Tessan-Maria Lehmussaari has Norrlandsoperan premiere in Mechem's Tartuffe

The soprano Tessan-Maria Lehmussaari will have her Norrlandsoperan premiere on the 2nd April as Dorine in Kirke Mechem’s Tartuffe. It is also the Scandinavian premiere of American composer Mechem’s most well-known opera.

From Wikipedia: “Mechem wrote many commissioned choral suites, cantatas and other vocal works during the early 1970s. Seven doctoral dissertations have been written about his music. In the 70s he saw a performance of Molière's classic satire, Tartuffe, which inspired him to write his first opera. He wrote his own libretto, as he does for all his operas. Premiered in 1980 by the San Francisco Opera, Tartuffe was an immediate hit and has since played to audiences in Canada, China, Russia, Austria and Germany, as well as in the United States. Opera Now (London), reviewing the Vienna production, called the work "a delight, a deft, glimmering, witty score" and praised Mechem's "distinctive voice…a genuine flair for theater and an acute understanding of comedy." In 1998 the National Opera Association presented Mechem with its Lifetime Achievement Award.”

The director in the production is Anne Barslev and conductor Fredrik Burstedt.

Performance dates are:
Saturday 2 April 19:00
Tuesday 5 April 19:00
Friday 8 April 19:00
Saturday 9 April 19:00
Tuesday 12 April 19:00
Wednesday 20 April 19:00
Friday 22 April 19:00
Saturday 23 April 15:00

Link on Norrlandsoperan’s site HERE.

You can hear Tessan-Maria Lehmussaari here: https://youtu.be/dNCz_uVHZ7U

Photo: Malin Arnesson