Sanktpēterburgas Opera / Ne tikai mīlestība

‘NOT ONLY LOVE’ BY RODION SHCHEDRIN
Production by the People’s Artist of Russia Yuri Alexandrov
The performance is awarded by St. Petersburg's Highest Theatre Prize ‘Golden Sofit’(2014)

Rodion Shchedrin, who in 2012 celebrated his 80th birthday, is one of the largest and most noble Soviet composers of the second half of the 20th century. Having anarrowymodern musical language, he created works that are accessible to a wide range of listeners. All his operas and ballets are created exclusively on the subjects of the biggest Russian authors: Gogol, Chekhov, Tolstoy, Nabokov, Leskov.
The opera "Not Only Love" is based on the stories of Sergey Antonov, with the inclusion of texts in the libretto of chastooshkas and is dedicated to his wife, the great Russian ballerina, Maya Plisetskaya.
“I am writing the ‘kolkhoz’interpretation of ‘Eugene Onegin’, the author said, and compared the main character of his opera not only to Tatiana, but even with Carmen, because ‘Not Only Love’ is a love story literally refuting the modern meaning of the word ‘melodrama.’
Despite the fact that the opera was originally created for the Bolshoi Theatre, Shchedrin sought to avoidthe monumental crowd scenesof people with flags, accepted at that time, having created a chamber piece expressing feelings of ordinary people. Although the premiere performance was designed by artist Alexander Tyshler and conducted by Yevgeny Svetlanov, it was not possible to break the traditions of the academic theatreby the composer. Therefore, an important milestone was the opera‘Not Only Love’appeared ona new theatrical stage – the oris Pokrovsky’s Moscow State Academic Chamber Musical Theatre, as the first performance of this theatre in 1972. For several years the opera was performed couple times in Moscow and regions, but gradually disappeared from the repertory list being undeservedly forgotten.
Yuri Alexandrov: "Rodion Konstantinovich, when he knew about the plans of our theatre, said that it would be waiting with excitement and joy for the premiere of the production because this work has a very difficult scenic fate." And the composer himself admits that he was always a little ashamed of his opera ‘Not Only Love,’ although, why is it so special? An inconspicuous plot from the collective farm life. The characters are experiencing a love story surrounded byfestivities, binges, dances and dramatic scenes. But in the distant year 1961 the piece was not accepted at the Bolshoi Theater, like once St. Petersburg rejected ‘The Force of Destiny’ by Verdi, and Paris did not understand and ridiculed the production of Stravinsky's ‘The Rite of Spring’ performed by the brilliant Vatslav Nijinsky.
Obviously, according to one of the rules of art, some works must suffered not only because of the author and time but also by the public living through it. So it happened with the Soviet opera piece by Shchedrin.
‘Not Only Love’at the St. Petersburg Chamber Opera, as well as during the first show at the Bolshoi Theater, caused a huge awarenessamong the audience. Rodion Shchedrin and Maya Plisetskaya, bothbeing present at the premiere, were pleasantly surprised by what they saw on the stage and non-indifferent people in the hall, saying that it was a production by Yuri Alexandrov might be called the best for the entire half of the century of opera's existence on a stage.

Press Office of the theatre

Credits:
Music: Rodion Shchedrin
Libretto: Vasily Katanyan after stories by Sergei Antonov
Production: Yuri Alexandrov
Conductors: Alexander Goikhman
Maxim Valkov
Set and Costume Designer: Vyacheslav Okunev
Lighting Designer: Irina Vtornikova
Directors: Tatyana Karpacheva
Natalia Chernikova
Darya Modzalevskaya
Chorus Master: Maria Gergel
Musical Preparation: Olga Mitekina
Choreographer: Nadezhda Kalinina
Video-art: Viktoria Zlotnikova