The second premiere of the Savonlinna Opera Festival’s 2025 season is Giacomo Puccini’s grandiose classic Turandot, opening at Olavinlinna Castle on Saturday, July 5th. Turandot features immortal melodies, including the most famous aria in opera literature, Nessun dorma, along with other passion-filled arias such as In questa reggia, Non piangere, Liù, and Signore, ascolta!. Pet Halmen’s impressively lavish 2003 set design will once again fill the wide stage of Olavinlinna. Halmen’s overall approach to this production, which sheds light on Puccini’s personality and biography, was praised by media and audience alike. Vesa Sirén wrote in Helsingin Sanomat about the production’s original premiere in 2003: “Turandot is a triumph for Savonlinna.”
Top soloists shine in their roles
Starring in the lead roles tenor Amadi Lagha and soprano Ewa Płonka take center stage in Turandot, promising an unforgettable opera experience. This is the first visit to the Savonlinna Opera Festival for the Polish-American Płonka, who has previously performed Turandot at London’s Covent Garden and the Washington National Opera, among others. Lagha, whose voice balances power and sensitivity, is already a familiar presence on the Olavinlinna stage. In the summer of 2018, Lagha’s spellbinding rendition of his signature aria “Nessun dorma” caused such an uproar at the Torre del Lago Puccini Festival’s opening night of Turandot at Savonlinna operafestival that he had to sing the aria again – “da capo”. This extraordinary encore has never occurred before at the Savonlinna Opera Festival.
“If you’re interested in world-class vocal artistry, now is the time to head to Savonlinna. Tenor Amadi Lagha fires off the role of Calaf in Puccini’s Turandot with such brilliance, it’s rarely heard on opera stages in Finland,” Helsingin Sanomat wrote in 2018.
Amadi Lagha looks forward to the summer festival and his return to Finland
“Savonlinna is a magical place and the acoustics of Olavinlinna support the singer in an exceptional way. Singing Calaf in this place is a real pleasure! When I made my debut at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 2018, the audience went wild during the first performance of Turandot and clapped so loudly after the aria that the conductor asked me to sing “Nessun Dorma” again. Little did I know that this would be the first “Da capo” in the festival’s history.”
The surprises did not stop there. Lagha continues, “the audience was so enthusiastic at the end of each performance that I had to repeat “Nessun Dorma” night after night; even three times in a row at the last performance! I am very excited to be able to experience the unique atmosphere of Savonlinna again next summer in a role that I really enjoy to sing“, Lagha says.
Turandot will be performed at Olavinlinna Castle on 5 (premiere, nearly sold out), 8, 10, 16, 18, 21, 23, and 25 July.
Media contacts:
Myy Honkanen – Communications Officer
Domestic and international media
myy.honkanen@gmail.com | +358 40 574 3577
Konstanze Kaas – International Media
konstanze.kaas@operafestival.fi | +49 173 63 54 204
