Rautavaara - Rasputin / Salminen, Hynninen, Paasikivi, Franck, Finnish National Opera

This Finnish opera takes the story of Rasputin as its subject, and delivers a fascinating tale as a result. Matti Salminen stars in a three-act opera, which was composed by the lauded Einojuhani Rautavaara, and sung entirely in Finnish. Rasputin is such a powerful figure who led such an interesting life, so the story absorbs the viewer right from the start. As the impressive cast works their way through Rautavaara's work, stories of Rasputin's illiterate origins acquiesce into his triumphant rise in stature within Russian society, creating a vivacious portrait of this key figure in the Russian revolution.