“Figaro's Wedding” is an opera created by the brilliant Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte, inspired by the rebellious play by Pierre Beaumarchais.
Its premiere took place in Vienna in 1786 in the presence of Emperor Joseph the Second and his entire court. Mozart himself stood behind the conductor's console, to whom the audience gave an enthusiastic ovation. Since then, this work, recognized as a masterpiece of world musical art, has been staged on the most famous stage of the planet hundreds of times.
At the Bolshoi Theater, "The Wedding of Figaro" was first presented to the audience in 1926. After almost 90 years, the director Evgeny Pisarev carried out a new production of this Mozart opera, which can be seen today.
About the performance
As already mentioned, the new production of Figaro’s Weddings at the Bolshoi Theater (see reviews below) was carried out by Evgeny Pisarev. The director had to compete with himself, because shortly before that he presented the audience with the performance Italian in Algeria, for which he was nominated for the Golden Mask and received many enthusiastic reviews from viewers and critics. In addition, in 2014 he presented the audience with a dramatic version of “The Marriage of Figaro” with Alexander Lazarev in the title role in the Pushkin Theater. However, when working at the Bolshoi Theater, Pisarev decided not to repeat himself and tried to create something completely different from his previous creations.
The conductor of “The Weddings of Figaro” at the Bolshoi Theater (duration - 3 hours 20 minutes) was no less successful William Lacy, and Zinovy Margolin, Victoria Sevryukova and Damir Ismailov were involved in stage design, stage lighting and costume design.
When creating the play based on Mozart’s opera, it was decided to abandon the traditional style of this work. The director transferred the action from the gallant century to the 60s of the XX century. Therefore, a typewriter, a chic retro convertible and attributes of the heyday of Italian cinema from the time of Fellini appear on the stage as props and scenery. At the same time, everything was done so that the viewer felt the atmosphere of the holiday to the magical sounds of the life-affirming music of the brilliant Wolfgang-Amadeus.
Set design
The reviews of the “Figaro Wedding” at the Bolshoi Theater show that most viewers liked the idea of turning the stage space into the “apartment building” that they see in the first act. According to the director and the artist who designed the performance, the characters enter into “dialogues” and sing their arias in the shower room, servant’s room, countess’s boudoir, etc. At the same time, the viewer peeps at everyone and switches his attention from one part of the stage to another, which gives dynamism to the performance. In the future, the Count’s office appears in the foreground, and at the end of the last action, the denouement takes place against the backdrop of a chic bright red car in which the newlyweds arrived.
Cast
The current production of the opera “The Wedding of Figaro” at the Bolshoi Theater pleases the audience with the youth of the cast, whose average age is about 30 years. Moreover, almost everyone involved in the play has several serious roles in their repertoire and they have excellent vocal abilities. In addition, actors and actresses appear in front of the audience in the images of heroes invented by Beaumarchais, generously share their youth energy with them, and this perfectly matches the style of the buffoonery in which Mozart and da Ponte originally created “The Marriage of Figaro”.
Ekaterina Morozova
In the play “The Wedding of Figaro” of the Bolshoi Theater, reviews of which are most often positive, the role of Countess Almaviva went to this young actress. Ekaterina Morozova was enrolled in the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater in 2016. Before that, she sang on the stage of the Mariinsky. The girl has a rather extensive and diverse repertoire, and her attractive appearance and royal posture make it possible to successfully perform in various roles.
Konstantin Shushakov
Count Almaviva performed by this singer, who reminds of Dmitri Hvorostovsky in his youthful manner and in accordance with the transfer of action to another historical epoch, does not look like an offspring of an aristocratic kind, but an arrogant nouveau riche. Instead of fake footmen, he is surrounded by arrogant guards and paparazzi, whom he perceives as his retinue.
As for the vocals, judging by the reviews of critics, the party of the count for Shushakov did not become crowned, as experts note some shortcomings, such as singing a little "inside" and too loud forts.
Olga Seliverstova
For the role of Figaro’s bride, Suzanne, Pisarev chose this actress, who has experience working in the Paris National Opera and performing at many famous stage venues in our country and abroad. Her Suzanne is a minx who comes up with all kinds of clothes and creates confusion. She is a girl on her mind, but she sincerely loves Figaro, although she is not averse to deceiving him if necessary.
Soprano Olga is ideally suited for conveying the whole gamut of feelings laid down by Mozart in Suzanne’s aria, therefore, during the performance, the actress repeatedly receives the applause of the audience.
Alexander Miminoshvili
The actor was able to create on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater an image of an energetic and comical rogue, who, nevertheless, becomes a victim of female cunning. His Figaro is sonorous and arouses sincere sympathy among the audience. Viewers especially like the aria of Aprite un po'quegli occhi. At least about her expressiveness and how masterfully Miminoshvili portrays a simpleton, you can hear the most flattering reviews. However, the highlight of the current version of “The Weddings of Figaro” at the Bolshoi Theater (see reviews below) was the non piu andrai aria. In it, the count valet admonishes Cherubino for a soldier's life, expressively conveying his cynical attitude to army service through intonations and gestures.
Reviews
Most viewers express a positive opinion about the performance “The Wedding of Figaro”. Especially many admiring reviews can be heard about the design of the stage and costumes of artists. The praise of the audience is also addressed to the performers of the main parts of the play. As for the criticisms, there are few of them and they are mostly subjective.
Now you know what attracts the audience the performance “The Wedding of Figaro” at the Bolshoi Theater. From evening to evening, the actors and the musicians of the orchestra doing everything to make the audience happy that he decided to spend the evening in the main musical theater of the country.