Mazeppa. Only in Helikon

The works of Tchaikovsky are known to be closely related with his biography. Almost every writing was a confession of the composer. Therefore plots of his operas often remind of moments of his own life. "Mazeppa" is no exception. During his work on this opera some dramatic events took place in the life of his beloved niece: her love affair with an older man and the birth of a bastard.
"Mazeppa" tells a story of a girl called Mary who falls in love with an elderly hetman, Mazeppa. This relationship causes a series of tragic events: the execution of the girl's father, the drama of a man in love with her, the collapse of the family, Mary herself began to go crazy. This is a story about a destructive, fatal force of an abnormal passion, which can make people lose their head.

"Helikon's "Mazeppa" became a whole event in the theatre life: the opera extremely difficult to perform it on stage was turned into a spectacular show on the “Helikon-Opera” stage. There is the miracle of transformation which can be made only under control of a great professionalism of a truly musical theatre staff. Due to a precise staging the music sounds completely different," - wrote a musical critic, Dmitry Morozov, in the newspaper "Mariinsky Theatre".

By the way, for the first time after the October Revolution "Mazeppa" was set in 1922 in Moscow at the Zimin Opera, whose history is inextricably linked with the current building of "Helikon-Opera" in Nikitskaya Street.