The most anticipated and spectacular event of the past year was ice show"Carmen" (you will find reviews about it in our article). His world premiere took place on June 12, 2015 in the Sochi Palace winter sports called "Iceberg". We will tell you more about the production, the author, the features of the scenery and the participants themselves in more detail.
Premiere of a grand show in Sochi
Last summer, the whole country literally froze in anticipation of the brightest and most impressive show "Carmen" in terms of production and special effects, based on famous work French author Prosper Mérimée. It was a grandiose and unlike anything else premiere, including elements of acrobatics and stunts, light show and flamenco.
Ice show "Carmen" is a unique theatrical performance, skillfully transferred to the ice by his production company. The unusualness of the project lies in a kind of "cocktail" of styles, which was used by the director himself. Thus, the performance perfectly combines the scenery, which is huge in scale, the unsurpassed play of the actors, as well as the skilful movement of athletes and other project participants on the ice.
"Carmen" is a show during which a classical work was performed not in an opera or drama theater but on a huge ice arena. And, of course, a huge role in the success of the production was played not only by special effects, but also by the stellar cast of actors and figure skaters.
The main characters of the project - who are they?
Ilya Averbukh's ice show "Carmen" is a project that brought together not only the best dance groups, but also real masters of figure skating. Among them are, for example, the charming Tatyana Navka, who played the role of the temperamental and charismatic gypsy Carmen, her favorite partner Roman Kostomarov, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Tikhonova, Maria Petrova, Albena Denkova, Margarita Drobyazko, Shabalin and Povilas Vanagas.
In addition, professional circus, theater and ballet artists, dance groups, as well as fire show masters took part in the play.
Subtle nuances of the show
As expected earlier, the ice show “Carmen” staged by Averbukh (photo can be seen below) stood out advantageously among similar productions, for example, opera or ballet. Thus, the beautiful and spectacular premiere was significantly different in meaning from the classic work of Mérimée, to which everyone is accustomed.
According to many critics and enthusiastic viewers, the organizer of the show did everything possible to slightly modify the central plot of the novel, adding new events to it. Thanks to the premiere of Averbukh, people saw the classic "Carmen" in a completely new perspective.
In addition, according to the organizers of the show themselves, the music specially selected for the premiere set a special tone for the storylines. It was a kind of mix of classical melodies by Beze, Ravel and Shchedrin, as well as contemporary music by Roman Ignatiev, written shortly before the premiere itself. The result was an unusual and sometimes even provocative ice show "Carmen".
How is Carmen different from similar shows on ice?
Unlike similar shows, of which a huge number were released last year, for example, Plushenko's "The Snow King", " ice Age"And" Aladdin "," Carmen "has a large scope of fantasy. For example, in addition to people, animals are also involved in the show, although they are not always real. So, in one of the actions of the play, you can see a large artificial horse that goes out onto the ice and immediately begins to dance.
In addition, unusual actions take place on the ice itself: large barrels are rolled on it, unusually beautiful flowers are grown on it and fire is made. And at a certain moment, a huge carousel appears above the improvised city, on which the artists ride; echoes of festive fireworks are heard, huge colored caps of fireworks bloom. This is how the ice show "Carmen" turned out. Reviews about it can be found in our article.
The play of shapes and sizes when setting up scenery
The scenery was also global and spectacular in the show. It is thanks to their size that the organizers of the project managed to achieve the effect of three-dimensional space and provide it with cinematic realism of the action. During the performance, the guests were able to see the Spanish city, impressive in its scale, as if by magic appeared on the ice.
Ice show "Carmen" is carefully planned in such a way that it looks equally impressive from any point of the hall. According to the authors of the project, they managed to achieve what they wanted when they refused to build the stage according to the standard “stadium principle” (when guests sit around the site) and preferred the “theatrical” one.
As a result, the stage itself occupies only half of the entire room, and the rest of the space - auditorium. Moreover, all the scenery is turned towards the audience, and the action unfolds right in front of their eyes. Interestingly, all decorations perform not only their aesthetic function, but even make sounds. For example, during the scene with the temple, a huge church bell rings like a real one.
Ice show and an important money issue
The grandiosity and scale of the play is simply off scale. However, many people have questions that directly affect Averbukh's Carmen ice show. Reviews, at least, say exactly that. So, one of the main issues is the material side of the play. According to preliminary data, the staging of the show alone cost its organizers $3,000,000. The amounts of the fees of star artists and all the personnel involved were not disclosed. At the same time, a large proportion of this money was collected by charitable organizations and anonymous sponsors.
State support for the project took place exclusively in a documentary way. And only a few months later the performance finally reached the daily payback. Feedback on the ice show of Ilya Averbukh "Carmen" can be viewed below.
Why didn't the show premiere in Moscow?
According to the director, it was decided to show the premiere of the project not in Moscow, but in Sochi. This is due to the fact that the props and scenery were created specifically for the Iceberg ice arena. Later, they were already modernized and finalized for the Moscow stage.
By the way, from June 10 to October 2, 2016, residents and guests of sunny Sochi will once again be able to enjoy a meeting with the characters of the play Carmen, which has already become beloved by many.
"Carmen" - Ilya Averbukh's ice show: reviews
Theater and music critics, actors, musicians and others were among the first spectators to attend the Sochi premiere of Carmen. creative professions. So, among them were the following celebrities:
- Mikhail Galustyan.
- Ekaterina Shpitsa and others.
Almost all of them enthusiastically spoke about the premiere, praised the director, and also admired the performance of non-professional actors. Most of them appreciated the charisma and acting skills of Tatiana Navka, Alexei Yagudin, Roman Kostomarov and others. Besides ordinary viewers I also liked the play, because at the end of the action, the enthusiastic audience stood up and, according to eyewitnesses, stood up for another 10 minutes. Later, the ice show "Carmen" took place in Moscow. Reviews about it can be studied further.
Ice show in Moscow
After the grand premiere in Sochi creative team ice musical went to Moscow. There, at Luzhniki, he gave daily performances from October 23 to November 7, 2015. This event surprisingly coincided with open festival Arts "Cherry Forest". As a result, the residents of the capital saw the notorious "Carmen" with their own eyes.
As in Sochi, the ice show "Carmen" in "Luzhniki" (we will write reviews about it below) caused a flurry of positive emotions. According to eyewitnesses, this is a show of unprecedented proportions, unlike anything else.
So, some viewers say, during one of the actions, 60 actors appeared on the stage at once, which is completely unusual for a standard theatrical performance.
Others admire the skill of the actors and the beauty of the costumes. The third liked the fire show, as well as hot flamenco performed by real masters of Spanish dance. The fourth appreciated the ice show "Carmen" in Moscow. Their feedback has been positive and inspiring. For example, they vividly describe the performances they liked of the world champions in acrobatics specially invited for the show - Alexey Polishchuk and Vladimir Besedin, who, according to them, did something that simply took their breath away.
How did the scale of the Moscow show differ from the Sochi show?
According to the organizers, the staging of the show in Sochi and Moscow was almost the same (except for the adjustment of the scenery, the size of which did not quite match the capital's arena).
However, as in Sochi, a large number of people worked in Moscow, cranes were used to easily move across the ice. The surface on both arenas was repeatedly tested for strength, as not only the scenery was heavy: transport, animals moved on the ice, and fire was also lit on it. Therefore, the thickness and strength of the surface had to be at the highest level. However, this is exactly what the creators conceived before organizing the Carmen ice show. Reviews about him will haunt the minds of the public for a long time to come.
Are there any negative opinions about the show?
Of course, there are many positive reviews, but there are also negative ones. For example, some viewers unanimously decided that Tatyana Navka did not fit the role of Carmen at all. Firstly, she is blonde, and secondly, she does not have that Spanish twinkle in her eyes that would allow her to keep the attention of the audience. In their opinion, Margarita Drobyazko could have been put in this role. She has a kind of passion in her eyes, and a corresponding appearance.
Also some viewers didn't like the inconsistency classic Merimee. According to them, in order to create a complete picture of what is happening, it is necessary to additionally acquire a libretto. And this is a considerable amount.
Basically, this is a wonderful ice show - "Carmen". Reviews and criticism regarding the performance speak of an unprecedented increase in the popularity of the project. Soon the organizers of the show are planning to leave Russia and arrange a real world tour, after which they will happily return to their homeland and share their impressions.
With passion on ice: Ilya Averbukh will bring to St. Petersburg new version musical "Carmen"
Petersburgers will see a new version of the performance by Ilya Averbukh from June 15 to 22 on the stage of the Yubileiny Palace of Sports. The strongest Russian figure skaters will present the audience with the story of the gypsy Carmen, created by producer Ilya Averbukh. The show features 80 artists, over 200 costumes and tons of tiered sets. Salt Lake City Olympic champion, world and European champion Alexei Yagudin as the bullfighter Escamillo, Olympic world champion, world and European champion Roman Kostomarov as Jose. Lithuanian figure skater, thirteen-time champion of Lithuania, winner of the European and world championships Margarita Drobyazko plays the role of the fatal Spaniard Carmen.
“Rita Drobyazko will lead everyone, and Alexei Yagudin will seek her heart. This is a performance with a single storyline, with the author's director's intent, with 160-meter scenery that occupies the entire ice space and bright artists. “Carmen” is an accomplished performance, we have shown it more than 200 times, received more than one award for it, so we are confident in the quality of what we will bring to St. Petersburg. We come with different projects for the third year in a row and we hope that the interest in figure skating in the summer will be great! St. Petersburg attracts all of Russia, and I think that over time, ice shows will become the hallmark of summer St. Petersburg!” - says Ilya Averbukh.
"Carmen" is called an ice musical, give precise definition The genre of this show is quite difficult. The musical will combine classical and modern music - Georges Bizet and Roman Ignatiev. The performance has parts in Spanish, sounds live music, flamenco, percussion instruments. However, the main actors the skaters remain - the stars from the Averbukh team: Alexei Yagudin, Margarita Drobyazko, Povilas Vanagas, Oksana Domnina, Roman Kostomarov, Maria Petrova, Alexei Tikhonov, Albena Denkova, Maxim Stavisky.
« This year marks 15 years since I organized my first ice project. I'm interested in the genre of a serious ice production - such as, for example, ballet - when people forget that the action takes place on skates. Skates are the language of choreography, and the trick is the language of dance. The viewer is immersed in the action, and does not sit waiting for a trick. I think I manage to keep the lead in this. Ice is the element that I already know almost everything about, this is my base, and I want to conquer a new element. I enjoy creating choreographic numbers!" - says Ilya Averbukh.
The premiere of the musical "Carmen" took place in 2015, after which the show toured in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. From the very first shows, it was recognized as one of the most impressive performances of our time. At the festival of arts "Chereshnevy Les" ice "Carmen" received the award " creative discovery named after Oleg Yankovsky.
*Skaters may change.
Children up to 4 years old inclusive can enter the event free of charge, without providing a separate seat.
This show is one of the most expensive and most beautiful productions that even the most sophisticated viewer has ever seen. In an interview with Averbukh (producer and director ice performance) said that the staging alone cost three million dollars. As for state support, it was expressed in official letters, everything else is private investment. The show goes on almost daily with full houses and, according to Averbukh, has already reached daily self-sufficiency. The most expensive tickets cost 3-4 thousand rubles. You can also buy cheaper tickets for a family, one and a half thousand each: the production looks good from anywhere in the hall, because, unlike other ice shows, it is not built according to the "stadium" principle, when the audience sits around the site, but according to the theatrical: half of the stadium is occupied by a stage turned towards the guests, the rest is an auditorium.
Last winter in Moscow there was a record number of ice shows, about which RG wrote: The Snow King by Evgeni Plushenko, Aladdin, Ice Age, etc. Therefore, we have something to compare with - the production of Ilya Averbukh is distinguished by the scope of fantasy. Television ice shows clearly demonstrated that Averbukh can put anyone on skates. In "Carmen" he even brings a horse to the ice, however, an artificial one. By the way, the real one also prances here, but not yet on skates. Ice in the show "Carmen" is poured with water, barrels are rolled on it, flowers bloom and fire burns. Above the main ice stage, a carousel hovers and fireworks splash. But there are a few additional ones: here the podium unfolds, the pop and dance teams work - the Sochi ballet does not dance on skates. Cranes are moving across the ice - everything is being rebuilt before our eyes, like Sochi outside the window, and it seems that if it were necessary, say, to launch a rocket, Averbukh would do that too. At least the cathedral bell is ringing here.
Who is he calling for, and what does all this have to do with Carmen? Averbukh says that his show is an improvisation on classic theme. So the first piece of advice: before you start, read the libretto in the booklet (and save some extra money for it - it's a deluxe edition). The RG reviewer, knowing the plot of Carmen, ventured to watch the show from scratch, and then check with the libretto. It turned out that about half of this show could not be understood without instructions from the libretto. Well, how to recognize in Alexei Yagudin "Rock" and "Black Bullfighter" in one person? Especially since he later turns into "Toreador in blue" and "Toreador in red"? And, by the way, the local Carmen is "a child of the sea, a tiny girl who miraculously survived a shipwreck." This show really lacks either a running line or a voice-over that would explain what is happening.
In addition to the co-author - the compiler of the libretto Ekaterina Tsanava (Alexey Shneiderman also took part in its preparation), Averbukh especially thanks the show's composer Roman Ignatiev: "In the process of work, I felt cramped and I am grateful to Roman Ignatiev for helping us expand the space thanks to his talent composer". In the performance, you can hear the music of Bizet, and Ravel's "Bolero", and Russian songs performed by musical artists. The mixture is amazing and the drops are like slides in Sochi Park. For example, at the beginning of the second act, you just have time to plunge into Bizet's music (the scene in prison, Carmen and José), when the Russian-made composition "I had a dream" almost immediately enters - to put it mildly, it surprises.
If we talk about performers, then Tatyana Navka reminds Carmen very remotely. The Russian heroine does without passions. There is no Spain in Navka, there is no charisma capable of keeping the hall with the one for which "Carmen" was written. The appearance of her young Carmen - a naive girl with a suitcase arrives in the capital - Tatyana succeeds in the best possible way. When she is in a duet with Roman Kostomarov (Jose) - we have Olympic champions in front of us. But as soon as Navka dances the already matured Carmen alone or in a duet with Alexei Yagudin, no bright Spanish costumes, even perfectly made, can save the situation. The role of Carmen would be much more suitable for Margarita Drobyazko, who plays the role of a factory worker in the show - Carmen's rival. That's where the image, energy and passion.
While watching the ice musical "Carmen", comparisons with the show "The Snow King" by Evgeni Plushenko involuntarily arise. Why didn't Averbukh call the performance "Toreador" or "Toreador and Carmen" and didn't make it for Yagudin? Because Yagudin in this production is everything! By the way, let's remember his program "Carmen" (1997), for which the skater received Olympic awards. The RG columnist asked Alexei Yagudin to compare these works. He replied that at that time he paid a lot of attention to technique, because grades were important, and at the show he just rides for his own pleasure. This is evident - it is impossible to take your eyes off the Toreador. Especially when Yagudin dances to the accompaniment of only one drum, which symbolizes bullfighting.
But the duets of the Toreador with Carmen are much weaker. In an interview, Yagudin said that the legendary coach Tatyana Tarasova, who came to Sochi specifically to watch the show, said, they say, I, Lesha, do not believe that the Bullfighter loves Carmen, and that José loves Carmen. And indeed it is. Under the words of Tarasova, you can subscribe. It can be seen that Yagudin is more comfortable alone than next to his partner.
Ilya Averbukh made the show emotionally uneven. It was the same in his previous production of "Lights big city". For any musical, the biggest danger lies in the fact that it can fall apart into separate numbers. This also happens in Carmen. But the strong scenes still outweigh. The dance at the beginning of the show, where Alexei Yagudin is the soloist with a little girl, touches the viewer's feelings The clown dance of Albena Denkova and Maxim Stavisky is striking in both technique and mood. Alexey Tikhonov and Maria Petrova "hook" the audience with a trick dance at the very beginning and do not let go until the end of the performance. Elena Leonova and Andrey Khvalko managed to capture the Spanish intonation most of all. Maxim Marinin is incredibly temperamental.
In addition, Ilya Averbukh managed to arrange a kind of "Cirque du Soleil" on skates in this production. The show includes performances by world champions in ice acrobatics Vladimir Besedin and Alexey Polishchuk, who do things that simply take your breath away. Averbukh also uses animals in the show. People give the production a standing ovation, right up to the last artist leaving the ice.
The director did not forget about the philosophical component. In addition to the story of the difficult female lobe, the production traces the theme of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza(Here it is called "Don Quixote and the White Knight"). This scene is such that one wants to immediately demand from Averbukh to put "Don Quixote" on ice. And, perhaps, he himself should play a lonely hidalgo. After all, he, as a very talented person, feels everything - both broken hearts, and female deceit, and irresistible passions and circumstances. Hence it is flamenco on ice (there are Spanish participants in the show). Flamenco, as you know, helps to "dance" all the experiences of a person. It also includes the windmills of passions, with which only Don Quixote can fight.
Meanwhile
A funny thing happened behind the scenes. Journalists from the capital's press pool before the show rushed to take pictures in the dressing room of Tatiana Navka. But then Yagudin appeared with his daughter Lisa and the dog Varya and drew all the attention to himself.
“Look, everyone is taking pictures of us, but Navka is not,” Yagudin said, laughing, to his daughter.
“Yagudin sometimes replaces me,” Navka retorted jokingly.
The change turned out to be quite strong. After all, in the show, Yagudin draws attention to himself.
By the way
Already in October, at the end of the summer season, the show "Carmen" will come to Moscow for two weeks. Then it will go to tour. In an interview with the RG columnist, which is planned to be released before the arrival of the ice show in the capital, Ilya Averbukh said that Margarita Drobyazko would be Tatyana Navka's understudy in the role of Carmen. As they say, the feelings of the viewer and director coincided.
Ilya Averbukh is a person who does not need special introductions. In the past, a talented figure skater, and today - no less talented showman, he constantly pleases figure skating fans with bright and unusual shows. Sport and high art in his musical performances on ice are so closely intertwined that they are perceived as one big whole - Ice show Carmen by Ilya Averbukh, which will be held in the ISA "Luzhniki".
In fact, at each such production, we observe the birth of a new genre. Not so long ago, Russians and viewers from many other countries of the world enthusiastically greeted the premiere of the musical City Lights on ice. Following this work, Ilya presented another, no less spectacular: the musical "Carmen". The first to see this production on the ice arena were residents of Sochi and tourists who came to the Olympic capital on vacation.
Premiere of the show in Moscow October 23 - November 7, ISA Luzhniki
After 90 performances, which were held to a full house, the artists went to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Before presenting the musical to a foreign audience, they will show their show for two weeks at the Luzhniki small sports arena -.
The plot is based on the famous short story by Prosper Merimee. In the 40s of the century before last, it caused a real reader's resonance. With the advent of Bizet's opera of the same name, this effect only intensified. Passion for "Carmen" does not subside even today, and the story told French classic, remains as sharp and modern. It is the modern interpretation of "Carmen", but very close to the classical novel, that the artists offer you. And you, just like the first readers of the novel and listeners of the opera, will empathize tragic fate a Spanish gypsy who chose death so as not to lose her freedom.
Tatyana Navka, performing leading role, perfectly got used to the image of a beauty and conveys her feelings to the audience. She managed to play a very controversial and different Carmen: romantic and not without prudence, frivolous and serious, fatal and defenseless. The company of the famous figure skater is made up of two figure skaters, and also with a worldwide reputation: Alexei Yagudin and Roman Kostomarov. The first appears in the form of a favorite of women, the elegant and refined Theodore Escamillo. The second plays a law enforcement officer - Don Jose, hopelessly in love with Carmen.
My mother and I, like probably most of the inhabitants of our country, are big fans of figure skating. Therefore, when they saw the posters of the performance on vacation, they caught fire to visit it if possible.
It took place in the Olympic Park at the Iceberg Winter Sports Palace.
And so, having arrived, to take a walk in the Olympic Park, we decided to stay and bought tickets for the show.
It starts at 18.30 and lasts until 21.00.
Ticket price ranged from 1000 to 3000 rubles. But since we bought tickets before the performance at the box office of the palace, we no longer had to choose. The most inexpensive more or less central places were in sector C3 for 2000 rubles.
Before the performance, we walked along the Iceberg.
Numerous shops prudently sold blankets, T-shirts, sweets and other performance paraphernalia.
There was such a book of wishes, where everyone could leave something as a keepsake.
For 200 rubles, we bought a program, which turned out to be a rather capacious brochure with a colorful description of the scenes and photographs of the participants.
The star cast of the show: Tatyana Navka, Roman Kostomarov, Alexei Yagudin, Tatyana Totmyanina, Maxim Marinin, Maria Petrova, Alexei Tikhonov, Oksana Domnina, Maxim Shabalin, etc.
In addition to well-known figure skaters, ice ballet dancers and a dance group from Sochi took part in the performance.
The show lasts 2.5 hours, half an hour of which is an intermission and consists of 25 scenes, each of which is not only part of the whole performance, but also an independent program.
They left in a frenzy. Sparkling show, tragedy, humorous scenes.
My heart was pounding with excitement and excitement.
The skaters jumped, rotated, showed step sequences, parallel lifts, and most importantly, they danced!
In general, lit in full. And even the double fall of Yagudin did not spoil the emotions about the skill of the athletes.
Seat Tips
Better higher, but more central.
Visibility in this case will be excellent, and it is even better to ask the cashiers about the presence of bars. I felt sorry for some of the people peeking out from behind them.
And further:
Dress warmly!
Otherwise, you can splurge on a blanket from "Ilya Averbukh" worth 700 rubles.
Well, the promised VIDEO with fragments of speeches