On 24, 25 and 26 November the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre will host the premiere performances of a new production of Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Golden Cockerel. The family-oriented fairytale staging is being created by director Anna Shishkina, set designer Varvara Pletneva and costume designer Antonia Shestakova. The first premiere performance will be conducted by the production’s music director, Valery Gergiev.
Composed in 1907, The Golden Cockerel was Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s final opera and the last Russian opera of the classical period. Its world premiere took place on 24 September 1909, presented by Zimin’s Opera Company at the Solodovnikov Theatre in Moscow; a subsequent performance followed at the Bolshoi Theatre on 6 November. Before its appearance at the Mariinsky Theatre, the work even travelled to Paris: on 21 May 1914 the Ballets Russes presented a hybrid opera-ballet version at the Palais Garnier – a production that met with strong disapproval from the composer’s family. The Golden Cockerel debuted at the Mariinsky Theatre on 14 February 1919, with later stagings presented in 2003 and 2014.
This season the dazzling score of the Russian classic will be revealed in a fresh directorial interpretation. Anna Shishkina’s production will be shown on the stage of the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre, a venue that has firmly established itself not only as an acoustically superb space but also as a unique theatrical playground.
“The very layout of the stage inspired us to imagine the kingdom of Dodon as a jewel-box – a kind of miniature, intimate world. At the same time the Concert Hall has impressive height, which we filled with stars, enormous chandeliers and draperies. In our production this becomes a realm of looming danger, overshadowing the small puppet-like town below. We wanted to bring to the stage a magical, surprising spectacle that will thoroughly enchant young audiences,” notes set designer Varvara Pletneva.
Audiences can expect a vivid, dynamic production suitable for the whole family. Choreographer Maria Korablyova is responsible for the dances and stage movement, promising a performance rich in theatrical physicality.
“This is indeed a satirical, pamphlet-like story that offers plenty of material for intellectual reflection. But for us the main task was to create a production for children – to bring in family audiences – which means that above all it is a fairytale. We want to preserve the energy of childhood play without diminishing the layers of meaning embedded by Pushkin and Rimsky-Korsakov,” explains director Anna Shishkina.
Tsar (King) Dodon: Andrei Serov, Denis Begansky, Ilya Bannik, Vadim Kravets, Vladimir Felyauer
The Astrologer: Alexander Mikhailov, Klim Tikhonov, Boris Stepanov, Stanislav Leontiev, Andrei Popov, Denis Zakirov
The Queen of Shemakha: Olga Pudova, Yulia Suleimanova, Aigul Khismatullina, Kristina Gontsa, Anna Denisova, Antonina Vesenina
Amelfa the Housekeeper: Elena Vitman, Anna Kiknadze, Daria Tereshchenko, Zlata Bulycheva
The Golden Cockerel: Kira Loginova, Marina Tekhtelyova, Isabella Andriasyan
The Voivode (Warlord) Polkan: Yakov Strizhak, Stepan Zavalishin, Miroslav Molchanov, Yevgeny Chernyadiev
Tsarevich (Prince) Guidon: Alexander Trofimov, Gamid Abdulov, Kirill Belov, Anton Khalansky, Dmitry Voropaev
Tsarevich (Prince) Afron: Maxim Daminov, Yaroslav Petryanik, Anatoly Mikhailov, Stepan Zavalishin
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