'Demon': a forgotten gem of Russian romanticism
Anton Rubinstein's opera, written in 1875, will be performed for the first time at the Liceu, in a new production directed by Dmitry Bertman.
Barcelona’s Liceu opera house has a long tradition of performing Russian opera, and the great Slavic masters of the genre, such as Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Mussorgsky, have always held a special place in its year-round programming. Russian opera tends to be melodic, deals with deeply human issues, and the beauty and quality of these works have always made them attractive to the public. Even so, there are always operas that have been neglected and performed less frequently than they deserve, and a case in point is Demon, an 1875 opera written by Antón Rubinstein, the legendary pianist of romanticism and the author of fifteen operas, as well as being Tchaikovsky's teacher and an inspiration for Mussorgsky. The premiere will be on 23 April and the seventh and final performance is scheduled for 11 May.
This version of the opera, with stage direction by Dmtry Berman and stage design by Hartmut Schörghofer, utilizes an innovative visual concept, with light effects and video and a cylindrical scene that changes colour and metaphorically represents all the stages of the story, which concerns the impossible love that the Devil feels for Princess Tamara and her resistance to committing sacrilegious acts. It is a purely romantic, turbulent opera with remarkable musical beauty.
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