Franz Schreker’s career was cut short by the events of 1933 in Germany but he achieved real fame with his operas, and the huge success of Der Schatzgräber (‘The Treasure Hunter’) in the 1920s was the high point of his career. In a complex and ultimately tragic tale of destructive greed, desire and toxic social hierarchy, the innkeeper’s daughter Els is forced to confront the consequences of her murderous intent in what conductor Marc Albrecht considers ‘a work of exceptional quality, concentration and significance’. Following the huge success of Korngold’s Das Wunder der Heliane (Naxos DVD 2.110584–85 / Blu-ray NBD0083V), director Christof Loy continues his exploration of strong female characters and neglected 20th-century masterpieces with this highly acclaimed Deutsche Oper Berlin production.

One moment the singer Floria Tosca is standing on the stage, next moment she is the key figure in a deadly political intrigue sparked by jealousy and the craving for power. Giacomo Puccini’s thriller continues to captivate audiences to this day. Helsinki presents an audacious new production of this classic directed by Christof Loy. Award-winning German director Christof Loy promises a new and original vision of Puccini’s masterpiece. Lithuanian soprano Aušrinė Stundytė has the title role for the 2018/19 season, Italian tenor Andrea Carè plays the artist Cavaradossi and Finnish baritone Tuomas Pursio the power-hungry Scarpia. The conductor is Patrick Fournillier.

The world premiere of composer Kaija Saariaho's opera, "Innocence", at the 2021 Aix-en-Provence Festival. Finland is the setting but the protagonists come from the four corners of Europe: a Finnish groom and his Romanian bride, a French mother-in-law and a Czech maid. Around them memories unravel in a contemporary tragedy of guilt and lost innocence.

The insatiable Don Giovanni is not picky: anyone will do, from Donna Elvira to her maid and the bride at a country wedding. But when one of his conquests ends in murder, he sets off a chain of events that takes him forever closer to his bitter fate. When the most skillful librettist and the most ingenious composer of their time join forces, the result brims with an irresistible blend of tragedy and comedy. Carnivalistic joy and lust overflow in Finnish actor-director Jussi Nikkilä’s new interpretation of Don Giovanni, marrying modern and rococo styles.

Live performance from Oper Leipzig, 26 November 2005.

Finland may be the happiest country on earth, but it is also known as the land of a thousand sad songs. Lurking in the shadows of this Nordic welfare state are violence, alcoholism and inequality. A century after its premiere, the most Finnish of all operas is now being performed in a new production at the Helsinki Opera House.