Music

Ingmar Bergman’s award-winning film is enthrallingly transferred to the operatic realm, adding an intense musical angst to the raw truths bared in this tale of a concert pianist’s inharmonious relationship with her daughters. Composer Sebastian Fagerlund, winner of Finland’s renowned Teosto Prize, provides an impassioned score for both orchestra and vocal stars, at the same time weaving the chorus compellingly into the drama to supercharge the brutal emotional exchanges. Intriguing staging, featuring flashbacks, parallel moments, open expanses, and even spectral presences, brings further layers of meaning along with a surreal edge, playing with time and space to add universal significance to the domestic setting. First performed at Finnish National Opera in 2017 and receiving international acclaim, Autumn Sonata’s Asian debut is not to be missed!