Deep Moskvovedenie – Kommersant

Premiere Opera

Premiere of “Sadko” directed by Dmitry Bertman , conductor Vladimir Ponkina artists Igor and Tatiana Tulubieva gentle and solemn and not without sarcasm opened the season “Helikon-Opera” Back in the old house on Nikitskaya – now is a new theater in the updated boundaries of the old homestead Shakhovskys-Glebova-Streshnevs. On the Moscow in spirit, mind and spirit of the play is now existing in the capital, some turned “Sadko,” says Julia BEDEROVA.

The reconstructed with recovery preserved examples interiors and ornate lobby of the theater “Helikon-Opera” eight years of stormy construction, unlimited stops disputes “Arhnadzor” and funding problems became not only the most technically equipped Opera Theatre of Moscow, but also the most precise and simultaneously ornate monument relationship with the local authorities of the city cultural institutions. Not for nothing on a special tour of the theater to the press, which was held personally artistic director of “Helikon-Opera” Dmitry Bertman, when it was obvious that the happy man that day in the city there would be, in front of reporters appeared Alexander Kibovsky, at the inaugural gala was attended by Sergei Sobyanin, and the premiere, though a little too late, Yuri Luzhkov came after intermission enthroned as if invented for him a place in the royal box – here is preserved teremochnoe porch of the old manor in the new hall. He dug in the yard and covered with artificial stars strewn roof, and its internal borders were former outer walls of the ensemble.

In the echoing acoustics of the underground hall-court orchestra and troupe under the baton of Vladimir Ponkina played music and wonderful, magical beautiful, bright but not screaming Rimsky-Korsakov (among the soloists of the orchestra – wonderful harpist Valentina Borisova, for the bell – music critic Jaroslav Timofeev). A magical transformation of old urban appearance in the interior of modern Moscow, folk and festive brick, orchestral ardor and advanced technology on the stage happily rhymed not only the figure of the fan attics and former mayor in the box, but with the intent and spirit of the premiere of the play. Magic epic Rimsky-Korsakov, who represented the imagery in painting Repin, Vrubel, here turned into a phantasmagoria of modern Moscow’s history. Sung and orchestrated by the composer in the spirit of European Romanticism with melting piercingly subtle note old folk traditions embodied on stage in a fabulous, wild, bold astounding speed transformation and daring style everyday world of Moscow nineties and zero already bygone turned folk heritage. Present at the recent Bertman appeared spectacular epics, which added to the traditional sarcasm bertmanovskomu particular organic nature, and in the opera “Sadko” emphasized irony, multidimensionality is not alien to the author of “Kitezh” and “Cockerel” political wit and lyrical poignancy.

The two acts of Rimsky-Korsakov published here appear many wonderful native fantastic city (epics, Luzhkov, a gingerbread-wild over the front of Moscow) and the new theater – video projections depict the explosive modernity then abstract sad, expressive in his Battle of Kosovo style desolate landscape, the faces of St. Nicholas, the muzzle videoryb, opening their mouths as if next to the viewer and staring at him nemorgayuschimi eyes, the flock peacefully flying alien saucers, the waves of the sea directly overhead – in high, surviving on the outer walls of the estate room windows: because the audience is in the underwater kingdom along with the characters.

With the help of turning and lifting mechanisms of the city and suburbs in “Sadko” are replaced by marine surroundings, the action moves briskly and smoothly, like a fairy tale, but bertmanovskoy concept of what is happening to the main character in essentially prosaic, though they are not less anxious, and vision are deceptive: the hero-poet misunderstood by his contemporaries (and how!), goes to the tragic booze, and the whole underwater wraith with brilliantly-ironic show-ballet mermaids, pop king nineties Sea King and his pale daughter Volkhov whether he dreamed of a fever, or seemed to awake somewhere on Novy Arbat.

The theater promises that all preparations involved in productions of “Sadko”, still beautiful, but the premiere of this can be said for sure. Vadim Zaplechny sometimes a little forced, but always expressive vocals with great acting freedom is irresistible Sadko – an open, guileless, handsome, recognizable not only in joy, when euphoric rage he conducts the choir, like the orchestra on parade (in this scene straight allusions provided by but they occur), but also in this mount. Larisa Kostyuk Party Lyubava – abandoned his wife and three children – hypnotically beautiful as always, Princess Volkhov (Elena Mikhailenko) attracts the attention of the listener’s strong vocals and disturbing pattern roles other parties (Dmitry Skorikov – Ocean Sea, Mikhail Guzhov, Maxim Paster and Aleksei Isaev – Viking, Indian and Venetian Merchant respectively) not only excellently sung and sumptuously played, but first accurately placed, so that the characters “Sadko” one and all – from Novgorod to the marine reptiles and celestial creatures, from soloists to singers – turn in poetic-satirical seen contemporary audience in the hall: here all the, all the family – that smug snout that flirty faces that ingenuous face.

A little swoop just taken the final lyrical grotesque action, but he still makes a serious impression. Joke Bertman is sad, straightness directorial manners – not for a minute flat, and play – really funny in the sense in which cheerfulness can not without tears, or at least some sadness on the stage-toy depicting a epic turns today stories.