The TheatreHD project "Magic of the Classics" unites the iconic performances of the 20th century. Opera and ballet, drama and comedy, staged by great and talented directors for great and talented performers. Performances that you want to keep forever and watch again like jewels in your secret treasure chest.
Not necessarily classical in form, all these performances have become the "golden fund" of the theatre, from which we carefully extract them to the big screen.
The crown jewels of the "Magic of the Classics" project are the productions of great directors – the lavish and passionate Franco Zeffirelli and the aesthetic classic Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, where legends of the opera and ballet stage shone: Luciano Pavarotti, Elena Obraztsova, Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Teresa Stratas, Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, Vladimir Vasiliev, and Ekaterina Maximova.
Not necessarily classical in form, all these performances have become the "golden fund" of the theatre, from which we carefully extract them to the big screen.
The crown jewels of the "Magic of the Classics" project are the productions of great directors – the lavish and passionate Franco Zeffirelli and the aesthetic classic Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, where legends of the opera and ballet stage shone: Luciano Pavarotti, Elena Obraztsova, Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Teresa Stratas, Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, Vladimir Vasiliev, and Ekaterina Maximova.
Nureyev: Swan Lake
Perhaps the most popular ballet in the world, Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" has been given a compelling new interpretation by Rudolf Nureyev.
"Victory will be mine!" The fall and rise of "Madama Butterfly"
Musicologist Ekaterina Mukovozchik speaks about the history of the opera, how after its scandalous failure at La Scala it conquered the world, why working on "Madama Butterfly" was difficult for the composer, and, of course, about the brilliant performers of the lead roles in Ponnelle's masterpiece – Mirella Freni and Plácido Domingo
The Nutcracker and the Revolution
"Lecture by Maya Farafonova, Music Curator for TheatreHD, at the cinema premiere of the Berlin Opera's 'The Nutcracker'.
Why does Tchaikovsky's music sound anxious, not just celebratory? Where do the 'non-fairytale' motifs come from—who brought the echoes of revolution into the script and score, and how did the events of the time influence Patrice Bart's version of the story."
"I have found a story that I am utterly in love with!"
At a special screening of the legendary 'La Bohème,' Ekaterina Mukovozchik spoke about the history of the opera's creation, the life-loving and resolute character of Giacomo Puccini, and how maestro Franco Zeffirelli created his masterpiece.
To interest, amaze and move: Pagliacci as a benchmark verismo opera
Musicologist Ekaterina Mukovozchik talks about composer Ruggero Leoncavallo and the famous performers of the leading roles of Canio and Nedda, about the three theatre laws by Giacomo Puccini, about the peculiarities of Italian verismo and the creative method of Franco Zeffirelli.
Secrets of La Traviata. Zeffirelli's New Look. Lecture by Ekaterina Mukovozchik
Musicologist, lecturer and teacher Ekaterina Mukovozchik talks about how Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece was born and shares the "keys" to Zeffirelli's "La Traviata": what color has to do with it, how Placido Domingo was prepared for the role and why the maestro changed the ending.
"Cavalleria Rusticana": a masterpiece of verismo. Lecture by Ekaterina Mukovozchik
How the young composer Pietro Mascagni became the author of one masterpiece, what was the fate of the work, what are the features of verismo opera, what three theatrical laws were defined by Giacomo Puccini and how Elena Obraztsova charmed maestro Franco Zeffirelli.
