COCK-A-DOODLE-DO

The Golden Cockerel presented by New Opera NYC (photo by Steven Pisano)

We could scarcely believe our eyes and ears last night at the Sheen Center, where New Opera NYC produced an opera that was new to us and presented it in such a fantastic (and we do mean "fantastic") manner that we were completely transfixed. What eye candy!  What ear candy! And also, dare we say, stimulus to the brain, as we consider the tale of a pompous bumbling leader who makes a pre-emptive strike on another country, following some bad advice! How resonant!

On a day remembered as Bloody Sunday in Russia, the Tsar's forces massacred some peaceful protestors who were unhappy about their living conditions but also about the ill-fated Russo-Japanese War.  The composer Rimsky-Korsakov supported the protestors and thereby lost his job as head of the conservatory. Perhaps in protest he chose to set The Golden Cockerel as a satire of autocracy and Russian imperialism. This would be his last opera; he completed it in 1907 but it was banned by the Palace. It premiered 2 years later but the master had already died.

The libretto was written by Vladimir Belsky who based it upon an invented fairytale by Alexander Pushkin who, in turn, based his work on some stories by our very own Washington Irving!  How about that! Real fairytales are folktales handed down over centuries so we feel confident in calling this one invented.

King Dodon's astrologer presents him with a golden bird who will warn him of political danger and gets promised whatever he wants in return. War is declared whilst Dodon lazes about at home, relying on the bird's advice. Dodon's sons kill each other on the battlefield and Dodon himself must go. In the kingdom of Shemakh he meets the seductive Tsaritsa  Shemakha who extracts a promise of marriage and returns home with him. The astrologer claims his reward--the Tsaritsa.  He will accept no less. Dodon kills him. The Golden Cockerel kills Dodon.

Once the thrill of the production subsides, we are left wondering whether this was all a plot of the Astrologer and the Tsaritsa to take over Dodon's kingdom. But our thoughts return to the sensuality of Rimsky-Korsakov's melodies and the lusciousness of his orchestration, so magnificently played by a full orchestra under the baton of Maestro J. David Jackson. We recall that it was Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade that captivated us in our childhood, leading to our lifelong interest in classical music. Particularly memorable was the harp of Ata Svetlov, the percussion of Chui Ling Tan, and the flute section. The Asian mode lent a special exotic thrill.

The singing was exemplary. Starring as Dodon was the famed Russian bass Mikhail Svetlov who impressed us on the opera stage far more than he did singing lieder on a prior occasion. The Tsaritsa Shemakha was performed by Julia Lima; the strength of her voice was overlaid with accuracy in the fioritura and accompanied by a very sexy body which added to the believability of her seductive dance. (Think Salome!)

As The Golden Cockerel, soprano Ksenia Antonova's performance left nothing to be desired. In the tenor altino role of The Astrologer, John Villemaire's reedy tone was just right. Baritone Antonio Watts made a fine and colorful Prince Aphron with tenor Dmitry Gishpling-Chernov as his brother Prince Gvidon, equally well performed. 

Bass Gennadiy Visotsky shone as General Polkan and wore his furs well. As the Housekeeper Amelfa, Ksenia Berestovskaya had a fine low mezzo just right for the role, and a spunky stage presence.

We might add that the chorus was superb, led by Chorus Master Alexandre Tchaplinskiy.  And who doesn't love a Russian chorus!

The production was by Igor Konyukhov who has established himself on the opera scene in a short period of time. We don't often meet nuclear physicists who go on to get an MFA but we can definitely relate to finding the arts more compelling than science. This polymath of a man was responsible for both direction and choreography--both superb.

The entire production team brought visual splendor to all this aural delight. The lavish set design was by Zachary Crane and was lit by Greg Mitchell. Special credit goes to Oksana Ivashkevych whose LED Technology was brilliant.

The eye-popping costumes were by Olga Maslova who seemed to combine Russian folk themes with Star Wars and Hair and several other influences. We were reminded of Heartbeat Opera's Mozart in Space last Halloween. We were constantly astonished by the originality which is difficult to describe. We refer readers to the carousel of photos on our FB page.

Separate credit must be given to Giaconda for the headpiece of the titular character which was right on point and totally complementary to the costume. Marina Konyukhova and Elizabeth Tripp were responsible for the outstanding Make-up.

We have fallen in love with this opera and will see it again in August in Santa Fe.  It will be interesting to see what a different production team will do with it but we don't think that anything could surpass this production.

There will be four more performances and if you are lucky enough to snag tickets we think you will also fall in love with this extravagant over-the-top production This is just one event in the two-month-long New York OperaFest. We are happily overdosing.

(c) meche kroop