The opera “Theater Director” is a brilliant confirmation that a true genius is capable of creating a masterpiece even when commissioned by the powers that be. The customer was the Austrian Emperor Joseph II himself. This monarch organized a grand celebration in Vienna on February 7, 1786, dedicated to the arrival of the Governor-General of the Netherlands in the Austrian capital. The holiday was a great success - there were dances and dinner parties - but the main surprise was the premiere production of two one-act operas, the authors of which were Antonio Salieri - the same Salieri whom legend turned into a murderer... he, of course, was not a murderer, but Perhaps he was a rival - at least on that day. After all, the Kaiser did not just want to please the high-ranking public with new operas - he organized a competition between the two best composers in Vienna to answer the main question: who writes operas better - Italians or Germans?
Since we were talking about competition in the field of theater, the topic was chosen accordingly - the plots of both works were dedicated to the behind-the-scenes life of the theater. Salieri, representing Italy, wrote the opera “First the Music, Then the Word” to a libretto by the Italian poet G. Casti, and, defending the honor of German music at this unusual competition, created the opera “The Theater Director”. The librettist was G. Stefani, who four years earlier created the libretto for another opera, “.”
The opera “Theater Director” in a comedic vein depicts theatrical morals, which have not changed at all in the modern world: the same rivalry, the same struggle for the main roles, the same capricious and absurd “stage stars”. The theater director is animatedly discussing with the buff comedian the upcoming formation of a theater troupe - but they both have to join in the “battle” between two singers - Mrs. Hertz and Mrs. Silberklang, who are vying for the position of prima donna and high fees. In order to stop the discord, the director has to threaten to cancel the performance - and only then does everyone agree to make peace and work for the love of art.
The opera "Theater Director" was written in the genre of Singspiel - a German comic opera, the structure of which alternates musical numbers and spoken dialogues. In the original there were nine characters, five of whom had spoken roles, and four singing roles - bass, tenor and two sopranos, and the role of the director was spoken, and in the first production it was performed by the author of the libretto himself. In modern productions, only four characters are left, who both sing and speak.
The one-act opera “Theater Director” is small in scale - it consists of an overture, two soprano arias, a terzetto and a “vaudeville” - a verse finale in which all four characters take part. But even in these few numbers the performers have a brilliant opportunity to show themselves - the soprano arias are distinguished by their virtuosity (after all, each of the heroines wants to prove that she is the best!), and a very extensive soprano solo is also present in the terzetto.
So who won the musical competition at which the opera “Theater Director” was first presented? No, it was not - the victory was awarded to Salieri. Critics generally often rated his operas higher than his works - and this best refutes the legend of the envy that Salieri felt towards. During his lifetime there was no reason for such envy - and it was impossible to foresee a future in which Mozart's operas were destined to have a longer stage life. This is what happened this time: “First the music, then the word” by Antonio Salieri is now forgotten, and “Theater Director” - although not as often as “” or “” - appears in the repertoire of theaters.
Musical Seasons
"Director" returned to the theater stage
On August 28, the Pokrovsky Chamber Musical Theater opened its 42nd season with the revival of Mozart’s opera “The Theater Director.” The participants in the evening were worthy of respect because they gave the public a chance to observe with their own eyes the result of the continuity of generations. The performance itself deserved gratitude, as it continued a series of examples of careful attitude to the traditions of their creator, which were quickly interrupted and ended so absurdly in many Russian and world musical theaters earlier.
The history of the “Theater Director” at the Chamber Musical began in 1975, when two of his soloists, Lyudmila Sokolenko and Nina Yakovleva, asked Boris Pokrovsky to stage a one-act comic opera by Mozart. “Boris Aleksandrovich improvised conversational dialogues very easily, witty and with a sense of theater,” recalls chief director Mikhail Kislyarov. As a result, the play about the rivalry between two actresses for theatrical leadership has surprised opera fans for almost thirty years, despite the different versions of its decisions.
“This opera was restored in the shortest possible time: there were several rehearsals at the end of that season and literally several rehearsals now,” says Mikhail Kislyarov. “The way the artists turned on, the way their eyes lit up - this is a very joyful event for us. For us It is also important that this work has great educational significance,” he emphasizes. Those who participated in the first production of the play passed on their experience to the young: Honored Artists of Russia Lyudmila Sokolenko, Nina Yakovleva, Yaroslav Radivonik and Boris Tarkhov.
Mozart's masterpiece was restored with joyful trepidation. “This performance is special for me. I conducted it after Anatoly Levin and Gennady Rozhdestvensky,” admits chief conductor Vladimir Agronsky. “I saw this opera when I was not yet working in the theater. I think this is the history of the Chamber Musical. I love and remember this performance very well,” recalls stage director Valery Fedorenko.
In the late 80s, Boris Alexandrovich never tired of introducing new performers, changing the text, and rearranging situations as the action progressed. The theatrical atmosphere was so amazing that the artists could not imagine their existence without it, either at rehearsals or on stage.
In the renewed version, time has changed, and the generation of actors has changed. “We can’t do a lot, we don’t know a lot,” Vladimir Agronsky justifies himself. “We could only preserve the external form, but that individualism, in the good sense of the word, is now difficult for us to achieve,” he notes. – To justify the existing mise-en-scène, we had to slightly change the motivational moments for the performers. At the same time, of course, the essence is preserved - a classic joke concert on the topic of how musical theater exists."
The performance on the day of the premiere turned out to be smooth and smooth. Without the former ease and spontaneity in acting, but technically accurate and natural in vocals. The lyrical singer “with a heart” - Madame Herz (Ekaterina Ferzba) was overly tender in her feelings and high notes. The virtuoso soprano “silver bell” - Mademoiselle Silberklang (Olesya Starukhina) is sharp in her movements and bright in her virtuoso passages. The theater director (Vasily Gafner) and the buffoon comedian (Roman Shevchuk) historically looked more informed in ensembles rather than solo. Opening night jitters aside, their characters left a positive impression on the cast. However, against a male background, the female heroines looked much taller and more interesting in their, admittedly, expected behavior on the theater stage.
The opera consisted of only four musical numbers in German and an overture, which were interspersed with spoken dialogues in Russian. As often happens, Mozart's work has become a kind of standard of purity of art, thanks to its perfect form, clarity of musical intonations and directorial decisions. In many ways, this feeling was created thanks to the thoughtful and strictly verified conducting work of Moscow Conservatory graduate Airat Kashaev, who was invited specifically to revive the opera.
Before the premiere, the director of the Chamber Music Theater, Oleg Mikhailov, said that his theater was much calmer than that of the heroes of Mozart’s renewed work. Vladimir Agronsky added that he is satisfied with the current diligence of the artists and is pleased with their vocal and acting level of work.
We can only hope that the results achieved due to careful handling of older artists and young people will not change. And the opera “Theater Director” will remain only in the repertoire and will not leave it, regardless of the vital theatrical phenomena of the capital.
Vladimir Oyvin, Newsmuz.com, November 04, 2013
"Theater Director" by Mozart - the first opera premiere of the season
The premiere of the revival of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's comic opera "Theater Director" was presented on August 28, 2013 by the Moscow State Academic Chamber Musical Theater named after. B. A. Pokrovsky.
Before the start of the performance, a press conference was held, which was attended by: director of the restoration of the opera Valery Fedorenko, chief conductor of the theater Vladimir Agronsky, chief director Mikhail Kislyarov, new conductor of the theater Airat Kashaev, director of the Chamber Musical Theater Oleg Mikhailov.
The press conference was moderated by the head of the literary and dramatic department of the theater, Natalia Surnina. She told the story of the creation of the opera and its production by Boris Aleksandrovich Pokrovsky. It is known that the opera "Theater Director" was written by Mozart at the request of Kaiser Joseph II to compete with Antonio Salieri's opera "First the Music, Then the Word." The audience had to choose: whose essay on a plot from the life of the opera backstage is better - Italian or German? The listeners of that time chose Salieri as the winner of the competition.
The opera "Theater Director" was staged at the Chamber Musical Theater in 1975 and lasted on its stage for almost 30 years. Since 1992, it has been paired with Salieri’s “First the music, then the word.” The director of the restoration, Valery Fedorenko, said that he set a goal to free the performance from the layers that had accumulated due to various circumstances over such a long period of its life.
The chief conductor of the theater, Vladimir Agronsky, noted that the Chamber Theater has restored and will continue to restore productions made in different years by Boris Aleksandrovich Pokrovsky. Regarding the restoration of “Theater Director,” Agronsky explained: since outstanding performers were initially involved in that production, it is impossible to restore it in the form in which it was created. Pokrovsky had an amazing gift for individual work with artists. The new performers are young, and they have not gone through Pokrovsky’s school. They must be handled carefully. On the one hand, it is necessary to ensure that they fulfill the role pattern that Pokrovsky created, but on the other hand, they are different! After all, there has been a complete change of generations in the theater. When asked if the theater was going to resume Salieri’s opera, Agronsky replied that he was not going to, because Salieri's music, although good, is certainly inferior to Mozart's music. “I’m not in the mood for this!” – finished Vladimir Agronsky.
Airat Kashaev, who is making his debut at the Chamber Theater as an opera conductor, said that he is happy to work here.
In the restoration of "Theater Director" the performers of the first production of the opera in the musical Chamber Theater worked as assistant directors: soprano Nina Yakovleva, coloratura soprano Lyudmila Sokolenko, tenor Boris Tarkhov and baritone Yaroslav Radivonik.
The restored play "Theater Director" itself is easy to listen to and in one breath. This is primarily the merit of the young conductor Airat Kashaev. He was born in 1984 in Kazan. Graduated with honors from the Moscow State Conservatory named after P. I. Tchaikovsky in two specialties: choral conducting" (class of Professor L. Z. Kontorovich) and "opera-symphonic conducting" (class of Professor G. N. Rozhdestvensky) and was awarded the title "Best graduate of the year - 2012". In 2009, he received 1st prize at the II All-Russian competition of choral conductors. Since 2008, Airat Kashaev has been the chief conductor of the theater of the G. Vishnevskaya College of Musical and Theater Arts, since 2011 - artistic director of the Academic Choir of the College of the Russian Academy of music named after the Gnessins, laureate of the Fifth International Choral Festival “I Sing to My God I Am.” Since February 2013, A. Kashaev has been the leading conductor of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra of the Pavel Slobodkin Center. Since April 2013, he has been the conductor of the B. A. Pokrovsky Chamber Music Theater .
There are only four characters in the opera "Theater Director". The premiere performance included the director of the opera house - tenor Vasily Gafner, buffoon comedian - baritone Roman Shevchuk, and two potential prima donnas - sopranos, each with a claim to primacy in the troupe. The first to appear on stage is Madame Hertz, a “singer with a heart” (in today’s terms, a lyric soprano). Her role was performed by Ekaterina Ferzba. Mademoiselle Silberklang (silver bell) comes for her - coloratura soprano Olesya Starukhin. Recitatives and spoken dialogues were performed in Russian, four arias were performed in German.
Both ladies very accurately described the atmosphere in opera troupes, as they say, “from Romulus to the present day.” This was the case under Mozart, it happened in the last century, and it still happens today. Suffice it to recall the rivalry between Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi in the mid-twentieth century. (We will not go into the situation in current opera companies.)
The male parts were performed at a good vocal and dramatic level. The recitatives and ensembles sounded quite good. But in the first aria, Ekaterina Ferzba initially had vocal problems, especially on the upper notes, but by the middle of the aria she dealt with them. Olesya Starukhina performed more evenly, although her voice sometimes sounded harsh in the upper register. In general, taking into account the excitement of the premiere, the overall impression is quite positive.
A pair of “Theater Director” was also a one-act opera by Georg Philipp Telemann “Pimpinone, or an Unequal Marriage”. The purpose of this review is not to analyze this repertoire work. Another thing is that "Pimpinone", in my opinion, does not correspond in the most successful way with Mozart's "Theater Director". The charming opera of the young Mozart “Bastien and Bastien”, which also once graced the poster of the Chamber Musical Theater, comes here. I wish I could restore it too! It would have been a stylistically ideal performance.
In the meantime, the Boris Pokrovsky Chamber Musical Theater can be congratulated on two generally very successful, cheerful premieres - the musical comedies “The Three Pintos” by Weber-Mahler and “The Theater Director” by Mozart.
The opera "The Theater Director" was written by Mozart in 1786 for a celebration organized in Vienna by Kaiser Joseph II in honor of the Governor General of the Netherlands. The program of celebrations, in addition to dinner parties and dances, included a musical “competition” between Italian and German opera. Vienna's two first composers, Mozart and Salieri, received commissions to compose operas. On February 7, at the Schönbrunn Palace, Salieri’s one-act operas “First the music, then the word” to the libretto by J.B. Casti and Mozart’s “Theater Director” to the libretto by G. Stefani were performed.
Salieri represented the Italian operatic tradition. Mozart wrote the Singspiel in the German tradition. The victory was awarded to Salieri.
Initially, the opera had 10 roles: “speaking” and “singing”. The genre – Singspiel – suggests just such an option. Singspiel can be compared to an operetta.
In the modern interpretation, the opera has 4 characters who both sing and speak. As always, in this theater, the stage design is interesting, and the costumes are wonderful. As always, the characters' personalities are built and shown. As always, beautiful voices. It turned out to be a cute, elegant musical joke!
Plot. The buffoon comedian receives permission to form a theater troupe and discusses this news with the theater director. A singer appears, claiming the position of prima. Then the second one. A battle unfolds between them for first place and a higher fee. Naturally, the director and comedian are drawn into this battle. 4 actors, 4 characters, 4 voices.
Accordingly, the opera has four musical numbers, not counting the overture - two most virtuosic arias, a terzetto with large soprano solos (one at the Adagio tempo, the other at the Allegro tempo) and a “vaudeville” (the verse finale that concludes the opera).
Overture
1. Aria of Mrs. Herz, first singer, “Da schlägt des Abschieds Stunde”
2. Aria of Mrs. Silberklang, second singer, “Bester Jüngling”
3. Terzet (Mrs. Herz, Mrs. Silberklang, Mr. Vogelsang - theater director) “Ich bin die erste Sängerin”
4. Vaudeville (Mrs. Herz, Mrs. Silberklang, Mr. Vogelsang and Buff) “Schlussgesang Jeder Kunstler”
Mozart's one-act comic opera for four soloists was staged by B.A. Pokrovsky in 1975 and was performed in the theater with constant success for almost 30 years. After a short break, the performance was restored. The restoration was carried out by the director Valery Fedorenko, the conductor-producer - People's Artist of Russia Vladimir Agronsky, the conductor - graduate of the Moscow Conservatory Ayrat Kashaev, the artist - Olga Oshkalo, as well as the soloists of the theater on which Pokrovsky staged this opera in 1975: Honored Artists of Russia Lyudmila Sokolenko, Nina Yakovleva, Yaroslav Radivonik and Boris Tarkhov.
The performance features young theater soloists Natalya Sivtsevich, Tatyana Fedotova, Ekaterina Ferzba (Madame Hertz), Irina Alekseenko, Olesya Starukhina (Mademoiselle Zilberklang), Vasily Gafner, Alexey Sulimov (Theater Director), Andrey Tsvetkov-Tolbin and Roman Shevchuk (Comic Buff ).
I attended the premiere performance yesterday, August 28, 2013!
Impression.
The stage is designed as a “backdrop” to the real stage. In the center, to the right and to the left is the auditorium, as if you were seeing it from the stage. In the center of the “scene within a scene” is a small curtained “cube” that you can enter and use as a small stage, as a kind of podium. 3 chairs. A small round table with wine glasses and a bottle of wine.
The conversation between the theater director and the buffoon comedian is interrupted by the appearance of Mrs. Hertz, the first soprano. She appears from the auditorium and marches to the stage, singing as she goes. A young graceful woman with a strong, gentle voice, in a luxurious dress. Next comes the entrance to the stage, demands and a solo part on that very “podium”. Men surrender to all the lady's conditions.
And at this time the door from the audience hall to the auditorium opens and Mademoiselle Silberklang, the second soprano, appears on the threshold. A somewhat vulgar girl with bazaar manners climbs onto the stage and dictates her terms. A brilliant solo part follows on the “podium”. What is not brilliant about Mozart?!!!
A real ladies' war is unfolding, in which the director becomes the main prize, and therefore the way to resolve the issue. The comedian acts as an adversary ally.
What kind of antics do the ladies use! Everything that can be shown on stage! And the events unfold easily, gracefully, playfully, with an eye on the audience - they say, did you appreciate it? You, the audience, understood that I was the prettiest, the bravest, but the one who felt reasonable boundaries!
And the director! I want everything, but here I also need to save the business!
The director and the comedian are rushing between two young, pretty, talented ladies.
The director cannot stand the ladies' war and declares that for the sake of art a truce is necessary.
To avoid larger losses - work - everyone agrees to a peace settlement on the basis of mutual concessions.
During the verse finale, the ladies retire to the “cube-podium”, change clothes in it and come out in modern clothes. The men take turns disappearing from the stage and also appearing in modern clothes.
The performance is perceived as a joke, an anecdote! An elegant musical joke!
Once again – thanks to the theater!!!
Unfortunately, videos from the performance of the Pokrovsky Theater have not yet been posted. But I really want to show the music!
Opera guru Dmitry Bertman about his dramatic experience in the theater—musical based on Pushkin's Mozart and Salieri.
The famous opera provocateur, artistic director of Helikon-Opera Dmitry Bertman decided to work together with dramatic artists Igor Kostolevsky, Mikhail Yanushkevich and Mikhail Filippov. He put " Theater directors"- a performance based on Pushkin's "Mozart and Salieri", where the music of both composers will be heard. On the eve of the premiere, a correspondent from “Your Leisure” met with the director.
Dmitry Bertman
Is this your first experience in drama theatre?
No, what are you talking about? I staged my diploma in drama, and then at the Kalyagin Theater I produced the musical My fair lady. “Theater Director” is also a musical. We took Pushkin’s text as a basis, but we cannot say that Kostolevsky plays Mozart, and Filippov plays Salieri, everything is more cunning there.
How, In your, Are genius and villainy incompatible?
Unfortunately, our time proves the opposite - I wanted to reflect on this topic. Crazy old man Salieri admitted that he poisoned Mozart, but history tells a different story. There is a wonderful German book that provides facts: Mozart wrote denunciations against Salieri - after all, he was terribly popular, he attracted huge audiences, Catherine the Great herself wrote a libretto for one of his operas. Mozart did not have such popularity; Salzburg at that time was like our Uryupinsk. In addition, Salieri wrote in Italian and French, and Mozart wrote in German - German was not the language of the upper class. By the way, how do you like the fact that after Mozart’s death, his widow sent her son to study with Salieri?! And in Pushkin, Salieri, throwing poison into the wine, says: “Treasured gift of love, pass today into the cup of friendship...”. Both must drink the cup. “Wait, wait, you drank without me...” says Salieri.
That is, everything is ambiguous in Pushkin too?
Well, of course! But our performance is not about whether there was poisoning. It's about the unified field in which Genius and Villainy exist, and how they ultimately come together...
Is it true that you use arias from Salieri’s operas that have not been heard for a very long time?
Yes, this is unique music. By the way, Hector Berlioz heard one of these arias in his youth and decided to become a composer. With the help of two soloists of our theater, Marina Karpetchenko and Inna Zvenyatskaya, we will dare to be hooligan: we will combine parts from the operas of Salieri and Mozart into one duet, they will be performed in different languages, but in the same key.
What will all this look like - wigs, camisoles?
No no. Mozart, Salieri and the artists of the chamber ensemble Petit Opera will be dressed in average clothes - the same as musicians come to rehearsals. The singers and the theater director will wear stylized opera costumes. Thanks to the artist Maxim Obrezkov, the action will take place in two spaces simultaneously: on the stage and in the pit. Musicians always dream of getting out of the pit and getting on stage - where success is. The theater director is trying to produce a play and exists in two worlds at the same time.
Will Mikhail Yanushkevich play the director?
Yes, but this is both an everyday and at the same time an infernal image. The image of Envy, who is the real director of any theater.
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