26.01.2012

Kazan will celebrate XXX anniversary of the International Opera Festival named after F. Shalyapin

On February 1st, 2012 Kazan will celebrate XXX anniversary of the International Opera Festival named after F. Shalyapin. This year it will host more than 50 participants from all over the world. Among them  are leading singers of the Bolshoi, the Mariinsky and the Metropolitan Opera theatres.

The festival will open with a premiere of P. Tchaikovsky’s «Evgeny Onegin». Rehearsals are under way.

Last time «Evgeny Onegin» was staged here, in the theatre named after Musa Jalil, in the year 1956 (the year the theatre was opened). Since then there wasn`t any full-fledged production of this opera, only concert performances were given.

So, on the occasion of the anniversary, the administration have decided to put the most popular Russian opera back on the scene. An old friend of the theatre – the Moscow stage director Mickhail  Pandzhavidze – was engaged to make a show. There won`t be any unexpected, loose  interpretation of this story, just a classical one.  One of the most outstanding Russian pianists, conductors and composers – Mikhail Pletnev – has been chosen for musical directing and conducting. He is a great Chaikovsky`s music interpreter. In due time he made arrangements for two ballet suits («Shhelkunchik» (“Nutcracker”) and «Spyashaya krasavitsa» (“Sleeping Beauty”)). And for the Bolshoi he produced «Pikovaya dama» («The Queen of Spades»). The administration of the host theatre of the festival is absolutely sure that he will add sophistication to the «Evgeny Onegin`s» score.

Theatre also demands much of the performers of major parts. It was decided to invite only Russian singers so long as they are in the context of Russian culture. Another important point  is age. Actors that are playing Onegin, Tatiana, Lensky, by definition, must be young and beautiful. So during the casting, direction of the theatre tried to avoid operatic convention, when, for example, a stout figured old artist is chosen for a role of an elegant 26-years old Onegin. 

Rising stars with prominent appearance were chosen for these roles. The part of Onegin will sing Andrey Grigoriev (the Bolshoi) and Vladimir Moroz (the Mariinsky). The part of Tatiana will sing Amalia Gogeshvili (Moscow). She is a beautiful girl with dark hair, perfectly falling under the description of Pushkin's heroine.  It is noteworthy that even minor roles in "Eugene Onegin" are performed by eminent artists: Triquet – a famous tenor of the Mariinsky Konstantin Pluzhnikov,  Nanny – an outstanding soprano Larissa Shevchenko.

In total, the performance will involve over one hundred people. This is the chorus, and ballet, and soloists.

While the actors are rehearsing, sewing room workers are working on the creation of theatre costumes. The play will require more than 350 of them.
Clothing for "Eugene Onegin" was created by Kazan designer Ludmila Volkova. She tried to match the wardrobe not only by Pushkin`s era but also by poem`s lines. If  the poet wrote: "Who is there, in a crimson beret, talking to the Spanish ambassador?", the character in a crimson hat  must take part in the scene, as well as the Spanish ambassador.

The scenery was worked out by a Novosibirsk artist Igor Grinevich, who collaborates with the theatre for many years. He has a minimalistic view for the scenery, but with the scene he works miracles. His scenery is always voluminous, mobile, transforming the space.
Video projection and lighting technology will also be used in the play.