During the spring school holidays, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will present Rustam Sagdiev’s opera The Turnip for the youngest audiences.
As a soloist of the Mariinsky Academy of Young Opera Singers, Rustam Sagdiev has acquired significant performing experience, including children’s repertoire. The Turnip is his debut as an opera composer. Larisa Gergieva, Artistic Director of the Academy, suggested composing an opera for children that would be based on a Russian theme. Its folkloric nature had to manifest itself not just in the music, but also in the texts and plot as well. Thus, the original performance is intended as an encounter of the younger audiences both with the operatic theatre itself, and with the lavish Russian folk art.
“The basic material of the opera is songs from different regions of Russia, somewhat stylized, modified, but still recognizable. In a sense, this opera may be referred to as an iconic example of Russian folklore for children”, the composer comments.
The opera is full of folk melodies; the composer makes use of such folk instruments as the triangle, woodblock, spoons, rattle, and balalaika. The fairy tale plot is familiar to everybody from early childhood: in order to pull out a turnip, all the characters have to forget old grievances and unite. However, in addition to the usual characters, there are also new ones, such as singing or otherwise sounding trees and birds and the Jester, who acts as the storyteller.
The composer’s idea was put into life by Director Alla Chepinoga. In 2017, the production of The Turnip by the Mariinsky Academy of Young Opera Singers was awarded special prize of the Onegin National Opera Award.
The premiere performances of The Turnip will take place on March 25, 26 and April 1, 2023 at 12:00 and 15:00. The main parts are already being rehearsed by the soloists of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
