Three Rachmaninoff Operas in Bruxelles

By Henning Høholt

Aleko, costume for a member of the choir, made by Manon Kündig. – In the break after Aleko, some choire members are visiting the foyer, and this gave a great posibility to take a close look at the fantasifull costumes. This one came and was sitiing beside me in the break. Foto Henning Høholt, 2015. Bruxelles.

BRUXELLES/BELGIUM: In Europe it is a pity that we not often get the possibility to enjoy the three short (one hour each) operas by Rachmaninoff, Aleko, Skupoj Rytsar and Francesca di Rimini. Therefore it is great that La Monnaie in Bruxelles under the leadership of its general manager Peter de Caluwe, during its renovation periode at La Monnaie is presenting these three operas in June, in a cooperation with Bolshoi in Moscow. in adition to other programmes at the Nationaltheatre, not far from their normal operabuilding.

It is an interesting production, presenting three different histories, by a team with Regi by Kirsten Dehlholm, co regi Jon R. Skulleberg (Norway) in cooperation with Hotel Pro Forma. Costumes by Manon Kundig, Scenografi Maja Ziska, light Jesper Kongshaug, Video Magnus Pind Bjerre, Dramaturgie Krystian Lada. The production is excellent conducted by Mikhail Tatarnikov, he is from St. Petersburg and is making his debut at La Monnaie. I specially enjoyed the large symphonic parts, and his good cooperation with the singers in all the three operas. -Responsable for the well singing and moving choir is Martino Faggiani.  

INTERESTING STAGE SOLUTION

Aleko, applause, Bruxelles, 2015. Foto Henning Høholt

For this production a talented team has made a stage solution without Orchestra pit, and in stead build up a tall staircase arrangement, where the orchestra is at the down steps, followed by the soloists on the middle steps and the choire at the upper steps. Thank to a good light arrangement this is functioning very well, and the results of these three different operas has become an interesting and positiv result.

The orchestra part is large symphonic, for Aleko it could be an symphonic Opera. With the conductor Mikhail Tatarnikov the musically result is extraordinary, and it gives these operas en extra lift that the audience in the first and the third opera can watch the orchestra, in the middle only partly, as in that thereis placed a see through sliding wall, who partly covers the opera, and the singers are placed in front of this wall
. Which functions very well
.

ALEKO

In Aleko they have got in good singers in the titelrole the Lithuanian, well russian singing baryton Kostas Smoriginas, a hit in the role
. Together with Sergey Semishkur, Alexander Vassiliev, Anna Neehaeva, Yaroslava Kozina. Libretto  Vladimir Nemirovitsj-Dantsjenko after The Gipsyes by Alexander Pouchkine.

Sergei Leiferkus as the Baron in Skupoj Rytsar by Rachmaninoff in Bruxelles, foto Henning Høholt 2015

Skupoj Rytsar

Skupoj Rytsar  is headed by the famouse russian soloist Sergei Leiferkus
. Who we great autority is presenting his role as the Baron, in the interesting history with libretto by Alexander Pouchkine. A dominant role. together with Dmitry Golovnin as his son, Ilya Silchukov as the Duce, Alexander Kravets as the jewish moneylender and Alexander Vassiliev as the waiter.

In the scenography fpr Skupoj Rytsar the scenographic solution is with a partly see through wall in front of the orchestra, and in front of that all the history is going on, dominated by long beautiful and demanding parts by Sergei Leiferkus, – a master piece.

 FRANCESCA DA RIMINI

In Francesca da Rimini another good cast
. Anna Neehaeva in the titelrole, Dimitris Tiliakov as Lanceotto Malatesta together with Sergey Semishkur as Paolo, Alexander Vissiliev and Dmitri Golovin as Dante. Libretto by Modest Tsjaikovsky after Dante.

A well formed production, who works well in Bruxelles.

Nationaltheatre – Bruxelles, where La Monnaie is performing fduring the renowation of their normal theatre, foto Henning Høholt