Actually, it's that time of year when it's cold enough to wear boots but warm enough to wear normal shoes. In other words, it's the best time of year, shoe-wise.
It's still too cold to justify open-toed shoes. Unless you're from California:
But if I were actually in California, I'd be standing next to a girl wearing a sundress and uggs accompanied by a guy wearing shorts, a sweatshirt, and hiking boots.
Anyway, this picture is from last week, when we went to the Bolshoi to see "Nabucco" by Verdi. We had a choice between ballet and opera but chose the opera because the plot sounded more interesting.
I also worry that, having grown up on Mark Morris, I'd be confused and frightened by a more traditional ballet. (I've heard, for example, that male characters are never played by females and vice-versa. And that they're all really, really thin). Obviously, I'd respond by giggling inappropriately.
This time I was worried because I did not like the first opera I saw there ("Eugene Onegin" by Tchaikovsky) at all.*
I liked this one a lot, though. The music and acting were good enough to draw me in despite the fact that I don't understand Italian or Russian. That's about all I can say, since I know very little about music in general or opera in particular.
I did love the set design. It was simple but not. You can kind of see it in this photo I took during the curtain call:
See how simple? The walls on the side with all the Hebrew writing rotate. There's Cuneiform on the other side. The walls would change position depending on where the action was supposed to be taking place. The stairs at the back represent the temple, and the idol, which was a tower in this production, is projected onto the screen behind the stairs. The props were also made out of either Hebrew letters (shields) or stylus marks (swords, furniture, a prison).
When I say that we went to the Bolshoi, I don't mean the famous theatre. That's the Main Bolshoi, and it's being rennovated (I was there in 2005, about a month before the rennovations started. The curtain was very old-looking and had U.S.S.R. symbols woven into it). We went to the New Bolshoi, which is much smaller (some people call it the "Malenki Bolshoi," which translates to "Small Big").
It is also worth noting that I got to wear the dress that I had made in China. 
Because I forgot that we were in Russia, I explained that you can't bring food or drinks into the theatre. I also banned jeans and unflattering haircuts. I was quite scandalized to see the be-mulleted, jeans-wearing young people a couple seats down pull out bags of potato chips and bottles of coke during intermission. And then I remembered that we were in Russia. They also stopped eating at the end of intermission and were totally quiet during the performance, so I couldn't really complain.
* I know this isn't relevant to the post, but I have to get this off my chest: Why did they change "duel" to "struggle during which gun accidentally goes off?!?" Why does Tatiana knock over the table? Why does the protagonist show up waving a gun around at the end? Why did I feel like both the composer and the producers (mostly the producers, I'm told) should have adapted something by Dostoevsky and left poor Pushkin alone?
If I weren't who's to say
15 years ago
7 comments:
I'm envious. Nabucco is more interesting than most of what SF Opera is doing. Here's all you need to know about it to sound as if you're an expert: The role of Abigaille is notoriously difficult, so if you liked the soprano, say, "Mark my words, if she keeps singing like that I fear for her voice!" and if you thought she sounded screechy and bad you say, "Mark my words, she has sung Abigaille too often and ruined her voice!" There is also a famously beautiful chorus for the exiled Hebrew slaves ("Va, pensiero" -- fly, my thoughts, to my native land), but since it's sung by the chorus and not a soloist you may safely ignore it. Unless someone else brings it up, in which case you say, "Yes, of course, that is always so very moving." Mention that the crowds at Verdi's funeral spontaneously started singing it, and you will be the resident opera expert, which, believe me, is a title with heavy responsibilities.
But don't fear the ballet! There are actually some female roles traditionally played by men -- comic villains, mostly. You don't get as many male/male or female/female partnerships as in Morris, though. And don't worry about not sounding dancey enough -- I was at the ballet yesterday and the only performance-related conversation I heard during either intermission was from the women behind me, who thought the male soloist in Balanchine's Duo Concertante was wearing too much make-up. I guess his female partner was OK.
As for Onegin, I guess I understand why the director had Tatiana overturn the table -- it's totally out of character, but it's a long aria and pointless action always livens things up -- but I cannot even begin to fathom what they did to the duel (or "duel"). It pretty much makes the story nonsense. There was a recent production in Germany in which the director decided that Onegin and Lensky had been boyfriends before the opera started and that was the problem between them, so the country dance at the beginning featured lots of hunky cowboys, either shirtless or with their plaid shirts hanging open. A New York opera blog ran a few photos and had people guess what the opera was supposed to be. Germans are actually notorious for that sort of production.
Nabokov, by the way, hated Tchaikovsky's version of Onegin, so you're in good company. On the other hand, I believe Chekhov liked it, and wanted to collaborate with the composer, but he (Mr T) died too soon.
Lovely dress from China! And I'm glad you didn't have to hear potato chips crunching during the opera.
I was waiting for Patrick to weigh in, and was rewarded by a very entertaining comment.
Congratulations on making it through your 4th Moscow winter and getting to let those toes out in public once again.
You look lovely. I like your coat and scarf, too. Very stylish. Did you take a photo of your date? Shouldn't he be added to the blog?
Actually the pictures are great. I clicked on them and got to see huge close-ups of the shoes, hair, dress, opera poster and decor of the theater.
I love that set, too. The big blocks are great.
Wait! Before you get too envious, go check out the schedule of performances. It's actually not all that different from SF Opera. To be fair, though, the Bolshoi is not famous for opera.
As for Onegin, I was so intrigued that I found a review of that production. First of all, the idea that Tchaikovsky's work has gay subtext just because he was gay is silly. But then I got to thinking that this production might actually have been less of a betrayal that the one I saw. My impression is that the duel is important because, even though Onegin sees himself as being better than, or at least outside of, traditional society, he's still too tied down by social constraints to, you know, not shoot at his friend. That's what makes it tragic: he doesn't want to kill his friend, but he doesn't take the obvious (to us) way out.
I think it's *possible* that the German production was making the same point (if you set a story in modern times, the characters can't realistically have a duel, but Onegin could realistically be afraid of being outed by an ex-boyfriend), whereas the production I saw wasn't making that point at all. It was more like "ooh, bad luck!" And, honestly, if somebody's waving a shotgun at you at a crowded party, what are you supposed to do?
Ha...I forgot the pictures are giant. Oops...
Oh, well, don't pay too much attention to the hair, as I really need a haircut. If I were younger, I could have joined the bemulleted youths.
My date doesn't want to be famous on the internet, sadly. But I will nag him some more and eventually he will give in and let me post a picture (I have one of him standing in front of a plaque about Lenin, right across from the theatre entrance, of course).
I have gotten so many compliments on that coat. I bought it a couple years ago because I needed a new wool coat. I chose it because it was the cheapest one I could find that was made from wool, came in my size, and wasn't likely to fall apart after one year. It was only when I got home and tried it on again that I realized it looked pretty good, too.
I checked out the schedule of performances, both opera and ballet. I am no longer envious -- I am incredibly envious and lying on the floor whimpering (I mean, more than usual). SF Opera continues to hold its international lead for most boring upcoming season.
Did you find the pictures for that Brokeback Onegin or just reviews? I saw it on a site called Parterre Box, written by La Cieca (a nom de blog taken from Ponchielli's opera La Gioconda -- the one with the Dance of the Hours used in Fantasia). The thing about these regie theater (Director's Theater) productions is that people talk about how outlandish and outrageous they are, but you never know unless you actually see them. There was a notorious "Planet of the Apes" style Rigoletto in Germany, but I know someone who saw it who swore it was really thoughtful and moving.
You should give Mr Tchaikovsky another chance with Pushkin, if not in another Onegin (one that pays attention to the story) then in Queen of Spades. It doesn't have the Pushkin irony and makes the story more "romantic" but some prefer it to Onegin.
Hi Marin, I love, love, love the dress. The shoes are adorable. You look so pretty. The opera house is so elegant. Beautiful parque floor.
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