The Devil wears a moth: Stravinsky's last opera was staged at the Helikon

Artistic director of the Helikon Opera, People's Artist of Russia Dmitry Bertman presented Igor Stravinsky's latest opera "The Adventures of a Rake" on stage in Moscow. Before that, he had already staged it in Vienna and Helsinki. In the center of the plot is the story of a man who loses himself, becomes a spendthrift, exchanging his soul for the tinsel of fake glitter. Musicologists call this work a masterpiece for all time, which, according to the directors, is reflected in the present day. Izvestia visited the premiere and tells us how Stravinsky's return to the Helikon stage turned out after the premiere of Mavra 35 years ago.

Funny pictures

Every premiere at the Helikon Opera becomes a celebration for theater-goers. The immersion begins even before the performance itself starts. An exhibition dedicated to the composer and his work was opened in the historical foyer of Sergei Zimin on the second floor.

He meets here a bronze bust of Igor Stravinsky by Gabriel Glikman from the collection of the family of Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya. Next to it is an oil portrait of the maestro by the same artist. In the neighborhood there are authentic sketches of scenery and costumes for various theatrical works by Stravinsky: "The Firebird", "Petrushka", "The Wedding", "The Moor", "The Kiss of the Fairy", executed by great painters, including Bakst, Goncharova, Sudeikin, Benoit, Larionov, Golovin, Bilibin. Not Helikon, but a branch of the Tretyakov Gallery.

The most valuable among all this is a series of engravings by the English artist William Hogarth. In May 1947, Stravinsky saw works under the general title The Rake's Progress ("The Career of a Moth" or "The Adventures of a Rake") at an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago. They inspired him to write the opera "The Adventures of a Rake." Hogarth's drawings tell the story of a young man who, having fallen into bad company, became a libertine. The reason for such changes is the inheritance that the young man received. Living in a grand style, disregarding moral principles, has become the norm for him.

Dmitry Bertman turned to "The Adventures of a Rake" for the third time. In 2000, the director staged the opera at the Volksoper Wien in Vienna, and in 2016 at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki. Now it's at the Helikon. Stravinsky has already been heard on this stage — 35 years ago. In 1990, the opera Mavra was shown in the newly opened theater.

The Shadow of Mephistopheles

"The Adventures of a Rake" is the last opera by Igor Stravinsky. The relevance of the composer's masterpiece is timeless. The main character is Tom Rakewell, played by Sergey Ababkin. The guy doesn't work and dreams that wealth will just fall on him. He lives in the house of Trulava (Alexander Kiselyov), whose daughter Ann (Valentina Pravdina) is in love with the young man. The couple seems to be in a fairy-tale world, where Anne looks like Snow White on a neatly manicured lawn with plaster figures of seven dwarfs. The only thing that breaks this idyll is that the father is against his only one linking her future with this bum.

Suddenly, as Tom dreamed, fate presents him with a gift. A mysterious stranger appears on their lawn. He introduces himself as Nick Shadow (Yelisey Laptev) and claims that the young man has received a huge inheritance. It is symbolic that the guest's last name translates as "shadow". He literally becomes the shadow of a newly rich man and inspires you to take everything from life at once. Money, youth, entertainment—that's the joy.

Shadow turned out not to be his uncle's executor, but a real devil. The artist came up with the image of Mephistopheles for the hero. Long black hair, goatee beard, leather raincoat, lace-up boots. The young bum he leads goes into all sorts of trouble. In a London brothel, he learns about a rich Turkish woman, Baba (Ksenia Vyaznikova). She is a bearded, ugly woman, a comical character who is shown for money — she becomes Tom's wife.

Meanwhile, Anne's character continues to genuinely love Tom and hopes to pull him out of the abyss. But all her attempts are in vain. He lives in debauchery and permissiveness, and in addition, he decided to feed the whole world with free bread. The young man dreamed of a machine that turns stones into bread rolls. He wanted to create it, Nick Shadow supported the utopian idea and eventually ruined his friend. All the property was sold under the hammer, even the Turkish woman. This is a reckoning for extravagance. Mephistopheles presents a bill for his services. He offers the last card game, if Tom wins, he will let go.

Devilish schemes help to destroy love. Ann suggests a card to Tom and he comes out victorious, but at what cost — the impoverished rake goes crazy and ends up in Bedlam. In the finale, the girl sings a lullaby to her lover who has lost his mind, to which he falls asleep. His Snow White leaves his old life, and she is replaced by numerous dwarfs, who have lost their former charm. Only fear.

Sodom and Gomorrah

"The Adventures of a Rake" is one of the most amazing and multifaceted works by Igor Stravinsky," says conductor Valery Kiryanov.

— The composer, as a genius stylist, plays with genres and forms: in the opera there are also elegant arias by da saro, referring to Handel and Mozart, witty buff ensembles, and even almost wandering street tunes. All this is reflected through his unique musical language," he says.

Stravinsky took all the best from Mozart — clarity of form, elegance of writing — and passed it through the prism of modernity, says director Dmitry Bertman. The director turns this parable into a poignant story about how easy it is to lose oneself in the pursuit of illusory happiness, and how important it is to remain human.

— The result is an opera that speaks to us in the language of the 21st century, — says Bertman. — But most importantly, the opera turned out to be prophetic. Created in 1951, it has become an accurate diagnosis of our time. For me, Tom Rakewell is the embodiment of millions of young people, our contemporaries, who want everything at once: wealth, status, an easy life without obligations. The Volume of the XVIII century and the Volume of the XXI century are the same person. The scenery changes, but the essence remains: the eternal struggle between spirit and flesh, between high and low, between love and selfishness.

The scenery for the play was created by the Austrian production designer Hartmut Schorghofer. He connected the two worlds of love and vice with one curtain. It has a blue sky and snow—white clouds. And if at the beginning of the performance he seems to sparkle in the sun, then with each new scene the audience sees an approaching storm. By the end, the curtain is already with red flashes and thunderclouds. Tom's mansion, brothel, auction house are conditional. The podium, a spiral-shaped wall, becomes dominant on the stage. She sets the rhythm of what is happening on stage.

The main driving and narrative force of the performance is ballet and choir. Edward Smirnov's innovative choreography is bold and outrageous in some scenes. And the actors' bright and revealing costumes seemed to come from William Hogarth's engravings. They are made in the style of ballroom and carnival dresses of the XVIII century. Makeup artists Maria Krysenkova and Natalia Blinkova did a great job. Elaborate wigs, deliberately expressive makeup. What other kind of brothel guests can there be? The result is a resounding success. Stravinsky's masterpiece is back on stage. The premiere performances of "The Adventures of a Rake at the Helikon Opera" will last until July 13.