Opera "Alcina", the Bolshoi theatre: reviews, description, history and interesting facts

To the sensation of the theatrical season of 2017 include the Opera "Alcina" by Handel at the New stage of the Bolshoi theatre. Director Katie Mitchell with his production gives the opportunity to reconsider the traditional relationship to the Opera not only the audience but also the critics. In the erotic Thriller in the realities of our time appeared before the audience a harmless fairy tale, written by Handel.

In October 2017 posters of Opera theatres of Moscow has replenished with two productions. It's Opera-fairy tale, the production of which was carried out at the Bolshoi theater – “Alcina" Handel "Hansel and Gretel” Humperdinck's "New Opera".

Poster of the "New Opera"

According to Director of "New Opera" Dmitry Sibirtsev, the theater plans formulation “Hansel and Gretel” in this season. But due to the fact that there was pending another production planned in the repertoire of tales, directed by E. Odegova proposed to include in the repertoire of the “Hansel and Gretel” – an Opera for children that was in her plans for the near future. This production was very popular in pre-revolutionary Russia, but under the title "Vanya and Masha" and went to the Private Russian Opera.

Odegova believes that this is a very timely production, as it is a fairy tale Opera for children, despite the fact that this is a rare phenomenon on the national scene.

"Alcina" at the Bolshoi theatre

"Alcina" popularity in Russia did not use. The first time it was coming from the Baltic States as the guest performance of the Opera Tallinn in 1985, and the Riga Opera in 2003. The works of Handel in Soviet times it was applied very rarely, and "Alcina" was the third play after staged at the Bolshoi theatre in 1979, "Julius Caesar" and in 2015 the premiere of the Opera "Rodelinda".

Recommended

LP - a woman or a man, and is it important?

Those who have ever bothered to become acquainted with the works of the magic of the singer LP, was irrevocably in love with her amazing charisma, emancipation and fascinating game now popular on the ukulele tool. Her real fans have stopped to wonder...

The Song "Gibraltar-Labrador". Meanings and images

The Song "Gibraltar-Labrador" Vyacheslav Butusov became known to the General public in 1997. She became part of the sound track of the famous film by Alexei Balabanov, "Brother 2". Today it listens to the second generation of fans of Russian rock. In...

Ewan McGregor: filmography, biography actor

Audiences love films with participation of actors of the ordinary. So in the eyes of many was Ewan McGregor. His filmography includes more than sixty works, with diverse and multifaceted. Evan with equal success, delves into the images of rich and po...

January 16, 2015 in honor of the 330-th anniversary of the birth of Handel was presented in a concert format Opera "Alcina" in the Tchaikovsky hall. Latvian Opera star Inga Kalna participated in the concert program. She performed in the role of Alcina seven very difficult arias. The singer participated in the concert program with bronchitis, but nevertheless sang all the arias. And, as noted by the audience in the reviews of the Opera "Alcina" by Handel at the Bolshoi theatre, sang better than her colleagues without bronchitis. With this party, she won the international Opera stage.

The performances were signs of openness to the theatrical culture of Europe and desire to become a part of the world theatrical space, to join the Baroque repertoire for over half a century developing in the West.

History Opera of Handel

The German George Frederick Handel lived for many years in England, he wrote operas in the Italian style and the Italian language. It is recognized and the greatest composer that ever lived. Written in 1735, Handel's Opera "Alcina" refers to the magical and reminiscent of a fantasy novel. After its first performance the Opera somehow for a long time disappear from the repertoire. Remembered about it only in 1928.

In the twentieth century, critics highlighted only two of its successful productions: in 1960, the Opera was staged at the Teatro La Fenice (Venice), in 1999 she was accepted to the Paris Opera. In 1978 at the festival in AIX-EN-Provence "Alcina" is not universally understood and accepted. Bernard Foccroulle, artistic Director of the festival, believes that this is normal, because then faced the conservatives and the modernists, have their own views on what is happening on stage.

The Score of Handel

At the Opera Handel's love line shows images of the warrior Ruggiero and his beloved Bradamante disguises himself as a soldier and went in search of his beloved. Her task is to pull Ruggiero in the reality of the enveloping spell of Alcina. In the score of Handel spelled out psychological state and feelings of the characters, reflecting the passion and desperation in his songs. He is in his work, used the tools to understand and hear in the score of the Opera large and genuine feelings. By the way, an Opera by Frederick Handel quite often put on various scenes of the West in our time.

Joint project

Collaborate on Mozart's "don Giovanni" artists of the Bolshoi theatre and the festival in AIX-EN-Provence began in 2011. In the spring of 2017 on the Russian stage by soloists of the Bolshoi theatre and AIX-EN-Provence was carried out two productions of Katie Mitchell: "Written on skin" and "Funeral night". Joint product and by the continued cooperation of these groups is staging the Opera "Alcina" at the Bolshoi theater New stage.

This is the third Opera by Handel, premieres which will take place at the New stage theatre. The team is not the first time puts the Opera. In 2015, status on the festival in AIX-EN-Provence, the Bolshoi theatre was co-produced her plays.

By Kathy Mitchell

In our days you can meet a version performances, the Directors of which are redefining the works, interpreting them based on current realities. Is no exception the famous British Director Katie Mitchell, a fantasy that has no boundaries. The heroine of her play moved from the era of Handel, in our age, giving a fairytale story a reality. In the result, the Opera was unusual and bright. In Russia in General are very rare Baroque operas (written before the classics of Beethoven and Mozart), as it is believed that there are no singers who can perform an ancientmusic. Was no exception and delivered Katie Mitchell Opera, where the main parties were invited to sing Opera singers.

The Premiere of "Alcina" at the Bolshoi theatre took place on 18 October 2017, and a further four performances in the month of October was also the premiere and passed on the New stage Bolshoi. All this time the Muscovites and guests of the capital were under the spell of "Alcina".

Score Katie Mitchell

If for 400 years the audience had seen the Opera "Alcina" at the vision of her man, Katie Mitchell found its score, focusing on the feminist core of the plot. Told her story in the Opera "Alcina" at the Grand theatre – clever moves and a good production. The score of the performance is just masterful. This transformation is innocuous Baroque Opera Handel in erotic play where the main character, Alcina arias sings the most in bed.

Directed by Katie Mitchell – it is a reflection of human nature, natural human reactions and instincts. The doctrine of the play – the illusion of youth. The Alcina never knew love and had a sexual experience. She falls in love for the first time in many centuries of its existence. Mitchell showed in his Baroque Opera, the woman's attitude towards love, sex, and age.

Cinematic play

The viewer on the stage, representing two floors, all the magic happens in the Opera house in real time. Old ugly by the sorceress Alcina and her sister Morgana live on the island, which becomes in our days in a Suite, surrounded by grey is not illuminated by the cells – the dark side of luxury. In them is real life Alcini and Morgan (ground floor scene).

According to Mitchell, the Opera, created by knight's poem "Furious Roland", written in the XVI century, not of castles and knights, but there are people with guns and in camouflage, there's a huge bed in the center of the stage, where there are sex scenes with whips and ropes. Here, Alcina turns to sex slaves of all who cross their property. Among them are love boring, they are converted into stuffed animals in a laboratory that is on the second floor of the stage – the attic. Reviews about the "Alcina" at the Bolshoi theater, the audience noted the singularity of the scenery and the similarity of it with the film strip, when you can simultaneously watch multiple actions.

Interesting findings of the performance

An Interesting finding Katie Mitchell in her statement is a kind of dubbing artists. In fact, the role of Alcina and Morgana played by two Opera singers and two dramatic actress. Due to this, Alcina and her sister Morgana in the blink of an eye luxurious beauties turn into old ladies, crossing the wall of their cells, and Vice versa, returning to center stage, becoming an enviable beauties. It is an instant metamorphosis the audience liked what they wrote in their reviews about the "Alcina" at the Bolshoi theater.

Much of the credit for the creation of scenery and costumes in the play belongs to the set designer Chloe Lampard, costume designer Laura Hopkins.

Composition of singers and musicians

A Unique connoisseur of Baroque music of the middle Ages Italian conductor Andrea Marcon worked in a Large theatre with a mixed composition. It was a standard theatrical musicians and guest performers on ancient instruments such as Baroque wind band and continuo. Having limited time to prepare the play, Marcon still achieved understanding of the music of those musicians that it is not spetsializiruyutsya. To have the skills of the game, you need this music to do not from case to case, but systematically.

Marcon explained that Baroque has almost the same freedom for the soloist, and jazz. In Baroque Opera, word and text primary arias, instrumental accompaniment again. That is why not all the justified claims of conductor failed to realize. The reason was the limitation of the vocal abilities of the soloists.

In the production was attended by invited Western singers, possessing the ability to sing early music, where not need a lot of loud voices with vibration. This Is Heather Engebretson (Alcina), David Hansen (Ruggiero), Catarina Of Bradic. However, Heather Engebretson not all Aryans were so, as required by Markon. She had enough epicheskih of sounds associated with a light tone and break musical phrases. As noted by the critics, soloist of the Bolshoi theatre Anna Aglatova (Morgan) could be suitable for voice possibilities for the role of prima Alcini.

Reviews

"Alcina" at the Bolshoi theater was presented to the audience five times in October and forced to reconsider the traditional view of the Opera. The audience at the theater are not missed. They saw the vicissitudes of romantic love with all its moodiness, fatalism, stupidity and weakness. Direction Katie Mitchell offered Opera lovers the rare pleasure of watching the opening themes of reality and illusion, truth and deception. Reviews of the Opera "Alcina" at the Bolshoi theater were mixed.

A Lot of good things have been said in the reviews of the play the female lead role Alcini American Heather Engebretson, which first participated in the Baroque Opera. Viewers will also note that sometimes I sit, frozen from the tension, so unexpectedit appeared to many uncut text of the play.

However, not always worked doubles. Turning sometimes (not all performances) was done poorly, and the audience saw both the beauty and the old woman. At times there were inconsistencies in significant parts, such as the growth of the singer and understudy actress. After all, the old Morgan can't be above yourself young? This, too, can be read in reviews about the "Alcina" of the Bolshoi theatre. Many Opera lovers like Alexey Korenevsky – the young singer, who performed their arias almost flawlessly. He is young, and what he will be a singer after mutation of adolescence, it is difficult to say, but in music he knows and feels it.

Performances of Baroque operas at the Bolshoi theatre, probably, not an accident. And will they be in the repertoire of the troupe or not, this is one not voiced.