National Opera of Ukraine / Reviews

On April 19 and 21, the National Opera of Ukraine pleased and even surprised – the premiere of the opera The Barber of Seville by G. Rossini took place, based on the play of the same name by the famous playwright Beaumarchais, which takes place… And here it was a surprise for the viewer, accustomed to the contemplation of the classics, rather than to modern productions. The chief director of the theatre, director of the opera Anatoly Solovyanenko posed a real challenge to the times, because the modern reading of the classics is not only an attempt to “wipe off the dust” and show what tools the author used and what he encrypted, but to correctly introduce iconic moments that are understandable to the modern audience here and now. As you know, Rossini himself defined the genre of his opera as opera-buffa - a composition full of energy and typical life ups and downs, which are always enough and at all times. It is no coincidence that modern directors, who repeatedly turned to the work of the great composer, brought their own accents to the production, transferring the characters to different time frames, mixing eras. So, in one of the famous performances of the Paris Opera, the story composed by Beaumarchais and Rossini is either about the Turks or about the Moors. In another European setting, it is the 20s of the 20th century with Chaplin's grotesque. But in each of them, and in the Kiev production as well, the situation and the characters are still the same: the cunning, adventurous commoner Figaro, the amorous Count Almaviva, Dr. Bartolo and his young pupil Rosina. It is quite difficult to determine with accuracy the time and place of the comic situations taking place in the current production. The director either takes his characters from the streets of Seville to a shopping mall, where Almaviva, ardently in love, gives interviews to journalists and poses for cameras before singing his cavatina, or the characters are already in a modern office space. And there are plenty of such moments that send heroes to the present. But the storyline did not suffer at all from this, and even won, since the rather skillful introduction of signs of a new era made what was happening more comical. Two premiere days gave the audience an opportunity to evaluate two compositions of soloists. For the role of Count Almaviva, the artist-vocalist of the National Operetta, the singer of the academic chapel "Dumka", Anatoly Pogrebnoy, was invited, who, it must be said, made a confident debut on the stage of the National Opera. Anatoly is well acquainted with the part of the count, since he played the role of Almaviva in the eponymous premiere of the operetta theater in 2017. Together with Pogrebny, this part was prepared by his colleague, theater soloist Dmitry Ivanchenko. At the first premiere, Igor Evdokimenko performed the role of Figaro, captivating the audience from his very first cavatina about Figaro here, Figaro there. And on the second day, Igor Mokrenko was in this image. Andrey Maslakov (Dr. Bartolo) also succeeded in a comedic role. Leading bass Sergei Magera as Don Balisio was also impeccable in his performance, and Bartolo's housekeeper Anzhelina Shvachka, spectacular in a provocative outfit, was generally beyond praise. The scenography by Andrey Zlobin and the costumes of the characters created by Anna Ipatyeva deserve special mention. This creative tandem is already familiar to the viewer from the no less “modernized” Faust. This time, too, thanks to the imagination and talent of the stage designer and costume designer, the action was transferred to such a modern space. The audience received the first premiere performances very warmly. And if the subsequent ones, one of which is on May 31, are met with full houses, there is every reason to believe that modern Figaro will be registered in the opera for a long time.

It is possible that the appearance of The Barber of Seville, which has been on the stage with world-famous names for almost 200 years, was influenced by the fact that for seven years now, since 2010, another Rossini opera, Cinderella, has been invariably popular at the National Opera ". So in this sense, one Rossini is good, but two are much better. The Barber of Seville was taken on by a knowledgeable team: stage director Anatoly Solovyanenko, stage conductor Nikolai Dyadyura. And for the stage implementation, they invited well-known in the theatrical environment - set designer, artist Andrei Zlobin and costume designer Anna Ipatyeva. Both of them were remembered by the audience, first of all, for the design of performances for the Kiev Modern Ballet. So, having a general idea of ​​the sharply creative way in which the artists create, one could imagine what their work would look like in the Natsoper. Well, it must be assumed that they certainly did not disappoint the viewer. The staging of Beaumarchais's sparkling story about the barber Figaro (an energetic rogue, a thunderstorm of husbands and a favorite of women), embodied earlier in the opera by Paisiello, and then by Rossini, came out fresh, relevant, flavored with a modern entourage. However, I hasten to reassure the admirers of the classical traditions, even such an interpretation, created in tune with the present day, is worked out appropriately and with all due respect to the source material. Compared to the ultra-modern productions of this opera in some European theaters, where it is often impossible for the viewer to understand what is unfolding before their eyes, the National Opera has a modern light version, carefully built in accordance with academic theatrical traditions. And, most importantly, the comedic component of del arte, which is largely entrusted to the actors, was fully preserved, without sliding into an ordinary farce. Some, clearly directorial finds cause laughter in the hall. For example, the departure of Figaro on a scooter, an electric guitar, to the accompaniment of which Count Almaviva, in love, who looks like a rock star, sings serenades under Rosina's window, the running of heroes against the background of a lowered veil, where thunders and lightnings rage or lightsabers standing at a full-length figure from " Star Wars - Darth Vader. According to the law of the genre, if the weapon is placed in a conspicuous place, then there will be a battle. And the director did not deceive our expectations in this. The performance from the first note to the final is subordinated to Rossini's music: light, cheerful, witty. It also corresponds to a detailed study of mise-en-scenes and an exact hit in the canonical roles, whether it be a charming rogue, an admirer in love, a coquette or a pompous doctor. The musical material, as noted by the chief conductor Nikolai Dyadyura, is as close as possible to the original, practically does not contain cuts, but those parts that, as a rule, were taken out of the scope of the performance, are voiced. But it was they who made the storyline intelligible and logical. The action is displaced in time, while it is not possible to determine the place of stay. Let's call it for convention - somewhere in Europe. At the whim of the director, the street of Seville turns into something resembling a shopping center, which is eloquently suggested to the viewer by numerous glass windows, mirrors, a number of mannequins and brand advertisements. In this either a trading floor or an atrium, fans of Count Almaviva, a local celebrity, gathered. He gives interviews to journalists on camera, and then sings his famous cavatina, calling young Rosina, a pupil of Dr. Bartolo, to the balcony. In the second picture, the space is transformed into the interiors of the venerable doctor's house, there is a bar counter, a TV set, a table with an office chair, a presentable armchair, and an exercise bike was added in the second act. The National Opera invited Anatoly Pogrebny, the vocalist of the National Operetta, the singer of the academic chapel Dumka, to play the role of the Count, who, it must be said, made his debut on this stage with confidence. Obviously, such a non-trivial choice was influenced by the fact that Anatoly is well acquainted with the part of the count, firstly, he played the role of Almaviva in the eponymous premiere of the operetta theater in 2017. Secondly, he perfectly understands what it means to sing in the style of Rossini; last year, as part of the famous Rossini Festival in Pesaro, he performed the part of the Belfiore cavalier in the opera Journey to Reims. This year he is again engaged in Pesaro to sing the part of Edoardo Milfort in Rossini's opera Le Marriage Promissory. Together with Pogrebny, this part is being prepared by his colleague, theater soloist Dmitry Ivanchenko. In general, several groups of performers have been selected to try their hand at such a landmark opera as The Barber of Seville. Each of these soloists is so charismatic and recognizable that the audience might even find it interesting to compare the actor's interpretation and performance class in different ensembles. So, Igor Evdokimenko and Igor Mokrenko will play the role of Figaro. At the first premiere, Evdokimenko sang, captivating the audience from his very first cavatina about Figaro here, Figaro there.… I was impressed by Andrey Maslakov (Dr. Bartolo), bass, who owns the Belkant vocal technique. Enhances the effect of his presence on stage and a pronounced acting gift. In ensemble scenes, he drew attention to himself, while simply watching TV and not even uttering a sound. He demonstrated a clear comedic role to the regulars of the theater in the relatively recent premiere of Pergolesi's comic opera The Servant-Madam. It's funny, but in both cases, the singer's costume is a dressing gown. Impeccable in everything (from the possession of the voice to the entry into the image) Sergei Magera, the theater's leading bass. Good Rosina (Olga Fomicheva). In the future, this part will be performed by Susanna Chakhoyan, Lilia Grevtsova, and Tamara Kalinkina. Each appearance of Bartolo's housekeeper, Bertha, a snuff lover performed by Anzhelina Shvachka, is spectacular. She, musically sneezing, was dressed in a very tight outfit, a blonde wig and a high cap - provoking fantasies. In general, the costumes of the characters are not tied to a specific era and have no historical reference, they are rather created in the spirit of what in French can be called "a la" - like. The uniform of the Italian carabinieri resembles the uniforms of any power formation in Europe. Caps, clubs and handcuffs hanging from a belt are also recognizable. Beauty Rozina appears in magnificent dresses, which are quite appropriate to wear to one of the modern Kiev balls. Unlike the premiere of The Barber of Seville, which took place at the Teatro Argentina in Rome in February 1816 and was coldly received by the public, and, frankly, simply failed, the Kiev version, presumably, is waiting for a much more optimistic life. From the first try. However, according to the chief director of the theater Anatoly Solovyanenko, the success of the production in terms of its artistic value is determined by sold-out fees of 10-15 shows. Now, if even then the performance gathers a full hall, it means that the efforts of all those involved in the action were applied to the maximum. Узнать детали: https://izvestia.kiev.ua/item/show/116396?fbclid=IwAR3EKEHdBYZ46_QRA05lS8sGiTDBDY0Tjnl3E326BJtM7COb2Kz_fCQ63ag

On November 14, the National Opera of Ukraine opened the season of premieres by presenting a musical melodrama, Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème, at its forefront. The choice is quite logical. Puccini's opus is a win-win option for any theatre, it's not without reason that it makes up the "big three" of the most popular operas along with "La Traviata" and "Carmen". La bohème was staged on this Kiev stage, updated more than once, starting in 1904, and, of course, they could well do it on their own, since the theater has a creative team of directors, an example of this is a strong repertoire and stable two or three premieres a season . But this time, the theater management decided to turn to collaboration, inviting director Italo Nunziata, already well-known to the capital's theatergoers, a great connoisseur of Italian music of the classical repertoire. True, for almost ten years the director has been absent from the theatrical space of the capital, and there was a time when, with a difference of a year at the National Opera, he staged remarkable examples of musical dramaturgy: Manon Lescaut (2006), Macbeth (2007), Ball Masquerade (2008), Love Potion (2009). This magnificent operatic five was completed by Rossini's Cinderella, shown to the public in 2010. La bohème, written by Puccini, who approached the 40-year mark, was written in a fairly short time, but, as the chroniclers note, it did not cause much enthusiasm among the then public. Unlike the world premiere at the Turin theater in February 1896, when the audience remained indifferent to the scenes from the life of the inhabitants of the Latin Quarter - poor, talented, noble, but at the same time rather careless young people, the Kiev public received genuine aesthetic pleasure. According to the director's idea, the wheel of history was spun a century ahead, and the heroes of the novel by Henri Murger were settled in Paris, but already in the 50s of the twentieth century. What caused such a shift in time? Firstly, the dynamics of the action, the air - the stage, the free movement of all acting characters. Secondly, this is a good opportunity to modernize the plot, while not succumbing to the temptation to bring our contemporaries to the forefront, and certainly not bohemian (in its current sense), but the very marginal sense. Director-producer Italo Nunziata said that the choice fell on "La Boheme" also because to attract a young audience to the theater. After all, this opera has everything that excites youth, first of all, romantic relationships, the lightness of being, but it clearly shows that dramatic things happen in love. Despite the fact that the heroes wear clothes stylized as the dawn of French cinema, when Simone Signoret captivated the audience on the screen, young Romy Schneider and Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Brigitte Bardot and Anouk Aime - these costumes look quite relevant. The emphasized Diorian femininity of dresses with puffy skirts and an accentuated waist looks stylish, the trapeze coat on the main characters is red on Musetta and pink on Mimi. Well, scarves, berets, knitted cardigans with pockets, warm checkered shawls have been in the street fashion trend for many years. The directors scrupulously followed the plot, placing our heroes in three places: the attic - a street in the Latin Quarter with the Momus cafe, where bosom friends gather - the outpost d'Anfer. The attic is quite spacious, with an absolutely stunning view of the rooftops of Paris. For such a panorama, the current bohemia would hasten to lay out a tidy sum. All these locations are not overloaded with decorations, but not simple either, richly flavored with thoughtful details and important accents. Well, it cannot be otherwise, because the eminent Maria Levitskaya was responsible for the artistic component. The inspiration of this artist is invested in almost all performances of the Opera Theatre. The viewer always wants to get a better look at what is depicted on the translucent side wings in the first act, to go over the collection of real posters and posters of that time, which adorn the facades of the buildings of the quarter - in the second. And the staircase, directed upwards, to heaven - from the third act, clearly echoes the plot outline. Here the poet Rudolph confesses to his friend, the artist Marcel, that he left his beloved Mimi because she is mortally ill, and he cannot look at her suffering and has nothing to brighten up her last months of life. And when there are already two: Rudolf and Mimi sing a duet, standing at this very notorious staircase, you understand that soon she is destined to go up there. I would say this effect greatly enhances the dramatic narrative. Yes, and special thanks to the directors for not demonstrating the main symbol of Montmartre, sung by Bohemians - the recognizable blades of the Moulin Rouge cabaret. It would be too easy. In the central parts - Mimi at the premiere was performed by Lilia Grevtsova, her lover, the poet Rudolfo was embodied by Valentin Dytyuk. I would like to note that both performers gave the listeners great pleasure not only with their mastery of the voice, impeccable vocal technique, but also with their well-coordinated ensemble. However, these performers work in pairs quite often, and they also perform the duet of Mimi and Rudolf in Gala concerts too. The party of the flirtatious and temperamental Musetta was given to Olga Fomicheva, whose vocal experience speaks of the stage of development that allows her to perform almost any part. Musetta is an example. By the way, Fomicheva performed this part last year at the performance of La bohème at the Kiev Municipal Academic Opera and Ballet Theater for Children and Youth. It is interesting that both there and here, in the performance of the National Opera, her partner was the baritone Andrey Bondarenko, a guest soloist of a number of European theaters, who performed the part of Marseille. The noisy scene of the pre-Christmas fair was memorable, the spinning carousel on the screen, emphasized the French and festive flavor. Artistic children, meeting the appearance of the seller of toys Parpignol (Ruslan Tansky), who rolled on a bicycle, looked touching. Adult choristers, who did not stand in columns, but were in constant motion, creating a commotion that was pleasant to the eye, and a cantilena to the ear, looked natural. Other stars of the troupe also performed excellently - Sergei Magera (philosopher Collen) and Andrei Maslakov (master of the house - Benois). But, of course, it is better to listen to artists of this level of artistic talent and vocal mastery in extended main parts. Nevertheless, both soloists performed brightly as usual even in their relatively small parts. In general, all the components of the new performance in the context of Puccini's aesthetics are observed: sublime musical poetics (conductor Nikolai Dyadyura subtly drew this line) harmoniously combined with the vital psychologism of verism, which the composer followed all his life. I think that the second premiere day, November 16, will be no less bright, when Dmitry Ivanchenko (Rudolf), Tatyana Ganina (Mimi), Susanna Chakhoyan (Musetta), Petr Pryimak (Marseille), Alexander Boyko (Shonard), Sergey Kovnir (Kollen), Dmitry Ageev (Altsindor). Узнать детали: https://izvestia.kiev.ua/item/show/121089?fbclid=IwAR0S_2e1xwfStcqJYhgvYsre0gzmGGoZv8-K82t1hu7JLmOTBct_-Otftks

"If there was a hypothetical rating of the success of operas created over the last five centuries, Puccini's" Bohemia "would occupy one of the top positions. Now it is impossible to estimate at least approximately how many deliveries of this work took place on the world's leading opera stages, not to mention those that existed in many Italian, French, English, Polish, Russian, Austrian provincial cities. It was from Puchchin's "Bohemia" that the stellar biographies of many outstanding vocalists began, "wrote Vasyl Turkevych, Honored Artist of Ukraine. In 1891, librettists Luigi Illico and Giuseppe Giacosa drew Giacomo Puccini's novel "Scenes from the Life of Bohemia" by the French poet Henri Murger, read by European youth of the time, and offered his libretto based on the novel's plot for writing an opera. The work was about talented but poor artists - poets, artists, journalists, actors who lived in the cold and uncomfortable attics of Paris' Latin Quarter. The composer liked the libretto. This deeply realistic work was about the fact that Puccini himself experienced in his youth. Starting from the plot of A. Morge's novel, J. Puccini enriched the content of the work with many interesting and very eloquent plot lines, expressive clarifications. The author sought to reinterpret, first of all, everyday moments of the romantic story about the difficult life of the heroes, he selects the most typical for the spirit of the bohemian environment and with new force reveals the hidden sharp conflict - creative youth and man in the street. This is what makes the opera "Bohemia" always modern and relevant. The opera libretto has changed significantly in relation to A. Murger's novel in the ratio of comedy and lyric line, at the same time the composer reveals the tragedy of human destiny. The composer, brilliantly mastering the material of life, subordinated his musical drama, first of all, to logic, dressing prosaic events in beautiful sincere feelings and love, colored by a passionate desire to find their place in this complex world dominated by bourgeois moral principles, customs and traditions. there is no place for sincerity of feelings, purity of relations. Heroes of "Bohemia" are able to sacrifice, suffer, enjoy the sun and life. Perhaps, not only with beautiful music, but also with the moral and ethical principles embedded in the work, the opera remains in the context of changing times and on the verge of moral tests for humanity. The music of "Bohemia", like all other operas by G. Puccini, is filled with sincere warmth. The composer worked on the score for eight months, more and more concerned about the fate of the heroes of his future opera, who, despite all the vicissitudes of poverty, lived with bright dreams and hopes. They were not frightened by cold or hunger, and worried only one thing - to find their place in the great and turbulent world of creative bohemia. They were the children of their time and the relationships that then developed in the society they challenged. The heroes of the opera "Bohemia" had their prototypes, they seemed to come from the streets of Paris on the stage. According to the biographer G. Puccini A. Fraccaroli, the composer fell in love with his heroines - Mimi and Mussetta. In these tender and subtle images of youth and love, he found a source of inspiration. Concluding the opera, he openly wrote in one of his letters to Giulio Ricordi: "I cried like a child." We can say that it was in this opera that the personal destiny of the famous composer was reflected. Світова прем’єра цього твору відбулася на сцені Туринського театру Реджо (Teatro Regio di Torino) 1 лютого 1896 року під керуванням 28-річного Артуро Тосканіні, вже досить відомого в музичному світі маестро, блискучого інтерпретатора насамперед музики Ріхарда Вагнера. Despite the very high marks of Puccini's new work by his entourage - musicians and music critics close to the Ricordi publishing house - Bohemia suffered the same annoyance as most operas of composers of the second half of the nineteenth century. And although the opera was not "whistled", but the Turin audience received it quite coolly, which surprised and upset the composer, who did not doubt the success of his new work. The audience was disappointed by the plot of the opera. According to ground music lovers, the plot was very different from the reference standards of the genre, which was based on Shakespeare's passions and no longer authentic texts of German and French historical chronicles. Therefore, fans could not accept such a mundane plot, which in their opinion, which formed the basis of the opera "Bohemia". But very soon theaters began to compete to include this opera in their repertoires. Its premieres in Paris (1898) and Vienna (1903) contributed to the growing popularity of Puccini's work. Bohemia was first staged in Kyiv in 1904. Then there were productions of 1913 and 1958. In 1969 the play was renewed. And then - new productions in 1986 and 1998. Not so long ago, Vitaliy Palchikov staged Bohemia at the Kyiv Opera (Kyiv Municipal Academic Opera and Ballet Theater for Children and Youth). In different years the main parts in Kyiv interpretations were performed by T. Ponomarenko, G. Sholina, K. Radchenko, G. Tsypola, L. Zabilyasta, I. Dats, O. Nagorna, I. Semenenko (Mimi); V. Timokhin, A. Solovyanenko, O. Vostryakov, V. Fedotov, V. Grishko (Rudolf); E. Chavdar, E. Miroshnychenko, M. Stefyuk, L. Semenenko, V. Stepova (Mozetta); M. Vorvulev, B. Puzin, A. Mokrenko, R. Mayboroda, M. Koval, P. Priymak, V. Bazir (Marseille); M. Shostak, O. Zagrebelny, V. Manolov, V. Lupalov (Shonar); V. Pazich, V. Pivovarov, B. Gnid, M. Shopsha, B. Taras, Y. Khomich (Collin); V. Gerasimchuk, V. Lositsky, G. Krasulya (Benoit); O. Chulyuk-Zagray, S. Skubak, S. Matveev (Alcindor); T. Feoktitstov M. Khorunzhiy, M. Shulyak, Y. Khimich (Parpinol). In the new production of the opera "Bohemia", according to the play's directors, the heroes of the opera are in a slightly different time dimension. Their environment was the second half of the twentieth century, which seems to bring modern viewers closer to Puccino's heroes. - It is no coincidence that we chose this work for another joint project with longtime friends from the Italian Embassy and the Italian Institute of Culture in Ukraine, because Giacomo Puccini's opera "Bohemia" is called a "winter fairy tale", - said Director General of Art of the National Opera of Ukraine. artist Petro Chuprina. - This is our holiday gift to all connoisseurs of exquisite opera and, above all, young people, who are increasingly appearing in our auditorium. The main characters of this opera are young people, full of creative inspiration and stormy emotions, sincere and open in their feelings and aspirations. - The Italian-Ukrainian cultural dialogue has many points of contact, but is especially fruitful in the field of opera, as evidenced by our long-standing partnership with the Kyiv Opera House, - said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Italian Republic to Ukraine David La Cecilia. - Every season we offer a rich program of highly artistic projects, culminating in successful joint productions of operas and ballets, which each time become a decoration of the repertoire of the main music institution of Ukraine. This year's production is the result of a fruitful collaboration between director Italo Nunciata and the main conductor of the theater, Maestro Mykola Dyadyura. They have prepared a first-class line-up of performers, thanks to which the heroes and heroines of one of the most prominent and favorite masterpieces of the world's opera repertoire - Giacomo Puccini's opera "Bohemia" will come to life on the leading stage of Ukraine. During one of the premieres, the grateful Kyiv audience did not want to let the Honored Artists of Ukraine Petro Pryimak, Serhiy Kovnir, Tetiana Ganina, Susanna Chakhoyan, Bohdan Taras, Dmytro Ageyev, theater soloists Dmytro Ivanchenko, Oleksandr Boyko, Yuslan, Ruslan leave the stage for a long time. Gorinya. The success of the play was facilitated by the unusual scenography, created with the help of the most modern video projectors, which were already partially used in the premiere of last season - "The Barber of Seville" (set designer Maria Levitskaya).

This is not the first attempt to launch Tsar Salatan into the permanent repertoire of the Kyiv theater. On September 1, 1911, on the eve of the official opening of the next theatrical season, a festive performance "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" was shown in the Kyiv Theater. In the hall - distinguished guests of the capital, led by Russian Emperor Nicholas II, who arrived in Kiev on the occasion of the unveiling of the monument to Alexander II. In the intermission after the second act, Russian Prime Minister Peter Stolypin was assassinated and mortally wounded… Since then, one of the brightest operas has been associated with tragedy. The next premiere of "Tales of Tsar Saltan" on the Kyiv stage took place only in 1917. Subsequently, the theater repeatedly turned to the masterpiece of M. Rimsky-Korsakov. The last time was in 1949, when the anniversary of Alexander Pushkin's birth was celebrated. They decided to break the 64-year-old break only now. - The repertoire of the National Opera of Ukraine includes many serious dramatic performances. Today we are turning to the Children's Opera, which we hope will be a bridge to future generations of opera fans, - says the theater's chief director Anatoly Solovyanenko. Vrubel and Vasnetsov conjured for children Rimsky-Korsakov once granted the Russian private opera the right to stage the first production of The Tale of Tsar Saltan. The success of the audience was ensured by the careful work of the conductor Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov and participation in the premiere performances of the best artists of the troupe. In addition, Mykhailo Vrubel undertook the artistic design of the play - scenery and costumes. Apollinarii Vasnetsov (brother of the famous Russian artist Viktor Vasnetsov), who was then a theatrical artist, wrote on the basis of his sketches of the scenery. For several seasons, the best and most outstanding "adult" masters of classical art worked on the Kyiv stage on the children's "Fairy Tale": conductors Eugenio Esposito, Mykhailo Shteiman, directors Mykola Bogolyubov, Oleksandr Ulukhanov. The voices of Leonida Balanovska, Mykhailo Donets, Mykhailo Mykysh, Maria Tesseir, Borys Hmyra, Larysa Rudenko sounded powerful and bright… Anatoliy Solovyanenko, the director of the modern version of "Fairy Tales", sees no differences in the approach to the work: "Despite the fact that this is a children's play, the attitude of the troupes to it is very serious. We work like adults: the best creative forces of the theater are involved, leading soloists of the opera troupe, chief conductor Mykola Dyadyura, chief artist Maria Levitska, chief choirmaster Bohdan Plish, ballet dancers. Now we grind the last details. I'm not afraid to brag - we have a very clear scenography. " The main trick is to invent a style To create all the scenographic splendor, the main artist of the theater Maria Levitskaya studied ancient icons and clothes, looked through hundreds of books, specially went to the Armory and other museums in Moscow. - "Tales of King Saltan" has a primary scenographic authorship, - says Levitskaya. - This is Ivan Bilibin. A master whose hand is unmistakably recognizable. Our task was to create an interesting and completely independent version, without repeating a single stroke. I say "we" because it is a complex and exciting process that involves many people. Our costumes are really handmade. This is probably one of the most beautiful performances we have ever performed. More than 350 costumes and more than 5,000 meters of paintings have been created for "The Tale of King Saltan"! "You can wrap and even cover the Kyiv Opera," smiles Maria Levitska. The choir is about 150 singers, they will change clothes twice during the performance. The costumes of the soloists are regally rich, "with fiction". "Precious stones?" This will not surprise anyone now. Sticking "sapphires" is not a trick. The trick is to invent a style so as not to end up in the royal chambers of Boris Godunov, says the artist. The fairy tale needs an expanded palette of colors, special decor and imagination. Bumblebee will dance and Chornomor will become a cartoon One of the director's fantasies is choreographic episodes (choreographer-director - Victor Yaremenko). Mythical characters, flowers, bumblebees - will be recreated in the language of dance. The famous scherzo, known as "Flight of the Bumblebee", has withstood many adaptations for many instruments, has become an independent and popular work. I wonder if the same popularity awaits the choreographic version? Other surprises await the audience. Some of the characters, such as Squirrel, Blackbird, Swan, Kite will be animated. So the main theater of the country is going to take another step towards the use of the latest stenographic technologies. "This is the first time we have used visual and graphic effects on this scale. We hope that this will be a successful creative experiment, "says Anatoliy Solovyanenko. The theater is convinced that "The Tale of Tsar Saltan", which will be one of the most expensive productions of the NOU, along with the most expensive premieres of the past two seasons - the ballet "Bayaderka" and the opera "Don Carlos". The play is planned to be shown during the day on weekends, so that it is convenient for the youngest spectators. In the modern version, the number of actions has been reduced from four to two and each will last no more than 50-55 minutes. We hope that the tale will appeal to both adults and children.

This performance (libretto by Vladimir Belsky based on the fairy tale by Alexander Pushkin) is designed for a family cultural trip to the theater and, first of all, for the youngest audience. Let us recall that in the capital, on the stage of the Municipal Opera for Children and Youth, a version of this wonderful musical fairy tale adapted for perception by children is successfully staged. But the directors of the National Opera: conductor Nikolai Dyadyura, director Anatoly Solovyanenko, artist Maria Levitskaya, choirmaster Bogdan Plish and choreographer Viktor Yaremenko, hope to amaze their audience not only with singing, but also with fantastic scenography, ballet and visual and graphic effects. Soloists are working on the embodiment of the main characters: Taras Shtonda, Sergey Kovnir and Andrey Gonyukov (Saltan), Victoria Chenskaya, Lesya Alekseeva (Queen Militrisa, younger sister), Daria Knyazeva, Irina Petrova (Weaver, middle sister), Natalia Nikolaishin, Tamara Kalinina, Olga Matushenko (Cook, older sister), Anzhelina Shvachka, Tatiana Piminova (Matchmaker Babaricha), Lilia Grevtsova, Olga Nagornaya (The Swan Princess), Sergei Pashchuk, Dmitry Kuzmin, Sergei Skochelias (Tsarevich Gvidon) and others. The history of productions and performances of The Tale of Tsar Saltan since its dedication to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the author of the original source, A. S. Pushkin, is interesting and varied. The right of the first production in 1900 was granted by the composer to the Russian Private Opera (conductor - Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, artist - Mikhail Vrubel, and the role of the Swan Princess was played by the outstanding singer Nadezhda Zabila-Vrubel (our countrywoman, who received her musical education at the Kiev Institute of Noble girls at Nikolai Lysenko's.) The action takes place partly in the city of Tmutarakan, partly on the island of Buyan... The Tale was first staged on the Kiev stage in 1908. It was this production that was also staged in the fateful 1911, when Russian Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin was mortally wounded during a parade performance for the court and ministers of Emperor Nicholas II... The next premiere "Tales of Tsar Saltan" took place in 1917. Subsequently, the theater turned to the masterpiece of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov more than once. The last time was in 1949 (when the 150th anniversary of the birth of A. Pushkin was celebrated). And soon the audience will see a new reading of the classics. “We are turning to children's opera, which, we hope, will become a bridge to future generations — admirers of opera art,” says director A. Solovyanenko. - "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov is a very interesting work both on stage and musically.