Tune in to WHRO-FM 90.3 this Saturday at 1 p.m. for a live broadcast of “Innocence,” the Metropolitan Opera’s network premiere of the final opera by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho.
Widely acclaimed as a modern masterpiece, “Innocence” offers a powerful and unsettling exploration of trauma and memory in the aftermath of a shooting at an international school. With a libretto by Sofi Oksanen and Aleksi Barrière, the opera unfolds across multiple timelines and languages, revealing how a single act of violence reverberates through an entire community.
The ensemble cast reflects the work’s layered storytelling, with Joyce DiDonato and Vilma Jää portraying a grieving mother and her daughter, while Jacquelyn Stucker and Miles Mykkranen appear as a newlywed couple whose lives intersect with a hidden past. Kathleen Kim and Rod Gilfry complete the central family at the heart of the drama.
Conductor Susanna Mälkki, who led the opera’s world premiere, returns to guide the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus.
Listen this Saturday at 1 p.m. on WHRO-FM 90.3, or online, for this extraordinary live broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera.
