The musical «Yesenin» by composer Evgeny Zagota is a large-scale production that premiered at the Rostov Music Theatre in May 2024 and later in St. Petersburg in October 2025. The Rostov version of the production was directed by Anastasia Negovora, and the set designer was Sergey Novikov, who created a dynamic stage space where the era of revolutionary Russia is presented in a kaleidoscope of vivid images. The story is told from the perspective of Galina Benislavskaya, a woman who loved the poet selflessly and shot herself at his grave. The musical explores the central conflict of Yesenin’s life: the struggle between his divine gift and his demonic self-destruction.
Yesenin
Reviews
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The Passion for Yesenin
Full of tumultuous events and vicissitudes, Yesenin's life has repeatedly become the subject of close attention of cinematographers and theater directors. Yesenin became the main character of the musical for the first time. It so happened that the special order of the Rostov Musical Theater to the famous master of the genre Evgeny Zagot coincided with the desire of the composer's father, the Moscow songwriter Mikhail Zagot, to write poems for a biopic dedicated to the poet, and playwright Anastasia Bukreeva, who joined the work, gathered all the lines of the narrative together, identifying a number of key episodes in the hero's life.Read more -
The Golden Mask Festival featured the musical "Yesenin"
In 2025, it will be 130 years since the birth and 100 years since the death of the famous Russian poet Sergei Yesenin. This year, there are many events planned to celebrate the poet's anniversary. On April 17, as part of the Golden Mask Festival, the Rostov Musical Theatre presented the two-act musical "Yesenin" at the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre.Read more -
The Musical "Yesenin": An Indian Film about Dance, Passion, Fame, Love, and the Death of a Singer
The art of Russia and Europe (to which, somewhere from the end of the 18th century, the North was added. America) is closely interconnected. Any trend, like a wave, began with a push somewhere in France or Germany and then swept through cities and towns. We have always been 30 to 50 years behind: if Molière wrote his “Schools” in the 1660s, then in Russia, classicism took root with the arrival of Kantemir’s dramas in the 1730s; Goethe wrote “The Forest King” in 1782, and Zhukovsky’s translation was published in 1818; “The Phantom of the Opera,” which premiered on Broadway in 1988, was performed in Moscow in 2014.Read more -
Yesenin's short and tragic life was presented at the Rostov Music Theatre: a photo report from the world premiere
The Rostov Music Theatre will host the world premiere of the musical "Yesenin" by composer Evgeny Zagota on May 2, 3, 4, and June 22-23. The stage recreates the memories of Galina Benislavskaya, a woman who loved Sergei Yesenin unconditionally. The two-act musical showcases the rise and fall of the great Russian poet, intertwined with the history of Russia.Read more -
The premiere of the musical "Yesenin" will be presented in Rostov
"This is something Rostov has never seen before!" - said the stunned audience as they left the concert hall of the Rostov State Music Theatre. Accustomed to light operettas and classical opera, they had never seen a truly epoch-making production that encompassed everything - the brief flash of a brilliant poet's life, the changing times of revolution, and the unrestrained gluttony of the New Economic Policy. In Rostov, the world premiere of the musical "Yesenin" took place.Read more -
Yesenin
Sergey Yesenin... Few people haven't heard this name or aren't familiar with his amazing poetry. A blue-eyed singer of Russian landscapes, a city hooligan, a foreign dandy, an heir and self-proclaimed rival of Pushkin, and a "god's pipe," Yesenin gained truly national fame during his lifetime, becoming an idol for millions. Yesenin's figure is tragic, and his personality and literary legacy are often discussed. The Rostov State Musical Theatre also decided to touch upon the author's work and try to understand the contradictory image and phenomenon of the master.Read more -
The Paradise and Hell of the Russian Soul. The Premiere of the Musical "Yesenin" at the Rostov Music Theatre
At the end of the 25th anniversary season, the Russian State Theatre of Music presented the world premiere of the musical "Yesenin" by Moscow composer Evgeny Zagot. This is the first production in the history of the theatre that focuses on the life and work of a brilliant Russian poet.
In 2025, we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Yesenin's tragic death, making this production a timely addition to the theatre's repertoire.…Read more -
Yesenin
Sergey Yesenin... Few people have not heard this name, or are not familiar with his amazing poetry. A blue-eyed singer of Russian landscapes, a city hooligan, a foreign dandy, an heir and self-proclaimed rival of Pushkin, a "god's pipe"... During his lifetime, he gained truly national fame, becoming an idol for millions. Yesenin's figure is tragic, and his personality and literary legacy are often discussed. The Rostov State Musical Theatre also decided to touch upon the author's work and try to understand the contradictory image and phenomenon of the master.…Read more -
Yesenin's Genius: A Bright Poet and a "Black" Man
The premiere performances of the musical "Yesenin" will be held at the Rostov Musical Theatre on May 2, 3, and 4, as well as on June 22 and 23. As is tradition, the performance was first viewed and appreciated by members of the media, the creative team, and the Theatre Friends Club. The discerning audience warmly embraced the production and agreed with the opinion of the artistic director, Vyacheslav Kushchev:Read more -
The Poet and the Black Man
The world premiere of Yevgeny Zagot's musical "Yesenin" was held at the Rostov Music Theatre.
A biopic musical is not a very common genre, but it is not entirely rare either. Recent examples include "Chaplin" at the St. Petersburg Musical Comedy Theatre and two musicals about Mayakovsky in Moscow. Without commenting on the quality of the performances themselves, I would like to point out that the musical foundation of almost all of them was rather questionable. On the other hand, Evgeny Zagot's "Yesenin" surpasses not only all of the above, but also most modern musicals.Read more