The Moor can come: "Othello" has returned to the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater
Giuseppe Verdi's unsurpassed masterpiece has returned to the Bolshoi Theatre's repertoire after a forty—year absence, staged by Valery Gergiev and Giancarlo Del Monaco. With the premiere of Othello, the main stage of the country celebrated its 250th anniversary. The main roles were performed by Hovhannes Ayvazyan, Elchin Azizov, Ramilya Minikhanov. The drama about the jealous Moor Othello, the treacherous schemer Iago and the amorous Desdemona struck with monumental decorations, four hundred costumes and a hundred Bolshoi choristers. For more information, see the Izvestia article, which was one of the first to see a new reading of the classic plot.
Carnival for tyrant
Evening. Residents of Cyprus and Venetian soldiers are in the town square. The elements are raging: thunder is rumbling, the sea is stormy. A ship enters the port. The new governor of Othello Island is on board. He returns with a grand victory from an expedition where he defeated the Turks. The choir consists of about a hundred people praising their hero. A white gas curtain separates the action from the audience. With the appearance of the main character, matter instantly evaporates. This is how Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece returns to the stage of the Bolshoi Theater for the first time in 40 years.
The opera "Othello" was first performed on the main stage of the country in 1891. And in 1978, director Boris Pokrovsky, conductor Evgeny Svetlanov and artist Valery Leventhal created the latest version, which ran until 1985. It was she who left an indelible impression in the memory of Valery Gergiev. He decided to return Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece to the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater for the 250th anniversary of the stage he directs.
The maestro has assembled an international team. The new reading was directed by Giancarlo Del Monaco, the son of the famous tenor Mario Del Monaco, with whom Gergiev had already worked on Verdi's Rigoletto at the Bolshoi and on Aida at the Mariinsky.
— I thank Russia, which greets me with such love every time. I have a Russian passport, and it is an honor for me. I'm a cosmopolitan. I really like being here," Del Monaco shared before the show.
Cassio — Kirill Sikora, Montano — Rodion Vasenkin
Giancarlo staged Othello many times. And each new performance was distinguished by an original idea. For the Big One, he decided to bring to the fore the dark side of Shakespeare's characters. The decorations correspond to this idea. There are no palaces or chambers of the nobility on the stage. Instead, there are giant gray cubes. They move, form into different shapes, assemble into a wall, and all this against the background of a raging sea.
The new production of Verdi's opera at the Bolshoi is also notable for the fact that in the third act the director introduces a ballet scene. Del Monaco used the same move for his performance in Paris. The dancers appear at the moment of the celebration of the victory of Othello's troops over the Turks to the accompaniment of music with an oriental flavor, which was written by Verdi. In front of the audience, masked dancers act out a revenge scene of a jealous lover.
Iago
People's Artist of Azerbaijan Elchin Azizov also has a third job with Giancarlo. The baritone has been serving at the Bolshoi for 18 years. In Othello, he plays the role of Iago, the insidious rival of the moor.
— The number of villains in my track record is growing, which I am very happy about, — smiles Elchin Azizov. — I have my debut in this part in the premiere. Iago is mine, it suits my voice. This hero must be lived, experienced, trampled, thought out. And the party will take root only after a certain number of performances. The more I go on stage, the more colors I can find.
Yago — Elchin Azizov
Iago in the play is not just an antagonist of Othello. He is the catalyst and triggers the evil that was dormant in the moor. Giuseppe Verdi even wanted to name his opera not "Othello", but "Iago". For the composer, he was the main engine of history.
— This is a multifaceted character, — says Elchin Azizov about his hero. — He is not devoid of psychological deviations: split personality, sadism, masochism. A risky guy.
And there's resentment in him. Iago has achieved so many victories, and the captaincy goes to the upstart Cassio (Kirill Sikora). A sense of injustice becomes the reason for his plan of revenge. Iago decides to frame the offender in front of Othello (Hovhannes Ayvazyan), a hot, passionate, oriental man who flares up instantly, like a match. Othello is jealous of his beautiful wife, Desdemona, for anyone who dares to even look in her direction. According to Iago's slip, Cassio turns out to be such a desperate daredevil.
A scene from the play. Iago — Elchin Azizov, Othello — Hovhannes Ayvazyan
The role of poor Desdemona, who becomes a victim of tyranny, was performed by the young soloist of the Bolshoi Theater Ramil Minikhanov. This is the first season for sopranos in the GABT troupe. There are two women in total at Othello's court. Another one is his beloved wife's maid, Emilia (Daria Belousova). But surrounded by these men, ladies don't feel safe.
400 costumes for "Othello"
The Italian director creates his performances in constant partnership with Spanish set designer Antonio Romero, as well as with costume designer Gabriela Salaverri. Her works here do not belong to a specific era, although all are created using historical elements. And their number is amazing: four hundred.
The fabrics for sewing were purchased in Russia. The artist Gabriela Salaverri is called a master of coloristic solutions. When designing the opera, she arranged the scenes according to colors, each of which corresponds to the drama and high meanings inherent in Shakespeare's tragedy.
Desdemona — Ramil Minikhanov, Lodovico — Daniil Akimov, Othello — Hovhannes Ayvazyan
Othello is a militant Moor. Several of his costumes are made in red: purple, like sunset, and scarlet, like blood.
— Othello's costumes indicate that he is a foreigner, he is in a foreign country for him, — Gabriela Salaverri explained. — We emphasize his Arab origin with sophisticated embroidery on velvet. There is a conflict in his image: he does not renounce his roots, but, on the contrary, is proud of them. Desdemona has European costumes, closer to French ones. And even in costumes, we decided to demonstrate that she accepts her husband's Arab culture. As a confirmation, her white oriental caftan in the last scene.
In the finale, Othello is also in white. It is the color of purity and purity in European culture and death in the East. The Moor comes to his wife in a Saracen cloak, he hides his face under the hood. The jealous man has already started something bad. His sword is in his hands. He does not dare to kill his sleeping beloved. Calling for prayer and repentance, an enraged Othello strangles the innocent Desdemona. And then, realizing the irreparable, he kills himself.
Othello — Hovhannes Ayvazyan, Desdemona — Ramil Minikhanov
Under the final chords, the marital bed turns into a giant swing. They lift up the bodies of the spouses, and in the background the black moon gives power to the sun, whose reflections break through the darkness of the night and the fog. An Oscar-worthy effect.
The return of Othello, which has become a gift to the Bolshoi Theater and its fans, is part of the grandiose plans of its director Valery Gergiev. As Maestro noted, the GABT needs a new space. With another venue, Bolshoy will take a more decisive position on the Moscow cultural scene, the head promised.
— I am glad that "Othello", "Turandot", "Rigoletto" have returned to the repertoire of the theater. This is just a part of a large list of works. At the moment, only one Wagner opera is presented at the Bolshoi Theater, while there are 10 at the Mariinsky. The same goes for Puccini and Verdi. We plan to eliminate this imbalance, and it will take us another one to two years to achieve this goal," he said.
You can see Othello on the Bolshoi stage on March 28 and 29. The next block of the premiere production is scheduled for early May. A long-awaited festive concert dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the GABT with the participation of world stars, as reported by Valery Gergiev, will be held at the end of 2026.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
