<The text has been translated automatically. Will be edited later.>
The chief conductor, music director of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, Alexander Vedernikov, spoke about the art of opera, the crisis of its consumption and the problems of development in Russia.
Recently, a large-scale tour of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia (GABT) took place in Novosibirsk. Before that, he came to the capital of Siberia 30 years ago - in 1976, our opera house hosted the Bolshoi ballet troupe and orchestra.
This time, the Bolshoi Ballet opera visited Novosibirsk for the first time, and the Bolshoi Ballet performed accompanied by the orchestra of the Novosibirsk Opera House. The tour repertoire also included the acclaimed opera “Eugene Onegin” by the progressive director Dmitry Chernyakov (he staged “Aida” by Giuseppe Verdi in Novosibirsk, awarded the “Golden Mask” as the best opera performance of the 2003/2004 season).
— The development of classical culture in Russia is weakening, traditions are being interrupted. What, in your opinion, is this connected with, what could it turn out to be?
— This is due to two circumstances. Firstly, we are experiencing a period of primitive accumulation of capital, which implies a greater interest in accumulation, and not at all in those things that constitute, so to speak, the base and superstructure.
In matters of culture, the role of the state and civil society is increasing. That is, in order to maintain this situation, we need the unambiguous, priority influence of the state and significant efforts on its part. First of all, this concerns proper financing, since culture is not only culture in itself, but also the phenomena that accompany it.
Any institution cannot function normally if it does not have, for example, an advertising budget. But no one provides for such things in culture.
Secondly, we need investment in education. Without giving any systematic education to the younger generation, we will not get a consumer of classical culture. But since the state has not made culture one of its national priorities, as we recently found out, the question remains open.
— What is happening with opera in Russia? There is an opinion that this genre is going through a serious crisis. Do you agree with this?
— The fact is that everything is fine with the genre, but not everything is fine with consumers. But, besides, oddly enough, today we do not identify ourselves in any way - neither with Europeans, nor with Asians.
Let’s say, for example, how a real Asian person in his country closed all the opera houses and said: “We don’t need this.” We do not have any position on this topic; it has not been articulated by anyone. And since the role of the state in such things is very strong, and civil society is very weak, all the consequences that we have are evident.
Nobody said that Russia is a country of European culture, because, having said this, you must take on certain obligations and restrictions, which no one wants to do.
In Soviet times, there were no problems with this, because the ideology was based on the philosophy of dialectical materialism, and therefore had a direct connection with German classical philosophy and European culture.
— Now in the field of art, including in the field of theater, there is a clear process of commercialization. Will this bypass the Bolshoi Theater? Will you not take into account the requests of the general public?
— This process affects show business more, the sphere of art that is commercial in nature. In academic art, commercialization also occurs, but in a very unique way.
The influence of market relations on serious art does exist. Is it possible and necessary to resist it? It is both possible and necessary! Some try not to do this consciously: it is known that the public is always more pleasant to listen to what it already knows than to something new - such a resonance with the expectations of the public.
In my opinion, this is a losing strategy, because in this way the resonance becomes narrower and narrower. If, say, twelve operas are popular among the people, then in 20 years there will be six of them, then three altogether. So, what is next?
Therefore, in my opinion, the theater should work to expand this field, and not narrow it. How economically feasible? I think that the opera house should not think about this problem.
Of course, you can’t do economically insane things, but neither education, nor literature, nor painting, nor serious music has ever been a calculated art and, I hope, never will be. As soon as they become self-sustaining, they can say “sorry.”
— Is the staging of “The Children of Rosenthal” by Sorokin and Desyatnikov at the Bolshoi Theater an experimental step?
— This was a normal step, because the theater should contribute to the emergence of new works in its genre.
On the other hand, today everything is much more complicated than a hundred years ago, when staging an opera was possible simply by agreement between the composer and the librettist. In order to speak out in the operatic genre, you need a very big ideological message. Not all composers, not all directors are ready and want to address global issues.
For example, they often send me some librettos, they offer me an opera about Faberge eggs or the lovers of Catherine II. I answer that, with all due respect, this cannot be the plot for an opera, especially for an opera at the Bolshoi Theater.
Opera today is a work that should touch upon global issues in the life of a nation, and art about the life of a nation is an epic. Melodrama in opera is too small.
— Recently, you had a high-profile premiere of the opera “Eugene Onegin” at your theater; it caused a positive response in Novosibirsk. Was it easy to work with Dmitry Chernyakov?
— Dmitry Chernyakov is a highly talented person, and every talented person is very complex. Naturally, if I do not have fundamental disagreements with the director, then I try to help him so that he can realize his goals.
Sometimes it was difficult, because Dmitry’s ideas required unusual conditions for soloists who almost never sing frontally. But we solved this problem by using a large number of televisions.
I must say that the set in the form of a closed pavilion, which Mitya came up with, is made mainly of wood and from an acoustic point of view it is very grateful: all the sound is reflected and goes directly into the hall. For the sake of this, something could be tolerated.
— Have there been any discoveries in music for you?
— The problem is that “Eugene Onegin,” like any other popular composition, during the history of its existence, naturally acquired certain layers that have little to do with Tchaikovsky, but ended up in the vast majority of printed scores.
The fact is that during the first production on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater, Eduard Napravnik with his own hand corrected many tempos and expressive notations in the score. They say this was done with the consent of Tchaikovsky, but I will tell you that when your opera is brought to life on stage, you, as a rule, cannot flutter much.
Therefore, we turned to the first edition, which exists in almost one edition (the first edition of Jurgenson's score), and restored all the original meanings of Tchaikovsky. In this regard, Onegin turned out to be a little different.
— In the West, there is experience of theaters cooperating with each other, including at the international level; sometimes productions are created for two or three theaters. Does the Bolshoi have similar plans?
— We are already working in this mode. In particular, we staged The Flying Dutchman together with the Munich Opera, and we are receiving proposals for interesting projects that we are discussing. By the way, we rent performances.
We understand perfectly well that opera is a very expensive art form, so it is very difficult to work in modern conditions without some kind of cooperation.
— Has a partnership strategy been outlined with Valery Gergiev?
— When we — the Bolshoi Theater and the Mariinsky Theater — last performed together in London, we just concluded some kind of agreement on a partnership strategy. But the fact is that these two theaters are somewhat different both in their style of work and in their management procedures.
Therefore, as a theater that is trying to plan its life (in particular, we are now discussing what we will do in 2012), the cycles do not coincide with the Mariinsky Theater, where the planning system is completely different.
— Do performers move from one theater to another? Only the story of Anastasia Volochkova’s transfer from the Mariinsky Theater to the Bolshoi Theater is widely known.
— The question concerns mainly ballet, because this art all over the world depends on the existence of a troupe.
It also exists in the opera house, but major singers, due to the established practice in the West, are not tied to any theater. Therefore, if we need someone to participate in the performance, we simply invite them.
— The Bolshoi is undergoing a complex and expensive reconstruction of the old stage. Please tell me what should happen.
— The ideology of reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater consists of two parts: reconstruction of the stage space and restoration of the spectator area.
In the area of the spectator area (auditorium, foyer, interiors) a classic restoration is taking place, returning to the appearance of the premises from the mid-19th century. All Soviet layers must be removed.
As for the stage, after the curtain line a completely different story begins. The technical parameters of the Bolshoi Theater and its mechanical park are undergoing reconstruction, since it is not possible to support several performances at the same time - there are no pockets. All theatrical machinery must take on a modern look.
Also, from the 30s to the 50s of the last century, some work was done to strengthen the foundation, which negatively affected the acoustics: some wooden structures under the ground floor and the pit were dismantled, their place was concreted, and the design of the pit was completely changed. Here we must also return to the original version.
Source.
The chief conductor, music director of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, Alexander Vedernikov, spoke about the art of opera, the crisis of its consumption and the problems of development in Russia.
Recently, a large-scale tour of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia (GABT) took place in Novosibirsk. Before that, he came to the capital of Siberia 30 years ago - in 1976, our opera house hosted the Bolshoi ballet troupe and orchestra.
This time, the Bolshoi Ballet opera visited Novosibirsk for the first time, and the Bolshoi Ballet performed accompanied by the orchestra of the Novosibirsk Opera House. The tour repertoire also included the acclaimed opera “Eugene Onegin” by the progressive director Dmitry Chernyakov (he staged “Aida” by Giuseppe Verdi in Novosibirsk, awarded the “Golden Mask” as the best opera performance of the 2003/2004 season).
— The development of classical culture in Russia is weakening, traditions are being interrupted. What, in your opinion, is this connected with, what could it turn out to be?
— This is due to two circumstances. Firstly, we are experiencing a period of primitive accumulation of capital, which implies a greater interest in accumulation, and not at all in those things that constitute, so to speak, the base and superstructure.
In matters of culture, the role of the state and civil society is increasing. That is, in order to maintain this situation, we need the unambiguous, priority influence of the state and significant efforts on its part. First of all, this concerns proper financing, since culture is not only culture in itself, but also the phenomena that accompany it.
Any institution cannot function normally if it does not have, for example, an advertising budget. But no one provides for such things in culture.
Secondly, we need investment in education. Without giving any systematic education to the younger generation, we will not get a consumer of classical culture. But since the state has not made culture one of its national priorities, as we recently found out, the question remains open.
— What is happening with opera in Russia? There is an opinion that this genre is going through a serious crisis. Do you agree with this?
— The fact is that everything is fine with the genre, but not everything is fine with consumers. But, besides, oddly enough, today we do not identify ourselves in any way - neither with Europeans, nor with Asians.
Let’s say, for example, how a real Asian person in his country closed all the opera houses and said: “We don’t need this.” We do not have any position on this topic; it has not been articulated by anyone. And since the role of the state in such things is very strong, and civil society is very weak, all the consequences that we have are evident.
Nobody said that Russia is a country of European culture, because, having said this, you must take on certain obligations and restrictions, which no one wants to do.
In Soviet times, there were no problems with this, because the ideology was based on the philosophy of dialectical materialism, and therefore had a direct connection with German classical philosophy and European culture.
— Now in the field of art, including in the field of theater, there is a clear process of commercialization. Will this bypass the Bolshoi Theater? Will you not take into account the requests of the general public?
— This process affects show business more, the sphere of art that is commercial in nature. In academic art, commercialization also occurs, but in a very unique way.
The influence of market relations on serious art does exist. Is it possible and necessary to resist it? It is both possible and necessary! Some try not to do this consciously: it is known that the public is always more pleasant to listen to what it already knows than to something new - such a resonance with the expectations of the public.
In my opinion, this is a losing strategy, because in this way the resonance becomes narrower and narrower. If, say, twelve operas are popular among the people, then in 20 years there will be six of them, then three altogether. So, what is next?
Therefore, in my opinion, the theater should work to expand this field, and not narrow it. How economically feasible? I think that the opera house should not think about this problem.
Of course, you can’t do economically insane things, but neither education, nor literature, nor painting, nor serious music has ever been a calculated art and, I hope, never will be. As soon as they become self-sustaining, they can say “sorry.”
— Is the staging of “The Children of Rosenthal” by Sorokin and Desyatnikov at the Bolshoi Theater an experimental step?
— This was a normal step, because the theater should contribute to the emergence of new works in its genre.
On the other hand, today everything is much more complicated than a hundred years ago, when staging an opera was possible simply by agreement between the composer and the librettist. In order to speak out in the operatic genre, you need a very big ideological message. Not all composers, not all directors are ready and want to address global issues.
For example, they often send me some librettos, they offer me an opera about Faberge eggs or the lovers of Catherine II. I answer that, with all due respect, this cannot be the plot for an opera, especially for an opera at the Bolshoi Theater.
Opera today is a work that should touch upon global issues in the life of a nation, and art about the life of a nation is an epic. Melodrama in opera is too small.
— Recently, you had a high-profile premiere of the opera “Eugene Onegin” at your theater; it caused a positive response in Novosibirsk. Was it easy to work with Dmitry Chernyakov?
— Dmitry Chernyakov is a highly talented person, and every talented person is very complex. Naturally, if I do not have fundamental disagreements with the director, then I try to help him so that he can realize his goals.
Sometimes it was difficult, because Dmitry’s ideas required unusual conditions for soloists who almost never sing frontally. But we solved this problem by using a large number of televisions.
I must say that the set in the form of a closed pavilion, which Mitya came up with, is made mainly of wood and from an acoustic point of view it is very grateful: all the sound is reflected and goes directly into the hall. For the sake of this, something could be tolerated.
— Have there been any discoveries in music for you?
— The problem is that “Eugene Onegin,” like any other popular composition, during the history of its existence, naturally acquired certain layers that have little to do with Tchaikovsky, but ended up in the vast majority of printed scores.
The fact is that during the first production on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater, Eduard Napravnik with his own hand corrected many tempos and expressive notations in the score. They say this was done with the consent of Tchaikovsky, but I will tell you that when your opera is brought to life on stage, you, as a rule, cannot flutter much.
Therefore, we turned to the first edition, which exists in almost one edition (the first edition of Jurgenson's score), and restored all the original meanings of Tchaikovsky. In this regard, Onegin turned out to be a little different.
— In the West, there is experience of theaters cooperating with each other, including at the international level; sometimes productions are created for two or three theaters. Does the Bolshoi have similar plans?
— We are already working in this mode. In particular, we staged The Flying Dutchman together with the Munich Opera, and we are receiving proposals for interesting projects that we are discussing. By the way, we rent performances.
We understand perfectly well that opera is a very expensive art form, so it is very difficult to work in modern conditions without some kind of cooperation.
— Has a partnership strategy been outlined with Valery Gergiev?
— When we — the Bolshoi Theater and the Mariinsky Theater — last performed together in London, we just concluded some kind of agreement on a partnership strategy. But the fact is that these two theaters are somewhat different both in their style of work and in their management procedures.
Therefore, as a theater that is trying to plan its life (in particular, we are now discussing what we will do in 2012), the cycles do not coincide with the Mariinsky Theater, where the planning system is completely different.
— Do performers move from one theater to another? Only the story of Anastasia Volochkova’s transfer from the Mariinsky Theater to the Bolshoi Theater is widely known.
— The question concerns mainly ballet, because this art all over the world depends on the existence of a troupe.
It also exists in the opera house, but major singers, due to the established practice in the West, are not tied to any theater. Therefore, if we need someone to participate in the performance, we simply invite them.
— The Bolshoi is undergoing a complex and expensive reconstruction of the old stage. Please tell me what should happen.
— The ideology of reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater consists of two parts: reconstruction of the stage space and restoration of the spectator area.
In the area of the spectator area (auditorium, foyer, interiors) a classic restoration is taking place, returning to the appearance of the premises from the mid-19th century. All Soviet layers must be removed.
As for the stage, after the curtain line a completely different story begins. The technical parameters of the Bolshoi Theater and its mechanical park are undergoing reconstruction, since it is not possible to support several performances at the same time - there are no pockets. All theatrical machinery must take on a modern look.
Also, from the 30s to the 50s of the last century, some work was done to strengthen the foundation, which negatively affected the acoustics: some wooden structures under the ground floor and the pit were dismantled, their place was concreted, and the design of the pit was completely changed. Here we must also return to the original version.
Source.
Sofia GOLDBERG,
“Expert-Siberia”, December 15, 2006
“Expert-Siberia”, December 15, 2006
Alexander Vedernikov: “The theater should contribute to the emergence of new works in its genre”
