Opera "The Mystery Of Paul The Apostle" (Opera in one act (ten scenes) Nikolai Karetnikov World famous Mariinsky Ballet and Opera Theatre - Opera and Concert Hall
Schedule for "The Mystery Of Paul The Apostle" (Opera in one act (ten scenes) Nikolai Karetnikov 2022
Musical Director: Maestro Valery Gergiev Lighting Designer: Damir Ismagilov Set Designer: Semyon Pastukh Costume Designer: Galina Solovieva Composer: Nikolay Karetnikov
Orchestra: Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra
Opera in 1 acts
Premiere of this production: 14 April 2010
opera in one act
Music by Nikolai Karetnikov
Libretto by Semyon Lungin and Nikolai Karetnikov
Musical Director: Valery Gergiev
Production Director: Alexei Stepanyuk
Production Designer: Semyon Pastukh
Costume Designer: Galina Solovieva
Lighting Designer: Damir Ismagilov
Musical Preparation: Dmitry Yefimov
Principal Chorus Master: Andrei Petrenko
Choreographer: Dmitry Korneyev
Synopsis
Imperial Rome in the latter stages of the life of the Apostle Paul.
Nero is celebrating a victory, after which an orgy ensues. Nero
clowns around and decrees that everyone must make love. Tigellin,
the Minister of Internal Affairs, informs the Emperor that there are
people who do not follow the widely-held customs of Rome –
the Christians. Nero wishes to see one of them. The Apostle Paul is
brought to him. This is the first time the Emperor comes face to face
with the new faith. At Nero’s decree, Paul is imprisoned. In confinement
and lonely, the Apostle recites a monologue about Christian love
(Second Epistle to the Corinthians). The Great Fire of Rome flares
up. People and animals perish in the terrifying flames. At the height
of the fire, Nero is on the balcony of his palace reading a poem
from Virgil’s Aeneid that describes the burning of Troy. When
the fire dies down, Tigellin tells the Emperor that the people
believe it was he, Nero, who caused the fire. Nero decides to lay
the blame on the Christians and orders that they be burnt after they
burned Rome. Dying in the fire, the Christians sing “Credo”. After
the Christians have been burned, Nero holds court over the Apostle
Paul. Tigellin reads out the accusation while Nero plays the fool.
Paul is convicted and executed. But Nero’s triumph is brief – all across
the empire a mutiny is mounting against him. Nero is overthrown.
Crying out “What a great artist dies in me! Death, embrace me!” he commits
suicide. The Apostle’s name can be heard against a background
of peaceful music.
World premiere in concert: 5 August 1995, Marktkirche, Hannover
Russian premiere in concert: 22 June 1996, Great Hall of the St Petersburg Philharmonic
World premiere of production: 14 April 2010, Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg
Schedule for "The Mystery Of Paul The Apostle" (Opera in one act (ten scenes) Nikolai Karetnikov 2022
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