L'Amour de Loin, Live in HD

Grinnell College will stream L'amour de Loin by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho at noon on Saturday, Dec. 10, in the Harris Center Cinema. The opera is part of the Metropolitan Live in HD movie theatre transmissions program.

Gene Gaub, associate professor of music, will deliver the opera talk at 11:30 a.m.

The Salzburg Festival commissioned this opera, which was first performed in 2000. L'Amour de Loin is set at sea during the 12th century. Eric Owens is the knight on a quest of love and Susanna Phillips is his lover on the other side of the sea. Conductor Susanna Mälkki makes her Met debut.

The tragic love story is making its Met premiere this year, after being first seen in 2000 at the Salzburg Festival, which commissioned the opera.

The New York Times described Saariaho's breakthrough opera as "transfixing…a lushly beautiful score." The Met's production by Robert Lepage features glimmering ribbons of LED lights that extend across the length of the stage and over the orchestra pit.

Refreshments will be available for sale in the lobby of the cinema before the opera and during intermission.

Tickets are available at the Pioneer Bookshop and at the door on the day of the show. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students, children, and Met Opera members.

The Office of the President has generously funded tickets for Grinnell College faculty, staff, and students, and tickets are available for free at all locations. Family members not employed by the College are required to purchase tickets.

Grinnell College welcomes the participation of people with disabilities. Accommodation requests may be made to Conference Operations, 641-269-3235.

The College welcomes the presence of minors at all age-appropriate public events and for informal visits, with the understanding that a parent, legal guardian, or other responsible adult assumes full responsibility for their child’s safety and behavior during such visits or events. In these cases the College expects that an adult responsible for the visiting child takes measures to ensure the child’s safety and sees that the child complies with directions of the College.