On 14 May the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre will present the premiere of a new production of Modest Musorgsky’s comic opera Sorochintsy Fair. Directed and choreographed by Ilya Ustyantsev, the staging features sets by Yekaterina Malinina, costumes by Maria Sedykh and lighting by Vadim Brodsky. The production is conducted by Valery Gergiev.
A striking departure from the grand historical dramas that define much of Musorgsky’s legacy – Boris Godunov, Khovanshchina – Sorochintsy Fair represents one of the composer’s rare forays into lyric-comic opera. Here the tragic weight of national history gives way to the riotous spirit of Gogol’s folkloric carnival.
Musorgsky began work on the opera in 1874, drawing on Gogol’s short story of the same name from the collection Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka. The composer brought Gogol’s vibrant characters to life with musical brilliance, painting scenes of a bustling country fair and fantastical gatherings of spirits with vivid colour. He also infused the score with poetic depictions of nature and tender folk melodies. Yet, despite its promise, the opera was left unfinished at the time of his death.
Over the years, several composers attempted completions – including Rimsky-Korsakov, Lyadov, Karatygin and Cherepnin – but it was Vissarion Shebalin’s 1931–32 version, completed and orchestrated with a deep respect for Musorgsky’s idiom, that has endured. This is the version now being performed at the Mariinsky Theatre.
The opera was first heard in concert on 16 March 1911 in St Petersburg, marking the thirtieth anniversary of Musorgsky’s death. Its first staged performance followed two years later in Moscow at the Svobodny Theatre.
For this new production Ilya Ustyantsev brings both directorial vision and choreographic finesse – skills honed in numerous Mariinsky Theatre productions (The Queen of Spades, A Christmas Tale, Die Fledermaus, The Maid of Orleans, L’elisir d’amore and Adriana Lecouvreur among others). His familiarity with the Concert Hall’s unique acoustics and spatial configuration informs a production that is as musically rich as it is theatrically dynamic.
“Staging a production in this venue – with its exceptional acoustics and the close relationship between stage and audience – is both a challenge and a pleasure,” says Ustyantsev. “It offers the opportunity to stage the action not only on the main platform but across the amphitheatre and atrium, creating a fuller, more immersive experience.”
One of the opera’s most memorable passages is the Dream of the Lad scene – a poetic interlude that combines musical whimsy, lyricism and psychological nuance. Ustyantsev’s choreographic treatment of the moment highlights its surreal, introspective beauty.
The creative team has remained deeply faithful to the spirit of both Musorgsky and Gogol, drawing on the imaginative legacy of these two cultural giants. Their goal: to realise onstage the vivid palette of imagery and emotion that the composer so treasured.
“Modest Petrovich Musorgsky was, without doubt, ahead of his time,” says Ustyantsev. “Today we turn to his music with growing frequency – a testament to its profound relevance. Its richness of content, its emotional integrity, its reflection of both social and inner life, continue to resonate. In developing this production we sought to engage with Musorgsky and Gogol as creative companions. And yet our task wasn’t merely to illustrate their work – it was to explore its inner questions: What matters most to these characters? Is life about profit and gain – or about preserving the soul, and the ties that bind us?”
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