The contemporary opera 'Innocence' by Kaija Saariaho delves into the aftermath of a mass school shooting, presenting a wedding 10 years later that exposes the unsettling truths hidden by the groom's family. The haunting score, reminiscent of composers like Bartok and Ligeti, complements the libretto's psychological depth by Sofi Oksanen and Aleksi Barriere. The story unfolds with a waitress unknowingly serving the family of her child's killer, revealing the persistent and inescapable impact of violence on relationships and community, ultimately leading to a reckoning of suppressed trauma and unresolved grief.
Innocence opens with a deeply ominous series of chords from the lowest keys on the piano, as swirling strings and smirking bassoons mix with the trills and runs from the higher woodwinds, punctuated by the occasional crash of percussion.
The singers slink on as the curtain rises, explaining that they can't go to work any more, that they can't have my back to the door. Trauma animates every flinch; these people have clearly been exposed to unspeakable horror.
Only the waitress who serves the drinks threatens the mood, as she stalks the family gathered around the nuptial table. It emerges that she's the mother of one of the victims.
But all that has been suppressed will rise up to wreak havoc, and the effects of violence can't be simply willed away. As the events of the wedding begin to merge with the tragedy itself.
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