Exit3-company and the Italian-Finnish composer Paola Livorsi produce the world premiere of the unique opera and dance piece MEDUSA at Aleksanteri Theatre.
MEDUSA is inspired by the paintings of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and the madrigals of Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa. Medusa is a one-act work that combines opera, dance and visual arts. The themes of the work deal with power, exploitation, the desire for beauty and narcissism as a creative and destructive force. In today's language, Caravaggio was an abuser and a murderer. At the same time, he is one of the most ingenious innovators in the history of Western art. The music of the work is an organic interweaving of contemporary music composed by Paola Livorsi and the revolutionary Renaissance harmony of Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa (1566 - 1613). The libretto is based on Caravaggio's court records and ancient texts. "Oh, if you could step out of your body into the air!"
The work's ever-current themes: narcissism and power are discussed through the ancient fables of Narcissus and Medusa. These narratives rely on the phenomena of our time: self-centeredness, the worship of youth and appearance, being the object of attention, and the fear of death. As a result of narcissism, a person becomes petrified as if under the gaze of Medusa. Evil creates its face through violence.
The work works like a painting, as subconscious windows opening in many directions in time.
International top soprano acrobat Piia Komsi sings in the roles of Caravaggio's young Narcissos - boy lover and Medusa, who also plays the cello and dances in the work. Caravaggio himself is involved as an omnipresent shadow through the character of the dancer Jouka Valkama, the stage image and the music. The charismatic and versatile soloist dancers of Ballet Finland, Milla Eloranta, Anneke Lönnroth, Mira Ollila, Jouka Valkama and Aapo Siikala (also costume designer) dance in different roles and also participate in the production of the audio material. Milla Eloranta creates a choreography whose movement language utilizes poses from Caravaggio's paintings. The ensemble includes cello (Piia Komsi), bass clarinet (Angel Molinos), koto (Eva Alkula), percussion (Ville Syrjäläinen) and experimental instruments (Paola Livorsi). The stage picture is built from the powerful paintings of Sara Orava, an artist skilled in multidimensionality, in which the visual elements of Caravaggio's paintings are repeated, such as the strong contrast of light and shadow and folds. Lighting design is by dancer Jouka Valkaman. The show is directed by Sara Orava.
MEDUSA has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Wihuri Foundation, Taike, Teosto, the Sibelius Foundation and the Sibelius Academy/University of the Arts (the work is part of Paola Livors' doctoral degree).
The piece is part of the Helsinki opera summer festival
Performance duration: approx. 50 min, no intermission
Performance language: Finnish, Latin, Italian
Subtitles: English
Recommended age: 12+
Production: Exit3-company
