New production of Faust premieres at Belarus’ Bolshoi Theatre

The National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of Belarus premiered Charles Gounod’s opera Faust directed by Anna Motornaya on 21 and 22 November.

The concept of Charles Gounod’s Faust was presented to the artistic council of the theater. The new production team will feature a new name for the Bolshoi Theater – director Anna Motornaya. “Despite the fact that it will be her first work at the Bolshoi Theater, her experience in the musical theater is quite impressive. Since 2010, she has staged eight productions and a number of large concerts at the Belarusian State Academic Musical Theater,” the theater noted.

The director's concept touches upon serious philosophical questions and calls to reflect on the essential moral and ethical problems. The viewers will be immersed in the atmosphere of Faust’s experiment, in which he constantly teeters on the verge of reality and unreality, illusion and reality, conscious perception and feeling.

“Charles Gounod’s opera that we want to show is a true bestseller. The opera carries an infinite amount of meanings, but most importantly, it is incredibly emotional and evokes compassion,” Anna Motornaya said.

The Bolshoi Theater of Belarus already staged Charles Gounod’s Faust in the past, for the first time in 1928. That was the first production by the Belarusian Music College directed by Aleksandr Bessmertny and performed in the Belarusian language. The second time the opera was staged was in 1950. The production team included conductor Tatiana Kolomiytseva and director Vladimir Shakhrai. The third production saw the light of day in 1972. The production team included conductor Iosif Abramis, director Semyon Stein, designer Yevgeny Zhdan, and choreographer Semyon Drechin.