Evgeny Akimov (The Prince)
Larissa Diadkova (Clarissa)
Alexandre Morozov (Leander)
Konstantin Pluzhnikov (Truffaldino)
Vassily Gerello (Pantaloon)
Vladimir Vaneev (Chelio)
Larissa Schevtchenko (Fata Morgana)
Zlata Bulycheva (Linetta)
Lia Shevtsova (Nicoletta)
Anna Netrebko (Ninetta)
Grigory Karasev (Cook)
Feodor Kuznetsov (Farfarello, Herald)
Olga Korhenskaya (Smeraldina)
Yuri Zhikalov (Master of Ceremonies)
Kirov Chorus & Orchestra, St Petersburg
Valery Gergiev, conductor
Love for Three Oranges contains some of Prokofiev’s most popular tunes, including the famous March of the Three Oranges. The story is adapted from a commedia dell’arte play by Carlo Gozzi. The highly complicated and somewhat obscure plot mixes traditional Italian commedia characters with surrealistic influences, with similarities to Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland. The action is set in the imaginary court of the King of Clubs. The prince is in danger of dying of boredom if no one succeeds in making him laugh, which perfectly suits a few plotters. After many epic, comical and dramatic events involving monsters, drunkards, gluttons, giant cooks, soldiers, jokers, jugglers, doctors and fake members of the audience, the Prince and his friend Truffaldino find themselves in the desert, following three huge oranges each containing a woman. If they cut an orange to quench their thirst, the woman inside will die. The Prince saves himself and the woman in the last orange by falling in love with her, and marries her after more complications involving more plotters and witches.
Valery Gergiev
Valery Gergiev is often referred to as the saviour of the Kirov and of Russian opera — a man of colossal energy and determination. He joined the Mariinsky Theatre 20 years ago, was appointed Music Director 10 years ago. Since that time, he has made his company one of the most dynamic, performing with huge success all over the world. As The New Yorker puts it: “Gergiev carries a disproportionate share of the music world on his shoulders. He is something of a national hero in Russia for having kept alive the Mariinsky Theatre after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Under his leadership, the Mariinsky has become one of the most celebrated and recorded companies in the world.”
Beyond the successful accomplishment of his “national mission”, Valery Gergiev’s profile as simply one of the most charismatic conductors of our day is developing steadily, with his highly praised concerts and recordings with Western orchestras (Tchaikovsky symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic) and his mastery of a much broader repertoire (his recording of Verdi’s Forza del destino).