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#10
Wall Street Journal
January 25, 2002
Russians Are Everywhere On Performing-Arts Scene
By ROBERT J. HUGHES
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
The Russians are not only coming, this winter, they're everywhere on the performing-arts scene. It's a matter of timing: Many more Russian musicians have recently begun to make a mark in the U.S., leading to an increase in the demand for Russian music and art.
From a five-year survey of the works of Shostakovich in Los Angeles to a staging of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull" in Portland, Ore., and even a Russian-American children's circus in New Hampshire, here's a look at all things Russian.
The Seagull
Through Feb. 3
Portland Center Stage
Portland Center for the Performing Arts
Newmark Theatre
1111 South West Broadway
Portland, Ore.
503-274-6588
www.pcs.org
Anton Chekhov was a doctor who turned his observation of the human experience into masterful short stories and enduring stage works. A new production of "The Seagull" made headlines last summer, when New York's Shakespeare Festival staged it with Meryl Streep. This version uses the same Tom Stoppard translation. The story follows self-involved actors and hangers-on at a summer theater who entangle in a round robin of thwarted love and ambition. Tickets are $23 to $44 most evenings and matinee performances, and $18 for Thursday noon performances.
War and Peace
Feb. 14-March 19
Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera House
70 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York City
212-362-6000
www.metopera.org
The sweep and length of Tolstoy's novel of the Napoleonic wars has not deterred filmmakers, choreographers and composers from adapting it for stage and screen. Now, the Metropolitan Opera has a new production of Prokofiev's "War and Peace" to tempt Tolstoyites. Prokofiev, who finished the opera during World War II, was fascinated by the parallels between 1812, when Russia crushed Napoleon's invasion, and the similar situation with Germany during his time. Russian-born conductor Valery Gergiev leads the orchestra. Tickets are $50 to $275. Performances are at 7:30 p.m.
Eugene Onegin
Friday night, Jan. 27 and 30; Feb. 2, 5 and 8
Houston Grand Opera
Wortham Center
Brown Theatre
510 Preston St.
Houston
713-227-2787
www.houstongrandopera.org
Tchaikovsky's operas are emotional and highly dramatic. In recent years, their standing has risen, due partly to electronic subtitles, which help audiences understand the melodramatic plots. This opera, derived from a story by Alexander Pushkin, tells of young Tatyana, who is rebuffed by Eugene Onegin after pouring her heart out to him. The bored Onegin then flirts with Tatyana's sister and duels with her fiancé. The cad gets his comeuppance -- Tatyana marries someone else, and Onegin can never have her. Tickets are $18 to $225. Evening performances will be held at 7:30 p.m.
Russian American Kids Circus
Jan. 25
Lebanon Opera House
51 N. Park St.
Lebanon, N.H.
603-448-0400
www.lebanonoperahouse.org
www.rakidscircus.org
Moscow Circus on the Hudson. This circus act is made up of Russian-American boys and girls ages six to 16 who tackle gravity-defying acrobatics. Based in Brooklyn (home to a huge Russian immigrant community), the group was founded by a former member of the Moscow Circus. It presents a circus-type show in a theater setting, incorporating elements such as flying acrobatics, unicycling and juggling. Performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Seats are $15 for adults; $9 for children. The troupe will be appearing in New Jersey next month. In April, it begins a tour of other cities, including Athens, Ga., and Springfield, Mo.
Russian Dreams
Feb. 7-9
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall
3711 Woodward
Detroit
313-576-5111
www.detroitsymphony.com
This program features a work by Alexander Borodin, a 19th-century musician who was also a scientist and wrote music to relax himself after a hard day at the lab. On the program is his "Overture to Prince Igor," from his operatic masterpiece (which was completed by Rimsky-Korsakov after his death). Also on the bill is Shostakovich's setting of sonnets by the artist Michelangelo, and Stravinsky's ballet "Petrushka." Performances are at 8 p.m. on Feb. 7 and 8, and at 8:30 on Feb. 9. Tickets are $20 to $75.
The Russian Connection: Fechin, Bongart and Gaspard
Through Feb. 17
Frye Art Museum
704 Terry Ave. and Cherry St.
Seattle
206-622-9250
www.fryeart.org
This show from the Frye's permanent collection offers works of three 20th-century émigré Russian artists who settled in the U.S. Their styles are similar to fauvists and German expressionists, but less anguished than the latter. Nicolai Fechin (1881-1955) painted peasants in his native Russia, then the peoples in and around Taos, N.M. His student Sergei Bongart (1918-1985), a native of Kiev, finally found a home in Seattle. He had a more abstract style than Fechin. Leon Gaspard (1882-1964), who painted the landscape and people of New Mexico, also continued to paint images of his Russian homeland. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, open until 8 p.m. Thursday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
Boris Godunov
March 13, 16, 19, 22 and 24
Florida Grand Opera
Miami-Dade County Auditorium
2901 West Flagler St.
Miami
305-547-5414
www.fgo.org
The 19th-century Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky's greatest achievement was the opera "Boris Godunov," from 1874. It's a pageant of Russian court and peasant life. The opera is noted for its choral writing -- the voices of the Russian peasants resounding against Boris, the guilty usurper of the throne. What listeners like -- and subsequent composers have mimicked -- was Mussorgsky's ability to make singing sound as natural as speaking. This production will be performed March 13, 16, 19, and 22 at 8 p.m. and 24 at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $19 to $135.
Russian Romantics
Feb. 16
North State Symphony
California State University Chico
Laxson Auditorium
2nd and Normal streets
Chico, Calif.
530-898-6333
www.csuchico.edu
This is a program of Russian composers, which features a Russian pianist. Moscow Conservatory-trained Alexander Tutunov performs Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor. Also on the program is Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition," originally several short piano pieces that French composer Ravel later strung together and orchestrated. In the 1970s, the synthesizer-power-guitar group Emerson, Lake and Palmer introduced their version to college kids. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students.
The Worcester Chorus: Choral Masterworks of Rachmaninoff
March 23
Music Worcester
St. Spyridon Church
102 Russell St.
Worcester, Mass.
508-754-3231
This concert includes Rachmaninoff's version of the Russian Orthodox divine liturgy. His choral music is like Tchaikovsky's -- melodic and dramatic. And he thought bigger was better -- he called for a lot of singers. This concert showcases the 120-member Worcester Chorus. Performance begins at 8 p.m., and tickets are $20.
All-Russian Program
Friday night, Saturday, Sunday
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
135 N. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles
323-850-2000
www.laphil.com
The Los Angeles Philharmonic has begun a five-year cycle devoted to the works of 20th-century composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who wrote numerous symphonies, chamber and other works, often under pressure from the Soviet government. Featured is his Symphony No. 2, "To October," and Symphony No. 3, "The First of May." Over the next five years, the orchestra will perform the composer's complete symphonies and string quartets culminating in 2006, the centennial of his birth. The concerts are at 8 p.m. Jan. 25 and 26 and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 27. Tickets are $12 to $78; some $10 rush tickets for seniors and students may be available two hours before the performance.
Semyon Bychkov, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne
Feb. 24
George Mason University Center for the Arts Concert Hall
Mason Drive
Fairfax, Va.
703-993-8888
www.gmu.edu
Russian conductor Semyon Bychkov is leading Cologne, Germany's WDR Symphony Orchestra on its first U.S. tour, in a program featuring works by fellow Russian Shostakovich and the works of other composers born in the 20th century. On the program is Shostakovich's monumental 11th symphony, which evokes the Russian Revolution and the ravages of Soviet regimes, using tunes of songs that political exiles sang. The orchestra also will be appearing in various cities in California, New York and elsewhere. Tickets here are $50, $42 and $25. Program is at 7:30 p.m.
Rachmaninoff's Beloved Second Concerto
Jan. 31
Mahaffey Theater
Bayfront Center
400 First St. South
St. Petersburg, Fla.
813-287-8844
www.stpete.org/mahaffey.htm
www.floridaorchestra.org
If you saw the movie "Shine," you have heard piano music by Rachmaninoff. Up-and-coming pianist Lang Lang will be performing Rachmaninoff's second concerto ("Shine" featured his third) -- a real test of a pianist's endurance and technique -- in a series of concerts. It's a stirring show-off piece. Mr. Lang appears with the Florida Orchestra on Jan. 31 in St. Petersburg, and also at Tampa's Performing Arts Hall on Feb. 1 and Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Fla., Feb. 4. St. Petersburg concert is at 8 p.m.; tickets are $20 to $38.
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