The Red Line

For other uses, see Red Line.

The Red Line (Punainen viiva) is an opera in two acts by composer Aulis Sallinen which premiered on 30 November 1978 at the Finnish National Opera.

Roles

• Topi (baritone)
• Riika (soprano)
• Puntarpaa (tenor)
• Simana Arhippaini (bass)
• Young Priest (bass-baritone)
• Kaisa (alto)
• Jussi (bass)
• Tiina (soprano)
• Vicar (tenor)
• Raappana (spoken male)
• Kunilla (spoken female)
• Epra (bass)

Synopsis

Based on the 1911 novel Punainen viiva by Ilmari Kianto, the opera – like the novel – is set in 1907, a watershed year in Finnish history during which elections were held, leading eventually to Finnish independence in 1917. The opera tells the story of Topi, a poor crofter, who lives with his wife Riika and their children in a bleak north Finnish forrest. They are attacked by a marauding bear and oppressed by an indifferent society. Promise of a new life appears when Puntarpää, a political activist, whips up support for social democracy by telling people that if they draw a red line on a ballot paper, they will be free from oppression. Democracy carries the day but the promises remain unfulfilled within the lives of Topi and his family. Topi's children die of malnutrition and the bear returns. Topi is killed by the bear, his throat slit in a red line, with his wife crys out in horror over his corpse.