Mozart and Salieri and Kashchey the Immortal
Updated: Oct 8, 2021
Independent Opera Company begins its tenth season with two wonderful and rarely performed one-act operas by the Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov.
Mozart and Salieri is based on a play by Alexander Pushkin and was an inspiration for Amadeus, both the play and the movie. Kashchey the Immortal, by the composer's description, is "An Autumn fairy tale" that is juxtaposed to his previous "Spring tale" The Snow Maiden, which IOC performed in 2019. Based on Russian folklore, Kashchey tells the enchanting story of an evil old magician Kashchey, a beautiful Princess, who is Kashchey's captive, a brave Prince, Kashchey's seductive and dangerous daughter Kashceevna, and mythical Storm-Bogatyr, the Mighty Wind. The libretto (text) of this opera was written by the composer himself.
These two enthralling operas have a lot in common, but are also quite different. Mozart and Salieri is composed with great reverence for both Mozart the composer and Pushkin the poet. Thus, there is great respect for the spoken word and also some references to Mozart's beautiful music, as well as digging deep into the human psyche, a study of bitterness and envy. Kashchey the Immortal explores traditional Russian fairytale stories and characters with some unusual twists. This is one of Rimsky-Korsakov late operas, a bit more complex than his earlier works, and has some West-European influences, most notably, Wagner, while maintaining undeniable Russian roots and Rimsky-Korsakov style.
Cast.
Mozart - Daniel Brennan
Salieri - Joseph Dhanens
Kashchey - Xavier Prado
Tsarevna, Princess Beloved Beauty - Brooke Iva Lohman
Prince Ivan Korolevich - Jamie Sanderson
Kashcheevna, Daughter of Kashchey - Alexis Wesley
Storm-Bogatyr, the Wind - Eli Katz
Stage Director - Liza Barskaya
Music Director - Galina Barskaya
Live event: https://mozartkashcheyioc.brownpapertickets.com/
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