New Mariinsky Theater Woos Doubters
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/arts_n_ideas/article/new-mariinsky-theater-woos-doubters/479541.html
ST. PETERSBURG — Enlisting the drama of Prokofiev and the
elegance of Tchaikovsky, St. Petersburg's new Mariinsky Theater staged a gala
opening designed to silence critics of the starkly modernist building erected
in the heart of Russia's imperial capital.
The $700 million glass and limestone building, which critics
have dubbed the "Mariinsky mall," glowed in the night sky, its glass
and metal walkways humming with excited voices as the select crowd of 2,000
found their seats late Thursday.
Just opposite, across a canal, the 19th-century original
opera house, one of the great showcases of Russian culture that became home to
the Kirov opera
and ballet companies in Soviet times, stood silent for the evening.
"We need breathe life into the theater. We want it to
live, so that people are attracted and can feel the charm of modern technology.
Then it will shine in all its glory," President Vladimir Putin told the
guests, who included leading Russian businessmen.
Calling the Mariinsky by its affectionate short name
Mariinka, Putin said the theater had always preserved the best traditions of
the Russian arts, never losing "its shine."
"Seven hundred and sixty performances a year! And each
one is world class. No artistic team in the world does that," he said.
Putin praised Valery Gergiev, director of the Mariinsky and
regarded by many as the greatest living orchestral conductor, for pursuing a
project that had been conceived just before Russia's financial crash of 1998.
"In 2003, Gergiev raised the issue again and a new
project arose," Putin said, referring to a decision made after he became
president in 2000.
The Mariinsky II is one of several grand projects sponsored
by Putin intended to show what Russia
can achieve, most notably the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Gergiev, whose 60th birthday coincided with the gala, had
been criticized for commissioning a sleek, modern building that some say sits
awkwardly among its pastel colored 19th-century neighbors.
But in the end only two people protested outside. One of
them, a woman, held a banner mocking Gergiev's recent Hero of Labor award
received from Putin on Wednesday, suggesting the conductor should either pull
down the building or hand back the medal.
The conductor, a loyal ally of Putin, had shrugged off the
criticism, saying the Mariinsky needed a new stage and state-of-the-art technology
to produce the kind of theater people expected to see today.
"People asked why do we need new architecture? Why does
St. Petersburg
need a new opera house? I think the best way to answer those questions is
simply to let people come in," he told a news conference.
Many guests were impressed. Light bounced off wall panels
made of Italian onyx that stretch several stories high and the sound was
excellent.
"I like the theater and I liked the concert. It's a
contemporary theater with great potential," said former Finance Minister
Alexei Kudrin. "I love theaters and have been in many great theaters in
different corners of the world. I think it is worthy of becoming one of
them."
The simple light wood of the balconies and aisles was a
world away from the original Mariinsky Theater, which was sumptuously decorated
in gold and red. Only the VIP box in the Mariinsky II has a slight nod to
extravagance — a modern chandelier to make prominent guests feel at home.
The gala opened with a dramatic excerpt from Prokofiev's
"Romeo and Juliet" ballet and included the coronation scene from
Mussorgsky's opera "Boris Godunov," when the vast stage swarmed with
peasants.
Ulyana Lopatkina and Viktor Baranov danced "Pavlova and
Cecchetti" to Tchaikovsky and Placido Domingo sang a Wagner aria in front
of an audience including Putin allies Alisher Usmanov, Russia's richest man,
and railways chief Vladimir Yakunin.
The new stage of the Mariinsky Theatre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PqD_0HpUqc&list=TLJp8kBuKh4oM
Behind The Scenes of The Mariinsky Theatre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0dXgSxIV84&list=TLJp8kBuKh4oM
Russia's
new Mariinsky Theatre draws criticism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7v7TpzhOrg&list=TLJp8kBuKh4oM
Marijinski teatar
http://www.youtube.com/channel/HCigmZOv86x3g