This new release features the three-act opera Kaivos (The Mine, 1962) by Einojuhani Rautavaara. The patriarch of Finnish composers wrote this, his first opera, in 1957–62 and today considers it “perhaps the best opera I have ever written, a real thriller whose underlying theme – that a human being defines himself through his choices – is nevertheless universal.”

This CD release represents an apogee in the work’s exceptional history: the opera’s underlying thematic allusions to the 1956 Hungarian uprising impeded a staged performance in Finland, a neighbouring country of the then Soviet Union. Instead, a Finnish TV production was broadcast in 1963. The first live (concert) performance in Tampere (Finland) in September 2010 featured the same cast and performers as this première CD recording.

Legendary baritone Jorma Hynninen (lead role ‘Commissar’), who celebrates his 70th anniversary in 2011, has starred in a number of Finnish operas since the 1970s to great international success, including at the MET in New York.

The acclaimed conductor Hannu Lintu leads the reputed Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra on this disc, which also includes complete synopsis, libretto and English translation.

Cast:
- Hannu Niemelä (Simon)
- Johanna RusanenKartano (Ira)
- Jorma Hynninen (Commissar)
- Jaakko Kortekangas (Priest)
- Mati Turi (Marko)
- Petri Pussila (Vanha)
- Tuomas Katajala (A miner)