SILJA AALTO

Biography

Finnish soprano Silja Aalto is making a name for herself on the European opera scene, thanks to her vocal and stage talent, with acclaimed performances in demanding roles from the repertoires of Wagner and Strauss, as well as Verdi and Puccini.

Her repertoire ranges from Mozart to contemporary music, and her roles include Senta in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer (Opéra de Rouen), Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro (Tallin), Cio-Cio San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (Savonlinna Opera festival), Leonora in Il trovatore, Elsa in Lohengrin, Elisabet in Tannhäuser, Sieglinde in Die Walküre, Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio, Riitta in Kokkonen’s Last temptations (Savonlinna), Sibelius’s Luonnotar (Finnish National Opera), Mrs Alice in Falstaff and Elisabetta di Valois in Don Carlo (debuted at Finnish National Opera Helsinki and will cover at the Metropolitan Opera in New York next season).

Silja Aalto is a regular guest at the Estonian National Opera, where she debuted as Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and then has been invited back for Mimì in La bohème, Leonora in Il trovatore, Elsa in Lohengrin. She is also regular guest at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki, where she performed, among others, Elisabetta di Valois in Verdi’s Don Carlo and as soprano in Christian Spuck’s staged version of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem.

Silja Aalto has sung with many prestigious orchestras around Europe in a extensive concert repertoire, including Saariaho’s Mirage with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo at the Royal Albert Hall and Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony with The Hallé Orchestra under the baton of Tarmo Peltokoski at the Barbican Centre in London, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Mozart’s Requiem with Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder with Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali.

Silja Aalto graduated in from the Sibelius Academy in Finland and she has been the recipient of several awards including the Grand Prize of the Metropolitan International Music Festival Competition in New York (2017) and the 2° prize at the Elizabeth Connell Prize International Singing Competition in Sydney.

LATEST PERFORMANCES: Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder at Mikkeli Music Festival with Philharmonia Orchestra; Madama Butterfly (Cio Cio San) at Savonlinna Opera Festival; Sibelius’ Luonnotar at Finnish National Opera Helsinki; Der fliegende Holländer (Senta) at Opéra de Rouen; Lohengrin (Elsa) new production at Estonian National Opera Tallin; Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 at Latvian National Opera Riga; Die Zauberflöte (First Lady) with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie at Musikfest Bremen and on tour at  Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Dortmund and Festival Enescu Bucarest.

FORTHCOMING PROJECTS: Le nozze di Figaro (Contessa d’Almaviva) at Finnish National Opera Helsinki; Lohengrin (Elsa) at Eurajoki Festival and in Tallin; Salome (title role) at Croatian National Opera Zagreb; Die Walküre (Sieglide) first act in concert with Turku Philharmonic Orchestra.

Contact

General Management
Melos Opera
www.melosopera.com

Concerts in Finland
Chordus Artist Management

Photo Gallery

Aalto was a commanding presence on stage, her pale-blue gown studded with sequins which matched the shimmering effects of the composer’s inspiration. Hers is a big powerful voice, easily negotiating the wide leaps in the tessitura and gliding effortlessly upwards in the microtonality which is one of Saariaho’s hallmarks. The incantatory elements, evident in the much-repeated “I am” phrases of Sabina’s poem, form an important structure in what is essentially a short psycho-drama, beseeching, imploring, pleading to be set free from all earthly constraint. Whether this amounts, in the words of the BBC publicity machine, to a “hypnotic snapshot of womanhood”, is debatable, but the mesmerising qualities of the piece are palpable. Equally effective were the many whispered moments which travelled very effectively across the Royal Albert Hall as well as the churning of the lower strings that provided a counterpoint to Aalto’s floating of her solo line.

Opera Today
Alexander Hall

Finnish soprano Silja Aalto, trained at Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, has a voice of great purity (it sounded even more so live than on the broadcast). Her voice is incredibly strong, yet warm of tone; she even projected a whisper to the ends of the Royal Albert Hall. A particular emphasis on the phrase ‘sacred clown’ seemed to be important to both composer and interpreters. – – – A mesmerising moment of magic: a true Proms highlight.

Seen and Heard International
13/08/2024 by Colin Clarke