TALLINN - Tallinn's radiant national opera sits like a gem in the middle of the city. The building's architectural elegance and regal stature has made it one of Tallinn's defining features. More than 100 years of operas, ballets, and chamber concerts have been held within its walls, and today it is all being remembered.
This month, the Estonian National Opera is reflecting on a century of operetta. "Mosaic of Living Joy," a synthesis of singing, dance and comic text, will celebrate those people who carried Estonia's operetta through 100 years of change.
Yet this is no solemn occasion. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Admired humorist Priit Aimla compiled the operetta program, spicing it up with witty quotations by brilliant performers. For sure there will be more laughs than snores.
In an attempt to capture the opera house's history and prestige, Aimla chose pieces from Estonia's most well-respected soloists: Sirje Puura, Margit Saulep, Vaino Puura and Alar Haak to name a few. Memorable concerts, such as "A Night with Carmen" and "Classic in Jazz," will be added to the show for the sake of nostalgia.
I'd rather spend my Friday night washing laundry than sitting through two hours of opera, you say. Well, that may be so. But at least you could spare a moment to admire the Estonian National Opera's legacy.
In 1865, the song and drama society "Estonia" was founded in Tallinn. Thirty years later, a professional theater under the same name, "Estonia" (what creativity those turn of the century artists had), was founded by director Paul Pinna and actor Theodor Altermann.
The theater welcomed its first operetta on stage in 1906; Herve's "Mam'zelle Nitouche." Although the show earned much attention, few productions followed. It wasn't until 1918, when Estonia established itself as an independent nation, that opera flourished.
Over the next decade, "Estonia" earned a reputation among the bourgeouise for its operas, concerts and ballets. But just as cultural life was reaching a peak, things were cut short by war.
In 1940, the Soviets disbanded the Baltic state's artistic society, and their beloved "Estonia" was nationalized. On March 9, 1944 the theatre and concert house were blitzed by air raids. Although the building was salvaged and reopened in 1947, the theater only showed musicals in the following decades of communism.
Today, the Estonian National Opera has been restored to its original grandeur. Although construction is not yet completed, the final touches will be made in early December, and the opera will celebrate its grand re-opening with "Tosca."
If any building in Tallinn deserves to be celebrated, it's the National Opera. Although this month's celebration reflects on 100 years, the show is far from over, and it won't be, as they say, until the fat lady sings. o
"Mosaic of Living Joy,"
Nov. 15 and 30
Tickets: 100- kroons (6 euros)
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