Chaikovsky’s Christmas Trifle

Ditlev Rindom

viernes, 8 de enero de 2010

Londres, sábado, 28 de noviembre de 2009.

The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Piotr Il'yich Chaikovsky, The Tsarina's Slippers. Francesca Zambello, director. Mikhail Mokrov, set designs. Tatiana Noginova, costume designs. Rick Fisher, lighting design. Alistair Marriott, choreographer. Larissa Diadkova (Solokha), Maxim Mikhailov (Devil), Vladimir Matorin (Chub), John Upperton (Panas), Olga Guryakova (Oxana), Vsevolod Grivnov (Vakula), Alexander Vassiliev (Pan Golova), Viacheslav Voynarovskiy (Schoolmaster), Olga Sabadoch (Odarka)m Changhan Lim (Wood Goblin), Andrew McNair (Echo), Sergei Leiferkus (His Highness), Jeremy White (Master of Ceremonies), Mara Galeazzi, Gary Avis (Principal Dancers).The Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus. Renato Balsadonna, chorus master. Stephen Westrop, chorus director. Dancers of the Royal Ballet. Alexander Polianichko, conductor.

The Tsarina’s Slippers has all the trappings of a classic Christmas show. Chaikovsky’s own favourite opera, it was previously staged at Wexford in an acclaimed production by Francesca Zambello, the festival then under the direction of Covent Garden’s current chief, Elaine Padmore. The pair have now reunited to produce the opera on the grandest scale, drawing upon a largely Russian cast and conductor and even collaborating with the Royal Ballet to add the ultimate icing on the cake.

The drama itself has obvious seasonal relevance. Based upon Gogol’s short story The Night Before Christmas, the opera focuses upon Vakula’s attempts to woo the village beauty Oxana, and her capricious demand that he deliver a pair of the Tsarina’s shoes before she will consent to marriage. This dilemma is intertwined with the Devil’s efforts both to seduce…

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