The 104th season in Stasik is open

at the Moscow Musical Theatre. Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko (MAMT), a gathering of the troupe took place with the participation of the theater management. The general director of the theater Andrey Borisov, artistic director of the opera company Alexander Titel, artistic director of the ballet company Maxim Sevagin performed.

Andrei Borisov noted: “Despite the obvious difficulties, the past season was successful for us: we played a total of 210 opera and ballet performances, more than 130 thousand spectators visited the theater. In a number of indicators, we are closer to the pre-pandemic seasons. In extremely difficult conditions, both in opera and in ballet, we were able to present an original program.” Andrey Borisov also outlined the key principle of the theatre’s artistic policy: “The balance of tradition and renewal is what distinguishes our theater historically, what we aspire to. The program of the new season includes performances of large and small art forms, of different aesthetic orientation. The production teams of the new season are both masters and young directors who have made themselves known lately.” The CEO also outlined the strategic tasks of the life of the team. The most important of them is the development of the potential of young people. According to him, “the theater must be receptive to new names, be ready to take artistic experiments and risks.” Therefore, the theater relies on new names of conductors, choreographers and performers. Solving this problem, MAMT will act as the general partner of the First International Competition for Vocalists and Accompanists of Khibla Gerzmava, which will be held on the Main Stage from January 11 to 22, 2023. The winners and laureates of the competition will have the opportunity to make their debut on the MAMT stage. Other important tasks include developing the national repertoire, commissioning new compositions and increasing the number of premieres produced by the theatre.

The 104th season has already actually opened with a tour of the ballet troupe to the Kingdom of Thailand with Swan Lake and on the stage of the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre. Hvorostovsky, presenting “KAASH / Little Death / Autodance”. In Moscow, the theater opened the opera season with Verdi’s Aida, a revival of the performance directed by Peter Stein.

Alexander Titel presented the creative plans for the opera. March 1 and 3, 2023 – the opera “Norma” by Vincenzio Bellini, the title role in which will be performed by the soloist of the opera troupe of the theater Khibla Gerzmava – one of the sopranos most in demand on the opera stage. The performance will be staged by recognized masters – conductor Vladimir Spivakov and director Adolf Shapiro. Artistic design will be performed by Maria Tregubova. In June 2023, the theater will present the premiere of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera The Tsar’s Bride. The premiere performances of this famous and loved by the audience opera will continue the line of development of the national repertoire, which the theater began last season with the resumption of Mussorgsky’s monumental opera Khovanishchina, which turned out to be more in tune with the time than ever. Dmitry Belyanushkin will be the stage director of the opera The Tsar’s Bride, and Alexander Arefiev will be the set designer.

The young, recently appointed artistic director of the ballet troupe Maxim Sevagin spoke about the two premiere performances: “Each of the premiere performances is a completely original product, which is created specifically for the ballet troupe of the theater, taking into account its capabilities, creative and technical potential.” Already in the fall, choreographer Yuri Posokhov will present a new “Nutcracker” to the music of Tchaikovsky. Premiere shows on November 25 and 27 on the Main Stage. Conductor-producer Ivan Nikiforchin. Production designer – Polina Bakhtina. On the Small Stage in April 2023, the world premiere of the ballet Through the Looking-Glass by contemporary choreographer Konstantin Semenov will take place. Music for the ballet will be created by composer Vasily Peshkov. The author of scenography and costumes will be Maria Tregubova. On June 21, new one-act performances will be presented on the Main Stage of the theater by modern Russian choreographers Ksenia Ternavskaya, Pavel Glukhov and Maxim Sevagin, who shared the details of his new project: he works with music by Jacques Offenbach and Daniel Aubert. The conductor-producer will be maestro Felix Korobov.

By the 150th anniversary of Rachmaninoff, the composer’s musical poem “The Bells” will be performed on the Main Stage of the theater. The concert will take place on April 1, 2023, soloists of the opera troupe, the MAMT orchestra and choir will take part in it, Felix Korobov will be the music director and conductor. A cycle of concerts and lectures by Musica Antica will open in the Atrium of the theater: “The House of the Medici. The Flourishing Arts” in November, “Christmas Songs” in December, “Prophets and Apostles” in March-April, and “The Decline of the Stuart Dynasty” in June. Musical director and conductor – Maria Maksimchuk. The soloists of the opera and the MAMT children’s choir will take part in the concerts. Orchestra – baroque consort Tempo Restauro.

Irina SHVEDOVA.

Photo of the author.