Sergii Magera / Ressenyes

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

"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).

Creative young people rent a loft under the roof, wander around the cafes wrapped in scarves and coats, drink wine from local producers. A thought leader wrapped in branded stuff gives vocal lessons, and a novice copywriter falls in love with a handmade girl. The Italian director and masters of the National Opera imagined what Puccini's classic plot would look like in Paris in the 1950s. And Weekend went behind the scenes to make sure that such "Bohemia" will definitely become close and understandable to modern Kyiv. The production is a Ukrainian-Italian project created in collaboration with the Italian Embassy and the Italian Institute of Culture. Directed by Italo Nunciata. Viewers already know him well from a number of performances in the National Opera - it's "Macbeth", "Manon Lescaut", "Love Drink", "Cinderella". Italo NUNCIATE Italo Nunziata told Weekend how the fifties changed Europe, why the choir became one of the main characters in the play, which could provoke the director's stormy emotions during the general run. - We hope to attract more young people to this production, because the plot is about what worries her. The characters have occupations that are understandable and close to the young, they are fascinated by feelings of youth, but dramatic things happen to them. I think this opera is very modern. Verdi's operas, which I staged at this theater a few years ago, were more static. Puccini's plots are definitely operas with more movement, dynamics, alive and lively in the theatrical sense. It seemed to me that the repertoire of the National Opera of Ukraine needed it. We have been preparing a play for almost a month, it was a very intensive process. I have already had to work with some artists on previous productions, other actors are new to me. It is nice to see young people who want to work, to move more on stage, not as is customary in traditional static opera. This is inspiring, because we are trying to bring the opera closer to the present in all aspects. And in terms of drama and theatrical action, and in the time we took as a basis. We want this to be perceived not as a classic of gunpowder, far from us.