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Take an in-depth look at Love From Afar with the following articles and essays.
by Gianmarco Segato
As early as 1993, composer Kaija Saariaho believed she had found the perfect plot for an opera—the legend about the life and distant love affair of the 12th-century troubadour, Jaufré Rudel. The idea for an opera on this subject was to evolve over the following seven or eight years.
Despite being a composition completely of its time, Love from Afar is connected to the historical operatic tradition in sometimes surprising ways. Several of its features relate to Romantic rather than modern operatic conventions. For example, the dream sequence especially “ordered” by the composer from the librettist, as well as the prayer section at the end of the opera which are common to a large number of Romantic operas.
The production is by the Swiss director and choreographer Daniele Finzi Pasca who has produced shows for circus companies including the Cirque du Soleil and Québec’s Cirque Éloize. His artistic vision for Love from Afar brings together the worlds of the opera and the circus. Set designer Jean Rabasse also works with Cirque du Soleil and has designed for films like Delicatessen.
Musically, Love from Afar builds on the central features of composer Kaija Saariaho’s idiom, which creates large swatches of sound colour by means of rich orchestration, electronic media and by expanded vocal and instrumental techniques.
Russell Braun as Jaufré (downstage left), Erin Wall as Clémence (back, centre) and Krisztina Szabó as the Pilgrim (downstage right) in the Canadian Opera Company production of Love from Afar, 2012. Photo: Michael Cooper
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