"The Wedding of Figaro" at the Bolshoi Theater: reviews, duration, actors

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The Marriage of Figaro is an opera that was created by the genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte, inspired by the rebellious play by Pierre Beaumarchais.

It premiered in 1786 in Vienna in the presence of Emperor Joseph II and his entire court. Mozart himself stood behind the conductor's stand, to whom the audience gave an enthusiastic ovation. Since then, this work, recognized as a masterpiece of world musical art, has been staged hundreds of times on the most famous stages of the planet.

The Marriage of Figaro was first presented to the audience in 1926 at the Bolshoi Theatre. Almost 90 years later, director Yevgeny Pisarev staged a new production of this Mozart opera, which can still be seen today.

About the play

As already mentioned, the new production of The Marriage of Figaro at the Bolshoi Theater (see reviews below) was staged by Evgeny Pisarev. The director had to compete with himselfhimself, since shortly before that he presented the audience with the performance "Italian in Algiers", for which he was nominated for the "Golden Mask" and received many enthusiastic reviews from viewers and critics. In addition, in 2014 he presented the audience with a dramatic version of The Marriage of Figaro starring Alexander Lazarev at the Pushkin Theatre. However, while working at the Bolshoi Theater, Pisarev decided not to repeat himself and tried to create something completely different from his previous creations.

The Marriage of Figaro at the Bolshoi Theater (3 hours 20 minutes) was conducted by the equally successful William Lacy, while Zinovy Margolin, Victoria Sevryukova and Damir Ismailov were in charge of stage design, lighting and costume design.

When creating a performance based on Mozart's opera, it was decided to abandon the traditional style of this work. The director moved the action from the gallant age to the 60s of the XX century. Therefore, a typewriter, a chic retro cabriolet and attributes of the heyday of Italian cinema from the time of Fellini appear on the stage as props and scenery. At the same time, everything was done so that the viewer felt the atmosphere of the holiday under the magical sounds of the life-affirming music of the genius Wolfgang-Amadeus.

Scenography

Reviews of Le nozze di Figaro at the Bolshoi show that most viewers liked the idea of turning the stage space into the "apartment building" they see in the first act. As conceived by the director and the artist who designed the performance, the characters enter into"dialogues" and sing their arias in the shower room, the servants' room, the countess's boudoir, etc. At the same time, the viewer, as it were, peeps at everyone and switches his attention from one section of the stage to another, which gives dynamism to the performance. In the future, the Count's office appears in the foreground, and at the end of the last act, the denouement takes place against the backdrop of a chic bright red car in which the newlyweds arrived.

Cast

The current production of the opera The Marriage of Figaro at the Bolshoi Theater pleases the audience with the youth of the cast, whose average age is about 30 years. At the same time, almost everyone involved in the performance has several serious roles in their repertoire and they have excellent vocal skills. In addition, actors and actresses appear before the audience in the images of heroes invented by Beaumarchais, generously sharing their youthful energy with them, and this is the best match for the buffoonery style in which Mozart and da Ponte's The Marriage of Figaro were originally created.

Ekaterina Morozova

In the play "The Marriage of Figaro" by the Bolshoi Theatre, reviews of which are most often positive, the role of Countess Almaviva went to this young actress. Ekaterina Morozova joined the Bolshoi Theater in 2016. Prior to that, she sang on the stage of the Mariinsky. The girl has a fairly extensive and diverse repertoire, and her attractive appearance and regal posture allow her to successfully perform in various roles.

Konstantin Shushakov

Count Almaviva performedthis singer, who in his style of play and voice resembles Dmitry Hvorostovsky in his youth, in accordance with the transfer of action to another historical era, does not look like the offspring of an aristocratic family, but an arrogant nouveau riche. Instead of lackeys-sycophants, he is surrounded by impudent security guards and paparazzi, whom he perceives as his retinue.

As for the vocals, judging by the reviews of critics, the part of the count for Shushakov did not become crown, as experts note some shortcomings, such as singing a little "inward" and too loud forte.

Olga Seliverstova

For the role of Figaro's bride, Suzanne, Pisarev chose this actress, who has experience in the Paris National Opera and performances at many famous stage venues in our country and abroad. Her Suzanne is a minx who invents all sorts of disguises and creates confusion. She is a girl of her own mind, but still genuinely loves Figaro, although she is not averse to deceiving him if necessary.

Olga's soprano is the best suited for conveying the whole gamut of feelings embedded by Mozart in Suzanne's aria, so during the performance the actress receives applause from the audience more than once.

Alexander Miminoshvili

The actor was able to create on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater the image of an energetic and comical rogue, who, nevertheless, becomes a victim of female cunning. His Figaro is sonorous and evokes sincere sympathy from the audience. The audience especially likes the aria Aprite un po'quegli occhi. At least about her expressiveness and abouthow skillfully Miminoshvili portrays a simpleton, you can hear the most flattering reviews. However, the highlight of the current version of Le nozze di Figaro at the Bolshoi Theater (see reviews below) is the aria Non piu andrai. In it, the count's valet admonishes Cherubino for a soldier's life, expressively conveying his cynical attitude towards army service through intonations and gestures.

Reviews

Most of the audience expresses a positive opinion about the play "The Marriage of Figaro". Especially a lot of admiring reviews can be heard about the design of the stage and the costumes of the artists. The praises of the audience are also addressed to the performers of the main parts of the performance. As for criticisms, they are few and mostly subjective.

Now you know what attracts the audience to the performance "The Marriage of Figaro" at the Bolshoi Theatre. The actors and those involved in this production and the musicians of the orchestra from evening to evening do everything to make the audience satisfied that they decided to spend the evening in the main musical theater of the country.