1844 Verdi's opera Ernanis was a new feature in the composer's work. From historical developed choral operas, huge painting canvases - "Nabucco" or "Lombardies" - to a musical psychological drama, highlighting the psychological characters of the characters with a subtle drawing.
This opera was staged for the first time at LNOBT, directed by Jean-Claude Berutti. For a decade he was artistic director of the Comédie de Saint-Etienne , one of the most important theaters in France. The artist pays special attention to the realization of rarely built, forgotten stage works. The director has been working in the field of opera for more than 20 years - La Monnaie in Brussels , Avignon Opera, Opéra du Rhin in Strasbourg , Leipzig Opera, Comédie-Française and others. 2007 He was awarded a statuette of the Golden Lion during the Venice Biennale.
Director J.-C. Berutti's starting point was Victor Hugo's play Hernani, based on which Francesco Maria Piave wrote the libretto for Verdi's opera. It is true that the libretto, due to censorship, according to the director, "castrated" the play of V. Hugo full of political issues of that time, but the music of G. Verdi redeems the inexperience of the young librettist.
"Ernanis" is not a performance of "directorial theater", which is widespread in the West, and especially in Germany: for the producers, the main starting point, however, was G. Verdi's music. But the performance of surprises promises more than one. The builders decided to move the action to a museum today that exhibits Renaissance paintings. According to scenographer R. Sabounghi, since the essence of the opera is the love of three men for one - perfect - woman, it was necessary to somehow highlight its extraordinary value. Thus was born the idea that the main character Elvyra should be… a masterpiece of painting, a painting by Diego Velazquez, who revives at night and his heroine emerges from the frame. So all four acts of the opera will take place at night in a museum where reality, the world of our day, will meet, with a dream or a fantasy - the heroes of revived paintings.
Commenting on the new performance, which also has a bit of humor, the builders say that "Ernanis" is an opera that could have a happy ending, but ends tragically.
