Russia (bbabo.net) - On December 24, the St. Petersburg Opera will present the premiere of the play Cherevichki staged by the theater's artistic director and founder Yuri Alexandrov.

The day before, the creators told reporters (press conferences for security reasons are still online) about the work on Tchaikovsky's opera. Soloist Yaramir Nizamutdinov performed Vakula's aria.

In January 1887 the premiere of "Cherevichek" took place in Moscow, at the Bolshoi Theater. This is the second edition of the opera. At first, the composer had another name - "Vakula the Blacksmith". They say the author loved this opera. And on stage she is a rare guest.

"Cherevichki" is a fairy tale about the blacksmith Vakula, the obstinate beauty Oksana, the mother of Vakula Solokha - a woman with a character and a practicing local witch and other characters in the story by N.V. Gogol's "Night before Christmas" from the cycle "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka". And slivers are translated from Ukrainian as "shoes".

The work, according to Yuri Alexandrov, is complex. “I staged this opera at the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, La Scala, the Italians enthusiastically accepted this story and music. Time passed, our troupe reached the level of excellence where we can guarantee the quality, and I turned to this work again, colleagues supported me Today, the main problem is how to distribute four cast of artists in the premiere (and in Oksana's part - five cast), and everyone wants to sing. "

Therefore, from 23 (the general run will take place) to 26 December, there will be different lineups on the stage. This is the uniqueness of the Alexandrov Theater: each singer is given the opportunity to express himself in his work. The entire staff of the theater is engaged in the play "Cherevichki". There is ballet, pantomime, and flights. And ghosts live ... The difficulty, they say, is how to bow 50 people on a small stage in the final?

- We are glad that we meet the 35th season with such a fairy tale. Today in our life there are not many fairy tales with a happy ending. We were created in order to give people joy, - the head of the theater believes. - I am looking forward to the premiere, because a lot of effort, health and funds have been invested in it. Surprisingly: the play, in which St. Petersburg became one of the main characters, is not staged in our city, and in Russia, "Cherevichki" are only staged on the Chamber Stage of the Bolshoi Theater. I think our production will be an impetus to the attention of theaters to this work, the "usurpation" of the New Year by "The Nutcracker" will end, and we will slightly diversify the festive winter repertoire.

The performance will be truly fabulous - bright and colorful. It was designed by Vyacheslav Okunev, People's Artist of Russia, chief artist of the Mikhailovsky Theater. "We went through our entire creative life: our first performance at the Mariinsky Theater (then - Kirovsky) - Donizetti's Bell, was released 45 years ago. Since then, we have staged together - lost count - more than 150 performances" ...

Beautiful decorations, luxurious folk costumes, Ukrainian melodies ... There will also be magnificent "palace" costumes of the Catherine's era (Vakula arrives in St. Petersburg).

Yuri Alexandrov saw a lot of unexpected things in this work. The director called Tchaikovsky's music "a scattering of pearls and precious gems. The artists are happy to perform their parts - and this can be seen. The emotions that this music evokes are super-positive."

Conductor Maxim Valkov spoke about the musical material:

- We have in our repertoire "Eugene Onegin" by Tchaikovsky, and for a long time I did not dare to take on "Cherevichki". The material is very thin, it is easy to slip into vulgarity. I am working with great pleasure now on this performance and I can say that the beauty of this opera does not immediately open up - not like, say, The Queen of Spades or Eugene Onegin ... My parents are Ukrainians, therefore, what is kutya, lard and caroling, I know firsthand. Now, playing this music, I can smell the hut, the heat of the stove, the charm of Ukrainian girls and the smell of the fumes of men ... The artists say the same. All this is so characteristic and conveyed in music, Tchaikovsky did it with great skill. I think that the performance will acquire its true "face" during the season. You know, in Ukraine they believe that cooked borscht is tastier on the second day when it's infused ...

How did you prepare for the performance?

The Tchaikovsky Museum in Klin provided the theater with unique archival materials. At the premiere, the audience will see a copy of the composer's original score with his notes. “We saw the sketches of the costumes for the first production and the poster for the first performance, the author’s score. But I like to start from scratch, create a performance based on musical drama,” says the director.

Who is the opera addressed to?

On the poster: 12+. The theater counts on the viewer who will come to the performance with the whole family: both adults will appreciate it (there is a love intrigue in "Cherevichki"), and the children will be interested and funny. Young people are invited, not only fans of the genre, but also spectators who will be in the opera for the first time."I advise viewers to perceive this opera as a.jpgt, as written by a very kind, beautiful person. There is subtle humor, interesting everyday scenes. We not only have Solokha - a witch, there are also ghosts, a demon. We fly in the sky, dive into the underwater kingdom, hooligans on land ... ". There will be flights of the Devil, Solokha, Vakula - on the Line. In this, the creators will be helped not only by video art, but also by music. For the first time, a professional ballet will appear on the stage of the St. Petersburg Opera. The play features a Russian folk dance and a drunken Cossack dance. Choreographer Vasil Panayotov invited two ballet couples (and he will also dance).

About plans for 2022

- We are working on the opera "Ivan the Terrible" by young Bizet. She is interesting, melodic. This is a continuation in our repertoire of fairy tales for adults, "the second series", after "Pearl Seekers". We are also planning to stage Ruslan and Lyudmila, a powerful opera, Russian blockbuster, - said Yuri Alexandrov.

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