“No historical costumes, only pain and despair”

The Bavarian State Opera in Munich is hosting premiere performances of Sergei Prokofiev’s opera War and Peace directed by Dmitry Chernyakov under the musical direction of Vladimir Yurovsky. A review of the performance, resonant for many reasons, will be placed by Kommersant in one of the following issues, but for now, about the premiere and his work Vladimir Dudin told mezzo-soprano Victoria Karkacheva, a recent graduate of the Bolshoi Theater Youth Program, performing the part of Helen Bezukhova in Munich.

– “War and Peace” brought together different generations of Russian soloists in Munich, among which, say, there is Sergey Leiferkus, and there are also many foreigners, and Akhrosimova is performed by Dmitry Chernyakov’s favorite singer, the Lithuanian mezzo-soprano Violeta Urmana. How did everyone get along?

We started rehearsing on January 9th. At the rehearsals, the atmosphere was both working, and at the same time friendly, creative, kind. Russians, Ukrainians, Germans lived in complete peace and harmony. I thought that we would always rehearse like this, I could not believe that the day of the dress rehearsal had come, and after it the premiere. The director had a huge team in front of him, a lot of soloists plus choristers with large mass scenes, with the solution of which there were certain difficulties, but somehow he solved his tasks so easily – he would approach each chorister, hug and kiss.

– How big an event was the preparation of this performance for you personally – after all, the party of Helen Bezukhova is small, isn’t it?

— I am extremely glad that I got into this caste even in such a small party. It was impossible to miss the chance to work with Dmitry Chernyakov and maestro Vladimir Yurovsky. I could sing, of course, Sonya, but the director saw me in this role. The line-up of performers in our production is amazing, the company is magnificent, everyone is great professionals. No one has any insurance, only one cast is involved in the production. A series of premiere screenings will take place now and the next block will be in June. What will happen next is still unknown.

– And what did Dmitry Chernyakov want to see in your Helen, in addition to vocal work? Tolstoy, for example, speaks of the “extraordinary, ancient beauty” of her body…

– No, this is not the main thing in Helen, just being beautiful is not enough. This character and I, of course, are very different, but this only spurred me on, making the role even more interesting. I can’t tell by her voice that it’s mine, but since the party is really small, I feel quite comfortable in it. Of course, beauty is one of Helen’s tools of influence in society. When I thought about this role, and every time I want to justify some not very positive character, I tried to justify it. I thought that perhaps her bad temper was influenced by childhood insults, some other unpleasant twists of fate, but I came to the conclusion that she was just like her brother, this cynicism and boundless selfishness were inherent in them by nature.

– Tolstoy nevertheless needed this heroine to show another facet of female nature.

– Yes, Lev Nikolayevich showed the dark side of a woman in the dramaturgy of the novel, Helen played a huge role in changing Natasha’s fate, greatly influencing this whole tragedy.

– And how did the director explain Helen’s “mission” to you?

– Dmitry Feliksovich constantly talked about her endless cynicism, and at one of the last rehearsals he defined her character very aptly: “elegant vulgarity”, which spurred me on a lot. By the power of manipulation, he compared her with Milady from The Three Musketeers. Helen is always doing well, she is beautiful, smart, everything is in control, everything is captured by her, she is a masterful manipulator not only with men.

For the first time, I came across the fact that from the very first rehearsal, the director told everything to the finest details, in great detail, gave food for thought about the nature, reasons for behavior, and actions. He inspired and supported, he has a very correct approach to each artist, individual. If he criticizes, then not for the sake of expressing dissatisfaction, but very constructively, on business. In this sense, he has no equal. Another discovery for me was what Chernyakov is not only a director, but also an amazing actor. He knows every measure, all the words, melodies, themes, all the parties. When he showed me something, I was stunned by how accurate everything was. He lived the lives of all the characters, every phrase. It’s great.

– How much did Vladimir Yurovsky support this work on the role?

– Now I dream of working again with him too – maybe on a more serious game. He is a phenomenal musician, incredibly correct in dealing with soloists, he is very willing to work with him. Although the role, again, seems to be small, he gave a lot of valuable advice, asked for naked chest notes in his voice, a “stupefying” timbre, so that each note was worth its weight in gold, since Helen’s speech is ambiguous.

— How is the chronological side of the opera solved in this performance?

– Everything is concentrated in one – our – era. No historical costumes, only pain and despair. I was in the strongest shock, it turned out to be a very emotional performance. Somewhere the hair stands on end, somewhere you want to sob, and there are a lot of such moments. The director-artist intensified everything, sharpened it with the appropriate visual range. I have a lump in my throat even when I’m talking about it now, only emotions, but what can I say? It needs to be seen and felt. It would be great to show this performance to the whole world.

– What heroines will appear in your future?

– At the moment I see myself mainly in German and French music. In the music of Richard Strauss, perhaps, I feel like a fish in water. I was supposed to sing during the Octavian pandemic in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier at the Stanislavsky Theatre, but everything was cancelled. Now I have Octavian standing on a pedestal, I dream of fulfilling him, and until I get this role, I will not calm down. Bizet’s “Carmen” is waiting for me ahead, and Charlotte in Massenet’s “Werther” – I also feel very comfortable in her.

– Where does such a craving for Strauss come from?

— You know, I fell in love with this music when I studied it in the Youth Program of the Bolshoi Theatre, with which I am counting down my professional activities. I feel it literally with my whole body, I want to sing and sing it. In addition, the German language helps sound science a lot, it puts everything in its place.