The Golden Cockerel at Winspear Opera House

The brilliant Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) wrote his last opera as a fairy tale, but the authorities in his homeland were not fooled: Behind the opera's seductive surface of sensual music and exotic stories lies a story of biting criticism of the Tsar and his efforts in the Russian-Japanese war. Rimsky-Korsakov thus never got to see the Golden Cockerel performed on stage in Russia, however at the opera houses in Paris, London and New York the opera was a great success.

The ageing Tsar Dodon rules over an enormous country, but is being threatened from all angles. His astrologer gives him an unexpected gift, a golden cockerel which will sound an alarm call whenever an enemy is near. As thanks the astrologer may wish for anything he wants. The Tsar goes to war, loses his two sons but meets an attractive oriental princess, who he marries and takes home. There the astrologer awaits his reward...

When Mark Lamos, who baffled the Bergen audience with his production of L'Étoile, returns to Bergen to direct the Golden Cockerel, we can guarantee a visually blending performance. Mikhail Tatarnikov, educated at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatoire, conducts Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in full scale romantic format, together with international artists and a large choir.