Opera
The Tale
Of Tsar Saltan
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov
The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of his Son the Renowned and Mighty Bogatyr Prince Gvidon Saltanovich, and of the Beautiful Princess-Swan
The titles of some operas are in themselves sufficient to capture the imagination. For the centenary of Pushkin's birth in 1899, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov drew inspiration from one of his celebrated fairy tales and composed a delightfully imaginative opera, with the 'Flight of the Bumblebee' as instant hit. The work is 'Once Upon A Time' story in song, where the composer's gift for melody and orchestration combines perfectly with the poet's often absurd humour and overflowing imagination. Alain Altinoglu can here revel in the role of orchestral wizard, as he did recently in The Golden Cockerel, while, following his highly acclaimed production of Il Trovatore, the Russian director Dmitri Tcherniakov returns with a many-layered psychological conclusion to the opera season.
Synopsis
Tsar Saltan marries the youngest of three sisters, having heard that it is her dearest wish to present him with a heroic son and heir. Her jealous sisters and the old Aunt Barbaricha cannot bear this situation to persist and by trickery see to it that the Tsaritsa and her newborn son Gvidon are thrown into the sea. In their barrel they are washed ashore on an enchanted island where the rapidly growing tsar’s son saves a swan from the clutches of a wizard. In gratitude, the swan helps Gvidon to visit his native country once again in the guise of a bumblebee. Three wishes, three miracles and three bee-stings later, father and son are finally able to get to know each other.
Magazine
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OperaA fairy tale is never just a fairy tale
Dramaturge Marie Mergeay on Tsar Saltan
A quick introduction to Rimsky-Korsakov’s Tale of Tsar Saltan? Time for a knock on the door of our dramaturge Marie Mergeay. In less than four minutes, she guides you through the final opera production of this season. Major stops: the city of Tmutarakan, the isle of Buyan and the creative brain of stage director Dmitri Tcherniakov.
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OperaThe Flight of the Bumblebee
The La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra rehearses Tsar Saltan’s relentless ear worm
‘The Flight of the Bumblebee’ is one of those instantly recognisable musical hits that sometimes stick in your mind for days. But what few people know is that it comes from The Tale of Tsar Saltan, where it is a symphonic intermezzo that ends the first scene of Act Three. With its agitated rhythms and patterns of rapidly descending and ascending scales, it describes how Prince Gvidon, whom the Princess-Swan has turned into a bumblebee, flies across the sea hoping to meet his father.
Several weeks before the premiere, the Symphony Orchestra of La Monnaie and its Musical Director Alain Altinoglu are already offering you a foretaste.
Gallery
Dates
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Tue 11 June 2019
Time
20:00
Venue
-
Thu 13 June 2019
Time
20:00
Venue
-
Sun 16 June 2019
Time
15:00
Venue
-
Tue 18 June 2019
Time
20:00
Venue
-
Fri 21 June 2019
Time
20:00
Venue
-
Sun 23 June 2019
Time
15:00
Venue
Infos
with audio description
-
Tue 25 June 2019
Time
20:00
Venue
-
Thu 27 June 2019
Time
20:00
Venue
-
Sat 29 June 2019
Time
20:00
Venue
Cast
ConductorALAIN ALTINOGLU
Director and set designDMITRI TCHERNIAKOV
CostumesELENA ZAYTSEVA
Art direction video & LightingGLEB FILSHTINSKY
Chorus masterMARTINO FAGGIANI
Tsar SaltanANTE JERKUNICA
Tsaritsa MilitrisaSVETLANA AKSENOVA
TkatchikhaSTINE MARIE FISCHER
PovarikhaBERNARDA BOBRO
BabarikhaCAROLE WILSON
Tsarevitch GvidonBOGDAN VOLKOV
Tsarevna Swan-Bird / LyebyedOLGA KULCHYNSKA
Old manVASILY GORSHKOV
Skomorokh / ShipmanALEXANDER VASSILIEV
Messenger / ShipmanNICKY SPENCE
ShipmanALEXANDER KRAVETS
La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
ProductionDE MUNT / LA MONNAIE
Co-productionTEATRO REAL MADRID
Audio descriptionINTER, AUDIOSCENIC
In coproduction with Shelter Prod and Prospero MM Productions With the support of taxshelter.be and ING With the support of the tax shelter of the Belgian federal government
