Betrothal in a Monastery by Prokofiev, Ġim 25 Fra 2022, Minn (2021/2022), Immexxi minn Tatyana Karpacheva, Natalya Chernikova, Darya Modzalevskaya, Yuri Alexandrov, Surmast Direttur Alexander Goikhman, Maxim Valkov, Baron Fon Derviz Mansion (St Petersburg Chamber Opera), Saint Petersburg, Russia

Betrothal in a Monastery is a lyric-comic opera written by Prokofiev on the eve of World War II, in 1940, based on the plot of Richard Sheridan's English Beaumarchais. The composer wrote the libretto himself, strengthening the lyrical component of the play and emphasizing the strength of the feelings of young lovers, who will certainly triumph over any plans of the practical and serious older generation. Like many of Prokofiev's works, Betrothal in a Monastery is included in the golden musical fund of the 20th century. In the opera, the lyrical and comic principles coexist on an equal footing. Sparkling humor, which inevitably makes you think of Rossini (especially since the action of The Duenna takes place in Seville), is adjacent here to gentle melody, arias are interspersed with songs. It is interesting to note that the Stanislavsky Theater was going to stage the opera immediately after it was written, but the war mixed up all creative plans. As a result, the primacy of the production went to the Mariinsky Theater in 1946 - the then Theater. Kirov. As always, director Yuri Alexandrov is looking for answers to the artistic and moral questions of modern life in the opera score. And this time, the plot of Sheridan's play is interpreted as a cheerful story about the eternal conflict of generations of fathers and children, academicism and innovation. “We will transfer the opera action to the walls of an educational institution - maybe my favorite Theater Academy on Mokhovaya. There, theatricality and real life interact especially organically. First - a kind of actor's studies as a form of existence. And then - a feast of theatricality, which gradually draws into itself the whole reality. This performance will require from the actors-singers of virtuoso plasticity, the ability to dance, fencing - as close as possible to the skill of actors in a drama theater ... ”, says Yuri Alexandrov.