“Sevastopol Waltz” by Listov sounded in a new way
The Generation Theater – a new brand in the Moscow theater poster – presented the premiere of the musical performance “Sevastopol Waltz” with music by the Soviet composer Konstantin Listov for the New Year. The production was staged by choreographer Egor Druzhinin, whose creative activity in recent years has not been very noticeable. The director, together with the musical director and arranger Vladimir Yankovsky, significantly rethought the original, turning Listov’s jingoistic operetta into a chamber lyrical musical and dramatic performance.
It is difficult to imagine a greater cognitive dissonance than the one that arises between the real history of Sevastopol during the war years and the cheerful score of Konstantin Listov. The composer wrote his operetta in 1961, completely ignoring what actually happened during the war: the huge losses of the Red Army, the horror of defeat, the mass death of civilians … Sevastopol was literally destroyed to the very ground – not even the turf remained. They began to engage in restoration without waiting for victory – in 1944. A snow-white literal copy of Sevastopol grew in record time (there is a legend that this was a bet that Stalin made with Roosevelt and Churchill). Behind all this was a real tragedy and a real feat.
There is nothing of this in Listov’s operetta “The Sevastopol Waltz” to the libretto by E. Galperina and Yu. Annenkov. And there is a toothless story, flavored with choral and orchestral pathos, about unkillable warriors and the joy of post-war meetings on Primorsky Boulevard. Not to say that Lisztov also succeeded very much in music: it is, of course, high-quality, melodic, listens well and with pleasure. However, there was only one hit. But outstanding: “Sevastopol Waltz” is remembered not only by “all sailors”, but also by representatives of other professions. And, as shown by the performance of the theater “Generation” – of various ages, including youth.
The audience very warmly accepted the performance, which its creators transposed into a new direction: no pomposity, no choirs, no pathos, no brass, no orchestral tutti … The personal story of the heroes against the backdrop of the war – love, betrayal, betrayal, loyalty, finding true love – that , which turned out to be at the center of a musical performance, which can hardly be called an operetta – rather, a dramatic performance with zongs. And there is a certain mystery in it: because of the special “quiet” sound in synthesis with a certain visual solution (artist V. Nikolskaya), built on the contrast of pictures of war and peace, as well as the principled “non-opera” directorial techniques (at first I was even surprised – why the choreographer Druzhinin did not use his choreographer’s fantasies more extensively, but then it became clear that excessive dancing would be simply inappropriate here), the impression of some kind of illusory, illusory nature of what is happening remains. And the second act seems more like an unfulfilled dream than an optimistic triumph.
The artists sing excellently: “Generation” is a musical theater, in the troupe of which there are professional singers. The lyrical, sweet Averin, performed by Arthur Mukhametdinov, is more like a modest home front worker than a war hero. Sergei Ryazanov in the role of the reckless Cossack sailor Immortal is perhaps the most striking male role. Both heroines – the treacherous Nina (Zinaida Gromozdina) and the selflessly loving Lyuba (Irina Lesnykh) – are equally charming and vociferous. The image of Aunt Dina (Anna Alt) is unusually solved, which, as a rule, is portrayed as a characteristically comic aunt. In this production, she becomes much more lyrical and soulful.
The Generation Theater arose as a continuation of Chikhachevka, a musical theater located on the outskirts of Moscow. After the death of its creator, Gennady Chikhachev, the theater underwent a rebranding. However, the main thing remains: it is a musical theater with an interesting repertoire, a strong troupe and an excellent full-time orchestra led by a professional musician, conductor Vladimir Yankovsky.
The performance “Sevastopol Waltz” is a good start to the new year. It has kindness and sincerity. In it, the authors do not try to be ironic about the Soviet classics, but they do not fall into a stilted conjuncture either. And it must be said that the new generation is “getting it”, as evidenced by the full hall, more than half consisting of teenagers and young people.