From the very first day, opening the season a week earlier than usual in mid-September, the Bolshoi Theatre began to demonstrate new traditions and rules. Thus, contrary to the custom according to which the right of first performance on the historic stage belongs to the opera, the season began with a daytime concert. It turned out to be very elegant, complete and meaningful. I immediately recalled, for example, the legendary morning concerts of the Vienna Philharmonic in the first days of the New Year. It is possible that this concert at the Bolshoi, which seemed like a spectacular overture to the entire season, is destined to acquire similar planetary fame in the future.
Valery Gergiev was in charge of the symphony orchestra. And it was absolutely obvious: if not de jure, then de facto, the conductor is not only the general director, but also the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theatre. The concert programme (the start of which was delayed by 50 minutes due to rehearsals, which is why the intermission was cancelled) included works by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev: the solemn overture “1812”, the cantata “Moscow”, the cantata “Alexander Nevsky”. Great music, where scope and patriotic spirit are combined with prayerful pacifism, is the tuning fork of our time. The soloist in Tchaikovsky’s composition was the young theatre singer Alina Chertash and the Premier of the Bolshoi, Elchin Azizov, and in Prokofiev’s work the famous cousin of the Mariinsky Theatre Ekaterina Semenchuk, who became the main star of the concert. And this was quite symbolic, because it is obvious that now theatres have an artistic future for two.
The Bolshoi Theatre is seeking a new path. For now, it is following the well-trodden path of the Mariinsky Theatre.
This was confirmed by the concert “Young Voices of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theatres”, which opened the season on the New Stage that evening. It featured 15 singers from among the beginning soloists of the Mariinsky Theatre, the Academy of Young Singers of the Mariinsky Theatre, apprentices and artists of the Bolshoi Youth Opera Programme, and many others. The young conductor Alexey Vereshchagin also took the podium. Perhaps the excitement and inexperience of the main characters deprived this event of its supposed festivity and showiness. The presentation of the talents of the new generation turned out to be, in essence and in terms of skill, a studio evening on the stage of the Bolshoi…
But in the evening, on the Historical Stage, everything was beautiful and on a grand scale: for the first time in the history of the Bolshoi, a ballet was presented to open the season. It is not for nothing that “in the field of ballet we are ahead of the rest.” The choice fell on Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty”, staged by Marius Petipa and choreographically revised by Yuri Grigorovich with historical scenery by artist Simon Virsaladze. Valery Gergiev was on the director’s stand – an extremely rare thing in the case of ballet performances. The famous production returned to the Bolshoi Theatre’s repertoire after several years of absence, and thus received the status of “premiere”.
And this is also very significant. Even though now, apparently, the specific creative plans of the theatre are a big secret from the public. Even the traditional meeting of the troupe, contrary to all theatrical traditions, was held behind closed doors, which, I must say, upset many artists. But, obviously, the emphasis in the replenishment of the poster will be made mainly through the names of the Russian repertoire. This is natural, but we are not talking primarily about original productions, but about those restored from the archives and borrowed from the Mariinsky Theatre, which have also been tested by time and the St. Petersburg public. That, given the geographical proximity of the two capitals and the affection of the public, going to the premiere at the Mariinsky Theatre seems like a quick and cheap solution, but not original, like any copy.
On September 15, the Bolshoi Theatre will premiere Borodin’s opera Prince Igor in the 1954 Mariinsky production, which was revived in 2001 and came to Moscow almost a quarter of a century later. Repeat performances of Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila, presented on the Bolshoi Opera stage in July, are also planned, also in the Mariinsky version. It should be noted that the announced ticket prices are significantly higher than those in St. Petersburg. Starting this season, the Bolshoi has officially and significantly increased ticket prices.
Other premieres of the current season will apparently appear on the posters unexpectedly, as they mature and gain greater relevance, as has long been customary at the Mariinsky Theatre. Officially, it was only noted, without naming dates or production teams, that the original premieres of the new season at the Bolshoi and Mariinsky will be Verdi’s operas: “Rigoletto” in Moscow and “Aida” in St. Petersburg. Now the Bolshoi Theatre is looking for its new path. For now, it is walking the well-trodden paths of the Mariinsky Theatre.
Literal
Valery Gergiev, General Director of the Bolshoi Theatre, Artistic Director – Director of the Mariinsky Theatre:
– The Bolshoi Theatre should be a leader in bringing back rare masterpieces that have been absent from our repertoire for too long. The repertoire will be concentrated primarily on the names of the greatest Russian creators. The works of Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Stravinsky should definitely return to the Bolshoi’s poster. The priority is the return of Tchaikovsky’s operas. “Eugene Onegin” and “Queen of Spades” will soon appear again on the poster. I think that both “The Enchantress” and “The Maid of Orleans” will also soon come to the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre.
And, of course, Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin’s Dead Souls should be brought back to the stage during his lifetime – I dream of resurrecting the legendary performance of Boris Pokrovsky and Valery Leventhal.
It is good that Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty” or Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” are now quickly returning to the repertoire of the big theatre. But Prokofiev, like Stravinsky, has ballet scores that will definitely be waiting in the wings. I am referring to such works as “The Scythian Suite”, “The Prodigal Son”, “The Jester” or “The Firebird”, “Petrushka”, “The Rite of Spring”, “The Wedding”. We now have young choreographers who have aroused a lot of interest with their often successful works, and it seems to me that they deserve the honour of being invited to full performances on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre.
Operas by Puccini, Verdi and Wagner cannot be left out either… There is no need to invite twenty singers to take on The Ring of the Nibelung. The creative resources of the two theatres are designed to ensure that each one performs three operas a day.
