Opera Review: The Enchanted Wanderer

Published on Wednesday 27 August 2008 19:36

THE ENCHANTED WANDERER **** FESTIVAL THEATRE, EDINBURGH

THE chime of distant church bells establishes an ancient atmosphere for Rodion Shchedrin's opera The Enchanted Wanderer, first commissioned by Lorin Maazel for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 2002.

Based on a novella by Nicolay Leskov, and performed here by the orchestra and chorus of the Mariinsky Opera Company, the opera has been called "a vision of the Russian soul" and it explores various metaphorical meanings for mother Russia herself. On one level, it is a picaresque story of a seduction, betrayal and violent death involving an itinerant monk, a gypsy woman and a prince. But more profoundly it's a tale of abuse, sacrifice and salvation, reinforced by the plot's compression into a few scenes which are juxtaposed against pivotal moments of beauty, love and regret – notably the Ivan's lament, sung movingly here by Sergey Alexashkin.

The opera's potency arises from its intricate interleaving structure, where lyrical monologues overlap into chorus chants which dovetail with short orchestral parts. Ultimately, however, while Shchedrin is postmodern in his use of diverse musical traditions, the overall impression is of a classical tragedy of inescapable fate.

There are moments of extraordinary beauty, particularly when Kristina Kapustinskaya as when Yevgeny Akimov as the Prince sings of pure love.

Valery Gergiev conducts with magisterial control, and as Ivan finally heads for redemption at the Valaam monastery it seems suddenly as if the whole opera reveals itself as the active creation of a Russian icon in sound.