Zaporozhian Cossack beyond the Danube revamped

Myroslav Skoryk, chief artistic director of the Opera House prepared the new musical edition for the famous work of Semen Hulak-Artemovsky, whereas the theater’s chief director Anatolii Solovianenko is still working on the stage adaptation. The theater managers held a press conference, revealing to the reporters how they went over Ukrainian classical heritage and what surprises they have prepared for the audience.

“The opera endured many stage performances and cinema adaptations, and that’s why we were very considerate in this new reading of Zaporozhian Cossack beyond the Danube for the metropolitan stage,” says Solovianenko. “We are gradually moving away from the concept of costume production in the opera play towards the transformation by means of music and setting. The story line has been trimmed to two acts and thus made more dynamic, but these changes will not reflect on the overall structure and logic of the plot. Together with Myroslav [Skoryk] we found the recipe for musical and stage expression that would make the performance relevant, interesting, and optimistic.”

Maria Levytska, the theater’s chief artist, demonstrated the fabric with the hand-made ornamentation, which will create a new face for the setting. According to the directors, Ukrainian flavor, sincere humor and lyricism receive special attention these days. The performers are the choir under the directorship of Bohdan Plish, the symphony orchestra (conductor Mykola Diadiura), dancers (choreographer Aniko Rekhviashvili), and several sets of soloists. In particular, the part of Karas was prepared by leading basses: Taras Shtonda, Serhii Mahera, Bohdan Taras, and Andrii Honiukov; the part of Odarka will be performed (successively) by Tetiana Anisimova, Anzhelina Shvachka, and Maria Berezovska; Andrii will be played by Dmytro Kuzmin, Yurii Avramchuk, Valentyn Dytiuk, and Serhii Skochelias; Oksana’s role will be taken by Lesia Aleksieieva, Tetiana Hanina, Svitlana Hodlevska, and Tamara Kalinkina; the Sultan will be impersonated by Ivan Ponomarenko, Serhii Kovnir, Oleksandr Boiko, and Ihor Mokrenko.