Gulyara SADYKH-ZADEH: — The play was directed by Francesca Zambello, the director with whom you have already worked on Turandot and the Fiery Angel at the Bolshoi Theater. What did the Parisian Boris look like?
Alexander VEDERNIKOV: — This is not a premiere, but a renewal of the 2002 play. Almost all of Mussorgsky's musical material was used, so it's hard to say which version Zambello followed.
GSZ: — Has a complete Boris ever been staged, with all the additions, inserts, and scene variations?
AV: — No, and it's impossible. Even if you want to do the full second option, you'll have to accept that something won't fit into it. And, from my point of view, it is not necessary to cram all the available music for Boris into the production.
There are two different operas, two full-fledged author's editions. These two operas have different dramaturgy and they are based on completely different ideas. To be precise, there are not two options, but many more: there are six options for the second author's edition alone. We decided on one of them, which we will put in the Bolshoi in 2007. Zambello chose the pieces based not on any particular edition, but on her preferences, arranging the fragments quite arbitrarily. In general, the performance turned out to be quite in line with Western directing, with the usual gentlemanly set of certain cliches. The performance is quite traditional, conventionally costumed. The action takes place inside the iconostasis. In folk scenes, a huge staircase opens at the back of the stage. All the roles, except for Boris, who is sung by Samuel Remy, are assigned to Russian singers from the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theaters.
GSZ: — How is the local choir doing?
AV: — There is an eternal problem with collectives in France. They are all somehow poorly motivated here, protected by trade unions, strikes are their national sport. And they need to be made to work. On the other hand, by the premiere, everything somehow falls into place. It's probably due to concentration; they know how much time they have left for sloppiness, and when to get ready.
GSZ: — Did you attend the premiere of Tristan und Isolde: what are your impressions?
AV: — It's a very good performance. Just gorgeous. The main message of director Peter Sellars is that the solution chosen is extremely simple. There is practically nothing on the stage except a space covered with black velvet - and the singers in it. But the director's work is very clearly visible due to this. It's not that the singers do something all the time; on the contrary, they do very little, but very precise things. Moreover, the singers themselves are so charismatic and large that they attract attention. If other people had sung, it might not have worked.
GSZ: — What are the Bolshoi's plans for the upcoming season?
AV: — Unfortunately, the season is going to be difficult: after all, we will no longer have the Main Stage, it will be closed for repairs. But we still have three opera premieres planned: Mozart's Magic Flute directed by Graham Wick, Eugene Onegin directed by Dmitry Chernyakov, and Prokofiev's War and Peace directed by Ivan Popovsky. The last production was initiated by Mstislav Rostropovich; he will direct the performance. She and Galina Pavlovna will also select singers. As for the ballet, Prokofiev's Cinderella directed by Yuri Posokhov will appear in the repertoire.
GSZ: — The uproar and fury over the production of Rosenthal's Children has subsided; it's time to calmly figure out how such a theater raid became possible in the first place?
AV: — People can take different positions. I personally think that our society is generally not inclined to discuss cultural phenomena in substance. Because almost no one was interested in what kind of opera it was. Everyone was interested in what could be squeezed out of this situation in political terms. Of course, it all started because of the upcoming renovation. Because reconstruction costs money, and a lot of it. The deputies who raised their voices against the opera were clearly lobbying for someone's financial interests. Unfortunately, the Bolshoi Theater is denied the luxury of being perceived as a purely artistic organism, with its own logic of artistic development. The theater is still considered a showcase of Russian art and it is very convenient to take guests of the State Duma to it and demonstrate our achievements in the field of ballet. Deputies got used to having some kind of cultural catering nearby; and when anyone started discussing whether opera was good or bad, it looked wild.
History doesn't teach anyone anything. When a situation arises with a scandal surrounding a new opera, a long series of opera and ballet titles immediately come to mind: starting with Life for Tsar Glinka, Boris Godunov, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev, who was not accepted for production at the Bolshoi Theater and therefore first staged in Brno. Not to mention Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. The deputies did not have this obvious associative row - they simply did not know that the listed works (and many others), which later gained a long and successful artistic life, were initially ostracized by the public. I cannot guarantee that Rosenthal's Children are a masterpiece that has been unfairly vilified. It may not be a masterpiece, but it's a decent opera. And this whole ugly story shows only one thing: there is a certain complex in society - let's call it the loser complex. This complex entails the emergence of a defensive consciousness. They immediately start looking for some enemies who are trying to desecrate our culture, distort our cultural space. Ignorance is usually aggressive. The more a person knows, the more tolerant they are. He is always prone to doubt, always ready to hear the opposite point of view. And people who are very confident in something, as a rule, do not know the full facts of the issue.
GSZ: — The Rosenthal's Children project has partially filled a gaping gap regarding contemporary works for the theater. Will you continue to work with contemporary authors to somehow stimulate the development of the opera genre? Maybe we should introduce a grant system from the ministry?
AV: — I think we shouldn't count on the ministry. If there is a system of composer grants, some kind of lobbying organization will immediately arise to take over this. But we continue to search for new works. We were in talks with Philip Glass, but we were somewhat puzzled by his approach to writing and decided not to get involved...
GSZ: — I get it: Glass writes music for miles...
AV: — Yes, he said that he writes opera a year. Glass's opera production is on stream, but we want to have a piece-by-piece, an original piece. Then we talked with Pyart, and he said that he was already old and didn't have the energy to go to the opera. I think it's better for the theater to work with young people; we might even organize a competition.
GSZ: — How do you see the strategic development of the Bolshoi Theatre in the coming years, given the circumstances such as reconstruction?
AV: — In my opinion, it's time to form a new national style. And now, due to the fact that the Main Stage is closing, it is a very favorable moment to turn to some of the main names of the Russian repertoire and try to take a fresh look at them. This applies to Evgeny Onegin, Boris Godunov, and the Queen of Spades. In addition, the New Stage provides an opportunity to turn to new stylistic trends that we had not mastered before: bel canto operas, or Baroque operas.
GSZ: — How do you solve the personnel problem? Will you still transfer to a contract?
AV: — This is impossible because there is no legal basis.
GSZ: — So, every time you will arrange casting, auditions and invite singers from outside?
AV: — And I believe that this is the future.
GSZ: — You have a repertory theater after all. It's impossible to maintain a repertoire if all the singers are invited to the performances...
AV: — And this is a gradual process. I believe that the future lies in the fact that the main troupe, with a fixed composition, should be small. And we are gradually moving towards this. All the same, the elements of the staggione system will spontaneously arise in the functioning of the theater, whether we want it or not. You can reject these thoughts for the time being, but the process cannot be stopped. And if you don't want to play two or three opera titles endlessly, if you want to play Wagner, Handel, Janacek, you won't be able to keep these operas in the repertoire for a long time. Because a different audience will come to these operas, the audience structure will change. Look, project thinking has prevailed even at the budget level. Another thing is that the Bolshoi Theater will face fierce opposition along the way.: How dare you?
GSZ: — Are you going to say that the audience will become more differentiated: some will go to Tchaikovsky, others to Handel, and others to Janacek?
AV: — This is the only way, there is no other way. The La Scala Theater knows perfectly well that if a Fiery Angel is staged there, the play will last five or six performances. And if it's La Traviata, then ten or twelve.
GSZ: — But Rosenthal's children are in high demand thanks to the hype...
AV: — They're going fine. Two more performances, and then we'll take them to the Mariinsky Theatre. We're taking Rosenthal's children and the Flying Dutchman there in the fall.
Source
Alexander VEDERNIKOV: — This is not a premiere, but a renewal of the 2002 play. Almost all of Mussorgsky's musical material was used, so it's hard to say which version Zambello followed.
GSZ: — Has a complete Boris ever been staged, with all the additions, inserts, and scene variations?
AV: — No, and it's impossible. Even if you want to do the full second option, you'll have to accept that something won't fit into it. And, from my point of view, it is not necessary to cram all the available music for Boris into the production.
There are two different operas, two full-fledged author's editions. These two operas have different dramaturgy and they are based on completely different ideas. To be precise, there are not two options, but many more: there are six options for the second author's edition alone. We decided on one of them, which we will put in the Bolshoi in 2007. Zambello chose the pieces based not on any particular edition, but on her preferences, arranging the fragments quite arbitrarily. In general, the performance turned out to be quite in line with Western directing, with the usual gentlemanly set of certain cliches. The performance is quite traditional, conventionally costumed. The action takes place inside the iconostasis. In folk scenes, a huge staircase opens at the back of the stage. All the roles, except for Boris, who is sung by Samuel Remy, are assigned to Russian singers from the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theaters.
GSZ: — How is the local choir doing?
AV: — There is an eternal problem with collectives in France. They are all somehow poorly motivated here, protected by trade unions, strikes are their national sport. And they need to be made to work. On the other hand, by the premiere, everything somehow falls into place. It's probably due to concentration; they know how much time they have left for sloppiness, and when to get ready.
GSZ: — Did you attend the premiere of Tristan und Isolde: what are your impressions?
AV: — It's a very good performance. Just gorgeous. The main message of director Peter Sellars is that the solution chosen is extremely simple. There is practically nothing on the stage except a space covered with black velvet - and the singers in it. But the director's work is very clearly visible due to this. It's not that the singers do something all the time; on the contrary, they do very little, but very precise things. Moreover, the singers themselves are so charismatic and large that they attract attention. If other people had sung, it might not have worked.
GSZ: — What are the Bolshoi's plans for the upcoming season?
AV: — Unfortunately, the season is going to be difficult: after all, we will no longer have the Main Stage, it will be closed for repairs. But we still have three opera premieres planned: Mozart's Magic Flute directed by Graham Wick, Eugene Onegin directed by Dmitry Chernyakov, and Prokofiev's War and Peace directed by Ivan Popovsky. The last production was initiated by Mstislav Rostropovich; he will direct the performance. She and Galina Pavlovna will also select singers. As for the ballet, Prokofiev's Cinderella directed by Yuri Posokhov will appear in the repertoire.
GSZ: — The uproar and fury over the production of Rosenthal's Children has subsided; it's time to calmly figure out how such a theater raid became possible in the first place?
AV: — People can take different positions. I personally think that our society is generally not inclined to discuss cultural phenomena in substance. Because almost no one was interested in what kind of opera it was. Everyone was interested in what could be squeezed out of this situation in political terms. Of course, it all started because of the upcoming renovation. Because reconstruction costs money, and a lot of it. The deputies who raised their voices against the opera were clearly lobbying for someone's financial interests. Unfortunately, the Bolshoi Theater is denied the luxury of being perceived as a purely artistic organism, with its own logic of artistic development. The theater is still considered a showcase of Russian art and it is very convenient to take guests of the State Duma to it and demonstrate our achievements in the field of ballet. Deputies got used to having some kind of cultural catering nearby; and when anyone started discussing whether opera was good or bad, it looked wild.
History doesn't teach anyone anything. When a situation arises with a scandal surrounding a new opera, a long series of opera and ballet titles immediately come to mind: starting with Life for Tsar Glinka, Boris Godunov, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev, who was not accepted for production at the Bolshoi Theater and therefore first staged in Brno. Not to mention Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. The deputies did not have this obvious associative row - they simply did not know that the listed works (and many others), which later gained a long and successful artistic life, were initially ostracized by the public. I cannot guarantee that Rosenthal's Children are a masterpiece that has been unfairly vilified. It may not be a masterpiece, but it's a decent opera. And this whole ugly story shows only one thing: there is a certain complex in society - let's call it the loser complex. This complex entails the emergence of a defensive consciousness. They immediately start looking for some enemies who are trying to desecrate our culture, distort our cultural space. Ignorance is usually aggressive. The more a person knows, the more tolerant they are. He is always prone to doubt, always ready to hear the opposite point of view. And people who are very confident in something, as a rule, do not know the full facts of the issue.
GSZ: — The Rosenthal's Children project has partially filled a gaping gap regarding contemporary works for the theater. Will you continue to work with contemporary authors to somehow stimulate the development of the opera genre? Maybe we should introduce a grant system from the ministry?
AV: — I think we shouldn't count on the ministry. If there is a system of composer grants, some kind of lobbying organization will immediately arise to take over this. But we continue to search for new works. We were in talks with Philip Glass, but we were somewhat puzzled by his approach to writing and decided not to get involved...
GSZ: — I get it: Glass writes music for miles...
AV: — Yes, he said that he writes opera a year. Glass's opera production is on stream, but we want to have a piece-by-piece, an original piece. Then we talked with Pyart, and he said that he was already old and didn't have the energy to go to the opera. I think it's better for the theater to work with young people; we might even organize a competition.
GSZ: — How do you see the strategic development of the Bolshoi Theatre in the coming years, given the circumstances such as reconstruction?
AV: — In my opinion, it's time to form a new national style. And now, due to the fact that the Main Stage is closing, it is a very favorable moment to turn to some of the main names of the Russian repertoire and try to take a fresh look at them. This applies to Evgeny Onegin, Boris Godunov, and the Queen of Spades. In addition, the New Stage provides an opportunity to turn to new stylistic trends that we had not mastered before: bel canto operas, or Baroque operas.
GSZ: — How do you solve the personnel problem? Will you still transfer to a contract?
AV: — This is impossible because there is no legal basis.
GSZ: — So, every time you will arrange casting, auditions and invite singers from outside?
AV: — And I believe that this is the future.
GSZ: — You have a repertory theater after all. It's impossible to maintain a repertoire if all the singers are invited to the performances...
AV: — And this is a gradual process. I believe that the future lies in the fact that the main troupe, with a fixed composition, should be small. And we are gradually moving towards this. All the same, the elements of the staggione system will spontaneously arise in the functioning of the theater, whether we want it or not. You can reject these thoughts for the time being, but the process cannot be stopped. And if you don't want to play two or three opera titles endlessly, if you want to play Wagner, Handel, Janacek, you won't be able to keep these operas in the repertoire for a long time. Because a different audience will come to these operas, the audience structure will change. Look, project thinking has prevailed even at the budget level. Another thing is that the Bolshoi Theater will face fierce opposition along the way.: How dare you?
GSZ: — Are you going to say that the audience will become more differentiated: some will go to Tchaikovsky, others to Handel, and others to Janacek?
AV: — This is the only way, there is no other way. The La Scala Theater knows perfectly well that if a Fiery Angel is staged there, the play will last five or six performances. And if it's La Traviata, then ten or twelve.
GSZ: — But Rosenthal's children are in high demand thanks to the hype...
AV: — They're going fine. Two more performances, and then we'll take them to the Mariinsky Theatre. We're taking Rosenthal's children and the Flying Dutchman there in the fall.
Source
Gulyara SADYKH-ZADEH,
Peoples.ru, May 1, 2005
Peoples.ru, May 1, 2005
We would prefer to have piece goods
