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Croak Opera: 5 soloists, choir and orchestra Composed: 2018 Score / parts Music Finland Instrumentation and duration Opera: 5 soloists (soprano, tenor, mezzo-soprano, counter-tenor, and bass baritone), SATB choir, orchestra: 2.2.2.2/2.2.0.0./perc./Str. Duration: 2 hours Libretto Libretto by Mikhail Brashinsky Acts / scenes Opera in two acts with 16 scenes Commission / dedications Commissioned by Mixed Art Society Poike and Pori Opera Society First performance Directed by Anna Ivanova-Brashinskaya Puppets and visual design by Viktor Antonov Joonas Eloranta, tenor, Anna-Kristiina Kaappola, soprano, Teppo Lampela, counter-tenor, Merja Mäkelä, mezzo-soprano, Jouni Kokora, bass-baritone, Pori Opera Choir, Pori Sinfonietta, cond. Nils Schweckendiek, Promenade Hall, Pori, Finland, March 9, 2018 Reflections Concert review, published on Satakunnan Kansa by Juha-Pekka Peltonen March 12, 2018 Even Joseph Haydn , known as the father of musical Classicism, composed several puppet operas for his employer, the Esterházy court. Another well-known puppet opera is Master Peter’s Puppet Show by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla . Its libretto is based on a visually imaginative puppet-theater episode from Miguel de Cervantes’s novel Don Quixote . So, there are some precedents for the opera Croak . However, what makes the Pori production unique is, at the very least, the fact that the opera has two composers. As a listener, I felt it wasn’t necessary to know which composer had written the music for which scene. The composers had clearly agreed on a unified approach, and both were unquestionably capable of setting the dramatic turns of the libretto to music in a way that captured the listener’s interest. Tonality and slightly entertainment-leaning colors were not avoided, yet the musical language remained sophisticated, skillful, and expressive from beginning to end. Under the baton of Nils Schweckendiek , the Pori Sinfonietta brought the orchestral fabric vividly to life, and the Pori Opera Choir—also key in producing many of the opera’s effects—performed with determination, strength, and full dedication. The puppets, created by Viktor Antonov and representing the St. Petersburg tradition, had already generated interest in Pori prior to the actual Croak performances. The puppeteers were seven students of director Anna Ivanova-Brashinskaya , all trained in puppet theater. During the first act, I found myself wishing the puppets had been given even more prominence. From the balcony, the live singers occasionally overshadowed the delicate-looking puppets under certain lighting conditions. Still, the puppets truly came into their own in the scenes where Croak—having made a pact with the devil-wolf and gained a seductively magnificent singing voice—commits murders of young women. The second act, which focused on the love story between Croak and Olivia, featured stunningly sophisticated puppet sequences—such as the lovers riding together, and at the very end, Croak’s severed head floating after being killed by Olivia. Every singing role was performed by a top-tier artist. Joonas Eloranta as Croak, Jouni Kokora as the Prince, and Merja Mäkelä as the Princess all delivered strong performances throughout. Countertenor Teppo Lampela’s vocal brilliance in the role of the wolf stole the spotlight. And soprano Anna-Kristiina Kaappola brought an extraordinary sense of authority to her role, her connection to the Olivia puppet figure seeming almost magical. To borrow a phrase from Master Peter in Don Quixote , Pori’s Croak can truly be called “one of the most remarkable sights of our time.” Interview, published on Satakunnan Kansa by Hanna Laasanen March 6, 2018 How did the collaboration between two composers work in the opera Croak? Premiering this Friday in Pori, Croak is an opera with two composers: Maria Kallionpää and Markku Klami . Or more precisely, they split the opera evenly, dividing the scenes between them. The composers have known each other for a long time. They studied composition at the Sibelius Academy during the same period, have collaborated previously, and are also friends. Originally, the opera was to be composed by Jouni Kaipainen . After his passing, Kallionpää and Klami began discussing the idea of working together. Neither had enough time to write a full opera on their own alongside other professional commitments. The result, heard in Croak ’s rehearsals, is strikingly varied and richly textured. The music captures the opera’s quick shifts in atmosphere with vivid clarity, supporting the darkly fairytale-like, drama-filled story—one that is not short on corpses. The composer doesn’t change with every scene, but roughly every 20 minutes. At times, this transition was a creative advantage. For example, in the seventh scene, the stage fills with the bodies of women. This is followed by a comedic bar scene. “It was a good moment to also change composers, because the atmosphere shifts so dramatically,” says Klami. Their work began two years ago. The two composers tied their sections together with shared musical motifs and harmonic ideas. They began by creating short musical sketches to represent characters and situations, then exchanged them with one another. Each worked independently but shared MIDI drafts throughout the process. Klami is cautious about the idea of collective composing, which has become more common in contemporary music. “Composing takes you deep into your own subconscious—how can you really share something that comes from that level? If everyone brings their own deepest layers into the process, the resulting work may suffer from compromise. In this case, it worked well because we both had the freedom to create our own interpretations.” Both composers also sang through the vocal music they had written, to ensure it fit naturally with the voice. “I studied classical singing when I was younger. I wouldn’t perform these pieces myself, but it’s helpful to be able to try them out,” Kallionpää says. Conductor Nils Schweckendiek finds the dual-composer approach fascinating. He believes audiences will be able to tell who composed which parts, as the composers’ musical languages are quite distinct. “Markku is an elegant composer whose harmonies blend smoothly from one to the next. Maria’s musical language is a bit more angular. She stays very close to the text and focuses intently on the expression of each moment, whereas Markku paints in broader strokes,” Schweckendiek explains. Kallionpää also employs the full orchestra more often in her scenes compared to Klami. “Having two composers brings variety to the orchestra, but it also presents a challenge when the style changes from scene to scene. The performers need to adapt their playing as well.” Croak has a musical language entirely its own, though at times its textures, harmonies, and structures reminded Schweckendiek of Czech composer Leoš Janáček . Work commentary Markku Klami and Maria Kallionpää co-composed Croak , each independently writing their pre-assigned scenes. The opera is a commission by the Pori Opera Society and Mixed-art Society Poike. Originally the opera was commissioned from Jouni Kaipainen (1956-2015), whose work was left unfinished. The new composers started from a scratch and begun composing a new opera in 2016. They divided the opera into sections where every scene is composed by only one composer. Croak – or the Unexpected Joys and Perils of Singing is the first full-length opera work by Klami and Kallionpää. Back

Stay up to date with news about Markku Klami’s music—premieres, recordings, collaborations, awards, and other highlights from his career. News Dec 18, 2025 Mari Mäntylä's album Passing Shadows featuring Markku Klami's Fractured (Memoria II) nominated for Emma Classical Award 2026 Mari Mäntylä’s album Passing Shadows (Alba Records, 2025) has been nominated for the Emma Classical Award 2026—part of the Emma Awards, Finland’s most prestigious annual honours celebrating artistic achievement in recorded music. The album features newly commissioned works, including Markku Klami’s Fractured (Memoria II). Read more Nov 14, 2025 Maria Puusaari and Tampere Philharmonic to premiere Markku Klami's Violin Concerto Markku Klami’s Violin Concerto: A Requiem receives its world premiere at the Tampere Biennale, performed by Maria Puusaari and the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra under Ruut Kiiski’s baton Read more Jun 10, 2025 Markku Klami's Fractured (Memoria II) released on Mari Mäntylä’s album Passing Shadows Featuring contemporary works for decacorde, the album is out now on Alba Records and includes new music by Tõnu Kõrvits, Markku Klami, René Eespere, Charlotte Bray, Juan Antonio Muro, Mari Sainio, Pekka Jalkanen — and Mari Mäntylä herself. Read more Mar 30, 2025 FMQ publishes Markku Klami's column on the significance of arts and culture for humanity In this deeply personal column, Markku Klami reflects on how music became his survival strategy, why composing remains his greatest calling, and how culture can give us a reason to live. Read more Jan 28, 2025 World premiere of Markku Klami's Fractured (Memoria II) given by decacordist Mari Mäntylä Mari Mäntylä, the leading Finnish decacordist, will give the world premiere performance of Markku Klami's recent work, Fractured (Memoria II), at Kuhmo Arts Centre's Lentua hall in Kuhmo on January 30, 2025. Read more Jul 21, 2024 Lauri Sallinen premieres Markku Klami's Ambience I: Burning at Meidän Festivaali Lauri Sallinen, one of the most in demand Finnish clarinetists, will give the world premiere performance of Markku Klami's recent work, Ambience I: Burning, at Meidän Festivaali in Järvenpää on July 29, 2024. Read more Nov 22, 2023 Markku Klami's Elegia featured at ISCM World New Music Days in South Africa Markku Klami's song cycle Elegia, to the poems by Katja Klami, will be featured at the International Society for Contemporary Music World New Music Days Festival in South Africa Read more Feb 5, 2023 Audite tours with Markku Klami’s into the deep peace In the spring of 2023, Audite chamber choir tours with their 30th anniversary tour Voices of Earth, featuring Markku Klami’s into the deep peace (2021), set to the texts by John Muir. Read more Jan 22, 2023 Patrik Kleemola tours with Markku Klami's Etudes in Finland and Germany Patrik Kleemola gives the concert world premiere of Markku Klami's entire Etudes cycle at the opening concert of Sibelius Academy's International Guitar Pedagogy Conference on February 3, 2023 at the Organo hall of the Helsinki Music Centre. Read more Aug 11, 2022 Announcing 2022-2023 season highlights Markku Klami's vocal and instrumental music will be heard on several occasions during the 2022-2023 season. Read more Jun 4, 2022 Markku Klami's Elegia nominated to the 68th International Rostrum of Composers The Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) recently nominated Markku Klami's Elegia to the poems by Katja Klami to this year’s International Rostrum of Composers, organized by the International Music Council. Read more Mar 29, 2022 TampereRaw to premiere Markku Klami's Elegia at Tampere Biennale Festival A new work for soprano and Pierrot ensemble, titled Elegia (Elegy) by Markku Klami will be premiered by soprano Tuiki Järvensivu and TampereRaw, a Tampere-based ensemble of contemporary music, at Tampere Biennale Festival on April 7, 2022. Read more Nov 26, 2021 Edition Wilhelm Hansen publishes Markku Klami's Etudes for guitar The biggest music publisher in Scandinavia, Edition Wilhelm Hansen, has published Markku Klami's Etudes for guitar. Read more Sep 24, 2021 Patrik Kleemola gives the YouTube premiere of Klami's Etudes for guitar A 10-week release event of Markku Klami's Etudes for guitar (2021) begins on Monday, September 27, 2021 and will run until Monday, November 29, 2021 on Patrik Kleemola's YouTube channel. Read more Sep 10, 2021 September premieres with Lauri Sallinen & Seinäjoki City Orchestra and Patrik Kleemola Lauri Sallinen premieres Markku Klami's Clair for clarinet and large ensemble with the Seinäjoki City Orchestra on September 16, 2021. Patrik Kleemola releases weekly premieres of Klami's Etudes for guitar on his YouTube channel on Mondays from September 27 until November 29, 2021. Rondo Classic interviewed Klami for their September 2021 issue of the magazine. Read more Mar 8, 2021 Markku Klami’s FUME selected to the finals in Kaleidoscope’s 2020 Call for Scores in Los Angeles Los Angeles based orchestra Kaleidoscope received almost 8000 applications from composers in 86 countries in their 2020 Call for Scores. 189 works by 172 composers were selected to the final round, including Markku Klami’s clarinet concerto FUME. Read more Dec 18, 2020 verweilen released on streaming platforms verweilen, an ambient soundscape inspired by the coronavirus pandemic has just been released on various streaming platforms. Read more Nov 3, 2020 Patrik Kleemola to premiere Markku Klami's Etudes for guitar Four etudes, titled ”Memoria”, ”Agitato nervosamente”, ”Nocturno” and ”Stream” from Markku Klami’s upcoming Etudes for guitar collection will get their world premiere by Finnish guitarist Patrik Kleemola in his recital on November 11, 2020 at the Sibelius museum in Turku, Finland. Read more Aug 18, 2020 Markku Klami makes his New York debut with ensemble mise-en The New York-based ensemble mise-en will arrange their annual MISE-EN MUSIC FESTIVAL in Brooklyn, New York on August 17-20, 2020. The festival program features Markku Klami's "aura" for alto flute and electronics. Read more Jul 14, 2020 Thoughts on truth – Göreme Echoes featured at FBC's The Finnish Music of Our Time series Markku Klami's Göreme Echoes featured in Aikamme suomalaista musiikkia (The Finnish Music of Our Time) on Finnish Broadcasting Company Read more Oct 23, 2019 Clair sketches selected as a finalist in Kaleidoscope's 2019 Call for Scores in Los Angeles Markku Klami's Clair sketches for clarinet, bandoneón and string quartet has been selected as one of the finalists in Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra's 2019 Call for Scores. Kaleidoscope received over 2200 entries from composers from 90 countries around the world in their recent Call for scores for their upcoming 6th concert season in 2019-2020. Read more Feb 25, 2019 Victory over violence – Why I became a composer and the story behind composing Göreme Markku Klami's Göreme released on streaming platforms Read more Dec 18, 2018 Göreme Echoes released on Spotify and other streaming platforms Markku Klami's Göreme Echoes released on streaming platforms Read more Oct 12, 2018 Cooperation with clarinetist Lucy Abrams Lucy Abrams performs Markku Klami's TWIRL in Lithuania and Finland Read more Sep 29, 2018 World premiere of Karui at Uuden Musiikin Lokakuu Festival Markku Klami's Karui premiered at Uuden Musiikin Lokakuu Festival in Oulu Read more Mar 6, 2018 The first ever large-scale puppet opera in the Nordic countries premieres on March 9, 2018 The puppet opera "Croak – Or The Unexpected Joys And Perils of Singing" will premiere at Pori Opera on March 9, 2018 Read more

Sibelius Academy: Music of Our Time lecture series January 29, 2026 Markku Klami The materials on this page are provided solely for study purposes. Any copying, reproduction, distribution, or other use of these materials without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. Markku Klami: Etudes for guitar (2021) Markku Klami: Violin Concerto: A Requiem for violin and orchestra (2023)