The opera mix
Bravissimo! was first performed on 22 March 2001 in celebration of the Novaya Opera’s 10th Anniversary. This grandiose costume gala engages practically all the Novaya Opera soloists, chorus and orchestra. The original idea was conceived by Chief Choirmaster Natalya Popovich, and Maestro Evgeny Kolobov, the founder of the theatre, had a hand in implementing it.
This is a selection of the 19th-century Russian and West European operas (Song of the Vedenets Merchant from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sadko, Norma’s cavatina from the Bellini opera, Nemorino’s romance from Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore), famous romances (Alyabiev’s The Nightingale), chorus arrangements of folk songs (“In the Dark Wood”), and Evgeny Kolobov’s orchestrations (Glinka’s nocturne Parting).
Part 1, which consists of Russian classical operatic numbers, reconstructs the atmosphere of the Hermitage Garden in the early 20th century. At that time the place was notable for performances by the legendary musicians Sergey Rachmaninov, Feodor Chaliapin, Leonid Sobinov, Antonina Nezhdanova, the outstanding ballerina Anna Pavlova, the famous actors Sarah Bernhardt and Ernesto Rossi and other European stars. In Part 2, comprised of foreign operatic hits, the sweeping alternation of arias, choruses and ensembles gives traditional numbers an unexpected interpretation.
Bravissimo! gives an ironic perspective on opera and, at the same time, it is an expression of our gratitude and our tribute to masters of the theatrical art.
