Well, I didn’t swear, not shmogla

I don't know how to explain it. Maybe the chief conductor Tugan Sokhiev, for his long -awaited first production at the new workplace, needed so that nothing on the stage was interfering with the orchestra. Indeed, the orchestra is balanced, combed, correct, singers are not drowned out, all the solo flutes and valtor are heard. Or, perhaps, in anticipation of the dangerous names of Serebrennikov, Demutsky and Kulyabin on his posters, the theater decided to insure him to be safe. The name, however, is not that very suitable for this was chosen. But in a sense, this achievement-the Bolshoi Theater staged the most boring and colorless performance of the season. And, perhaps, not only Moscow. And the name of this performance is “Carmen” by Bizet.

"Carmen"! One of the most important operas in the history of mankind. If not the main one. Overflowing with hits and sex. And they managed to put her like that that the only, rather uncertain “bravo” at the premiere sounded only in the second half of the performance, after the Aria of Michaela. To which, however, not all yawning spectators, dimmed by all kinds of habaners and segidillas, sat.

The last premiere of the season in the Bolshoi Theater is another and quite understandable attempt to populate the historical scene with the most popular names. This should, apparently, explain the rather ownerless removal from the repertoire of the already existing Carmen, delivered by a worldwide operator David Pauntney in 2008 on a new stage. In addition, he put it without regard to the tradition of the Bolshoi Theater, the booklet carefully informs us.

But that was another era. And now new times have come. “Carmen” decided to make it on their own - with the exception of the Spanish choreographers Rosario and Ricardo Castro, who have brought some revival and clatter a couple of times a couple of times. The rest of the time on the stage is calm and monotony, the authors of which are director Alexei Borodin and artist Stanislav Benedictov, respected people from the world of the drama theater with titles, bonuses and subjects of lists.

Something extremely optional is built on the stage. Carmen differs little from Michaela, Hose - from Escamillo. Whoever wants to, seduces, is jealous, loves and hates - it is clear only from the credits. The final clarification of the relations of the main characters, which they, as intelligent people, spend unexpected paint while sitting at a table with two glasses of wine, so the final stabbing looks like an annoying misunderstanding.

It’s not that the theater component of the performance before his premiere caused serious expectations, but I always want to believe in a miracle. However, the miracle clearly did not happen.

The musical successes, which, no matter how much is drawn to sleep, still do not close their eyes, include the quintet of smugglers-the most difficult ensemble, Sokhiev has a completely crumpled, light, transparent and springy, landscape symphonic sketch in front of the stage in the mountain gorge and Michael performed by Anna Nechaeva, which was not in vain shouted “brave”. As for the Central Party, where the Bolshoi Theater put its new and seemingly very successful acquisition - Agund Kulaev from the New Opera, then its even, beautiful Mezzo that the director, that the conductor left without any seasoning, and this is in this case destructively. Nevertheless, female casting in the premiere looked more successful than male. The invited Turkish tenor Murat Karakhan in the role of Hoza sang only by the end, and Elchin Azizov sinned in inaccurate intonation as Eskamilo.

The next season of the Bolshoi Theater has already been declared and seems more interesting and more vigorous than this, too textbook. But the first spoon of tar in it is a start with four performances of the new “Carmen”, fresh, like the cheese of the era of import substitution.