Octavia. Trepanation
Октавия. Трепанация
The premiere took place as part of the main program of the 70th anniversary running of the Holland Festival in June 2017 on the stage of Muziekgebouw, Europe’s largest platform for the performance of contemporary music.
"Octavia. Trepanation" is a musical reflection on the theme of violence and tyranny. An opera directed by Boris Yukhananov and composed by Dmitri Kourliandski is based on a 1924 essay by Leon Trotsky about Lenin and fragments of a play attributed to Seneca about the Roman emperor Nero.
Actors
Leon Trotsky
Yuriy Duvanov
Nero (tenor)
Seneca (baritone)
Aleksey Kokhanov
Ghost of Agripina (mezzo soprano)
Prefect (bass)
Octavias (chorus)
Questa Musica Ensemble
Crew
Costume designer
Anastasia Nefyodova
Stage design
Stepan Lukyanov
Lighting designer
Sergey Vasilyev
Cinematographer
Aleksandr Ilkhovskiy RGC
One might think the 2010s were bound to happen as they did so that Octavia could be reincarnated – this time in the form of an “opera-operation,” as its authors define the composition's genre. It is a 90-minute interdisciplinary project standing on the crossroads of contemporary music, installation and theatre.
I can safely say that mounting the world premiere of Octavia. Trepanation was one of the greatest adventures that the Holland Festival has embarked upon in recent years – in collaboration with the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre. Thanks to the visionary work of director Boris Yukhananov, the brilliant score by Dmitri Kourliandski, a fabulous ensemble of performers (including an immense choir of terracotta soldiers sourced locally), and super dedicated teams at both partner institutions, it became an unforgettable theatrical, musical and philosophical enquiry into the mechanisms of tyranny. At the same time, Octavia beautifully demonstrates that there are no limits to the artistic imagination, and that festivals and theatres are here to turn those dreams into realities.
• Opera/Performance – “Octavia. Trepanation"
• Director's work - Boris Yukhananov
• Female role - ensemble Questa Musica, Octavia
• Female role - Arina Zvereva, the ghost of Agrippina
• Male role - Alexey Kokhanov, Seneca
• Composer’s work in musical theater - Dmitry Kurlyandsky
• Artist's work in musical theater - Stepan Lukyanov
• The work of a costume designer in musical theater - Anastasia Nefedova
• Work of a lighting designer in musical theater - Sergey Vasiliev
In 2020, director Boris Yukhananov received the Grand Prix of the First Art Prize for Octavia.
Language
Russian
Runtime
1 hour 30 minutes
16+
Stills
