October is going to be especially eventful for the Primorsky Stage. The audience will enjoy historical dramas, love tourbillions, an ancient Greek tragedy, extravagant modern ballet and performances for the very youngest!
OPERA
October 2 and 14, 2022, will bring premiere performances of the famous opera by Tchaikovsky, which, unlike his other works, took him two years to compose! This is Mazepa. In Pushkin’s Poltava, the composer was primarily concerned with psychology, not politics. Maria is young, and Mazepa is old. The story seems implausible, but it is historically accurate. The whole drama unfolds against the vast historical background. Here, the love whirlpool and the scheming of the main characters are inseparable from historical events.
Video installations, a real film set on the stage, live donkey, cameramen with video cameras, breathtaking images and voices, all this awaits the Primorsky audience on October 7, 2022 in the one-act, but very eye-catching opera Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo. As conceived by the Stage Director Marat Gatsalov, Tonio is the author and provocateur of the entire classic love triangle story. This piece is his confession. And the famous aria “Vesti la giubba” performed by Canio is not only the emotional center of the whole drama, but also part of the gold reserves of the tenor repertoire.
Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II is a “tempo di Viennese walzer” celebration of flirting and adventure. Our heroes even defy prison, having fun, singing and dancing there as they would in any other place. After all, happy is the one who walks past grief and worries! The enchanting dance operetta of the Austrian “Waltz King” will be performed on October 9, 2022.
On October 16, 2022, the soloists of the Primorsky Stage will tell the story of the legendary Tsar Boris Godunov in the opera of the same name. It’s no secret that the part of Boris Godunov is a true heart desire for basses. On Vladivostok stage, the first version of the opera written by Musorgsky in 1869 will be presented. The composer found his own, peculiar approach to the embodiment of Pushkin’s tragedy; the opera reveals the tragic image of the Tsar who assumed the exorbitant burden of political authority. We can see a man tormented by conscience, accused of a crime. The Adaptation Director of the performance for the Primorsky Stage, Sergei Bogoslavsky, took the famous play by Andrei Tarkovsky as a basis, giving it a revamp via sophisticated video projections by Pyotr Okunev.
An exquisite world filled with symbols; boats sailing against the red sky on black water, a red silk wedding belt; early 20th century, Nagasaki. An American naval officer, Pinkerton, rents a Japanese villa, and in addition to the deal, he contracts a marriage with a Japanese girl, albeit a temporary one. The continuation of the story about the Japanese beauty in the opera Madama Butterfly will be presented on October 21 and 23, 2022, staged by Mariusz Treliński. By the way, Plácido Domingo himself said that this production was the best of all that he had ever seen and participated in.
On October 28 and 30, 2022, one can witness how mischief-making can sometimes turn into a fun opera. In Mozart’s time, romantic relationships were not at all considered a reason to walk down the aisle. Marriages were concluded to strengthen power, and mutual love was a rarity. Someone got lucky. However, at the end of the 18th century, the law of Emperor Joseph II came out, stating clearly: “One must marry for love, not for convenience”. The composer Mozart reflected those changes in his opera Le nozze di Figaro. In the finale, universal harmony and justice rejoice. Everyone finds his mate: a servant marries a maid; a countess marries a count, and so on. The curtain falls on a joyful note.
The traditional special project for the youngest audience, “Mariinsky – for children”, will take place in October on the Primorsky Stage. Childhood is the right time to look for answers to the most exciting and important questions. On October 8 and 22, 2022, Murych the Cat by Sergei Banevich will be performed for the most inquisitive audience, and on October 1 and 15, 2022 – The Little Prince by Leonid Klinichev. Those are brilliant adventure stories where the main characters in simple and at the same time very touching manner, will answer the main questions of life. They will teach the kids to respect each other, to value friendship and care, to be responsible for those who trust us, and to distinguish between good and evil. Vivid productions by Alexei Stepanyuk, merry characters, laconic stage design, beautiful voices of the Theatre soloists, and music written especially for young audiences, all this awaits you in the Chamber Hall of the Theatre.
BALLET
This month, the repertoire of the Primorsky Stage will include the ballet masterpieces by Pyotr Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty ballet-féerie after tales of Charles Perrault on October 1 and 8, 2022, the lyrical Swan Lake on October 13, 2022 and the magical The Nutcracker choreographed by Eldar Aliev, Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage, on October 20 and 22, 2022.
On October 6, 2022, in the Great Hall of the Theatre, one can enjoy a tragic love story full of intertwined passions of people and gods. None of these heroes is capable of love, but we will realize that only at the end of the performance, when the tragedy reaches its climax. The choreographer Flemming Flindt, inspired by the images created by the ancient Greek tragedian Euripides, staged Phaedra especially for his wife, ballerina Vivi. The music was written by the American composer Philip Glass.
On the same night, The Firebird to the music by Igor Stravinsky will be performed. For the composer, that was the first commission to write music and his debut on the theatre stage, which he plunged into with great enthusiasm. The vivid and colorful music very accurately illustrates all the twists and turns of the fairy tale plot, emphasizing the choreography. Eldar Aliev, in his interpretation of this ballet, among other things paid attention to the plasticity of the characters, making it complex and very expressive.
The fable plot is complemented by spectacular scenery, together with flamboyant visual effects and costumes. This performance can be metaphorically called a true festive firework on stage!
The fairy-tale theme is complemented by the dynamic and brilliant The Little Humpbacked Horse by Rodion Shchedrin. It will be performed twice on October 15, 2022. This ballet is a successful blend of the fascinating, magical plot, so loved by kids, the extravagant and stylish designs, the inventive choreography and the emotional music. The subtle humor will be understood by children and appreciated by adults.
Besides, in October the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will become one of the venues for the Far Eastern Choir Olympics, an all-Russian Choral festival and contest, which will be held for the first time in Vladivostok from October 25 to 29, 2022. The Olympics participants will include children’s, student and adult choirs, and academic, folk and pop vocal ensembles.
