THE BOOK OF SERAPHIM
Stanislavsky Electrotheatre, Moscow
Presented in the frame of Russian Case 2021
Based on the poem “The Book of Thel” by William Blake and a fragment from the novel “Demons” by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Director and composer: Alexander Belousov
Director and composer: Alexander Belousov
This chamber opera composed by Alexander Belousov who also works with electronic instruments, is a musical confession of Nikolai Stavrogin from Fyodor Dostoevsky's “Demons”. The production also encompasses William Blake's poem The Book of Thel. Two storylines – the confession of Stavrogin, a character in Dostoevsky’s novel, who comes to Archbishop Tikhon to confess his crime (years before he seduced a 14-year-old girl Matryosha), and William Blake's prophecy of a girl trying to understand the root of her melancholy - intervene and create a new context.
The production combines a set of themes and varied theatrical languages. During the prologue the audience remains in the foyer where they watch the characters appear and quietly engage in a dialogue. Then the actors lead the spectators into the auditorium, where the performance continues in a playground setting that reminds of Matryosha’s young age. The mantra-like music, choreography and style of acting make the stories by Blake and Dostoevsky realistic and poignant.
The production combines a set of themes and varied theatrical languages. During the prologue the audience remains in the foyer where they watch the characters appear and quietly engage in a dialogue. Then the actors lead the spectators into the auditorium, where the performance continues in a playground setting that reminds of Matryosha’s young age. The mantra-like music, choreography and style of acting make the stories by Blake and Dostoevsky realistic and poignant.
Kristina Matvienko
