Performances

Dargomyzhsky "The Stone Guest". Helikon-opera

Alexander Dargomyzhsky
THE STONE GUEST

Opera in three acts

Based on A. S. Pushkin’s play “The Stone guest” from the cycle “The little tragedies”

Stage director: Dmitry Bertman
Director: Galina Timakova
Musical director: Mikhail Egiazaryan
Production and costume designer: Alla Shumeiko
Lighting designer: Denis Enyukov
Video designer: Alexander Andronov
Makeup artist: Elena Nalichaeva

Welcome the first premiere of the new season in “Helikon” – “The stone guest” by A. Dargomyzhsky staged by D. Bertman!

“The stone guest” – is the unusual innovative opera. Unfortunately, Dargomyzhsky had not finished it, the opera has become the last of his creations, which has been finished by his friends – composers from “The Five” (also known as the Mighty Handful, The Mighty Five). Cui had written up the clavier, Rimsky-Korsakov had orchestrated it.

Dargomyzhsky had been completely following the text of the A. S. Pushkin’s poem “The Stone guest” from the cycle “The little tragedies”. “I am entertaining over the Pushkin’s “Don Juan”. I'm trying unprecedented affair: writing the music on “The Stone guest” scenes the way they are, without any words changing. I want the sound straightly expresses the word…”, - had been confessing the composer. The medieval plot has got ironic and courageous character, and Dargomyzhsky had embodied it into music with the peculiar to the poet humor and depths.

In “The Stone guest” known all over the world story of the Sevillian aristocrat Don Juan Tenorio has played out in fresh colours and turned into fascinating detective, thoroughly saturated with the mischievous and rebellious spirit of Pushkin.
Unfortunately, the last opera of A. Dargomyzhsky rarely “visits” the stages of the world opera houses.

The premiere took place on September, 8 (2020).