The premiere show of the new 73rd season, opera degustation “L’elisir d’amore” is back on the main stage of NOVAT. The first two shows were sold out and were performed by two different casts. In fact, it was two different versions of the performance, looking alike, but still differing. The performers of the lead roles told us about their work in this production and about their characters.
Vladimir Kuchin, who played Nemorino on the first night sees his character as “the most normal person of them all, despite being clumsy and awkward. People around him are all possessed with material assets: trends, fashion, money. It’s hard for my character to fit this society with all his purity and honesty. Nemorino is still a child inside, it’s easier for him to display real emotions: to cry, to love, to enjoy – that’s his strength”.
Daria Shuvalova played Adina in this production and she finds it interesting how a self-aware, down to earth cutie turns into a shy googly-eyed girl: « The director wanted our love in the end to look like a first, childish, naïve, touching display of feelings. In my opinion, these emotions are hidden in the very music of Donizetti».
Kirill Nifontov played Nemorino and it was his first big role in NOVAT: «This character is very familiar to me, I didn’t have to make thing up, I just had to recall and relive through some moments of my own life. In fact, the preparations went as smooth as possible, with fun and interest. Vocally, Nemorino’s part is quite challenging, and I have to thank our Musical Director Dmitri Mikhailovich Jurowski for his invaluable help».
Nadezhda Nesterova who also played Adina confessed: «We all worried a lot, because “L’elisir d’amore” is a challenging opera to perform, and it’s not only my part. We strived to make it all look easy and simple. I like my character, because under the exterior of a coquette she hides a girl waiting for real, true love and all her frippery disappears when she meets ».
Doctor Dulcamara, a quack and the main impulse of the whole action has become 51st role for a bass singer Vladimir Ognev. «I was waiting long time for this role. It’s a very rare occasion for a comic bass to have such a massive part. Another reason why I wanted to perform this part is because I like to mess up onstage, and this production has a room for it. I’ll tell you more, as the show grows it will be even more interesting and deep, “mature” “L’elisir d’amore”.
Alexey Laushkin made his quack Dulcamara very charming: «He’s a bold, egoistic Italian field salesman, so I furnished him with a bit of Elvis Presley and even some Philipp Kirkorov. The part is quite difficult and fast, it has a lot of tiny vocal features, unusual for me, and moreover we had to combine singing and dancing. The comic genre implies some room for improvisation, and we enjoy fulfilling it».
Sergeant Belcore is performed by a baritone Pavel Yankovsky, who fits this character very well, according to the audience’s feedback: « Belcore is quite different from other characters I happened to perform. I played a typical Italian guy: vigorous, daring lady’s man. Zhanna Usachyova’s costumes helped a lot with this transformation. I have to say, this role fitted my voice well. It was comfortable singing a part that requires a certain technique».
Alexey Zelenkov’s Belcore is an audacious, pushy alpha male who is used to easy victories: « I fell in love with this part, and it seems to me I managed to make it work speaking of both vocal and artistic aspect. The director highlighted the features of every character; for example, my Belcore is extremely self-assured, a real show-off. I assume we all advanced professionally while getting this production».
Gaetano Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” will be performed on 6th October at 19.00 on the main stage of NOVAT. Tickets are available at the box office and on the website novat.nsk.ru
