This is an event that has been long awaited. Due to the appearance of Anna Netrebko, the excitement around the premiere went through the roof. The price for a ticket from speculators reached 150 thousand rubles. And in the theater itself, they were more worried than ever. But all work stopped when, during the breaks in rehearsals, Anna talked with colleagues and friends in the atrium of the theater. And in the service buffet, where you can go through the atrium, food was running out and they did not have time to boil water for tea and coffee, since almost all the employees rushed there to have at least one eye on the opera diva, and if you were lucky, then take a picture with her: Anna behaved in the theater easily and friendly ...
To live up to such an extraordinary level of enthusiastic expectations is an incredibly difficult task. But not for Anna Netrebko. From the moment she appears on the stage, everything that happens around does not matter. Her naturalness, phenomenal beauty and sensuality of her voice are absolutely magnetic. Manon leaves her beloved for the sake of a wealthy patron - this is a betrayal. Manon realizes that money is not identical with happiness, and returns to his beloved - this is forgiveness. He goes into exile after her - this is love. And in the case when Manon is Anna Netrebko, this is not just a performance based on the love story of the 18th century, described in the novel by Abbé Prevost, who inspired not only the Italian Puccini, but also the Frenchman Massenet to create the opera. This is a unique work of art that turns the soul of everyone who is in the hall.
The presence of everyone else on stage next to such a talent seems like a formality. Although there are high-quality works among the soloists (Lesko - Elchin Azizov, Dance Teacher - Marat Gali, Singer - Yulia Mazurova). The only one who lives on stage on the wave of his Manon is her de Grieux - Yusif Eyvazov. Perhaps because this opera was the beginning of their personal romantic story with Anna. They met in February 2014 at a production of Manon Lescaut in Rome. This was the first collaboration. And in December last year, they became husband and wife. And each of their arias and each duet was filled with sincere passion.
And only when you get on the second cast (Manon Lescaut - Spaniard Ainoa Arteta, Chevalier de Grie - Italian Riccardo Massi) of the premiere series, you return to the modest reality of the Bolshoi Theater. There is no true relationship between them, but there is a lot of musical falsehood - plucked notes and disagreements with the orchestra. The orchestra under the baton of the young Italian Yader Binyamini sounds rough, loud and impassive.
The production directed by Adolf Shapiro and artist Maria Tregubova looks just as insensitive. It is a collection of quotes from various performances, films and masterpieces of painting. The spectacle turns out to be deaf to Puccini's music. In this performance, Manon is a nymphet, first playing with dolls, and then herself turning into a huge monstrous baby doll, which occupies a third of the stage.
But after the intermission, the director, like a child, forgets the boring toy, he forgets about his "dolls" and turns the finale of the performance into a concert.
And there is only one main question: will Anna Netrebko return to the Bolshoi Theater for her Manon? Or, perhaps, for the sake of Liza in The Queen of Spades, the premiere of which on the stage of the Bolshoi directed by Rimas Tuminas is planned in a season.
If we talk about the opera premieres of this season, it is obvious that they will remain without audience excitement. We're not talking about fancy names. The next premiere is scheduled for November - Britten's rarely performed opera "Billy Budd". This is a collaboration with the English National Opera. Another rare premiere is Mieczysław Weinberg's opera The Idiot, based on Dostoevsky's novel of the same name. It will be presented on February 12th. The season will end with the premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov's The Snow Maiden in June. In addition, Rossini's Journey to Reims will be performed in concert by artists from the Youth Opera Program, one of the Bolshoi's most successful projects.
The only performance this season that should be of interest to the public is Verdi's Don Carlos, when Khibla Gerzmava, Ildar Abdrazakov and Dmitri Hvorostovsky make their Bolshoi debuts in two December performances.
It seems that the Bolshoi Theater nevertheless decided to invite stars of the first magnitude, which, of course, will increase the interest of an enlightened audience, and not just tourists - lovers of selfies and buffets. But only if the super singers become regular guests at the Bolshoi Theatre. Anna Netrebko set the bar as high as possible.
Maria Babalova -
especially for the new
The premiere was a triumph
The stalls and five tiers in the gilding of the Bolshoi Theater stand and shout. This is the finale of the long-awaited premiere on the historical stage of Puccini's opera Manon Lescaut. The staging by theater director Adolf Shapiro largely rehabilitated the risky project of the BT directorate, which had been inviting drama masters for the last two seasons. With details from the country's main musical theater - the MK columnist.
There has not been a single ticket on the Bolshoi website for a long time - after all, Anna Netrebko sings the main part, and even with her new husband Yusif Eyvazov. However, on the way to the historical stage, right on the corner of Novaya, a man who, by his appearance in life, is defined as the most ordinary hanyga, asks me: “Do you need tickets?” - "And how much are you?" - “There are three good ones” - “Is it really in the stalls?” - "Dealers have everything," he confirms ironically, intending to take me to these same dealers. The topic of speculation with scarce tickets is interesting in itself, but not in time - in 20 minutes the very premiere, which Moscow has been waiting for a long time, will begin. And which was not in the plans of the Great, but, obviously, whatever God pleases, happens in spite of everything and in spite of everything. Even at the Bolshoi.
Adolf Shapiro, a director with great, I'm not afraid of this word, world authority, went to the prima donna in Vienna and told me after the premiere that they quickly found a common language and that the opera diva was an amazing partner in work. And I remembered one of her first roles in the Leningrad MALEGOT (now the Mikhailovsky Theater) - Suzanne in Le nozze di Figaro: a little-known actress, thin, purest soprano, incredibly artistic - which distinguished her from the entire opera staff. I must say that Netrebko of that perestroika period has practically not changed - except that she gained weight, physical. There is nothing to say about the world one - opera houses patiently stand behind it in line.
But here is the third call, the boxes are packed so much that they stand in them. During the overture (conducted by Yader Binyamini), white handwritten lines run across the rigid black curtain: “We must say today only what is appropriate today. Put everything else aside and say it at the right time.” This is a quote from the forewarning of the author of Notes of a Noble Man, who opens the novel of Abbé Prevost "The Story of the Chevalier de Grieux and Manon Lescaut" - from which Giacomo Puccini made his four-act opera with great music. The well-dressed opera audience will literally read the story of the fatal passion of the beautiful Manon and her beau on the hard black curtain more than once in more than three hours. And this text on behalf of the latter will serve as navigation in the stormy sea of events.
But then the black curtain creeps up, revealing the city, clean as the first snow. "Oh!" - exhales the hall, looking at the model of white houses, closely pressed to each other on the crooked streets. It was as if some skillful layout designer had just cut it out and went, let's say, to smoke, leaving huge scissors, a pencil, compasses around the edges. He left it a little carelessly, raising it at an angle to the forefront of forty-five degrees. And brightly dressed people are already living in it: red, green dots in sweaters and knitted hats - just a ski resort, over which a balloon with passengers floats three times, increasing its proportions three times. And when it becomes life-size, a well-dressed gentleman and a black-haired beauty in a white sweater, a hat with a pompom and a doll that looks like her one to one will come out of it. So the artist Maria Tregubova, the strongest and brightest in the generation of thirty-year-olds, begins to amaze.
Together with director Shapiro, she builds the first act all in white tones, into which black will slowly and imperceptibly crawl. But so far, the triumph of the white is the bright meeting of the beautiful Manon with the poor student de Grieux. His first aria ends with shouts of "bravo!" from the audience, and so it will continue - almost every aria or duet is accompanied by a long "bravy!".
Anna Netrebko and Vladimir Urin
There is something: the orchestra sounds powerful, not only the spouses Netrebko and Eyvazov sing superbly, but also Alexander Naumenko, Elchin Azizov, Yulia Mazurova ... The scenery is applauding, especially the second act, which is the Parisian house of Manon - this is a masterpiece of scenography and director's decision. Moreover, I observe that unique union of the director and the artist, when it is difficult to even guess who dictates to whom - everything is so natural. This is how the second act is resolved: on the right sits a huge Manon, probably about seven meters in height - this is a doll in a black silk dress with white beads around her neck. Nearby, a little in the depth, there is a huge oval mirror, which, trembling as if in a chill, reflects what is happening on the stage. And on the stage in a ray of light - luxurious Manon, literally all in disarray: poverty is a bad treasurer for her, but there is no love in luxury. A rich husband tries his best to entertain the beauty, providing her with all kinds of entertainment in the form of singing and dancing comedians, acrobats - nothing pleases the heart of a beauty prone to treason. Treason happens right at the feet of the Netrebko-doll, on the snow-white plastic of which black spiders, ants and other evil spirits made of plastic crawl. These are jewels that she cannot part with, while desiring true love.
This plastic miracle inspires fatal delight, which also moves its hands and eyes. The dramaturgy of puppet reactions is strictly calculated: she bashfully closes her eyes to the embrace of her lovers. At the snow-white city of their first love, reflected for a moment in the mirror, he turns his head and looks longingly as at the irrevocable past. And in a panic, she randomly moves her hands when, on the orders of her husband, the police seize the lovers and throw them into different prisons.
Who made such a miracle? Abroad? It turns out that no - our craftsmen did it in St. Petersburg, and the doll turned out to be very functional and can be disassembled, which allows you to quickly change the scenery.
One can only admire the subtle style of the work of the director and artist, who managed to make the opera dynamically tense. The black and white color, which is decomposed by the light of Damir Ismagilov into many shades, gives this dynamics. From the luminous transparency of the white of the first two acts to the dull hopeless blackness of the last two. White scenographic fantasy is aggressively absorbed by ascetic blackness. And also in the game - from white to black. Although the parade of characters from the penitentiary - in a motley, glamorous one - unexpectedly crashes into the black and white scale in the third act.
In the last act, the characters find themselves in an empty stage box - black scenes with a white backdrop, and he, like a ghost of hope, on which their dialogue is written in black ink in oblique handwriting. The lines are flooded with invisible tears, which is why the letters merge, the dark spots from them grow, slowly unite into blots, while Manon and de Grie mourn their last love on the proscenium: “It is dark ... Alone ... There is no one around ... Scary ... "and etc. Repeated "scary" merge into inky mud.
Standing motionless in the forefront, the singers in no way represent the exit. The director deprived them of any visible support - no scenery, no mimams. Only Puccini's music and dramatic acting. But what! How delightful she is in Anna Netrebko, how sincere in Yusif Eyvazov! The concept of Shapiro is in the absence of any confused concept, and this has an incredible effect. On bows, the Bolshoi Theater does not encore, it simply screams - all five tiers merge into a single cry with the stalls and do not let the artists go for a long time. By the way, there were more than a hundred of them bowing on the stage.
Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. Photo by Erik Shahnazaryan
October 23, 2016 TV channel "Culture" broadcast a recording of Puccini's opera "Manon Lescaut" from the Bolshoi Theater with the participation of Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov. We invite you to watch the full version of this post.
The opera "Manon Lescaut" is one of the best works of Giacomo Puccini and all world opera literature. The basis of the plot was the novel by the French abbot Antoine-Francois Prevost "The History of the Chevalier de Grie and Manon Lescaut", written in 1731.
The novel was very popular in France and at one time caused a flurry of controversial discussions. This story inspired many composers, including the famous Jules Massenet, whose opera Manon is still popular today. Giacomo Puccini began to create his opera "Manon Lescaut" in 1890, when Massenet's "Manon" had already been quite successfully on the stage for several years.
At that time, Puccini and his friend, the composer Ruggero Leoncavallo, were practically unknown to anyone. Leoncavallo made the first drafts of the libretto for Puccini, but it took more than two years and the work of five writers - Domenico Oliva, Marco Praga, Giuseppe Giacosa, Luigi Illica and Giulio Ricordi - to satisfy the composer.
The premiere of the opera took place in Turin on February 1, 1893 and became the first and undoubted triumph of the 35-year-old composer. After the performance, he immediately became famous and received the status of a great composer of the country and the world, he was then even named the heir to Giuseppe Verdi.
Artists:
Manon Lescaut - Anna Netrebko
Lesko, Sergeant of the Royal Guard - Elchin Azizov
Cavalier de Grieux - Yusif Eyvazov
Geronte de Ravoir - Alexander Naumenko
Edmond / Lamplighter - Bogdan Volkov
Dance teacher - Marat Gali
Innkeeper - Goderdzi Janelidze
Sergeant - Valery Gilmanov
Captain of the ship - Vladimir Komovich
Singer - Julia Mazurova
Chorus and Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater
Conductor Yader Binyamini
Soloists in the orchestra:
Natalia Bereslavtseva (flute), Sofia Belyaeva (oboe), Mikhail Tsinman (violin), Vladimir Yarovoy (viola), Boris Lifanovsky (cello), Boris Shaev (celesta).
Stage director - Adolf Shapiro
Set Designer - Maria Tregubova
Lighting designer - Damir Ismagilov
Chief choirmaster - Valery Borisov
Choreographer - Tatyana Baganova
Puccini. "Manon Lescaut"
Characters:
Manon Lescaut, fifteen-year-old girl (soprano)
Lesko, her brother (baritone)
Cavalier de Grieux (tenor)
Geronte de Ravoire, farmer (bass)
Edmond, student (tenor)
Music teacher (tenor)
Musician (mezzo-soprano)
Lamplighter (tenor)
Ship Captain (bass)
Hairdresser (mimic role)
Gunnery Sergeant (bass)
Time of action: XVIII century.
Location: Amiens, Paris, Le Havre, Louisiana.
First performance: Turin, Teatro Regio, February 1, 1893.
Summary
I action
A busy square opposite the post office in the French city of Amiens. Lots of people. Cheerful crowds of people. There are students everywhere - they drink, they gamble, they drag girls.
Here are two friends - Edmond, completely carefree, popular with the ladies (he sings a madrigal about love, about youth; everyone willingly picks him up) and another, more serious young man named Des Grie, noble, but poor, who is mockingly questioned, isn't he in love? But he has not yet had love affairs, and he was not in love, which causes jokes from other young people.
The carriage arrives soon. Three important characters in our story come out of it. One of them is an old aristocrat named Geronte, another is a young army officer Lescaut and the third participant in our story is Lescaut's sister, the lovely Manon, the heroine of the opera. She is only fifteen years old and is on her way to a convent to become a nun. Her brother is still quite a teenager. Geronte, this old man, plans to kidnap Manon soon. He says something in the innkeeper's ear - he orders a carriage to hastily take away Manon, who he liked on the way here, when they were driving together.
The beauty of Manon, when seen here, makes a great impression on everyone, especially on Des Grie, who is shy, but still introduces himself to her, asks her name, is interested in her plans and asks that they meet secretly. He instantly flared up with passionate love for her and informs us of this in the wonderful aria “Donna non vidi mai” (“Really, she is lovely”).
The careless student Edmond heard Geronte's conversation about his plan to take Manon away. He informs Des Grieux about the preparations with the crew started by Geronte, and it happens that when Manon goes to an agreed meeting with Des Grieux (“Vedete? Io sono fedele” - “I promised to come to you”), the young man quickly takes her away , taking advantage of the crew ordered by Geront before he finds out about it.
Lesko (drunk and carried away by the card game, instead of protecting his sister) takes it easy. He tells Geronte that Des Grieux will never be able to provide Manon, who loves all sorts of pleasures, in Paris, and that the time will come when she will get tired of him. This cynical remark ends the first act of the opera.
II act
As Lescaut had foreseen, Manon could not endure a long life with Des Grieux. He is too poor for her, and now old Geronte has taken possession of her; he surrounded her with luxury.
Meanwhile, Des Grieux (led by Lescaut) was trying to get money by playing cards. As the curtain rises, we find Manon in her boudoir; she brings beauty upon herself; maids help her. Manon comes to her brother; he admires the luxury in which she now lives ("Sei splendida e lucente!" - "You live so richly"). But she says that she is tired of all this and she yearns for Des Grie ("In quelle trine morbide" - "Ah, in this splendor of luxury").
While they are talking, a group of singers performs a madrigal, which was specially composed for Manon by the old man Geront ("Sulla vetta tu del monte" - "Brighter than the stars in a pretty eye"). A little later, Geront himself arrives with friends and a dance teacher for Manon. During the lesson, everyone expresses their admiration, and Manon charmingly sings the minuet tune.
Finally, everyone disperses. An embarrassed Des Grieux appears. The lovers exchange mutual reproaches and ardently swear eternal love ("Nell'occhio tuo profondo" - "I am a look filled with caress"). At the climax, Geronte unexpectedly returns; he is a witness to this love scene.
At first, he is arrogant and ironically amiable. But then Manon makes a mistake: she explains to him in no uncertain terms why she prefers Des Grieux to him, and pointing him to the mirror so that he looks at his wrinkled face. The old libertine boils with hatred for Manon, he leaves embittered, muttering threats against her.
Young lovers decide to run away together. At this moment, a breathless Lesko appears; he warns them that Geronte has accused Manon of wantonness, that she is about to be arrested, and that they need to flee immediately. But Manon fumbles with his jewelry for too long, and before they can leave the house, Geronte returns with guards. Manon's fate is to go into exile, and, despite Des Grieux's desperate pleas, she is taken away to be taken into custody.
III act
Before the beginning of this action, a short but very expressive intermezzo sounds ("Prison. The way to Le Havre"). The libretto here contains lines from Prevost's novel, which say that Des Grieux decided to follow Manon wherever she was sent.
As the curtain rises, a view of the square opens up, an early dawn. Manon is in jail. Here, on the square, came Lescaut and Des Grieux. Brother Manon says that if money is given to the guards, he will be able to arrange a conversation with Manon and that then she will soon be free.
This scene takes place in the bay of Le Havre, where there is a ship in the roadstead, on which Manon and other fallen women like her will be sent into exile. Manon appears outside her prison window, and there is a brief passionate love scene (“Tu… amore?” – “You… darling, you save me again!”).
But Lesko's plans, as usual, fail. He hired several people to recapture her from the guards. But the noise coming from behind the stage testifies to the failure of this operation. And now the sergeant reads the list of women who are destined to go into exile and who must now board the ship. While this is happening, the crowd on the shore comments on what is happening (“Rosetta! Eh! Che aria!” - “Rosetta! - Look, how proud!”). Manon is among these unfortunates, and Des Grieux, in desperation, begs the captain of the ship to let him sail with them - as a servant or whatever - for as long as he can be with his beloved.
The captain is touched by this aristocratic youth's entreaties and allows him to sail with them. Des Grieux runs up the ladder into the arms of Manon. This completes the action.
IV act
Puccini's librettists place the last act of the opera in a rather strange place. They describe it in the following terms: "Una landa sterminata sui confini del territorio della Nuova Orleans." In short - a deserted place in New Orleans (United States of America). But if we remember that this story took place in the 18th century with the then territorial division of America, then this indication may refer to the vast space between the Mississippi and Rocky Mount. In any case, the geography in this action is rather vague.
Manon and Des Grieux arrived in America and got lost in some deserted place. They move slowly down the road. Des Grieux tries in every possible way to alleviate the suffering of Manon ("Tutta su me ti posa" - "I will support you"). It is clear that she is seriously ill and cannot move on. Exhausted, she collapses. Manon convinces Des Grieux to leave her and go seek help. He does so, and she sings her despairing aria, "Tutto dunque e finito" ("It's all over now").
When Des Grieux returns, finding no help, he sees Manon dying. He takes her into his arms and they sing tenderly of their love. Her strength completely leaves her, and with the last effort she asks Des Grie for forgiveness and dies ("Io t'amo tanto" - "Ah, I adore you").
website. Opera libretto - Henry W. Simon (translated by A. Maykapar), from the site Belcanto.Ru
Instagram.com/yusif_eyvazov_private/
After the opera, Svetlana Vladimirovna visited our stars backstage to express her admiration for them. On the pages of Anna and Yusif, photos appeared with words of gratitude to Medvedeva. "Honored guest of yesterday's performance, charming and elegant Svetlana Medvedeva! Thank you for such attention and kind words",- wrote Yusif Eyvazov.
And Anna said that many years ago, after a concert in the Kremlin, she was authorized to give the First Lady two petitions signed by many artists and musicians: the first - to save the Helikon Theater, and the second - to restore the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and both of these petitions were fulfilled.
Svetlana Vladimirovna was wearing an elegant black suit trimmed with mink and discreet jewelry. And since Svetlana Medvedeva is a non-public person and rarely appears at events, such attention is very flattering even for such stars of the world opera scene as Anna and Yusif.
Fans of the couple also appreciated this visit:
"What a pleasant meeting!"
"She is an old admirer of yours, Anna, and this speaks of her good taste."
"Handsome people keep it up, so that the guests of honor are very, very much worthy of you!"
"Congratulations, Yusif, what luxurious and heavenly beauty women are next to you!"
instagram.com/anna_netrebko_yusi_tiago/
Anna Netrebko is adored by fans around the world. And not only for her talent, but also for her sincerity, naturalness, great sense of humor, in general, for the ordinary human qualities that the singer so often shows in communication with her fans. Recently them
Opera stars are shining in Moscow this weekend, 20 bright film premieres from around the world are shown in October, and the updated and prettier Usachevsky Market invites you to try and buy fresh farm products and homemade dishes.
Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov in the opera Manon Lescaut. Photo: Damira Yusupova/Bolshoi Theater
"Manon Lescaut" with Anna Netrebko
Diva will sing on Saturday, October 22nd. This is the most eventful premiere of the season. There are no tickets on the official website for a long time, and the resellers have the price for the performance reaches 112 thousand per seat in the stalls
Tickets are, of course, the main intrigue of the upcoming premiere. Just two weeks ago, Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov sang in Barvikha. The cheapest tickets on the eve of the concert cost 50 thousand, in the stalls more expensive - 90 thousand and 85 thousand rubles each, but you could buy them on the official website of the concert hall - just pay. In the Bolshoi, however, buying is also not a problem - there are plenty of sites: there is a box for 33 thousand, and a mezzanine for 27 thousand, and a balcony, the fourth tier, for 15 thousand rubles.
“When the sale of tickets to the Bolshoi Theater for Manon Lesko opened and it was clear that there were no tickets left for our dates literally in some half a day, people began to write to us on Instagram and Facebook from different parts of Russia, who bought plane tickets in advance , wanted to fly, but there are no more tickets for these dates, and they cost crazy money from resellers, ”Eyvazov said in an exclusive interview with Business FM. “We asked the Bolshoi Theatre, and the third performance will be screened and broadcast live both on the Kultura channel and in front of the Bolshoi Theatre.”(Full interview with Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov at).
Puccini's Manon Lescaut is Anna Netrebko's crowning role: she herself chose this material for her debut on the historical stage of the country's main theater. Once they met Yusif Eyvazov at a rehearsal of this particular opera. The first impression is very strong, largely due to the stunning scenery of Masha Tregubova. One gets the feeling that for Moscow theaters this season she is the main star and legislator: she was an artist at the last premiere of Sovremennik, the play Late Love (where Tregubova’s set design is generally the main advantage). For Manon, she made it look like a paper town, which is drawn for games on a smartphone: people walk between the houses, from time to time the lights come on in the windows, smoke pours from the pipes. Looking at all this is a great pleasure, comparable to Netrebko's impeccable singing. Before the performance, she mentioned that she was frightened by the acoustics of the Bolshoi, but technically she performed everything flawlessly.
If we return to the tickets, then the excitement is quite understandable: the diva does not appear in Russia so often, the next time the singer can be seen live only in the summer at the Mariinsky Theater. There are enough tickets for Saturday: the cheapest seats are 11 thousand each, the most expensive, the eighth row of the stalls, 127.5 thousand. But it’s better to take the 16th row: you can see a little worse, but 22 thousand cheaper. Details on the website.
