if to underscore the different understanding each character brings to the events, nine different languages are used in the libretto.
Acknowledging the sensitive nature of the topic, the SFO has put together a series of panel discussions and community outreach events focusing on such subjects as gun violence and “depicting trauma on stage, screen and in music.”
Kaija Saariaho Opera CA State Wire Simon Stone E Arts And Entertainment Brain Cancer San Francisco
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Oakland airport officials reaffirm 'San Francisco Bay' name change, countersues San FranciscoOfficials with Oakland International Airport gave final approval to add 'San Francisco Bay' to its name, rebuffing claims of trademark infringement from San Francisco city officials and from SFO.
Read more »
Office vacancies stay sky-high in downtown San Jose, San FranciscoDowntown San Jose and San Francisco continue to suffer from sky-high vacancies.
Read more »
Student encampments end at San Jose State University and University of San FranciscoAt several colleges throughout the Bay Area, administrators are hearing pro-Palestinian student protesters’ demands with varying degrees of agreement.
Read more »
San Jose's downtown revitalization faring better than San Francisco, OaklandAs post-pandemic downtown recoveries continue, the Bay Area's three major cities are experiencing two realities at the same time.
Read more »
Downtown San Jose visit activity soars, Oakland jumps, San Francisco nosedivesVisits to downtown San Jose have soared over the last year, providing a welcome counterpart to the forbidding economic trends that have haunted the Bay Area in the wake of the coronavirus.
Read more »
Austin Opera Redefines the Limits of Opera for 2024-25 SeasonCold war thriller and devotional masterpiece on the calendar
Read more »