Il trovatore: “a challenge to opera”
Dmitri Tcherniakov’s production of Il trovatore, now one of the major events of the opera season, will return to the Mikhailovsky Theatre on 4, 6 and 8 July.
After receiving rare universal acclaim from the critics, who heaped praise on the production, the work’s reception was given a further boost when Izvestia described it as “delivering a breathtaking challenge to opera as a whole.” In this “challenging work from the world’s most respected Russian opera director”, Colta.ru found “a symbolic and even, to some degree, political” resonance, also noting that “Arts Square has proven itself to be not merely the best, but the only place in Russia today that is worthy of Dmitri Tcherniakov’s productions.”
The critics analysed Tcherniakov’s rendition of the Verdi masterpiece in great detail, with Kommersant noting that, “the operatic element has been explicitly augmented with this dramatic construction. And while in many other productions the central idea slowly reveals itself, gradually emerging from the backdrop of the music, here it is cast down from above, imperceptibly working its way into the texture of the opera and transforming the way it resonates, as well as its emotional impact.”
“Few could tire of the director’s ability to bring these old operatic tales that no one really believed closer to us, the audience”, reflected Nezavisimaya Gazeta. “Revenge, murder, jealousy, love and sacrifice — all seen as a fairytale with an unhappy ending — are suddenly brought to life.” “The plot is woven into every second of the action in great detail, moving in a flawless rhythm from sober, frosty conversations to frenzied battles with inner demons, to heartbreaking revelations and natural death”, wrote Vedomosti. “With such clarity of expression and palpable feeling in the interaction of the characters on stage, the meaning would be understood whatever words they used.”
With just one exception, the July run of the opera will feature the soloists who performed in the premières in autumn last year: Tatiana Ryaguzova, Ildikó Komlósi, Scott Hendricks and Giovanni Furlanetto. On this occasion, the role of Manrico will be sung by Najmiddin Mavlyanov, soloist at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre. The Mikhailovsky Theatre’s Musical Director and Principal Conductor, Mikhail Tatarnikov, will direct the series of performances. At this point, it would be fitting to cite Kommersant once again: “The exceptional ensemble of soloists gave the opera a subtle and clear quality. Musical Director Mikhail Tatarnikov, without forcing his own personal stamp on the performance, aided the ensemble in the harmony of the scenes, duets, duettinos and terzettos at almost every moment. And it was not just the ensemble which benefited — the chorus’s harmonious and restrained inflections of Verdi were a pleasure in themselves.”
