Peter the Great by Petrov, Andrei, čet. 08 sep. 2022, Od (2022/2023), Režija: Nadezhda Stolbova, Dirigent Konstantin Chudovsky, Ekaterinburg Opera, Ekaterinburg, Russia

Andrey Petrov is better known for his music for classic Soviet films directed by ldar Ryazanov, Georgy Danelia, Vladimir Khotinenko, Alexey German and others. But he also composed for the musical theatre. In 1976, he was awarded the USSR State Prize for the opera Peter the Great which was first premiered at the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Kirov (now the Mariinsky Theatre) on June 7th, 1975. In Ekaterinburg, the new opera was staged almost immediately after that. Conductor Yevgeny Kolobov and director Yuri Petrov presented the production in 1978 and it ran for eight seasons. This year marks the 350 anniversary since the birth of Peter the Great and the Ural Opera once again turns to Andrey Petrov’s work which this time will be performed in a concert version. The opera Peter the Great grew out of vocal and symphonic frescoes for soloist, choir and orchestra written by the composer in 1973. Gradually, they developed into a large-scale, rich in contrasts musical narrative about the life of Peter the Great, from his accession to the throne to the victory over the Swedes. Reference to old songs, salutatory and church chants, and mournful lamentations known in the time of Peter the Great allowed the composer to recreate the atmosphere of the era.