The Glow of Baroque
The Women in Baroque Operas
Charpentier – Jacquet de la Guerre – Händel – Lully
Tuuli Lindeberg, soprano
Finnish Baroque Orchestra
The programme takes a look to the life of the women characters of baroque opera literature. The narrative interpretation of soprano Tuuli Lindeberg reveals the power and vulnerability of these well-known characters.
The protagonist of the concert, the tragic Medeia, is known from Greek mythology. The musical tragedy by Marc Antoine Charpentier, Médée, premiered at the Thêatre de Palais Royal in 1693. Medeia’s character is also found in Georg Philipp Händel’s opera Teseo (1713). The Armide and Alcina characters, on the other hand, are characters inspired by Medeia mythology and appear in Renaissance epic poetry, involved in Jean-Baptiste Lullly’s musical tragedy Armide (1686) and Händel’s operas Alcina (1735) and Rinaldo (1711).
On the surface, it would be easy to imagine that these women characters in operas are simple “villains” who mainly intrigue and tune their traps. However, the multidimensional meanings written in the characters’ roles make the them far more interesting than the flawless heroine and princesses of the opponent. Often behind the apparent malice are tragic experiences.
The women characters in baroque operas are intelligent, strong, and cunning women who may have experienced alienation. They express extreme human emotions such as anger and love. Through the journey of these women characters, soprano Tuuli Lindeberg and the musicians of the Finnish Baroque Orchestra taste the expressive lyrics of baroque operas, the rich language of expression and the wide palette of tonal colors.
The programme is partly the same as in Autumn 2021 at the House of Nobility.
The concert is part of the joint AUF series av Avanti, UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra and FiBO which is produced together with Musiikkitalo. The top orchestras, all representing different genres, invite the listeners to get acquainted with various different musical treats during the day concerts.
Other concerts in the AUF series:
Thu Apr 14, 2022 at 1 pm Musiikkitalo (Hall Paavo), Helsinki: AUF / UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra: Silent Music
Tue May 3, 2022 at 2 pm Musiikkitalo (Hall Paavo), Helsinki: AUF / Avanti!: "Kun soitan, en sodi" – Musiikillinen 30-vuotinen sota
Duration: 1 h (Helsinki, no intermission), 1 h 45 min (Pyhtää, incl. intermission)