The return of The Enchanted Wanderer to New York

“The Mariinsky’s presentation of The Enchanted Wanderer proved to be one of the more interesting operas in New York so far this season.” American press comments on a performance of Shchedrin’s opera during a tour by the Mariinsky Theatre under the baton of Valery Gergiev to New York

The return of The Enchanted Wanderer to New York did not occur by chance. It is known that Rodion Shchedrin composed the opera following a commission from the renowned American conductor, violinist and composer Lorin Maazel, to whom it is dedicated. Its premiere by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of maestro Maazel took place in 2002 at Avery Fisher Hall. Now, thirteen years later, The Enchanted Wanderer has returned to the USA to be performed by a Russian orchestra in the only extant production ever to be staged (by the Mariinsky Theatre with stage director Alexei Stepanyuk). It comes as no surprise that the performance drew the attention of a veritable army of music critics from various publications and internet portals.

“This was a splendid performance. Much credit goes to Oleg Sychov whose voice has the breadth and depth of a true Russian bass, and he sang and acted with deep feeling and commitment. Kristina Kapustinskaya was also impressive in the demanding role of Grusha, encapsulating piteous pleas and dramatic outbursts. The multi-cast Andrei Popov performed admirably. The chorus evoked and maintained an atmosphere of mysticism and religious conviction. Gergiev maintained a perfect balance between singers and players.” (Lewis M. Smoley, www.classicalsource.com)

Columnist Stephen Raskauskas (www.broadwayworld.com) referred to the Mariinsky Theatre’s production of The Enchanted Wanderer as “one of the more interesting operas in New York so far this season.” He focusses on “Shchedrin’s fascinating score” in which the “music for the solo voices was excellently composed, skillful orchestrations contribute significantly to the drama.” According to the critic, “Alexei Stepanyuk’s minimalist staging did well enough to match Shchedrin’s score. Alexander Orlov’s sets were simple and elegant. Irina Cherednikova’s costumes perfectly complemented Orlov’s sets.” He also noted Oleg Sychov’s “admirable performance” as Ivan Flyagin and Kristina Kapustinskaya’s “impressive” interpretation of the role of Grusha the gypsy, while stating that the “most captivating performer, however, was tenor Andrei Popov, the only performer who – with the combination of his excellent musicianship and stage presence – was able to transport me to the strange world of The Enchanted Wanderer.”

According to Paul Pelkonen (www.super-conductor.blogspot.ru), “The thrilling vocal discovery of the night was mezzo Kristina Kapustinskaya who delivered a magnetic performance. With her flashing eyes and rich, potent instrument, Ms. Kapustinskaya is a potential star of the future.” The critic also spoke about the work of the Mariinsky Chorus which “provided much of the vocal interest in this score.”

Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim (The New York Times) wrote that “Mr. Shchedrin is an orchestrator of considerable skill with an eye for color, and the performance Mr. Gergiev drew from the wonderful Mariinsky Orchestra and Chorus held plenty of individual moments of beauty. The fine cast was led by the rich-voiced bass Oleg Sychov and included the versatile high tenor Andrei Popov in five roles and the jewel-toned mezzo Kristina Kapustinskaya.”

Columnist Eric Simpson (New York Classical Review) also commented on the lofty performance levels of the Mariinsky Orchestra: “The Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev has been an ensemble of massive power, achieving searing intensity in its New York appearances, particularly when playing Russian repertoire.”

In characterising the subtlety of the combination of the composer’s idea with the stage director’s embodiment of The Enchanted Wanderer, reviewer Jacob Slattery (www.bachtrack.com) commented that “The flow of the action on stage repeatedly outlined a compounded domino effect, and the architecture for this pattern is clearly built into Shchedrin’s score.” The critic went on to say that “Gergiev has a knack for both selecting originative programming and presenting talented singers in the international spotlight,” fully and convincingly demonstrated by this production and the cast in the Mariinsky’s Enchanted Wanderer.