Ice
Syyskausi 2020Autumn 2020

Ice

Jaakko Kuusisto
10 performances
22.10.2020 – 19.11.2020
Operas
Main Stage
Total duration 2 h 30 min
Total duration 2 h 30 min
1 intermission (30 min)
10 performances
22.10.2020 – 19.11.2020
Operas
Main Stage
tickets
15-109 €
Performed in Finnish
Surtitles in Finnish, Swedish and English

Sounding out the power of nature

A young priest moves to a remote island with his family, and the locals love and respect him from his very first sermon. Petter and Mona, together with their child, decide to make their home on the island. The couple’s hopeful journey towards better times is overshadowed by a dark crescendo. Will the ice hold, or will it break?

The Finnish National Opera was the first performing arts company to be permitted to adapt Ulla-Lena Lundberg’s beloved novel for the stage. The libretto includes all the key events and unforgettable characters of the novel. The immensely popular opera will return to the repertoire in autumn 2020.

Recommended for children over the age of 9.

Performances of Ice on 24 October at 7 p.m. and 3 November at 7 p.m. will be interpreted in sign language.

Performances & Tickets

2 h 30 min
1 intermission (30 min)
10 performances
22.10.2020 – 19.11.2020
Operas
Main Stage
tickets
15-109 €
Performed in Finnish
Surtitles in Finnish, Swedish and English
Thu 22.10.2020
at 19:00
Cast
Sat 24.10.2020
at 19:00
Cast
Wed 28.10.2020
at 19:00
Cast
Fri 30.10.2020
at 19:00
Cast
Tue 3.11.2020
at 19:00
Cast
Thu 5.11.2020
at 19:00
Cast
Wed 11.11.2020
at 19:00
Cast
Fri 13.11.2020
at 19:00
Cast
Tue 17.11.2020
at 19:00
Cast
Thu 19.11.2020
at 19:00
Cast
Jää: Jenny Carlstedt

“Memories fade, they sink to the bottom until they become as hazy as the rocks underwater. Soon the islands’ priest will be only a story, drifting in the current, further and further away…”

Watch trailer

Jää: Ville Rusanen

Gallery

Jää: Tiina Penttinen; Jenni Lättilä; Tove Åman; Jussi Merikanto; Petri Pussila
Jää: Jenny Carlstedt; Ville Rusanen
Jää: Aarne Pelkonen; Mari Palo
Jää: Aarne Pelkonen
Jää: Aarne Pelkonen; Tiina-Maija Koskela; Aki Alamikkotervo
Jää: Pekka Strang
Jää: Aki Alamikkotervo; Niina Keitel; Hannu Niemelä; Tiina-Maija Koskela
Jää: Jenny Carlstedt
Jää: Aarne Pelkonen; Pekka Strang
Jää

Creative team

Libretto
Juhani Koivisto
Director
Anna Kelo
Sets
Kati Lukka
Costumes
Marja Uusitalo
Lighting design, video design
Thomas Hase
Sound design
Antti Murto
Koreografi
Ari Numminen
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Cast

Anton
Marcus Groth
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Synopsis

A young priest settles on a remote Finnish island with his family, and ever since his first sermon, everyone loves and respects him. This where they’ll stay, where their children will grow up, Petter and Mona decide. Petter completes his degree, he is inaugurated, a bridge is built between islands, life is getting better and all is well. But the ice is treacherous, and Petter doesn’t know how to watch out for it.

You can read the full synopsis and other background information in the programme booklet.

#jää #iceopera

Jää: Ville Rusanen

A story that wanted to become an opera

“Ice is a novel that you would like never to end. Its pages are filled with flowing language, real-life characters, the happiness of a young family, a hopeful journey towards better times – and still, below the surface, you always sense the growing dark undertone. How to turn one of the finest stories of Finnish literature into a libretto, how to condense it, what to leave out while keeping the memorable characters, the power of nature, the warmth of the summer and the chill of the ice? Ice was a challenge, and yet in the end the libretto was born almost effortlessly. Ice was always full of music. It is a story that wanted to become an opera”, says the librettist Juhani Koivisto.

Jaakko Kuusisto speaks about Ice

Jaakko Kuusiston haastattelu placeholder
Jää: Hannu Forsberg; Petri Vesa; Petri Pussila; Marcus Groth; Marjukka Tepponen; Ville Rusanen; Jenni Lättilä; Jussi Merikanto; Jenny Carlstedt; Tiina Penttinen; Matias Haakana; Hannu Niemelä; Tove Åman

”You must know the ice…will it bear or break? You have to feel it in your feet. Watch out among the islands, that’s where the currents run and the ice is thin. Don’t ever turn and go back. There is no return, the ice behind you is already different.”

Order refreshments online

Afternoon Tea

Sweet and savoury treats

Choose your favourite refreshments from this season’s tasty menu. You can easily add refreshments to your shopping basket while selecting tickets in our online store.

The services of the Opera Restaurant are available before performances and during the interval. Order beforehand and avoid the queues.

Please note that we cannot guarantee a specific table for orders made via the online store. We may also seat several parties at the same table. You may be assigned a bar height table for enjoying refreshments standing up.

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Your 20% discount for Radisson Blu Hotels

Complete your experience by staying the night at a hotel. As a customer of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, you can enjoy the hospitality of Helsinki’s Radisson Blu Hotels at a special rate.

This treat-yourself-offer includes accommodation for two in the hotel of your choice in Helsinki, two glasses of sparkling wine upon arrival, and the hotel’s delicious Super Breakfast.

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