Ruslan & Lyudmila

Руслан и Людмила

"Ruslan and Lyudmila" is an opera by Mikhail Glinka, which premiered in 1842. It became one of the major theatrical sensations of 2011 (and the entire decade) due to the production by Dmitry Chernyakov, which was the first performance on the newly reconstructed historical stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. It was an event of national importance! Chernyakov is a director for whom personal life and relationships are paramount, while anything related to the state, authority, and authoritarianism is deadly dangerous for individuals. However, in the almost realistic version of "Ruslan and Lyudmila" at the Bolshoi, there is no politics; instead, there is a duet of manipulators, Finn and Faina, who subject the love of the main characters to trials. Pushkin's fairy tale unexpectedly finds resonance with "Dangerous Liaisons."

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Actors

Ruslan

Mikhail Petrenko

Lyudmila

Albina Shagimuratova

Svetosar

Vladimir Ognovenko

Ratmir

Yuriy Mynenko

Farlaf

Almas Svilpa

Finn / Bayan

Charles Workman

Naina

Elena Zaremba

Crew

Director & Stage Designer

Dmitri Tcherniakov

Conductor

Vladimir Jurowski

Costume Designer

Elena Zaiceva

Lighting Designer

Gleb Filshtinsky

About

"Ruslan and Lyudmila" of the new millennium sounds amazingly light: Vladimir Yurovsky's musical interpretation has stripped Glinka's music of grandiosity. Lightness is the key word for staging this enormous opera, which, despite all respect and admiration, could be criticized for its amorphous plot. Albina Shagimuratova as Lyudmila and Mikhail Petrenko as Ruslan effortlessly narrate the thrilling love-adventure story. With the same ease, American Charles Workman as Finn and Elena Zaremba as Faina portray a couple whose relationship has weathered disappointments. By the way, this is also Chernyakov's most frivolously erotic production. Temptation lies at the heart of "Ruslan and Lyudmila," a mischievous, spicy, intelligent, and utterly contemporary opera.