On October 22, 2024, the Moscow Opera Salon opened on the stage of the Arkhipova Concert Hall - a project conceived by the Premier Art Agency as an opportunity for young opera singers to prove themselves in the performance of difficult roles, gain new experience and add rare material to their repertoire, and for directors and artists to work with chamber music works and various stages. The first page in the project's history was the premiere of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov's chamber opera Mozart and Salieri, staged by Georgy Shilov, Chief Director of the Moscow Opera Salon.
The title roles in two performances of the opera Mozart and Salieri were performed by talented young soloists who passed two stages of selection - an online application and independent open auditions in the music hall of the Publika restaurant in Moscow. At the online selection stage, more than 100 applications were received from soloists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, Ufa and Novorossiysk. Fifty soloists were admitted to the in-person open auditions at the Publika restaurant in Moscow. Based on the results of the in-person auditions, two soloists were selected (tenors - Vitaly Fomin and Ernest Suleymanov, bass/baritone - Georgy Sinarevsky and Alexander Dubolazov), with whom the artistic and production team of the project prepared the roles during a month.
The project's star vocal teacher was Helikon Opera soloist Dmitry Yankovsky, who throughout the entire rehearsal period conducted individual and group vocal lessons for the finalists, dedicated to a detailed analysis of the roles. As a result of the preparatory stage (and almost 50 hours of vocal and directorial rehearsals), the final line-up of soloists was determined, who performed the premiere on October 22, 2024 at the Arkhipova Concert Hall (tenor - Vitaly Fomin, baritone - Georgy Sinarevsky).
Nikolay Davydov, a student of the stage design faculty of GITIS, acted as the production designer. In collaboration with the stage director, the Arkhipova Concert Hall was transformed into a gloomy room of the 18th century with the entourage of a Gothic cathedral. The immersion of the audience into the atmosphere of the mysterious story of the poisoning of the great composer began as soon as they entered the building of the concert hall. In the foyer the "Requiem" by W.A. Mozart was played, the portrait of the composer was placed and on the doors to the parterre there was a sign "Farewell Hall". The artistic and decorative design of the stage included the decoration of the ceiling with white cobwebs, a stained glass window with a full-length image of Mozart, dozens of electric candles, stylized antique furniture and utensils, dozens of sheet music, and a table located in the center of the stage, on which, at first glance, wrapped in white cloth, a man was lying. As soon as the audience entered the hall, they were greeted by an oppressive atmosphere and a mourning pianist sitting in mourning, so that even before the action began, it was as if an omen of future tragedy was looming in the hall.
Georgy Shilov's production concentrated expression, drama and dynamics, but at the same time left behind a feeling of light sadness. Rimsky-Korsakov's music was mixed with Mozart's own Requiem, and the sounds of the piano (performed by Ekaterina Dolyan) were tinged with a gentle violin (performed by Grigory Berezovsky). This immersive technique is one of many director Georgi Shilov's experiments, which surprised the audience throughout the evening.
The Mozart and Salieri chamber show and the opening of the Moscow Opera Salon gave young talented opera soloists the opportunity to undergo independent open auditions and receive an expert opinion from the project's artistic and production team, to add a new learned part to their repertoire, receive a series of individual and group vocal lessons with star coach Dmitry Yankovsky, work with talented director Georgy Shilov and improve their acting skills, and perform an opera on a professional stage with full sets and in front of an independent audience.
The Premier Art Agency will continue to create chamber opera productions as part of the Moscow Opera Salon, attracting the most talented young specialists in the field of musical theater.