On March 20-22, the world-famous War and Peace opera by Sergei Prokofiev, based on the novel by Lev Tolstoy, will be premiered at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The main parts will be sung by the leading soloists of the Mariinsky Theatre (St Petersburg). The symbolism of this year’s opera premiere is that it is closely associated with the celebration of the 75th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War.
“Such serious anniversary dates as the Victory Day Anniversary should be marked by large masterpieces. And, upbuilding the arch between the War of 1812 and the Great Patriotic War, we make it clear that such tragic events are always reflected in the works of Russian composers”, said Pavel Smelkov, Principal Conductor of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
The authors and directors of the War and Peace are: Stage Director Kristina Larina, Set Designer Pyotr Okunev, Principal Concert Mistress of the Mariinsky Theatre, Honoured Artist of Russia Irina Soboleva, and Principal Chorus Mistress of the Primorsky Stage Larisa Shveikovskaya. Costumes by Tatyana Noginova have already been used in the production by Andrei Konchalovsky in 2000. Pavel Smelkov, Principal Conductor of the Primorsky Stage, will take the conductor’s console.
“To my mind, the War and Peace opera is perhaps the most grandiose work of Russian opera classics. This is not the first time we have staged Prokofiev’s operas. In our repertoire we have The Love for Three Oranges, and we have presented The Gambler for four times. However, the scale and grandeur of this score is a separate task for the orchestra, an enormous challenge for singers and the choir. I think that our team is already ready to conquer this peak, and I hope that this production will be remembered for a long time and will become a bright event of this spring on the Primorsky stage of the Mariinsky Theatre”, said Pavel Smelkov.
