National Opera to bring coronavirus theme to stage

The National Opera is working to bring the Finnish collective legacy during the COVID-19 pandemic to stage in late August, with the text and music of the opera "COVID van tutte" published on Tuesday, the producers told media.

The opera's title imitates "Cosi fan tutte", a classic by famous Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). In the Finnish production, all instrumental music is from the Mozart opera while the story is about the Finnish epidemic experience -- an idea from Lilli Paasikivi, the Opera's artistic director, reported Xinhua.

The opera's characters include Finnish government ministers and epidemic specialists seen on television all through the spring, the writer of the libretto, Finnish author Minna Lindgren, told the Yle radio on Tuesday. "Humour comes from the recollection of the actual events."

Lindgren hoped that the coronavirus situation in Finland in the autumn will be such that "we can already smile at these events."

Humour is "a superb tool for collective survival," she added.

Director of the production Jussi Nikkilä said the intention is not to hurt anyone's feelings, especially those who lost their friends or family during the epidemic. "And if a second wave of the epidemic hits, then the performances will be postponed," he said.

To avoid health risks, the size of the orchestra will be reduced; the length of the performance will be shorter than the Mozart original and there will be no intermission for the audience.