“War and Peace” for entertainment
Published: 16 October, 2009, 16:33
Even an epic opera can be staged like a Hollywood blockbuster! That has already been proven by one of Russia’s top filmmakers whose name is familiar in the West – Andrey Konchalovsky.
His large-scale “War and Peace” opera is on at the Mariinsky Theater in St Petersburg on October 19 and 20.
Among Konchalovsky’s best-known films are “Runaway Train”, “Tango and Cash”, and “The Odyssey”. He is one of the very few Russian directors who has worked in Hollywood, but cinema has never been the be-all and end-all for the indefatigable movie maker.
 "War and Peace" at the Mariinsky Theatre |
Classical music has always been a major inspiration for Konchalovsky. He has used it as an outlet for his creative energy since childhood and was even going to become a pianist.
The versatile artist has staged several operas, including what Konchalovsky described as “one of the biggest entertainment” – his enormous production “War and Peace” at the Mariinsky theatre.
It is set to music by Prokofiev and conducted by one of the world’s most sought-after conductors, maestro Valery Gergiev.
RT’s Valeria Paikova caught up with Konchalovsky to discuss “War and Peace” in general and Konchalovsky’s work with Gergiev in particular.
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