The Golden Fund of Theatrical Productions of Russia
The plot of the opera is based on two ancient Russian legends from the 13th century: the legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the legend of St. Princess Fevronia of Murom. The opera presents a gallery of vivid national characters: the ideal image of a Russian woman, loyal and loving, ready to perform heroic deeds; the dramatic character of Grishka Kuterema, who is morally broken; and the warriors who defend their homeland to the death.
In the new production, freed from the precise time-frame of the Russian Middle Ages, the opera gains greater freedom in its interpretation of the characters: people in pea coats appear among the defenders of Kitezh, and the silhouette of the Tatar enemies resembles a knight’s armor. As the times and eras merge, the space undergoes similar transformations, both figurative and literal: the forest, the cell, the city, and the church become one place where everyone chooses their own path. Does this path lead to the invisible city?
