Welcome to day three of Scandinavian Opera Week! Didn't know it was Scandinavian Opera Week? Well, neither did I. And yet, here we, with my second-ever Finnish-language work. Rantala is mainly known as a jazz pianist, and weirdly enough, neither his wikipedia page, nor--as far as I can tell--his official website makes any reference whatsoever to this opera--nor, again as far as I can tell, has anyone ever reviewed it on the internet. This no-profile situation is very baffling to me--I'm pretty sure every other contemporary opera I've seen has at least something written about it online. I'm a Sanatorio Express pioneer, and that level of responsibility makes me very nervous.
Well, never mind. I don't think this one needs and very close attention. It's set in a sanatorium. Are those still a thing? All I can think of when I hear the term is The Magic Mountain. Well, be that as it may, this one exists. It's called--wait for it--Sanatorio Express, and people go there to treat their more-or-less imaginary neuroses. None of the characters are named. The sanatorium is run by a kind of sleazy, tyrannical doctor. There's a jaded receptionist commenting on the action. There are a few random patients, but the main couple is a woman who eats compulsively concerned about her weight (who, it must be admitted, veers dangerously close at times to being nothing more than fat joke) and a...well, a guy. Another inmate. He doesn't really have any characteristics. The woman's husband shows up, angry, and it turns out that he's closeted and unhappy (is this a thing that would really happen in Finland in 2017?). Everyone learns to accept themselves, and the husband and the doctor hook up.
It's...fine, I guess. A little slight. The Operavision blurb goes on about how "side-splittingly funny" it is, which seems like a bit of an overstatement, though it has its amusing moments. It also declares that it would be "a great introduction to opera for first-timers," and I can't say I agree with that at all. The music is a sort of "zany," whimsically comical affair, as befits the action. I found Päivi Nisula to be a hoot as the receptionist. The stuff about "oh all these people with their fake diseases they're so pampered LOL" seems a bit culturally reactionary at times, but hey, there IS a gay couple, so if we're making some sort of balance sheet here, I guess things come off fairly neutrally.
Hey, we're living in dark times; maybe you need something silly and disposable to fill them. I certainly wouldn't blame you. This'll fill the bill, though I can name any number of other operas that would probably do it more satisfyingly.
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