Over time, the opera The Death of Elina was forgotten because of its lack of strong female characters and materials. A major production from Eteläsavona brings to the stage a work directed by Markku Pölönen.
– Elina is a young girl who grows into a woman during the play. Elina seems modest at first. However, it is not clear who the bad guy in the story is in the end. Elina has relationships with different men and she is anything but a victim, says Karjalainen.
– It has made work difficult. There are a few pictures of the screen versions of the opera. We have put the piece together mainly with the help of the original handwritten instrumental and vocal parts, Pölönen says.
The story of a marriage crisis from a hundred years ago is still relevant today
According to the director Markku Pölönen, *The Killing of Elina* is not a children’s opera because of its tragic ending. Pölönen believes that the work will be of interest to an adult audience, even if there is no previous experience with opera.
– There are elements in the show that everyone can identify with. This is a question of marriage and its crisis, there are, for example, third parties involved, says Pölönen.
The piece is Pölösen’s fourth opera, in which he works as a director. Instead of a thirty-second film clip, the director has to consider the entire stage in an opera.
– The biggest difference is that in movies I only have to worry about the person in the camera image and the scene can be taken again. In this production too, there are at best thirty people on the enormous stage, each of whom has to be thought of at the same time, Pölönen says.
In addition to the artists on stage, more than forty players who are responsible for the opera’s music must be taken into account. The rarity of works will be brought to the stage by the Etelä-Savo music theater and opera association and the Saimaa Sinfonietta.
The *Elina surma* opera premieres on Saturday, March 4. in Mikkeli.
*Are you a fan of opera? You can discuss the topic 5.4. until 23:00*.