Description

GNO TV enriches its content with one more of the most successful productions of the Greek National Opera of the past years. Following its sold-out performances at the Stavros Niarchos Hall, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk directed by Fanny Ardant is now available on GNO TV.

The production is staged by Fanny Ardant, a prominent figure of the French cinema and theatre. Ardant –the star of dozens of films and plays, Truffaut’s muse, Zeffirelli’s and Polanski’s leading lady, and a singular “woman next door” at the side of Depardieu– tackled an opera for the first time, and most successfully so, following a commission by the Greek National Opera. Her bold and poetic staging spotlights such elements as personal freedom and daring, as well as blazing extremes.

The versatile sets are by the award-winning German set designer Tobias Hoheisel. The costumes have been co-created by two incredible costume designers: Oscar winner Milena Canonero, and Petra Reinhardt, renowned for her work with Robert Carsen. The French Collectif (LA)HORDE (Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, Arthur Harel) served as movement coaches, while the lighting was designed by multi-award-winning Italian cinematographer Luca Bigazzi.

The production is conducted by the Italian maestro Fabrizio Ventura, who partnered with the Greek National Opera for the first time.

In the title role is the outstanding Russian soprano Svetlana Sozdateleva, whose singular vocal prowess and stage presence impressed critics and audiences alike. The role of Sergey is sung by the tenor Sergey Semishkur, a soloist at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, while the celebrated Greek bass-baritone Yanni Yannissis portrays Boris.

Performing alongside them are established and emerging soloists from the Greek National Opera, including Yannis Christopoulos, Sophia Kyanidou, Maxim Klonovskiy, George Mattheakakis, Nikos Katsigiannis, Charalambos Velissarios, Panayiotis Priftis, Nicholas Stefanou, Andreas Karaoulis, Vangelis Maniatis, Tassos Apostolou, Petros Magoulas, Marissia Papalexiou, and Maria Mitsopoulou.

Agathangelos Georgakatos conducts the GNO Chorus.

* Please note that this production features nudity.

At a glance – Synopsis

The plot of this opera, based on a novella by Nikolai Leskov, centres on the wife of a wealthy merchant, Katerina Ismailova, who feels neglected and trapped in her marriage. She falls in love with one of the workmen at her homestead and, for his sake, ends up murdering both her father-in-law and her husband. Katerina marries her beloved, but when the murders are exposed, the couple is arrested. On the road to Siberia, Katerina gets into a fight with a new potential mistress of her husband and both of them get swept away by the freezing waters of a river.

Dmitri Shostakovich was born in 1906 in Saint Petersburg and ranks among the most important composers of the 20th century. His relationship with the Soviet regime, especially during the Stalinist period, was not an easy one, as his style was not compatible with the official directives on art, leading him to being publicly accused of formalism twice. Before coming to be considered one of the most popular works of the 20th century, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk was censored by the Stalinist regime.

Creative team – Cast

Conductor: Fabrizio Ventura

Director: Fanny Ardant

Revival director: Ion Kessoulis

Sets: Tobias Hoheisel

Costumes: Milena Canonero, Petra Reinhardt

Movement: Collectif (LA)HORDE – Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, Arthur Harel / Revival movement: Nancy Nerantzi, Yiannis Tsigkris

Lighting: Luca Bigazzi / Revival lighting: Dimitris Koutas

Chorus master: Agathangelos Georgakatos

Boris Timofeyevich Ismailov: Yanni Yannissis

Zinovy Borisovich Ismailov: Yannis Christopoulos

Katerina Ismailova: Svetlana Sozdateleva

Sergey: Sergey Semishkur

Aksinya: Sophia Kyanidou

Steward / Policeman / Sergeant: Maxim Klonovskiy

Porter / Guard: George Mattheakakis

First foreman / Drunk guest: Nikos Katsigiannis

Second foreman: Charalambos Velissarios

Third foreman: Panagiotis Priftis

Shabby peasant: Nicholas Stefanou

Coachman / Teacher: Andreas Karaoulis

Messenger / Chief of police: Vangelis Maniatis

Priest: Tassos Apostolou

Old convict: Petros Magoulas

Sonyetka: Marissia Papalexiou

Woman convict: Maria Mitsopoulou

With the Orchestra and Chorus of the GNO

Director's note

“Lady Macbeth sets a mirror before us. And in it, we see our own selves. Lady Macbeth is our wild reflection, restless and free. (…) I adore the story of Katerina, the Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk district. To me, she is like an icon. I received her as a gift, one that I would now like to offer you all. I said to myself: the era, the politics do not matter. The circumstances, the setting, do not matter. The laws in question do not matter. There will always be those who obey and those who command, those who follow and those who lead, those who wait in line and those who simply leave it behind, one day or another, having waited so long for a violent and true happiness, because the siren song of life is more powerful than all else. And so, I have kept Lady Macbeth in the district of Mtsensk, in her province, in the tsarist Russian Empire, in her habitat – that of the merchants.”

Photos & videos

Photos