On January 30, Finnish National Opera premieres Sebastian Fagerlund’s Morgonstjärnan – The Morning Star with a compelling libretto by Gunilla Hemming that is based on the novel with the same name by acclaimed Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård.
The creative team around chief conductor Hannu Lintu and chief director Thomas de Mallet Burgess with Leslie Travers (set design), Tracy Grant Lord (costume design), Matthew Marshall (light design) and Sue Mythen (movement director) created a powerful production about modern characters dealing with personal matters and crisis’ while at the same time trying to make sense of the world.
On a late August evening a giant star is rising above a city and slowly becomes impossible to ignore. The star triggers strange, mystical behavior in nature and animals. People begin to experience visions, and it seems as though the boundaries between life and death, and reality and unreality, are starting to blur.
Sebastian Fagerlund says:
“The story of The Morning Star, with its collision of the unfathomable, mystical world and modern society, has been a great source of inspiration for me. The story of fear, curiosity, uncertainty, anger, and love is timeless. It holds a mirror to us, providing a deep and powerful reflection of our society and life.”
The opera will have 13 performances from January 30 to March 10.
For more information and all performance dates see Finnish National Opera.
