MOSCOW (Reuters) - When Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre postponed its new production of "War and Peace" after the conductor walked out, critics sharpened their pencils expecting the opera to be an embarrassing failure.
But the Bolshoi's music director, Alexander Vedernikov, stepped into the breach, bending almost double to summon each percussion explosion and avert an artistic disaster.
"The scandal and everything connected with it did not hurt the performance," the Kommersant daily wrote on Monday of Friday's premiere.
The Gazeta newspaper added: "Staging this was akin to the very battles that the production deals with. It's all the more gratifying that all in all the troupe won through."
The "scandal" broke just over a week before the original opening night of December 6, when renowned cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who had asked to conduct Sergei Prokofiev's mammoth opera, exited stage left.
While some mourned the absence of the 78-year-old musical hero on the most eagerly awaited night of the Bolshoi season, others were generous about the production staged in a smaller theatre while the main Bolshoi building undergoes refurbishment.
"It's like if you eat a piece of cake and really enjoy it, then someone says you could have had a better one. It doesn't matter, you still enjoyed the cake," said theatregoer Ernest McCall, a 38-year-old American who lives in Istanbul.
After the theatre announced the curtain would have to go up three days later than planned, rumours swirled in the press about why the maestro had walked out.
"It's a shame most opinions about the production were formed before it opened. First when Rostropovich said he was coming, second when he said he was going," the director, Ivan Popovski told Reuters by telephone.
RIGHT AND WRONG
War and Peace, based on Leo Tolstoy's tale of love and loss during Napoleon's doomed invasion of Russia at the beginning of the 19th century and written during World War Two, is a tricky work to stage.
"People say it's the biggest, toughest opera that exists," said Popovski, 36, who is Macedonian.
The first act follows the amorous misadventures of Natasha Rostova in Moscow high society as she falls for Mr Right only to be swept off her feet into near disgrace by Mr Wrong.
The second half is dominated by generals: Kutuzov, the saviour of Russia, and Napoleon, who ironically won the biggest applause of the night for his anguished appeal 'Why is the awesome sweep of my hand not bringing victory?'
Some Muscovites, while loving the performance, were upset by the minimalist set design, a constantly shifting snow-white and Kremlin-brick-red wall.
"They reminded me of cupboards," said retired engineer Tatyana. "The chorus sang so beautifully, but behind them were those dreadful pieces of wood," 68-year-old Angelika added.
And some critics wanted more resonance with events today.
"Is there any meaning to this new production? Has it anything to say about Russia, the human race, war and peace? Alas, you'll find nothing," wrote the Vedomosti daily.
But Popovski said that was not the point.
"Maybe you could make War and Peace about Chechnya, about terrorists, anti-terrorists, bring it closer to us. But you don't need to do that. It already has a story, love, ideas. But the most important thing is the music. That's what's eternal."
By Meg Clothier
(Additional reporting by Maria Golovnina) |