NOVAT presents
NOVAT presents
NOVAT presents
Rostov State Opera and Ballet presents
Rostov State Opera and Ballet presents
The Kasatkina and Vasilyov State Academic Classical Ballet Theatre presents
The Kasatkina and Vasilyov State Academic Classical Ballet Theatre presents
Rostov State Opera and Ballet production
The Kasatkina and Vasilyov State Academic Classical Ballet Theatre presents
The Kasatkina and Vasilyov State Academic Classical Ballet Theatre presents
Mariinsky Theatre production with participation of the Bolshoi Theatre Chorus & Orchestra
Mariinsky Theatre presents
Mariinsky Theatre presents
Mariinsky Theatre presents
Mariinsky Theatre presents
Mariinsky Theatre presents
Mariinsky Theatre production with participation of the Bolshoi Theatre Chorus & Orchestra and Bolshoi Opera Company Soloists on some days
Mariinsky Theatre presents
Mariinsky Theatre presents
Mariinsky Theatre presents
Leonid Gatov Krasnodar creative association “Premiere” presents
Gombozhar Tsydynzhapov Buryat State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre production
Mariinsky Theatre (Primorsky Stage) production
Zazerkalye Saint Petersburg State Children’s Music Theatre production
Zazerkalye Saint Petersburg State Children’s Music Theatre production
Zazerkalye Saint Petersburg State Children’s Music Theatre production
Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatre production
Alisher Navoiy Bolshoi Theatre of the Republic of Uzbekistan production
Donetsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after A. Solovyanenko presents
Donetsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after A. Solovyanenko presents
One might ask "what do opera and koliadki have in common?" Can an ancient magical ritual and musical theatre be successfully combined? Rimsky-Korsakov set himself this fantastic task when he set his sights on Gogol's fairytale story Christmas Eve. The result was a "koliadka-story", as the composer himself defined the genre of his opus. The koliadka as a ritual song, koliadka-singing as a community activity, Koliada as a divine sun being – these are the things that particularly interested Nikolai Andreyevich. He wove archaic melodies into the opera's musical fabric, he created a merry, vibrant and noisy crowd of carol-singers from the opera's chorus, and he presented Koliada and her brother-in-arms Ovsen on the imperial stage as themselves.
Premiere of this production: 31 December 2008.
Premiere of the new stage version production: 7 January 2021.
The performance has one interval.
Libretto by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Musical Director: Valery Gergiev
Lighting Designer: Gleb Filshtinsky
Video Designer: Viktoria Zlotnikova
Principal Chorus Master: Konstantin Rylov
The performance features the set design of the 2008 production (Stage Director: Olga Malikova, Scenography: Xenia Pantina, Costume Designer: Varvara Evchuk)
Photo: Natasha Razina © Mariinsky Theatre.
Photo: Natasha Razina © Mariinsky Theatre.
Photo: Natasha Razina © Mariinsky Theatre.
Photo: Natasha Razina © Mariinsky Theatre.
Photo: Natasha Razina © Mariinsky Theatre.
Photo: Natasha Razina © Mariinsky Theatre.
Photo: Natasha Razina © Mariinsky Theatre.
Saturday, 19:00
The action unfolds on the outskirts of the village of Dikanka in Ukraine in the 18th century.
Act I
On the last night before Christmas, the witch Solokha begins to chant kolyady in accordance with an ancient custom.
Suddenly, however, her friend appears – the Devil. He is absolutely furious with her son Vakula as "the day before he painted the Devil for a laugh, being chased by branches and switches of twigs." Having resolved to make things difficult for him, the Devil persuades Solokha to steal the moon and cause a snowstorm. It will then become dark, Chub will remain at home beside the hearth and Vakula will be unable to visit his daughter, the beautiful Oxana. Solokha agrees. Chub is dearer to her than all the Cossacks of Dikanka: he is a widower and he is rich, and she is not averse to laying her hands on his wealth. Solokha and the Devil cause a snowstorm and steal the moon. Panas, who has had a little too much to drink, comes out of the inn and sets out for Chub's house, resolving to continue the Christmas Eve festivities there. But Chub himself comes out and calls on Panas to join him for Christmas pudding at the Deacon's. There will be tasty brandy with saffron there. The snowstorm worsens, and Panas and Chub lose their way.