06.09.2016
LA BOHÈME: The life of an artist.
Ekaterina Fenina
The characters in La Bohème are young and talented, with a love of life that they expect to be reciprocated. The same can be said for almost everyone involved in the upcoming production of the opera at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. Listening to a few of the stars talk freely about it, the personal relationship that they have with the characters and with the story that they will be performing on stage becomes clear.
Ekaterina Fenina, soprano, appearing as Musetta:
"Love affects the heart in a special way. It is a complex emotion: when you fall in love it can be difficult and all-consuming, but it is also effortless and fleeting for someone who has never truly loved. We call this fleeting feeling ‘passion’. It’s like a hurricane: over in a flash but leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
"La Bohème gives the audience an opportunity to see both sides of love. Mimì and Rodolfo are prepared to do anything for each other. Rodolfo’s desire to alleviate his beloved’s illness — even if this means they have to part ways — is an excellent example of the self-sacrifice true love requires. Passion both invigorates and torments my character, Musetta, and her lover, Marcello. Their continual arguments and emphatic break-ups are followed by equally emphatic reconciliations. Such a highly volatile life destroys one from within and provides no assurances of what tomorrow will bring.
“I can fully relate to my character and her experiences. Her emotionally charged relationships and lively parties with friends and acquaintances might as well be describing my life: after all, we should live each day to the fullest.
“The characters in this opera are united by a passion for everything they do, but I think above all they wish to be a part of high society. Today’s bohemians are no different from those who are portrayed in the opera. They are intellectuals in tattered scarves: the proud owners of a wonderful inner world, striving to find their place in an equally magnificent external world.”
Ekaterina Fenina, soprano, appearing as Musetta:
"Love affects the heart in a special way. It is a complex emotion: when you fall in love it can be difficult and all-consuming, but it is also effortless and fleeting for someone who has never truly loved. We call this fleeting feeling ‘passion’. It’s like a hurricane: over in a flash but leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
"La Bohème gives the audience an opportunity to see both sides of love. Mimì and Rodolfo are prepared to do anything for each other. Rodolfo’s desire to alleviate his beloved’s illness — even if this means they have to part ways — is an excellent example of the self-sacrifice true love requires. Passion both invigorates and torments my character, Musetta, and her lover, Marcello. Their continual arguments and emphatic break-ups are followed by equally emphatic reconciliations. Such a highly volatile life destroys one from within and provides no assurances of what tomorrow will bring.
“I can fully relate to my character and her experiences. Her emotionally charged relationships and lively parties with friends and acquaintances might as well be describing my life: after all, we should live each day to the fullest.
“The characters in this opera are united by a passion for everything they do, but I think above all they wish to be a part of high society. Today’s bohemians are no different from those who are portrayed in the opera. They are intellectuals in tattered scarves: the proud owners of a wonderful inner world, striving to find their place in an equally magnificent external world.”
