Ruslan and Lyudmila

Composer

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka

Librettists

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka

and

Valerian Shirkov

and

Mykola Markevych

and

Nestor Kukolnik

and

K. Bakhturin

and

A. Shakhovskoi

Based On

the poem by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin

Company

San Francisco Opera Association

Location

San Francisco, CA

Venue

War Memorial Opera House

Season

1995-1996

Language

Russian

Creative/Crew

Conductor

Valery Gergiev

Alexander Titov(9/26, 29)

Production

Lotfi Mansouri

Original production designers

Alexander Golovin

Original production designed by

Konstantin Korovin

Recreated and realized by

Thierry Bosquet

Lighting Designer

Thomas J. Munn

Special assistant to Mr. Mansouri

Paula Williams

Kirov Opera Consultant

Katia Sirakanian

Chorus Director

Ian Robertson

Original choreography by

Michel Fokine

Realized by

Alexander Shavrov

Assistant to Mr. Shavrov

Tatiana Bessarabova

Musical Preparation

Susanna Lemberskaya

Valery Ryvkin

Peter Grunberg

Larissa Gergieva

Bryndon Hassman

Svetlana Gorzhevskaya

Prompter

Jonathan Khuner

Assistant Stage Director(s)

Yefim Maizel

Stage Manager(s)

Theresa Ganley

Fight Consultant

Larry Henderson

Supertitles

Christopher Bergen

Cast

Bayan, a minstrel

Yuri Marusin

Ratmir, Prince of Khazar

Elena Zaremba

Farlaf, a Northern knight

Vladimir Ognovenko(9/9,14,19,29)

Gennadi Bezubenkov(9/17,22,26)

Svetozar, Grand Duke of Kiev

Gabor Andrasy

Ruslan, a knight of Kiev, Lyudmila's fiancé

Jeffrey Wells(9/9,14,19,26,29)

Vladimir Ognovenko(9/17,22,26)

Lyudmila, Svetozar's daughter

Anna Netrebko

Finn, a good-natured wizard

Vladimir Atlantov

Naina, an evil sorceress

Catherine Cook

Voice of the Giant Head

Gennadi Bezubenkov

Gorislava, Ratmir's rejected lover

Valentina Tsidipova(9/9,14,17,19,22)

Zvetelina Vassileva(9/26,29)

Chernomor, an evil dwarf

Michael Lee Gogin

Ballet Soloist

Tatiana Bessarabova

Olga Volobueva

Marina Chirkova

Galina Yablonskaya

Fyodor Lopukhov

Vladimir Ivantsov

Show Dates

Sat, Sep 9 1995, 7pm

Thu, Sep 14 1995, 7:30pm

Sun, Sep 17 1995, 1:30pm

Tue, Sep 19 1995, 7:30pm

Fri, Sep 22 1995, 7:30pm

Tue, Sep 26 1995, 7:30pm

Fri, Sep 29 1995, 7:30pm

Time and Place

Legendary Kiev

Scenes

Act I -- Svetozar's palace

INTERMISSION

Act II, Scene 1 -- Finn's cave

Act II, Scene 2 -- A forest

Act II, Scene 3 -- A deserted battlefield

Act III, Scene I -- Naina's garden

Act III, Scene 2 -- Naina's castle

INTERMISSION

Act IV, Scene 1 -- Chernomor's garden

Act IV, Scene 2 -- Chernomor's castle

Act V, Scene 1 -- An encampment

Act V, Scene 2 -- Svetozar's palace

Media

Acknowledgements

This production is made possible, in part, by generous gifts from Mr. and Mrs. Reid W. Dennis and Mr. and Mrs. John R. Hamilton

Notes

Libretto by the composer with K. Bakhturin, A. Shakhovskoi, V. Shirkov, M. Gedeonov, N. Kukolnik and N. Markevich

"Ruslan and Lyudmila" is a co-production with the Kirov Opera, St. Petersburg

Scenery owned by the Kirov Opera

Costumes owned by the Kirov Opera and the San Francisco Opera

ADDITIONAL PERFORMERS

DANCERS
Celia Fushille Burke
Jill Cassimatis
Kara Davis
Krista Kastner
Corinne Larsen
Jessica Radetsky

Lee Bell
Harlan Bengal
Duncan Cooper
Mikhail Tchoupakov
Charles Torres
Eric Wolfram

CHILDREN DANCERS
Reona Morimune
Stephanie Orza
Malachi Rose
Vladimir Vlad

MIMES
Marc Bauman
Brian Chung
Rousdem Djoraev
Serge Morel
Louis Schilling
Mike Smith
Eric Wilcox
Daniel Wilson

STUNT DOUBLES
Ruslan -- Marc Bauman
Chernomor -- Michael Lipsky