The New York Times: “We have a message from Kirill!”
On a recent Tuesday evening in one of the Zurich Opera’s rehearsal studios, the choreographer Evgeny Kulagin called out, and a dozen singers and backstage technicians came running. They bounded in to watch the latest video sent by their director, Kirill Serebrennikov, a man few of them have ever met.
4 comments:
This is an interesting situation for Russia and Kirill Serebrennikov, to be put in. While there are just reasons why Serebrennikov should not be allowed to work on his show, it puts the production team and artists in a very tough position. I’m not sure on which side I agree with, but I do know that the law is the very first and foremost in the minds of the artists. Its unfair that a show must go on without their director, but its admirable that the show is continuing on. It says a lot on how much this production means to the team and producers to go on without their director. The way they’ve worked around this monumental issue is inspiring and speaks to the hard work and determination they’ve put into the opera. Not many people would be able to pull something like this off, and I think we should learn from their determination and passion to keep the opera going.
The determination and hope of Kirill Serebrennikov given these circumstances is one to be admired. In some ways, I am grateful that there are artists in our industry who are this committed to creating work, who have persevered through censorship and constant hurdles in their creative process. Not only is Serebrennikov the director, he also had the massive additional responsibilities of designing the costumes and set, which have been highly contemporized for this opera. It is fascinating that Serebrennikov chose for the costumes and set to reflect modern society, when he himself is forcibly disengaged from it. I also admire the entire company dedicated to making “Così Fan Tutte” a seamless and grand piece not unlike any other they have worked on in the past. I can imagine some of the frustration that may come with hearing blunt feedback from a director who has never seen your work in person, but these circumstances demand that all participants have an outstanding level of patience and commitment to their craft. For the dedication that the company has already shown, I am sure that this production will truly be one for the books.
This situation is extraordinary on all accounts. It’s amazing that they’re able to pull it off, and it’s amazing that the performers (although this article doesn’t really get into their perspective of the situation) are willing to put up with such a one-sided directorial relationship. That said, operatic direction tends to be quite different from what we’re used to; it’s a lot more ad-hoc. The author says that most people think the charges against Serebrennikov are an attempt to silence him, but the author also says that he’s not a dissident. I know Russia has a reputation for being a pretty brutal place, but it seems hard to justify conjuring up a case against someone who doesn’t even qualify as a dissident. This may just be my American pessimism coming in to play, but what if he’s not innocent? There is corruption everywhere, even in the arts, despite what we may want to think. I hope he’s innocent, and I hope these people who are leaping through hoops to let him continue working aren’t doing so in vain.
This man is incredibly brave and tenacious to keep doing his work in such difficult conditions as the ones he is facing. I am actually very interested in the obviously complicated logistical issues that must face the helpers of this director. First of all, much of the credit must go to his co-director, because even if the the director is sending videos and comments to the cast, the co-director must be the actual reactive voice in the room, the day-to-day director. This kind of dynamic seems like it could actually be a boon to any production. The separation between the routine direction and artistic direction could possibly allow the two to become more powerful, with each one focusing more on their respective sides of the coin. But none of this speculation can excuse the obvious hardships this man is facing. Is it sad that I am never surprised when I hear another story of trumped-up charges, human rights abuses and suppression from russia. Why are all these charges of corruption always leveled at artists who criticize the state, I wonder?
Post a Comment