Co-commissioned by Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Dutch National Opera, Royal Opera House – Covent Garden, Finnish National Opera, and San Francisco Opera.
World premiere at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, summer 2020.
Innocence by Kaija Saariaho, the most popular contemporary woman composer in a world, is a new large-scale opera for symphonic forces and wide-ranging cast. It includes an original libretto by renowned Finnish writer Sofi Oksanen and will be sung in several different languages. A deeply moving opera which resonates with current concerns of humanity, it deals with how individuals, smaller groups and our society as a whole tackles recent traumas over time.
Further information about the artistic team will be publicised in due course. Innocence will be available for future productions from 2022.