The Last Temptations
Encyclopedia
The Last Temptations is an opera
in two acts by Joonas Kokkonen
to a libretto by Lauri Kokkonen. Along with Leevi Madetoja
's Pohjalaisia
and Aarre Merikanto
's Juha
, it is considered one of the most important Finnish operas. The opera deals with the life of the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century folk preacher Paavo Ruotsalainen
. Kokkonen worked on the opera for 16 years before finishing the work. It was premiered in Helsinki
by the Finnish National Opera
in 1975.
The opera consists of two acts divided in 14 scenes. The combining element of the work is the hymn number 382 in the current Finnish hymnal of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
, My Lord, my God in all distress which is a reoccurring theme throughout the opera. A chorus containing the whole hymn concludes the opera.
toured with the work in seven cities abroad - including at New York's Metropolitan Opera
. At the Finnish National Opera there have been three productions: 1975-1983 (directed by Sakari Puurunen) and 1994 (directed by Paavo Liski) and 2001 (directed by Jussi Tapola).
The Savonlinna Opera Festival
performed the opera for several years, 1977-1980. In Helsinki and Savonlinna the most famous singers in the role of Paavo were Martti Talvela
and Jaakko Ryhänen.
In 2007 the opera was performed as a half-staged production in the Temppeliaukio church
in Helsinki four times. Finnish film director Åke Lindman
directed The Last Temptations on the original homestead of Paavo Ruotsalainen in Aholansaari, Nilsiä
, Finland during four summers in 2000-2003 from where the production was transferred to new ourdoor arena in Nilsiä to be performed in summer 2007.
A renewed full scale production of the opera saw light in summer 2009 in Nivala
, Finland. In the roles were baritone Esa Ruuttunen as Paavo, soprano Johanna Rusanen-Kartano as Riitta, Petri Pussila as smith and Lassi Virtanen, first man.
On a stormy winter night Paavo tosses on his bed in fever. He calls for Riitta, his deceased first wife. His second wife Anna Loviisa and servant Albertiina enter. They try to comfort Paavo by singing his favorite hymn. Paavo sobers up but shouting orders the women to leave for as he says to Heaven's gate he must go alone.
Interlude I
Scene 2: Riitta at the Dance
Paavo relives in his hallucinations key events of his life. In his youth he meet Riitta at a dance. Three men and three women mock him and warn Riitta not to go with Paavo, a madman, for it will only bring her misery. Nevertheless, Riitta decides to go with Paavo. Riitta calls for Paavo and encourages him, but he refuses and says that he must go the barrier of Heavan alone.
Interlude II
Scene 3: The Smith
Riitta takes Paavo to visit the smith who had instilled faith in him in his youth, blacksmith Jaakko (Jakob) Högman. Riitta accuses the blacksmith for compelling Paavo to wander around in revivalist meetings, leaving family behind to starve. The blacksmith retorts contemptuously to Riitta, but then adds that the gate of Heaven is open to those who suffer and toil. Paavo mutters that he is too weak to open the gate.
Interlude III
Scene 4: The Frost
Paavo and Riitta are at their first homestead by the lake. Paavo promises to build a new house, but a wicker gate ominously reminds him of the Barrier of Heaven which he dare not approach. The chorus comments how Paavo took Riitta to the backwoods to a life of misery. The white frost suddenly rises, threatening the crop. Riitta and Paavo together try to fight it to no use. In the struggle to move the air on the field they trample their baby underfoot.
Interlude IV
Scene 5: Juhana
Paavo's son Juhana is repairing father's knapsack. Juhana is longing to get away from the dreary existence to a wider world. He dances at the thought and teases his mother. She snatches the knapsack away to hide if from Paavo, to keep him from leaving the family for his travels.
Interlude V
Scene 6: The Last Loaf
Paavo demands to have his knapsack back. She shouts back complaining about him always wandering, not caring for work or family. Riitta threatens to kill Paavo spare him the shame of starving his family. She hurls the axe at him, but misses. Paavo tries to explain and reconcile needs of the family and the overriding importance of spreading the Gospel. He thinks, what he has done was in vain. He calls out for Riitta, but cannot find her.
Interlude VI
Scene 7: Juhana's Death Revealed
Village women come to the house. They look at the dent left by the axe Riitta threw at Paavo. They tell in a roundabout way that Juhana has been murdered. They wonder why Riitta does not weep. She replies that she wept for him for three whole years. Paavo has been listening, he cries that all his life God has been scourging and punishing him with iron whip, and he has deserved it.
Interlude VII
Scene 8: Riitta's Death
Riitta is dying three years later. She feels calm and remember happy illusion of the first homestead on the island, where Paavo used to sing thanks to God's blessings. Paavo is surprised: Riitta can give thanks. Yes, she replies, and sees the barrier of Heaven open in front of her. She asks Paavo to recite a thanksgiving hymn. He signs and Juhana joins in. Riitta rises and goes toward her son to Heavens door.
Three men want to confound Paavo at the place where he once had to defend himself at the Assizes against charges of undermining the authority of the Church. They feed Paavo's depression and reveal themselves as his enemies. They humiliate his arrogance and taunt him with dancing girls. Paavo collapses in despair, but the chorus in a hymn of encouragement.
Interlude I
Scene 2: The Fisherman
Riitta appears, calling Paavo to the Island. Paavo insists his calling to speak to the nation. "Into the sea of men I cast a net all flaming with it I search for sinful wretches.." Riitta repeats the call, but he insists he must speak at the graduation ceremony in Helsinki.
Interlude II
Scene 3: The Graduation
At the University graduation Paavo wants to go as an invited guest, but the three men and three women stop him. They tell him he is uneducated idiot who has no business at the University ceremony. Paavo retorts that he has read religious tracts since he was a boy. He hears his own hymn sung and tries to address the academics. Paavo tries to follow the Bishop of the North, but is rejected. He calls out a prayer.
Interlude III
Scene 4: The Call to the Island
Riitta calls Paavo to the Island. He resists. He doubts he would be welcome. Finally he yields to Riitta's pleas, but objecting he is but a wretched sinner.
Interlude IV
Scene 5: The Dead
Paavo is praying for forgiveness. The blacksmith appears, encouraging him, then Riitta with a thanksgiving, then Juhana, singing the Lord's Prayer. It is time for Paavo to settle accounts of his life. His time has come.
Interlude V
Scene 6: Paavo's Death
Paavo is lying on his bed in the cottage. He is still tossing around and crying. Gradually he comes round, surrounded by family. The three men and three women who have tormented him turn out to be his daughters and their husbands. Paavo recognizes that his time has come. He makes sure that his will is in order, and tells his family to plant a prickly tree on his grave, for he has been the prickliest of men. He asks the servant to read to him from the favorite tract, and begins to sing his hymn. Everyone gradually joins in; Paavo get quiet and listens. He hear Riitta in the distance, calling him to the Island. Paavo praises God. He knows that he has overcome.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in two acts by Joonas Kokkonen
Joonas Kokkonen
Joonas Kokkonen was a Finnish composer. He was one of the most internationally famous Finnish composers of the 20th century after Sibelius; his opera The Last Temptations has received over 500 performances worldwide, and is considered by many to be Finland's most distinguished national opera.-...
to a libretto by Lauri Kokkonen. Along with Leevi Madetoja
Leevi Madetoja
Leevi Antti Madetoja was a Finnish composer.-Life and career:Born in Oulu, he was the son of Antti Madetoja and Anna Hyttinen...
's Pohjalaisia
Pohjalaisia
The Ostrobothnians is a three-act opera by Leevi Madetoja composed during the years 1920-1923. It premiered October 25, 1924. It was also performed in Stockholm in 1927 and in Copenhagen in 1938...
and Aarre Merikanto
Aarre Merikanto
Aarre Merikanto was a Finnish composer.He was the son of Liisa Häyrynen and the famous romantic composer, professor Oskar Merikanto. His childhood he spent in Vilppula, Finland. From year 1919, he was married to Meri Grönmark...
's Juha
Juha (Merikanto)
Juha is a three-act opera by Aarre Merikanto, with a Finnish libretto by Aino Ackté based on the 1911 novel of the same name by Juhani Aho. Although completed by 1922, it was only finally staged at the music college in Lahti on 28 October 1963. The story is a drama of a love triangle : the older...
, it is considered one of the most important Finnish operas. The opera deals with the life of the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century folk preacher Paavo Ruotsalainen
Paavo Ruotsalainen
Paavo Ruotsalainen was a Finnish farmer and lay preacher.Born in Tölvänniemi as the oldest son of plain farmers, he received his first bible at age six. At the time of his confirmation he had already read it three times. His preoccupation with the words of the bible gained him the nickname...
. Kokkonen worked on the opera for 16 years before finishing the work. It was premiered in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
by the Finnish National Opera
Finnish National Opera
The Finnish National Opera in Helsinki is the leading opera company in Finland. Its home base is the Opera House on Töölönlahti bay in Töölö which opened in 1993, and is state-owned through Senate Properties...
in 1975.
The opera consists of two acts divided in 14 scenes. The combining element of the work is the hymn number 382 in the current Finnish hymnal of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the national church of Finland. The church professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion....
, My Lord, my God in all distress which is a reoccurring theme throughout the opera. A chorus containing the whole hymn concludes the opera.
Performances
After the premiere, the opera has already had almost three hundred performances. Finnish National OperaFinnish National Opera
The Finnish National Opera in Helsinki is the leading opera company in Finland. Its home base is the Opera House on Töölönlahti bay in Töölö which opened in 1993, and is state-owned through Senate Properties...
toured with the work in seven cities abroad - including at New York's Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
. At the Finnish National Opera there have been three productions: 1975-1983 (directed by Sakari Puurunen) and 1994 (directed by Paavo Liski) and 2001 (directed by Jussi Tapola).
The Savonlinna Opera Festival
Savonlinna Opera Festival
Savonlinna Opera Festival is held annually in the city of Savonlinna in Finland. The Festival takes place at the medieval Olavinlinna , built in 1475...
performed the opera for several years, 1977-1980. In Helsinki and Savonlinna the most famous singers in the role of Paavo were Martti Talvela
Martti Talvela
Martti Talvela was a Finnish operatic bass.Born in Hiitola, Finland , he studied in Lahti and Stockholm, and made his operatic debut in Helsinki in 1960 as Sparafucile. At , he was the tallest singer of his century. He trained as a boxer in his youth and developed the stamina necessary for the...
and Jaakko Ryhänen.
In 2007 the opera was performed as a half-staged production in the Temppeliaukio church
Temppeliaukio Church
Temppeliaukio Church is a Lutheran church in the Töölö neighborhood of Helsinki. The church was designed by architects and brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and opened in 1969....
in Helsinki four times. Finnish film director Åke Lindman
Åke Lindman
Åke Leonard Lindman , born Åke Leonard Järvinen, was a Finnish director and actor.In his youth Lindman was a football player, playing defence for the Finnish national team during the Olympics in Helsinki 1952. He represented the football club HIFK in the Finnish league. In the 1960s, the British...
directed The Last Temptations on the original homestead of Paavo Ruotsalainen in Aholansaari, Nilsiä
Nilsiä
Nilsiä is a small town and a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
, Finland during four summers in 2000-2003 from where the production was transferred to new ourdoor arena in Nilsiä to be performed in summer 2007.
A renewed full scale production of the opera saw light in summer 2009 in Nivala
Nivala
Nivala is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
, Finland. In the roles were baritone Esa Ruuttunen as Paavo, soprano Johanna Rusanen-Kartano as Riitta, Petri Pussila as smith and Lassi Virtanen, first man.
Roles
- Paavo RuotsalainenPaavo RuotsalainenPaavo Ruotsalainen was a Finnish farmer and lay preacher.Born in Tölvänniemi as the oldest son of plain farmers, he received his first bible at age six. At the time of his confirmation he had already read it three times. His preoccupation with the words of the bible gained him the nickname...
, Finnish farmer, leader of religious revival - bassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... - Riitta, Paavo's first wife - sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
- Juhana, Paavo's and Riitta's son - tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
- Jaakko Högman, smith who converted Paavo - bass
- First man - tenor
- Second man - baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
- Third man - bass
- First woman - soprano
- Second woman - mezzosoprano
- Third woman - altoAltoAlto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
- Anna Loviisa, Paavo's second wife - speaking role
- Albertiina Nenonen, servant - speaking role
- Shadow - Dancer
- people - chorus
Act I
Scene 1: Paavo's DeathbedOn a stormy winter night Paavo tosses on his bed in fever. He calls for Riitta, his deceased first wife. His second wife Anna Loviisa and servant Albertiina enter. They try to comfort Paavo by singing his favorite hymn. Paavo sobers up but shouting orders the women to leave for as he says to Heaven's gate he must go alone.
Interlude I
Scene 2: Riitta at the Dance
Paavo relives in his hallucinations key events of his life. In his youth he meet Riitta at a dance. Three men and three women mock him and warn Riitta not to go with Paavo, a madman, for it will only bring her misery. Nevertheless, Riitta decides to go with Paavo. Riitta calls for Paavo and encourages him, but he refuses and says that he must go the barrier of Heavan alone.
Interlude II
Scene 3: The Smith
Riitta takes Paavo to visit the smith who had instilled faith in him in his youth, blacksmith Jaakko (Jakob) Högman. Riitta accuses the blacksmith for compelling Paavo to wander around in revivalist meetings, leaving family behind to starve. The blacksmith retorts contemptuously to Riitta, but then adds that the gate of Heaven is open to those who suffer and toil. Paavo mutters that he is too weak to open the gate.
Interlude III
Scene 4: The Frost
Paavo and Riitta are at their first homestead by the lake. Paavo promises to build a new house, but a wicker gate ominously reminds him of the Barrier of Heaven which he dare not approach. The chorus comments how Paavo took Riitta to the backwoods to a life of misery. The white frost suddenly rises, threatening the crop. Riitta and Paavo together try to fight it to no use. In the struggle to move the air on the field they trample their baby underfoot.
Interlude IV
Scene 5: Juhana
Paavo's son Juhana is repairing father's knapsack. Juhana is longing to get away from the dreary existence to a wider world. He dances at the thought and teases his mother. She snatches the knapsack away to hide if from Paavo, to keep him from leaving the family for his travels.
Interlude V
Scene 6: The Last Loaf
Paavo demands to have his knapsack back. She shouts back complaining about him always wandering, not caring for work or family. Riitta threatens to kill Paavo spare him the shame of starving his family. She hurls the axe at him, but misses. Paavo tries to explain and reconcile needs of the family and the overriding importance of spreading the Gospel. He thinks, what he has done was in vain. He calls out for Riitta, but cannot find her.
Interlude VI
Scene 7: Juhana's Death Revealed
Village women come to the house. They look at the dent left by the axe Riitta threw at Paavo. They tell in a roundabout way that Juhana has been murdered. They wonder why Riitta does not weep. She replies that she wept for him for three whole years. Paavo has been listening, he cries that all his life God has been scourging and punishing him with iron whip, and he has deserved it.
Interlude VII
Scene 8: Riitta's Death
Riitta is dying three years later. She feels calm and remember happy illusion of the first homestead on the island, where Paavo used to sing thanks to God's blessings. Paavo is surprised: Riitta can give thanks. Yes, she replies, and sees the barrier of Heaven open in front of her. She asks Paavo to recite a thanksgiving hymn. He signs and Juhana joins in. Riitta rises and goes toward her son to Heavens door.
Act II
Scene 1: The AssizesThree men want to confound Paavo at the place where he once had to defend himself at the Assizes against charges of undermining the authority of the Church. They feed Paavo's depression and reveal themselves as his enemies. They humiliate his arrogance and taunt him with dancing girls. Paavo collapses in despair, but the chorus in a hymn of encouragement.
Interlude I
Scene 2: The Fisherman
Riitta appears, calling Paavo to the Island. Paavo insists his calling to speak to the nation. "Into the sea of men I cast a net all flaming with it I search for sinful wretches.." Riitta repeats the call, but he insists he must speak at the graduation ceremony in Helsinki.
Interlude II
Scene 3: The Graduation
At the University graduation Paavo wants to go as an invited guest, but the three men and three women stop him. They tell him he is uneducated idiot who has no business at the University ceremony. Paavo retorts that he has read religious tracts since he was a boy. He hears his own hymn sung and tries to address the academics. Paavo tries to follow the Bishop of the North, but is rejected. He calls out a prayer.
Interlude III
Scene 4: The Call to the Island
Riitta calls Paavo to the Island. He resists. He doubts he would be welcome. Finally he yields to Riitta's pleas, but objecting he is but a wretched sinner.
Interlude IV
Scene 5: The Dead
Paavo is praying for forgiveness. The blacksmith appears, encouraging him, then Riitta with a thanksgiving, then Juhana, singing the Lord's Prayer. It is time for Paavo to settle accounts of his life. His time has come.
Interlude V
Scene 6: Paavo's Death
Paavo is lying on his bed in the cottage. He is still tossing around and crying. Gradually he comes round, surrounded by family. The three men and three women who have tormented him turn out to be his daughters and their husbands. Paavo recognizes that his time has come. He makes sure that his will is in order, and tells his family to plant a prickly tree on his grave, for he has been the prickliest of men. He asks the servant to read to him from the favorite tract, and begins to sing his hymn. Everyone gradually joins in; Paavo get quiet and listens. He hear Riitta in the distance, calling him to the Island. Paavo praises God. He knows that he has overcome.