HELSINKI FESTIVAL, ALEXANDER THEATRE

Rusalka by A. Dvorak
HOO ry/ Helsinki Festival
Aleksander Theatre Helsinki, 2002

Hufvudstadsbladet/Jan Granberg 22.8.2004
“Helin’s Rusalka inspires imagination”

Nykypäivä/Jukka Määttänen 27.8.2004
“opera group Hoo in its power!”
“Helin directed with great insight”
...magical atmosphere..

Helsinki news/HESA 26.8.2004
“Helin’s Rusalka has ritualistic beauty!”

“The best thing about directing is the magical atmosphere of the archaic symbol world that Helin is able to conjure in many scenes. The means are simple, and with the help of lights, a mysteriously shimmering poetry emerges on an almost empty stage, in which music, the language of dance movement, lights, and sectarian-style costumes merge.
SLOW MOVEMENT LANGUAGE is not an imitation of the American opera and theater guru Robert Wilson, as one might think. The rhythm comes from Japanese meditative buto dance theater. Slowness does not always work, but beautiful, strange rituals erupt in natural scenes.
Kristiina Helin has the ability to create her own visionary world for the stage, where ugly can be beautiful. ”

Mundoclassico 27.9.2004
“...this production has fullfilled its objectives with dignity and love..”

Rondo/Harri Kuusisaari 8/2004
“The Helsinki-based Opera Association Hoo is one of those free groups that operate on small budgets but try to correct the shortcomings of a sudden, small-scale alternative opera in our country in terms of content. Kristiina Helin's direction from Dvorak's Rusalka fit well into this line. Helin had turned the fairy tale opera into a surrealistically stylized tale”



Conductors: Jani Telaranta/Nils Schweckendiek
Director: Kristiina Helin
Assistant director: Sakke Wallenius

Orchestra: Kirkkonummi Sinfonietta
Korrepetitor: Kimmo Ruotsala
Set design: Lotta Esko
Costume design: Emilia Eriksson Eeva Nurminen
Light design: Jarkko Lievonen
Make up design: Outi Hautamäki

Choreography: Kristiina Helin

Rusalka (sopraano) Tove Åman
Senia Korhonen
Prinssi (tenori) Arto Seppänen
Mati Turi
Prinsessa (sopraano) Anneli Hynninen
Angelika Klas
Veden henki,näkki (baritoni) Atlan Karp
Mika Kares (cover )
Jezibaba (mezzosopraano) Sari Aittokoski
Tuula Paavola
1. dryadi (sopraano) Kirsi Thum
Hanna Kohi
2. dryadi (mezzosopraano) Laura Heinonen
Petra Schauman
3. dryadi (altto) Merja Mäkelä
Metsästäjä (tenori) Niklas Vepsä
1. nymfi Kajsa Dahlbäck
2. nymfi Kirsi Martinkauppi
3. nymfi Triin Sõber
Dancers: Kati Airola
Kaisa Hölttä
Kirsi Kolho
Minerva Pajunen
Pekka Svedjeholm
Mikaela Reinikainen
Helena Romppanen
Kristiina Vähäsarja
Outi Yliviikari