Rodion Shchedrin’s Opera “Lolita”: About the History of the Perm Production

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Svetlana M. Platonova

Abstract

The article is devoted to analysis of the first production in Russia of Rodion Shchedrin’s opera “Lolita” based on Vladimir Nabokov’s novel with the same title, which took place in 2003 at the Perm P. I. Tchaikovsky’s Opera and Ballet Theater. The date of the opera’s creation is specified  in the manuscript of the composer’s score. Questions are posed regarding the specificity of Georgy Isaakyan’s stage direction solution, Valery Platonov’s conducting interpretation, Elena Solovyova’s scenography,  as well as the aspects of interaction between the stage producer and  the conductor. The process is characterized of the mastery by the Perm-based musicians of the complex language of the opera score. An evaluation is given to the performances of the main roles – of Lolita by Tatiana Kuindzhi and of Humbert by Alexander Agapov. The general concept of the Perm performance is revealed – of protecting childhood from encroachment on the part of adults; its realization is shown: introduction of a new group of protagonists, – namely, children, – into the process of performance. A comparison is made of the Russian production in the city of Perm with the world premiere, which took place in Stockholm. Evaluations of the Perm production are cited, as expressed by Rodion Shchedrin and musicologist Ekaterina Vlasova, as well as by reviews of the press. Valentina Kholopova’s assertion about the opera, as the “irrigation of life for the sake of life” is examined as the actualized position of the Perm producers.


Keywords: opera “Lolita,” Rodion Shchedrin, Perm Opera and Ballet Theater, Georgy Isaakyan, Valery Platonov.

Article Details

How to Cite
Platonova С. М. (2020). Rodion Shchedrin’s Opera “Lolita”: About the History of the Perm Production. Music Scholarship / Problemy Muzykal’noj Nauki, 39(2), 166–175. Retrieved from https://musicscholar.ru/index.php/PMN/article/view/1171
Section
Musical Theater
Author Biography

Svetlana M. Platonova, Ufa State Institute of Arts named after Zagir Ismagilov, Ufa, Russia

Svetlana M. Platonova, Ph.D. (Arts), Professor, Head at the Music History Department, Ufa State Institute of Arts named after Zagir Ismagilov