| “The new meanings that Ekaterina Odegova and Mikhail Muginshtein have introduced in the production – a powerful Bulgakovian line, echoing of epochs and philosophical generalizations – make the story of Faust timeless and universal. They, however, have not practically touched the production’s musical aspect, which is done in excellent taste and with complete professionalism.” Muzykalny Klondaik, October 2016 “It happens very seldom, but this production is good in all its aspects. It is beautiful and intelligent, with excellent soloists and splendid chorus and orchestra. <…> The effortless change-over from frolicsomeness to seriousness is a very nice ability of the young stage director, who has two more pleasant qualities: musical sense and visual exactness. In her production the music is well heard; she lets the music finish saying what it wants without interrupting it. Meantime, Marguerite, for instance, just sits motionlessly, gazing into space in the Chernyakov-esque manner.
The set design by another young lady, Etel Ioshpa, is the production’s special asset. When the curtain rises after the first intermission, the audience, like in good old days, gives the glad-hand even to the imagery…” Colta.ru October 2016 “To be sure, the Novaya Opera is fortunate in having Jan Latham-Koenig as its chief conductor. Each performance given by the conductor and the Novaya Opera’s orchestra and soloists is a great event for music lovers. The orchestra plays technically flawlessly and, at the same time, with great passion. Its sound, not innocuously perfect but vital and vibrant, at times leads forward more than the action.” ” Nezavisimaya Gazeta, October 2016 “They have invented a very beautiful illusion. In the second act it is a square of an old German town, where you feast your eyes on the fronts of the little houses from which the housewives sing, opening the window shutters exactly when their lines begin. Chorus groups come out and divide in strict accordance with the score: the production’s near-best asset is that it has been made by people who truly appreciate music. In the third act (after the first intermission), when we get to Marguerite’s romantic garden, the scenery is so beautiful that the audience bursts into applause. When did this happen within your recollection? <…> The present-day audience has missed badly this kind of theatre and is eager to return to it, just as Faust is anxious to turn back time…» Vedomosti, October 2016 | We congratulate Evgeny Stavinsky, the winner of the Golden Mask Russian National Theatre Award in the categorie OPERA. BEST ACTOR for the part of Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust. |
