Come on! This is "Helikon-Opera"

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

One of the interesting phenomena of our time in the field of culture and art was the opening after many years of restoration of the historical stage of the musical theater "Helikon-Opera". This event took place on November 2, 2015. Since then, a year and a half has passed. The theater is gaining popularity among guests and residents of the capital.

What's in my name to you?

The unusual name of the theater was not given by chance. What is a "helicon"? Helikon is a hill in the mountain range called Parnassus. Parnassus itself is mistaken for a mountain, but, as you can see, this is not entirely true. In any case, the Parnassus mountain range and the separately taken peak of Helikon are associated with Greek mythology. Helikon is the "residence" of Apollo, the god who patronized the arts, and the Muses who accompanied him. On Helikon they gathered to play music. Among the Muses, the majority have a special relationship with theatrical art. We do not think that it is necessary to explain their purpose in relation to the musical theater. So, we can conclude that the name of the theater is symbolic and in this case it has the meaning of an allegory: helikon is the unattainable pinnacle of opera skill.art, demonstrated to the audience from the stage of "Helikon-Opera".

There is another version of the origin of the name of the theater. They say that the helikon is a huge wind musical instrument. It is made of copper and has a curved body tube. Helikons were previously used only in military musical groups. The shape of the instrument makes it possible to play it even while riding a horse, as the helicon can be hung on the shoulder and the hands remain free. Tuba is a non-absolute analogue of the helicon in modern orchestras.

The ancient Greek philosophers Aristides and Ptolemy also mention the ancient helicon - a quadrangular stringed instrument. According to various sources, it had 4, 7 or 9 strings. With this instrument, ancient musicians could study musical intervals.

However, these versions are less convincing.

Characteristics of the theater

"Helikon-opera" - the creation of Dmitry Bertman - was born in 1990.

In an old building on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street, the Bertman Theater was located in the year of its foundation. And it existed there until the beginning of the restoration of the mansion, which began in 2006. Only eight years later, the theater was returned to its native stage.

The performances of "Helikon-Opera" differ from the traditional ones. They are full of irony and grotesque, farce and parody, brilliant carnival. The interpretation of images and events is ambiguous and provides an opportunity for reflection and the formation of a personal attitude towards them. Bertman actively uses the elements of the game, the style of the musical and theatrical language, close toto the modern audience, while remaining faithful to the classical traditions. The performances of the theater are democratic and are based on the eternal theme of the struggle between good and evil. Lyricism, deep tragedy, the author's personal moral position, psychologism of images make performances an important moment in understanding life in general.

Since childhood, a bit of a magician…

The founder of "Helikon-Opera" is a graduate of GITIS. Dmitry Bertman first became interested in theater at the age of four. He "fell ill" after visiting the Moscow Theater for Young Spectators with his mother. A little later, with the permission of his parents, he designed a stage layout.

According to Bertman's memoirs, the theater he built at home was located under the sofa. It had backstage and scenery that hid in the sofa, and the actors were colored figures. There were more and more performances, and the theater no longer fit under the sofa. Then it was moved to the shelves of a nearby rack. During performances, the light in the room was turned off, but turned on on the "stage", the musical effect was achieved with the help of an opera record. Guests could not watch such performances for a long time and very quickly left the "theatrical space".

The theater director of the Moscow Art Theater Kama Mironovich Ginkas, who often came to visit his parents, became interested in Bertman's first homegrown theater. He even used a fragment from the "performance" "Swan Lake" in his "Trailer". The next admirer of Bertman's home theater was theater director HenriettaNaumovna Yanovskaya, who also often visited their house. Yanovskaya helped 10-year-old Dima make hoisting decorations using school rulers and thread. And Vladimir Bugrov gave the boy a huge mock-up with a turning circle of the stage, a ramp, spotlights for his birthday. On the foam with which it was lined, it was possible to pin a variety of coatings with pins. And mom let me use her wedding dress to create the curtain.

Historic building

Address "Helikon-Opera": Moscow, Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 19/16. The theater is located in the historic estate of the nobles Glebov-Streshnev-Shakhovsky.

From 1759-1761, Nastasya Mikhailovna Dashkova reigned here - a passionate lover of organizing entertainment events. In 1768, Fyodor Ivanovich Glebov became the owner, and then - the widow Elizaveta Petrovna (after her father - Streshneva). Since 1864, Yevgenia Fedorovna Shakhovskaya became the owner of the estate, under whom the main restructuring work was carried out. The estate constantly presented their performances by Italians and French, the operetta of Vienna. After the owners moved to Europe, the building was rented, and at the beginning of the next century there was a small stage for concerts.

Concert halls of the estate

Helikon-Opera gave its first performances in the Pokrovsky Hall. It houses a harpsichord made by Dmitry Belov according to the project of I. Ruckers in 1617. The main stage of the theater was the White Column Hall. It managed to restore stucco decorations,marble columns, unique wooden ceiling. Now the hall of "Helikon-Opera", named after the composer Stravinsky, is considered the most striking. It is famous for its ceiling in the form of a starry sky.

Reviews about "Helikon-Opera" of guests and regulars are invariably enthusiastic. The architecture and interior of the historic building are striking in their splendor, where during the warm period, performances are organized even in open courtyards. No less magnificent are the theatre's performances, known throughout the world for their quality of performance, the brilliance of directing and entertainment.