By Olga Medved: La Traviata staged by Latvian director Andrejs Žagars will open the 85th season of the Belarusian Bolshoi. It will be the 6th production of the legendary opera by Giuseppe Verdi. An international team has been working on the production.
The most popular opera in the world has time traveled, and the audience in Minsk will see the events set in the 21st century. The libretto remains largely unchanged.
The characters will be wearing shirts, jeans, and sneakers, and in the course of the opera, they will change their attire several times. For the first time, costumes were created individually for each choir artist. All in all, about 200 costumes have been made for the premiere. The scenery of the three-hour performance will change four times. Each picture has its distinct color or key element.
Director Andrejs Žagars stressed that for him this is a perfect opportunity for many reasons. He had a chance to cast the soloists himself, and at the moment, they have three crews of top performers who can go on stage.
Vladimir Gridyushko, the General Director of the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater, also added that this year, they are starting to work on a number of world premieres, including the opera Salome by Richard Strauss.
