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| | Arts Calendar / April 18 / Opera |
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 Opera production. 210 min. (with interval). Sung in Italian. Music: Giuseppe Verdi. Libretto: Antonio Ghislanzoni. Music Director and Conductor: Felix Korobov. "It would appear that the first thought to cross a director’s mind when he takes on staging Aida is try to do everything according to Verdi. Yet for some reason no one does it. We’ve come to believe that Aida – is a grand show with spectacular scenery and costumes, marching extras, preferably even with elephants on stage. And forte, forte, forte all the time! But if we open the score, we will find ourselves looking at a very different picture. More than half of the opera is piano and pianissimo. We’ve agreed with the conductor to follow the author’s instructions precisely to turn Aida from a pompous show into an intimate psychological drama as intended. What we have here is a classical love triangle: two women love one man. Everything else – politics, war, religion, and intrigue is just a background against which the action takes place." (Peter Stein, Stage Director)
Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theater  |
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19:00 | Il Barbiere di Siviglia |
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 Opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. Libretto by Cesare Sterbini after the comedy of the same name by Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais. Presented with one interval. Conductor: Pier Giorgio Morandi. Stage Director: Evgeny Pisarev. Set Designer: Zinovy Margolin. Sung in Italian. Rossini’s operatic masterpiece The Barber of Seville has been staged all over the world, and even children recognize Figaro’s famous aria, while Figaro qua, Figaro l? and La calunnia ? un venticello have become bywords. The witty Rossini, being not only an outstanding composer but also a brilliant cook, developed the recipe for the opera’s incessant, astounding success. Irrepressible Rosina refuses to marry her pompous old guardian. Meanwhile, a bold young count is eager to win Rosina for himself. And who’s going to make sure those two finish the opera united? The cleverest character in all of Seville: the barber Figaro, whose services are sought after by everyone for everything (the guy has a lot more talents than just cutting hair). Rossini’s music — the aural equivalent of champagne — is the last word in humor, inspiring smiles and laughter on every page of the score, which is what makes Barber the most popular of all operatic comedies.
Bolshoi Theater New Stage |
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 Opera by Giuseppe Verdi. 130 min. Stage Director: Dmitry Bertman. Music Director: Oliver Diaz. Sets and Costumes Designers: Igor Nezhny, Tatiana Tulubieva. The first show of the new season in "Helikon Opera" and along with that the last premiere of the previous one is «Il Trovatore» by G.Verdi. If there is a perfect opera in the world, the victory in the nomination definitely goes to "Il Trovatore", with its intricate plot, emotional intensity and brilliant music. To all of that "Helikon" added the ultra-modern stage equipment, high-tech lighting effects, a gripping detective story, a passionate love affair and an unexpected denouement – and here it is, the performance which has become a hit of the opera. The image of the sinister "grill", which roasts people’s fates, permeates the entire show. It is very realistic and therefore breathtaking. And next to that horrible grill, in the stylized ruins of Palmyra, there is the illusion theatre, where actors experience dramatical suffering, emotions and love. According to the Stage Director, "Theatre used to be a mirror of life and its reflection. Nowadays theatre has become our world, where you can find harmony, while real life seems to be an illusion, a nightmare." Responsible for the music part is Spanish Maestro Oliver Diaz, invited to Russia specially for this perfomance. The choice of the conductor was an absolute fortune for the theatre: its "Il Trovatore" is full of life, colour and energy, with Italian passion in every sound. "One of the most important words in the Italian drama is "vendetta". And I think it is present in "Il Trovatore"," said Oliver Diaz.?
Helikon Opera |
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