While on a concert tour in Iceland, the noted Ukrainian opera singer Anatoly Mokrenko saw the statue of Harold I on the sea shore, among gray boulders, and thought it a good omen, because he sang the mighty Viking’s part in Heorhy Maiboroda’s “Yaroslav the Wise”.
He could not have known at the time that many years later this token would be fulfilled dramatically when he, as Director of the National Opera of Ukraine, would find himself among the organizers of the international theatrical project “The Vikings Modern Rock Ballet: Ukraine-Norway-Sweden-Denmark,” about Norwegian King Harold III (Hardrada) falling in love with the beautiful Kyiv Princess Yelyzaveta.
Also no stranger to the project is Oleksandr Bystrushkin, head of Kyiv’s Chief Directorate for Culture who as a young actor temperamentally impersonated Novgorod merchant Nikita, madly in love with Yelyzaveta, in Ivan Kocherha’s tragedy “Yaroslav the Wise” at the Ivan Franko Ukrainian Drama Theater. Casting aside his rivalry with Harold, he was fascinated by the project idea, so much so that he decided to write the libretto, jointly with Ukrainian Dance Academy President Yuri Stanishevsky. The music is being taken care of by Ukrainian composer Yevhen Stankevych (author of the ballet Princess Olha, another story about the Kyiv Rus’ nobility).
The key roles in the ballet, to be produced by Ballet Master Anatoly Shekera, Stage Director Oleksiy Kuzhelny and Scene Designer Mariya Levytska, have been assigned to noted Kyiv dancers Olena Filipieva and Yevhen Kaihorodov (both are well known in Scandinavia as well). The National Opera’s male ballet cast will act as the severe Scandinavian warriors.
The opening night for “The Vikings” is scheduled for late December at the National Opera, but the project authors have very ambitious plans. During the presentation ceremony, sponsored by the Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish embassies (Yelyzaveta, daughter of Kyiv Prince Yaroslav the Wise and Swedish Princess Ingigerd, after marrying Harold Hardrada not only founded the Norwegian capital but shared the throne with Danish King Sweyn for ten years after Harold’s death), a globe was demonstrated to those present, obviously hinting at a future world tour.






