Name: Benvenuto Cellini
Start: 2022-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2022-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Mariinsky-2

Organization

Conductor

Valery Gergiev

Stage director

Alexei Frandetti

Set designer

Vyacheslav Okunev

Costume designer

Viktoria Sevryukova

Choreographer

Irina Kashuba

Lighting designer

Gleb Filshtinsky

Video designer

Repetiteur

Natalia Mordashova

Chorus master

Pavel Teplov

Konstantin Rylov

Ksenia Klimenko

Mariinsky Theatre

French

Benvenuto Cellini

Saint Petersburg

Russia

Mariinsky-2

Public

Russian

Approved

Accordionist

Instrumentalist

Archlutenist

Baroque Flutist

Baroque Oboist

Baroque Trumpetist

Bassist

Bassoonist

Cellist

Clarinetist

Contrabassist

Cornettist

Flutist

Guitarist

Harper

Harpsichordist

Hornist

Lutenist

Mandoline Player

Musette de cour Player

Oboist

Organist

Percussionist

Pianist

Recorder Player

Saxophonist

Tenor Violinist

Theorbist

Timpani

Trombonist

Trumpeter

Tuba Player

Vibraphonist

Viola Pomposa Player

Viola da gamba

Viola d’amore Player

Violinist

Violino Piccolo Player

Violist

Actor

Broadcasting

Choir

Chorus Director

Composer

Dancer

Dramaturge

Executive producer

Extra

Hairstylist

Illustrator

Librettist

Makeup artist

Orchestra

Orchestra Operations

Other

Photographer

Poet

Sound designer

Stage Manager

Teacher

Translator

Vocal coach

Wig & Makeup Designer

Writer

Writing and performance

Tenor

Singer

Soprano

Countertenor

Bass-baritone

Mezzo-soprano

Baritone

Bass

Contralto

Alto

Child vocalist

Continuo

Silent

Spoken

The first premiere of the 239th season at the Mariinsky Theatre is to be Hector Berlioz’ Benvenuto Cellini. On 10 November at the new theatre stage director ...

Benvenuto Cellini: Benvenuto Cellini Berlioz

Just like at a vibrant Italian carnival, Berlioz’ Benvenuto Cellini is a combination of the comic and the tragic, deep emotions and frivolity, ironic play-acting and stark spiritual nakedness. The operatic “first-born” of the great French Romantic composer is of a rare breed: it is an opera semiseria, meaning a “semi-serious” opera. Its core idea is actually totally serious: it deals with genius and the creative process, with the artist’s place in society and with the value of a work of art. In the character of the illustrious Florentine sculptor Cellini, Berlioz saw his alter ego – a genius who, so to speak, lives life on the edge, but for whom that is indeed the only way to create masterpieces. At a certain moment, matters take a truly serious turn: a murder is committed on the stage, and then the protagonist himself is within a hairbreadth of death. Berlioz, however, is no moralist: here the serious sits cheek by jowl with the comic, the lyrical heroes with the buffo characters and real people with maskers. Here there are well-developed arias of the reflexive characters, there are tremendous ensembles that are Mozartian in spirit and there are magnificent choral scenes, among them the grandiose finale of Act I of which Franz Liszt commented that it had been composed of “fiery, passionate notes”. Benvenuto Cellini is also a celebration for and of the orchestra; Berlioz, with his desire of linking the genres of opera and symphony music, composed an utterly dazzling score, filled with glorious timbre innovations. The length of the opera appeared to Liszt, who had staged it in Weimar, to be surplus to requirements, and large sections ended up being cut. The Mariinsky Theatre’s new production is based on the full and complete Paris version.

Benvenuto Cellini, with its mass street scenes, drinking-bout in a tavern, “balagan” theatre, a Roman Catholic priest as a deus ex machina and other efficacious situations, presents an alluring sphere of activity for any director of opera. Moscow stage director Alexey Frandetti could see parallels between the story of the creation of the legendary statue of Perseus and the story of the filming of Federico Fellini’s cult film 8½. The director has transferred the plot of the opera to 1963, to a film studio in Rome where, as is well known, the greatest cinematic masterpiece of the 20th century experienced a difficulty-laden birth. Crises and insights, the succession of procrastination and feverish activity, financial “swings” and relying on a client will accompany artistic creativity in any and every period. Khristina Batyushina

English

Benvenuto Cellini by Berlioz, From (2022/2022), Directed by Alexei Frandetti,, Conductor Valery Gergiev, Mariinsky-2, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Crew

Programme, About & Synopsis

Videos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues