Opera Ruslan and Lyudmila (Opera in five acts) World famous Bolshoi Ballet and Opera theatre (established 1776) - Marvellous Main (Historic) Stage
Running time: 4 hours 10 minutes
The performance has 2 intermissions
Schedule for Ruslan and Lyudmila (Opera in five acts) 2022
Composer: Mikhail Glinka Choirmaster producer: Valery Borisov Stage Director: Dmitriy Chernyakov Light Designer: Gleb Filshtinskiy Costume Designer: Helen Zaytseva Costume Designer: Yelena Zaytseva Conductor: Vladimir Yurovsky Conductor: Ralf Sochaczewsky Chief conductor: Alexei Bogorad Chorus Master: Valery Borisov Music Director: Vladimir Jurowski
Orchestra: Bolshoi Theatre Symphony Orchestra
Opera in 3 acts
Premiere of this production: 2 November 2011
Ruslan and Lyudmila is an opera in five acts (eight tableaux) composed by
Mikhail Glinka between 1837 and 1842. The opera is based on the 1820 poem of the
same name by Alexander Pushkin.
Bolshoi Theatre presents first premiere on its refurbished Main
Stage
Ruslan and Lyudmila will be the first premiere to take place
on the refurbished, historic Bolshoi Theatre Main Stage. And this
outstanding opera with its truly epic scale is ideally suited to the
opening of the Theatre. One of the high points in the Russian
operatic repertoire, it is an integral part of Bolshoi
Theatre history. On the Theatre’s Main stage there have been over 700
performances in 9 different productions (not counting revivals!)
of this opera. Its Bolshoi Theatre debut was 165 years ago. Members
of the Ruslan and Lyudmila production teams have included the following
illustrious figures — director Boris Pokrovsky, conductors Vyacheslav Suk,
Nikolai Golovanov, Alexander Melik-Pashaev, scenographers Konstantin Korovin,
Alexander Golovin, Vladimir Dmitriev...
And today this list is continued by Bolshoi guest conductor
in residence Vladimir Yurovsky and director and scenographer Dmitri
Tcherniakov.
The new production promises to live up to the historic
occasion which will precede it — the ceremonial opening of the Bolshoi
Theatre Main Stage.
It ‘records’, as it were, former productions of Ruslan and
Lyudmila at the Bolshoi. But at its core is an absolutely
authentic psychological account of the ordeal of love, and
of faithfulness and strength of spirit. The spectator will find not
one enigmatic twist, attributable solely to magic, in the storyline.
At one and the same time, Tcherniakov steeps the opera in the space
of its myth and frees it of its shackles, presenting the story
in an exceptionally lively and ‘true-to-life’ way.
In so far as concerns the scenography, designer Tcherniakov
remains true to himself too: his sets are maximally functional, serving
in the first instance his staging concepts.
Maestro Vladimir Yurovsky, together with his assistants Ralf Sochaczewsky and
Alexei Bogorad, is responsible for the musical side of the production.
The opera which, as is well known, is fairly lengthy, will
be presented in slightly cut form by comparison to the
original score (and this has been a tradition ever since its first
staging), but the musical structure will in no way suffer: all the
musical numbers are preserved, the cuts being limited to repeats
of music within the form.
When it comes to interpreters, this opera has always been lucky
at the Bolshoi. Here is a list of some of the stars who
have appeared in it: Stepan Trezvinsky, Georgy Baklanov, Leonid Sobinov,
Elena Stepanova, Mark Reyzen, Bronislava Zlatogorova, Ksenia Derzhinskaya Maxim
Mikhailov, Nikandr Khanayev, Valeria Barsova, Irina Maslennikova, Ivan Petrov,
Elizaveta Antonova, Sergei Lemeshev, Evgeny Nesterenko, Bela Rudenko, Tamara
Sinyavskaya, Alexei Maslennikov, Artur Eizen. And among those who participated
in the dance scenes are: Marina Semenova, Vera Vasileva, Maya Plisetskaya,
Evgeniya Farmanyants, Lyudmila Cherkasova, Rimma Karelskaya...
The title roles in the present-day cast will be sung by:
Bolshoi Young Opera Program graduate and today soloist with the Opera Company
Ulyana Aleksyuk and Albina Shagimuratova, a young singer who has already
left her mark on the world opera stage; and Mariinsky Theatre soloist
Mikhail Petrenko and Helikon-Opera soloist Alexei Tikhomirov, who have likewise
garnered for themselves a successful international career; Finn will
be sung by the American Charles Workman; Finn’s eternal antagonist
Naina will be performed by Elena Zaremba. The part of Ratmir will
be interpreted by two marvelous counter-tenors — Yury Minenko and
Vladimir Magomadov, while the Bulgarian singer Alexandrina Pendachanska and
Bolshoi guest soloist Veronika Dzhioeva will sing the part of Gorislava.
Mariinsky Theatre soloist Vladimir Ognovenko and former Bolshoi soloist Gleb
Nikolsky will sing Svetozar, and the Lithuanian singer Almas Shvilpa and
Mariinsky Theatre soloist Alexei Tanovitsky — Farlaf.
Photos
Act 1
In Svetozar's banquet hall, the wedding feast for Ruslan and Lyudmila is
taking place. The guests listen to Bayan sing a song foretelling misfortune for
the bride and groom, followed by happiness from true love. Lyudmila, saddened by
the prospect of leaving her father, offers words of comfort to her unsuccessful
suitors, Farlaf and Ratmir, and then pledges herself to Ruslan. Svetozar blesses
the couple. All of a sudden everything goes dark and there is a crash of
thunder. The people are paralysed by a spell while two monsters carry Lyudmila
away. When light returns and everyone recovers, they panic over Lyudmila's
disappearance. Svetozar promises half his kingdom and Lyudmila's hand to the man
who brings her back. The three suitors ready themselves for the journey to find
Lyudmila.
Tableau 1 Ruslan comes upon the cave of the kindly wizard Finn, who
tells him that the evil sorcerer Chernomor has absconded with Lyudmila and that
Ruslan is the man who will destroy him. Ruslan asks Finn why he lives in this
deserted place, and Finn relates the story of many years ago, when he was a
shepherd in his distant homeland (he says he is "a Finn")
and fell in love with a beautiful girl named Naina. When she rejected his
declaration of love, he went off to do battle with enemies for booty. Returning
with this booty, he presented it to Naina, but she yet again spurned him. Then
he resolved to study magic to win her; many years went by, and through sorcery
he finally summoned an old, grey-haired, humpbacked woman – it was Naina, who
now was mad with passion for him. He ran away from her and has been hiding from
her ever since. For abandoning her, Naina is consumed by vengeful hatred, which
will likewise fall upon Ruslan. Assuring him that Lyudmila will not be harmed,
Finn instructs Ruslan to head north, and the two of them exit in opposite
directions.
Tableau 2 In a deserted place, the cowardly Farlaf wonders whether
he should continue searching for Lyudmila, when the decrepit Naina approaches
him. She promises to get Lyudmila for him and send Ruslan far away. She
disappears, and Farlaf rejoices in his triumph.
Tableau 3 Ruslan, having come upon a foggy desert strewn with
weapons and bones from a past battle, wonders at the cause of this scene and
whether he, too, may end up the same way. He chooses a new shield and spear from
the ground to replace his broken weaponry, but cannot find a sword heavy enough
to complete his new set of armor. When the fog lifts, a giant Head is revealed
and blows through its lips to bring up a storm so as to drive Ruslan away. When
Ruslan strikes the head with his spear, the Head falls back and reveals a sword
underneath. He takes it and asks the Head whence it came. As it is dying, the
Head explains that it once was a giant, and his dwarf brother is the evil
sorcerer Chernomor. The sword was destined to kill both of them; so, in order to
forestall fate, Chernomor tricked the giant, beheaded him, and flew his live
head away to the distant desert to keep the sword protected underneath it. With
the sword now in Ruslan's hands, the Head calls for vengeance on
Chernomor.
Act
3
Young maidens are luring passing travelers to enter Naina's magical castle.
Gorislava appears, looking for Ratmir, who had taken her captive and then
abandoned her. After she goes away for a moment, Ratmir himself comes on the
scene and falls under the spell of the maidens, who seduce him with dance. The
final guest attracted to the castle is Ruslan, who finds himself forgetting
Lyudmila upon seeing Gorislava. Suddenly Finn appears; and, after pronouncing a
happy fate for Ratmir with Gorislava, and for Ruslan with Lyudmila, the castle
turns into a forest as they resolve to rescue Lyudmila.
Act 4
Within Chernomor's magical gardens, Lyudmila longs for Ruslan and resists the
influence of the enchanted surroundings. Chernomor with his retinue arrives;
dances are performed. A trumpet call signals a challenge from Ruslan. Chernomor
puts Lyudmila under a sleeping spell and goes off to fight Ruslan, who shortly
comes on the scene triumphantly wearing Chernomor's beard around his helmet.
Although he is disheartened by Lyudmila's condition, Ruslan, along with Ratmir
and Gorislava, resolve to return to Kiev with Lyudmila to seek the aid of the
magicians there. Chernomor's former slaves freely come along.
Act 5
Tableau 1 In a moonlit valley, Ruslan, Ratmir, and Gorislava, with
Lyudmila, have camped for the night. Ratmir, who is standing guard, worries
about Ruslan, and then expresses his happiness at his reunion with Gorislava.
Suddenly the slaves report that Lyudmila once again has been abducted and that
Ruslan has left in search of her. Finn appears, gives a magic ring to Ratmir
that will awaken Lyudmila when she is brought back to Kiev.
Tableau 2 Lyudmila lies asleep in Svetozar's banquet hall. It turns
out that Farlaf, with Naina's assistance, kidnapped Lyudmila and brought her to
Kiev so as to appear to have been her rescuer. However, he cannot waken her.
Horses approach, and Ruslan, Ratmir, and Gorislava arrive. Ruslan brings the
magic ring to Lyudmila, and she awakens. As the tableau opens onto a view of
Kiev, the people rejoice in their gods, their fatherland, and the young
couple.
Schedule for Ruslan and Lyudmila (Opera in five acts) 2022
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