Helikon-2: "Siberian" impressions

16.05.2006

Helikon-2: "Siberian" impressions

A rush period in Novy Arbat. A rehearsal period of a new "Helikon-Opera" production finishes there. "Siberia" by Umberto Giordano is almost unknown to Russian spectator. However, a Russian would hear the tunes that are familiar since childhood. Nevertheless, "Hey, ukhnem" has nothing to do with the famous burlak song. Russian "exotique" together with Italian passions, transferred to Siberian ground, conquered almost whole world in the beginnig of XX century. And now Dmitry Bertman, "a famous propagandist of opera rarities" as some of the critics call him, decided to introduce this opera to theatrical Moscow.

from left to right: conductor Nikolay Vinokurov, concertmaster Konstantin Chudovsky, costume designer Tatiana Tulubieva, producer Dmitry Bertman, set designer Igor Nezhny, stage movements director Yuri Ustiugov

Rehearsals go from morning till night, the new venue is already rendered habitable. Producer Dmitry Bertman untirelessly manages the process of staging. The decorations and costumes of Tatiana Tulubieva and Igor Nezhny and the light of Damir Ismagilov help to create on stage either atmosphere of luxurious Petersburg mansion or a cold Siberian stockaded town.

The premiere of the opera is on the 18th of May.

In the make up room. Elena Buynova corrects the make up for Olga Rezayeva	Soloists Andrey Serov and Vladimir Bolotin
Conductor Vladimir Ponkin and concertmaster Konstantin Chudovski     During the break. Place of the meeting cannot be changed - artists of the choir Alexey Elizarov, Oksana Metlova, Artem Chulkov, Natalia Fattakhova at the entrance to the cafe
Sergey Toptygin in the image...	Stage engineer Andrey Karavayev brushes the artificial snow off the decoration set
Dmitry Bertman in the process of rehearsing

Photos by Oleg Nachinkin, Svetlana Gorodova