Documentary

Matti Salminen at sixty

A profile of Finnish bass

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Cast

Matti Salminen — 男低音歌唱家

Franz Welser-Möst — Conductor

Nikolaus Lehnhoff — Stage director

Juha Uusitalo — Bass-baritone

Program notes

Wagnerian performer extraordinaire, and regular guest of the Bayreuth Festival, the Finnish Matti Salminen Low is featured in this documentary, punctuated with excerpts of his successful opera.

It was during his childhood in Turku Matti Salminen has a passion for singing and joined the Conservatory of Turku despite the disapproval of his father. The young Matti studied first with Lea Bilti then joined the National Opera in Helsinki and Luigi Ricci receives lessons in Rome where he learns to express himself through all the variations of tones and sounds. With this brilliant technique that will never leave him, Matti Salminen has become one of the best Scandinavian basses of his generation.

Trained at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Matti Salminen was quickly invited to perform in major concert halls and festivals: at the Opera of Stockholm, Cologne, Zurich, at the Met in New York, Vienna, Hamburg, he interprets her roles in Finnish as in German. He performed the role of Sarastro in The Magic Flute as much as 600 times during his career, and has subsequently created a foundation to support young talent.

This intimate documentary, exciting and retracing the highlights of his career painted a portrait of the amazing low of great musical sensitivity, with a power of voice and a stage presence that make him an unrivaled interpreter the directory.

A closer look: featured composers

Further listening: featured works

More info