Swedish opera singer Peter Mattei will never forget his northern roots. Photo: Lars Epstein/Scanpix

Peter Mattei, a world-class baritone, of New York Metropolitan Opera fame, stars in a series of concerts, including performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

“My roots are in Luleå,” Mattei says. “And my singing peers think of the festival as an interesting winter adventure.”

A star-studded event

Luleå, a city at the Gulf of Bothnia, 800 kilometers north of Stockholm, began planning the festival two years ago, but booking the many top singers who participate was actually easy, according to Mattei. He simply asked his singing friends from a previous Don Giovanni performance if they wanted to participate, and most agreed, lured by the unusual setting and relaxed atmosphere.

The quality of the singing will be as high as that of any large opera house in the world, but in lieu of an opera house, and with only two days’ rehearsal, this Don Giovanni will be more of a concert than a full-blown opera piece. In addition, Mattei provides a new script for a Don Giovanni in Luleå, and directs and stars as Don Giovanni.

Mattei has received extremely good reviews for his interpretations of Mozart. “No other singer in the world so embodies Mozart’s music,” Sweden’s largest daily Dagens Nyheter wrote after a concert in Stockholm. “Mattei showed his unique ability to explore the ambivalence of Mozart’s music.”

Apart from two opera concerts, the festival includes classical, jazz and baroque pieces, and two public “Master classes” featuring talented young opera singers.

In 1980 the writer of this article spotted the then 16-year-old Mattei's remarkable talent while singing with him in the Luleå church choir. Photo: Alf Lindbergh/Scanpix 

Luleå goes more cultural

The festival is to recur every second year and signals a significant step in Luleå’s development. As far north as northern Alaska and as far from Stockholm as Stockholm is from St Petersburg or Berlin, Luleå used to be a city shaped more by a harsh climate and hard work than high culture. In a community centered on heavy industry and technology, “opera singer” or even “musician” would not be the typical dream profession among children.

Yet Mattei had set his mind on singing at a very early age, and has never veered from his chosen path. He was unique even as a teenager, an almost complete opera singer with a self-evident future. 

Luleå has seen a lot happen since. Internet, cheap air travel, a doubled population and a brand new concert hall have all transformed the city.

“A high point”

The mayor of Luleå, Karl Petersen, says that the Mattei Festival will tackle many prejudices about “the small town up north,” both among southern Swedes and foreigners. “I think it’s great that our native son Peter comes home to sing,” he says. “It makes us all realize that our city’s climate has softened. We all stand a little taller today, thanks to this.”

“There will be very few events in Sweden of this caliber,” Petersen says. “I don't hesitate to call this a high point in our city’s history.”

The Swedish city of Luleå is looking forward to a more cultural future. Photo: Hasse Schröder/Johnér

The organizers decided to keep most ticket prices below SEK 500 (USD 64) so that they were affordable. And when the 4,500 tickets were released, seats were snapped up in minutes — some even by opera lovers abroad.

The plan worked

Peter Georgson has planned and coordinated the event. “There is substantial interest in classical music here,” he says.

Luleå’s business association agrees. The city and business representatives joined in financing and planning the venture. Georgson created an in-depth prospect for Mattei, who is booked through 2010, and had to be approached with a credible, serious plan.

“His initial reaction was that festivals are normally retrospectives, something to summarize a career,” Georgson says. “But when we approached him with a good plan, he gave it some thought, changed his mind and just thought it would be a whole lot of fun.”

What do you think of Peter Mattei? Please post a comment below!

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Related links

www.naxos.com — Peter Mattei biography and discography at Naxos
www.lulea.se — The city of Luleå 
wwww.sweden.se/music room — Classical music at the Sweden.se music room

Jonas Fredén

Jonas Fredén is a freelance journalist. He has worked for Finanstidningen (Finance news), Sveriges Radio, Sweden’s public service radio broadcaster, and the daily Dagens Nyheter. He decided to leave the singing carreer to Mattei after their encounter in the church choir.

The author alone is responsible for the opinions expressed in this article.

Classification: A282EN