Theatrical Conveniences and Inconveniences

Among the opera works standing on the shelf and waiting their turn, Donizetti's vocal score was far from the first. I was not impressed by the rather dull piano part.

But there were two factors that played the decisive role in choosing the opera for the 2022 season. They are:

1. Alexei Sadovnikov's text.

2. The subject.

I'll begin with the second. The subject of this opera is very close and understandable to any theatre company (and ours is no exception). It is the rehearsal of an opera production, the relationships between actors (read: envy, squabbles, jealousy...)

Sadovnikov not only wrote a sparkling text but also invented the action of the second act entirely, since in the original it consisted mostly of ballet scenes. He added solo numbers and ensembles and, most importantly, gave the narrative sense and logic.

True, three vocal scores (in different editions) did not give him enough music and he borrowed it from other works by Donizetti and (oh, horror) Rossini.

(But that is our little homemade secret).

Our artists enjoyed working on their roles and played 12 performances spectacularly.

The text of the opera can be read here