After a late lunch with some local friends (by the way, I can recommend the restaurant “Biblioteka” in Nevsky 20 – good food, good service and reasonable prices) I rushed back to Mariinsky Theatre, this time to the Concert Hall to listen to Hector Berlioz’s opera ”Benvenuto Cellini”. The operas performed in the Concert Hall are always marked as concert versions, but you never know if the performers will be standing next to each other on the stage or if it will be a real opera. This time it was a real opera with costumes and a set, directed by Vasily Barhatov.
The opera tells about the sculptor Benvenuto Cellini, who is in love with Teresa. Even though the girl is also in love with him, her father wants her to marry another sculptor, Fieramosca. The Pope (Clement VII) orders a statue from Cellini, but the task nearly fails due to several hindrances
(runaway attempt with Teresa, a kill). In the end all ends well and the young couple get married.
Benvenuto Cellini is performed relatively seldom and I have heard it claimed that is because of its difficulty. Well, the arias require considerable ranges, so at least partly the difficulty is true. But it is also clear that the story of the opera is not very original. Barhatov had moved the story to modern times and the original monk disguises had become rabbit suits and the sculptor had become a goldsmith. Perhaps a good solution, since I noticed that I also laughed aloud to some of the jokes.
Violetta Lukyanenko, who sang the role of Teresa, has a beautiful, agile voice. Her arias were truly enjoyable. I also liked Gennady Bezzubenkov, who sang the role of Clement VII. Superb technique!
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