Zhanna Melnikova: "It is very curious to see talent in development"
The Tatar State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after Musa Jalil is an architectural and cultural pearl of Kazan. The theater is known far beyond the borders of Russia thanks to the names of the artists and the tours that are successfully held all over the world. The bearer of the traditions of the world such as Russian and Tatar cultures, the theater is located on Plosyad svobody in the center of Kazan. The modern life of the Opera and Ballet Theater, new productions, artists and spectators were discussed during an interview with the correspondent of the DragonNews portal with the head of the literary department of the Jalil Opera and Ballet Theater, Zhanna Melnikova.
The repertoire, big names, and lavish decoration are rather secondary. The main thing, perhaps, for the theater is the spectator. Who are they, your spectators? — Spectators of different age groups come to our theater, which is very pleasing. These are young people, middle-aged people, and the elderly. Our colleagues have repeatedly said after the tour that performances abroad are mainly attended by people of the older generation, who are already over 60 years old. And the fact that in Russia there is still no such tendency of "aging" of the audience which is friendly in my opinion.
How important is the viewer’s reaction to you? — The reaction of the viewer is, of course, very important. There is a class of very sophisticated spectators who know opera and ballet well, who perfectly understand where the technically difficult places are in productions, and after these episodes they can applaud alone and shout "bravo" - it’s great. I know that in some countries, for example, in the east, the audience is more restrained. It is important for us that almost all of our performances end with long applause and standing ovations. This is very pleasant not only for the artists, but also for us - the employees who are involved in the production of the theater. For us, this is an indicator that the viewer likes the product.
What theaters are you interested in in the modern world? — By the nature of my profession, I still follow more musical theaters. Now there is the Internet, social networks, where you can watch some videos or full recordings, so we try to keep abreast of what is happening on the world’s leading stages. These are “Metropolitan Opera”, “Covent Garden”, theaters in France, Germany, leading Russian theaters such as the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. There are some theaters in the capital have a little lower in rank, but they also make very interesting products: for example, the theater named after K. Stanislavsky and V. Nemirovich-Danchenko in Moscow. It is also interesting to watch the regional opera houses: Yekaterinburg, Perm, Novosibirsk, etc.
How do you envision the future of theater, and what new forms are you interested in? — This is a difficult question, because we see how new forms appear in the drama theater, which are more and more actively introduced and attract a lot of attention, especially among the youth audience. For example, immersive theater, performances with unusual decorations, site-specific theater, "adventure", "quests" and so on. If we talk about the future of the opera house, then, probably, sooner or later, modern technologies and formats will also be introduced into it. But I am sure that the unshakable classics, opera and ballet performances of the 19th and 20th centuries will not die. These performances in the traditional form in which they exist will be of interest to many generations of viewers in the future.
Do you love working with young actors? And what is the reason for this? — Young dancers and singers come to our theater. They are all full of enthusiasm, they are all eager to show their professional worth, and it is very interesting to follow their careers. If this is a dancer (dancer), then he (a) first performs small parts, then masters the leading repertoire. The same is with young opera singers. At first, they play some small roles of the second or third plan. Then their voices grow, grow stronger, and their acting skills mature. And it is very curious to see talent in development, when an artist comes just as a "chick", and after five years he is already an accomplished master. Metamorphoses can be so big.
What do you think, what joys the acting profession give? — First of all, it is self-realization. It seems to me that those who have a great need to live, to embody some images and to do it publicly go to the stage. If a person is afraid of the stage, if he is jammed there, cannot make a movement or cannot sing, then, of course, he will not go into this profession. There are people who need to realize themselves on stage through their voice, through their body, plastic. It seems to me that the main thing in the acting profession is demand and self-realization.
Schumacher Mulia Michael
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