Power of 'Demon' Is Reawakened

Tremendously popular in its own time, the music of 19th-century Russian composer Anton Rubinstein has these days fallen into obscurity. But thanks to the enterprising efforts of Novaya Opera Theater, Moscow audiences now have a chance to hear one of Rubinstein's finest works, his opera "Demon," which was first brought to the stage in 1875 at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.


Although presented in concert form and missing 30 minutes of its music, Novaya Opera's "Demon" -- heard last week at the Moscow Conservatory and to be repeated Saturday at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall -- offers a powerfully moving night at the opera. One can only wonder at the fact that a Russian work of this caliber has been absent from the Bolshoi's stage for more than three decades.


The text of "Demon" is based on Mikhail Lermontov's poem of the same name, a work long regarded as one of his finest creations. It concerns the age-old story of an evil spirit who seeks redemption through the capture of a young maiden's soul.


Unlike his contemporaries Borodin and Mussorgsky, Rubinstein turned principally toward the West for musical inspiration. But for a few moments of folk-like Russian tunes and a flirtation with Russian-style Orientalism, the music of "Demon" seems to come straight from the world of French Grand Opera and its musical depictions of evil in other forms. Again and again, a certain downward-sloping line of music harks back to Meyerbeer's "Robert le Diable," while much of the choral writing could well have found a place in Gounod's "Faust." Both were popular works on the Russian stage when Rubinstein composed "Demon."


Despite its borrowings, "Demon" by no means lacks originality. Rubinstein could clearly fashion a tune all of his own making, as well as a dark orchestral coloring which seems to have no obvious counterpart in the works of any other composer. Taken as a whole, "Demon" emerges as a strong, coherent and thoroughly absorbing piece of operatic writing.


Novaya Opera has done a splendid job in bringing Rubinstein's score to life. All the soloists heard at the Conservatory proved adequate to their tasks. Outstanding among them were bass Fyodor Mozhayev, whose fine, flexible voice seemed just right for the title role, and soprano Yelena Zelenskaya, who began somewhat stridently, but in the end delivered a warm and touching portrayal of Demon's prey, the young maiden Tamara. However , a different cast will be performing Saturday.


The greatest strength of Novaya Opera lies in its chorus, which "Demon" puts on excellent display. Its final minutes must rank among the most glorious choral episodes in all of Russian opera. Presiding over an orchestra of medium size and quality, guest conductor Igor Golovchin led the proceedings somewhat dispassionately, but with a firm hand.


Founded in 1991, Novaya Opera has already gone far in its quest to bring new life to opera in Moscow. The company these days is limited to presenting most of its work in concert form, with an occasional staged production. In three years' time, however, the troupe will take up permanent residence in a brand new theater of its own, to be constructed at city expense on the grounds of The Hermitage in Karetny Ryad.


Novaya Opera next returns at the end of December with a staging at the Taganka Theater of a rare and rousing work by Giuseppe Verdi, "I due Foscari," to be followed by a revival of the company's delightful potpourri of arias and scenes from Rossini operas, which it calls simply "Rossini." Both will be conducted by artistic director Yevgeny Kolobov, whose inspired efforts on the company's behalf have turned him into something of a cult figure among Moscow music lovers.





The few remaining tickets for Saturday's performance of "Demon" can be purchased either at the Novaya Opera box office, 40-42 Ulitsa Taganskaya (tel. 271-1440, metro Marksistskaya), or at the box office of the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, 4/31 Triumfalnaya Ploshchad (tel. 299-0378, metro Mayakovskaya).