Matteus-passio has been cancelled
Unfortunately, we have to cancel all performances of Matteus-passio (St Matthew Passion) due to an illness. We will explore the possibility of performing the piece in the future. We will be in contact with all ticket purchasers and bookers personally.
Premiering in Aurinkobaletti in the autumn, Matteus-passio (The Passion of St. Matthew) interpreted by Urmas Poolamets, Ismo Laakso and Kauko Röyhkä brings the classic tale and composition to the modern day stage. The multidisciplinary performance combines dance, theatre, classical singing and re-arranged musical soundscapes in its interpretation of the biblical story and the original music. The characters are now in the modern age. What would the story of Easter look like in the 21st century?
Director of the piece and Aurinkobaletti’s artistic director Urmas Poolamets described the creative process:
“This year marks my 25th year with Aurinkobaletti. During that time we’ve created multiple works that were based on well-known fairy tales and other classics. The beginning of those processes is always branded by the feeling that we have to be careful about how much we can modify them, but the end result has always been a fresh, successful interpretation. Composer and musician Ismo Laakso and I have also formed a great partnership in the years we’ve worked together. This time we asked Kauko Röyhkä to be our scriptwriter.
The Passion of St. Matthew brings us to the biggest “fairy tale” of them all, with the Bible being a cornerstone of Western culture while J.S. Bach’s composition is a massive, famous piece of classical music. We’ve had a group of great artists with us on this journey, so a lot can be expected of the final result.”
Crew
CHOREOGRAPHY AND VISUALIZATION Urmas Poolamets | MUSIC Johann Sebastian Bach and Ismo Laakso | ARRANGEMENT OF MUSIC Ismo Laakso | SCRIPT Kauko Röyhkä | LIGHT DESIGN, VISUALIZATION AND SCENOGRAPHY Magnús Sigurðarson | COSTUME DESIGN Marjo Haapasalo | DANCE Côme Calmelet-Pyykkö, Patrick Di Quirico, Elina Raiskinmäki and Hanna Rasikinmäki | VOCALS Petri Bäckström, Salla Markkanen, Iiro Ollila, Elina Railamaa and Maikki Säikkä | MANUFACTURING OF CROWNS Nanna Mäkinen | PHOTOS AND GRAPHIC DESIGN Jussi Virkkumaa | PRODUCTION Aurinkobaletti
Duration: approximately 3 hours (including intermission)
Age recommendation: +12 years
Reviews and articles
Currently only available in Finnish/Swedish:
Kauko Röyhkä modernisoi Bachin Matteus-passion tarinan nykyaikaan (Turun Sanomat, 18.5.2023)
Kauko Röyhkältä uusi tulkinta klassisesta kärsimysnäytelmästä Aurinkobaletille (Aamuset, 19.5.2023)