Afternoon:
9°c
Barry Millington's rating
, The Tsarina's Slippers is well-shod but shoddy
By
Barry Millington
23 Nov 2009
The precise footwear favoured by the tsarina in Tchaikovsky’s only comic opera, Cherevichki, is no straightforward matter. Cherevichki are high-heeled, narrow-toed women’s holiday boots, according to the New Grove Dictionary of Opera, but as a title that doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue. Hence The Tsarina’s Slippers for Francesco Zambello’s new production of Tchaikovsky’s rarely seen work.
Perhaps only pedants and shoe fetishists will quibble at the billing — though the dainty court footwear on display has a crucial role to play. More seriously, this feeble, unimaginative production is a disappointing pitch for the festive market (catch it on BBC2 over Christmas) that’s unlikely to win converts to opera.
Coquettish: Olga Guryakova takes centre stage as Oxana
In Act 1 the widow Solokha’s loneliness is enlivened by a flirtation with the Devil and they dance a hopak. In Act 2 they get into the mood with, yes, another hopak. This time they’re
interrupted. The Devil hides and before long Solokha has no fewer than four admirers trussed up in sacks.
Meanwhile, Solokha’s son, Vakula, is vainly wooing the village coquette, Oxana, but Zambello’s handling of these conventional situations is as uninspiring as Tchaikovsky’s music for the first two acts.
Opting, with designers Mikhail Mokrov (sets) and Tatiana Noginova (costumes), for a “naïve folkloric style” with old-fashioned painted drops, she offers neither a contemporary gloss nor even the virtuoso stagecraft that might have made a success of the folksy fantasy in its own terms.
After the interval we’re presented with gently abstractionist, even postmodernist touches (courtiers dancing in front of a model of a palace, tiaras incorporating similar regal edifices). There’s no obvious reason for the change of mode but one can only be grateful, especially as Tchaikovsky’s music is also superior and often ravishingly scored here — a fact seized on gratefully by conductor Alexander Polianichko.
The singing, by a largely Russian cast, is not particularly distinguished — apart from Sergei Leiferkus as His Highness — though there are intermittently decent contributions from Olga Guryakova (Oxana), Vladimir Matorin (Chub) and Larissa Diadkova (Solokha).
Is a “naïve folkloric style” really tenable today? Zambello seems to have decided not but only halfway through her show. There may be little magic but there’s colour in abundance, and some fine dancing from the Royal Ballet. That includes Cossack dancing for those who like that sort of thing. But if they break into another hopak I’ll scream.
Until 8 December. Information: 020 7304 4000; www.roh.org.uk. BBC Radio 3 on 5 December.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (4)
I agree with the other reader reviews - I don't know why the press reviews have been so negative. I saw the Tsarina's Slippers last night and thought it was absolutely fantastic, and judging by the audience reaction, so did most other people! I admit that my 12 year old son was only impressed by the cossack dancers, and the woman next to me seemed a bit bemused by the whole thing, but as for the criticisms mentioned above, I think the review is complete nonsense. There was one hopak which lasted about 5 seconds, so I don't know if the reviewer fell asleep at this point and dreamed the rest. For me, tha naive style absolutely worked perfectly, the spectacle was sheer Russian Fairy Tale (which genre, perhaps, is entirely unknown to the reviewer?), I smiled from start to finish, the music was gorgeous, the sets out of this world, the dancing SUBLIME (and I have seen a lot of the Royal Ballet), the acting was delightful and the whole thing a joy. I find the dismissal of the set design in the above review as quite unbelievable. The sets were worthy of a gallery show in their own right. Absolutely wonderful.
- Eve Anderson, London, UK, 26/11/2009 09:19
Report abuse
I agree with James Mayhew's comments. I thoroughly enjoyed the production as did my children. I can't wait to see it on TV at Christmas.
One other thing I think that is worth remembering, critics have a job to do, but the performance is for the audience, and judging by the applause at the end last night, the audience seemed very happy, and that is what it is all about!
Well done!
- Jackie Lyons, London, 24/11/2009 11:55
Report abuse
I think the problem with many Russian operas - for reviewers - is that they simply ignore the established ideas of form and drama used in the west. One has to accept them on their own terms, or stay at home. Personally I find them fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed The Tsarina's Slippers. Very different to Tchaikovsky's "Western" operas. HOWEVER I must say that the work is vastly inferior to Rimsky-Korsakov's version of the same story, "Christmas Eve", magnificently staged by the English National Opera in the 1980s. I found the finale surprisingly touching - far more so than many a Traviata!
- James Mayhew, Letchworth, 24/11/2009 10:12
Report abuse
Dear Sir,
I was at the ROH last Friday to see Tsarina's Slipper and I really enjoyed it from the beginning to the curtain call.
I was really baffled because I am not able to understand what you saw there. Was I at the same opera house, but in a different world?
I do not understand why you, all critics, always criticise all operas even the audience enjoy.
Any rate, I have to say thank you for your narrow mind because I would like to see the opera more. There were no more tickets available today, but someone may give up because of the horrible reviews all over the UK. I hope I will be able to buy more tickets tomorrow.
Regards,
KM
- K Moriya, London, 23/11/2009 21:58
Report abuse
