26.12.2016
The Myth, Reality, & Magic of Winter Holidays
To mark the final curtain call of the old year and the bright beginnings of the new, we present the opera Die Zauberflöte. For centuries, cultural scholars have attempted to decipher the hidden symbols and ideas pervading Mozart’s final and most mysterious opera. And there’s nothing to stop us from mixing myth with reality too — especially when the word from the East is that the Year of the Fire Rooster is upon us; and what should our production feature but a penguin! Can it really be a coincidence that both are flightless birds?
Speaking of flight, replacing Mozart’s opera in the first days of January is the ballet La Sylphide, about a beautiful spirit of the air for whom gravity presents no obstacle. Joining the ensemble who have already appeared in our November premieres is a new pairing: on 3 January, the principal parts will be performed by Ekaterina Borchenko and Ivan Zaytsev. On 5 January, young viewers are invited to a daytime performance of the opera Cinderella, a fairytale in which the chiming of the midnight hour plays a special role in separating the world of magic from what follows. That very evening, the Theatre will be filled with the elusive aroma of camellias, and the sounds of La traviata. Botanists may claim that camellias have no scent, but they cannot deny the scent of love that permeates Verdi’s music.
Performances of the ballet The Nutcracker, directed by Nacho Duato, will grace our stage over the Orthodox Christmas period. The production will unveil new horizons in Hoffmann’s well known story, deftly maintaining the balance between dramatic tension and the liveliness of a children’s fairy tale. On 8 January, the last official day of the holidays, the Theatre invites you to the opera Pagliacci — a comic celebration of verismo that will ease the audience back into their everyday working lives. But, as we all know, the holidays only truly come to an end with the arrival of the Old New Year, a Russian tradition which we will be marking with performances of the ballet The Sleeping Beauty. On 15 January, the production, which turned five years old in December, will be performed for the hundredth time.
We would like to remind you that all productions to be shown at the Mikhailovsky Theatre over the Winter holidays are recommended for the enjoyment of the entire family. The single exception is the opera La Bohème, to be performed on 11 January, in which the more naturalistic on-stage portrayal of Parisian mores at the Café Momus, chosen by the opera’s director Robert Carsen, means that the poster carries a ‘16+’ advisory. As we are not adherents to formal criteria in this regard, please be advised that the decision as to whether to bring children to the performance is left to the discretion of parents, who should judge for themselves whether a child is ready to see a given production.
Speaking of flight, replacing Mozart’s opera in the first days of January is the ballet La Sylphide, about a beautiful spirit of the air for whom gravity presents no obstacle. Joining the ensemble who have already appeared in our November premieres is a new pairing: on 3 January, the principal parts will be performed by Ekaterina Borchenko and Ivan Zaytsev. On 5 January, young viewers are invited to a daytime performance of the opera Cinderella, a fairytale in which the chiming of the midnight hour plays a special role in separating the world of magic from what follows. That very evening, the Theatre will be filled with the elusive aroma of camellias, and the sounds of La traviata. Botanists may claim that camellias have no scent, but they cannot deny the scent of love that permeates Verdi’s music.
Performances of the ballet The Nutcracker, directed by Nacho Duato, will grace our stage over the Orthodox Christmas period. The production will unveil new horizons in Hoffmann’s well known story, deftly maintaining the balance between dramatic tension and the liveliness of a children’s fairy tale. On 8 January, the last official day of the holidays, the Theatre invites you to the opera Pagliacci — a comic celebration of verismo that will ease the audience back into their everyday working lives. But, as we all know, the holidays only truly come to an end with the arrival of the Old New Year, a Russian tradition which we will be marking with performances of the ballet The Sleeping Beauty. On 15 January, the production, which turned five years old in December, will be performed for the hundredth time.
We would like to remind you that all productions to be shown at the Mikhailovsky Theatre over the Winter holidays are recommended for the enjoyment of the entire family. The single exception is the opera La Bohème, to be performed on 11 January, in which the more naturalistic on-stage portrayal of Parisian mores at the Café Momus, chosen by the opera’s director Robert Carsen, means that the poster carries a ‘16+’ advisory. As we are not adherents to formal criteria in this regard, please be advised that the decision as to whether to bring children to the performance is left to the discretion of parents, who should judge for themselves whether a child is ready to see a given production.
