FULL The Miller who was a Wizard, a Cheat and a Match-maker (Sokolovsky) Moscow 2023
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: The Miller who was a Wizard, a Cheat and a Match-maker or Мельник — колдун, обманщик и сват
- Composer: Sokolovsky Mikhail
- Libretto: A. Ablesimov
- Venue & Opera Company: Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow, Russia
- Recorded: February 17, 2023
- Type: Concert Semi-staged
- Singers: Yana Ivanilova, Dmitry Stepanovich, Anastasia Bondareva, Dmitry Khromov
- Conductor:
- Orchestra: Moscow Baroque Soloists Ensemble
- Chorus: Vocal Ensemble of the Early Music
- Stage Director:
- Costume Designer:
Information about the Recording
- Published by: meloman.ru
- Date Published: 2023
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: nosubs
- Video Recording from: ok FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
Quote from belcanto.ru:
First act
People have long been talking about the fact that mills are a haven for devils, brownies and other evil spirits. But the old miller, no matter how many years he lives here, has never seen the devil or the devil in his eyes. However, since he was known as an all-powerful sorcerer who knows how to tame evil spirits, then you can extract all possible benefits from this. In general, the miller is sure – whoever is smart and cunning, without any evil spirits, will be able to trick any simpleton by the nose. Even now, the sly man easily fools the young guy Filimon, who came with a request to tell fortunes – whether there are missing horses. Blindfolding Filimon’s eyes, he makes a “hellish” noise with the help of an old millstone and, staging a conversation with evil spirits, answers himself in a changed voice. It seems to the astute miller that it is not only the loss of horses that torments the poor fellow. So it is: Philemon answers the questions of the old man, that he fell in love with a young girl Anyuta, but things are not going well with the wedding. Anyuta’s mother, Fetinya, comes from an impoverished noble family, and therefore wants to give her daughter without fail for a nobleman. Anyuta’s father, Ankudin, an honest plowman, reads his daughter for a peasant like himself. The miller had to settle such matters more than once, and he undertakes to woo Anyuta Filimon.
Second act
Without putting things off the table, the miller comes to Ankudin’s court to talk with Fetinya. He hints to the snobbish noblewoman that, according to her taste, he found a noble groom for Anyuta. The “sorcerer” agrees to tell fortunes so that Anyuta and Fetinya themselves see the betrothed. Hiding Philemon behind a large tree, he gives the girl a mirror. As soon as she looked at him, Philemon, at a sign from the miller, appeared from behind the tree. Seeing the reflection of Philemon in the mirror, Anyuta rejoices – her betrothed is the one she loves. The miller sends Fetinya to walk along the path – the first one who comes across her will be Anyuta’s fiancé. Before she has time to take a few steps, Philemon again comes out from behind the tree, and the future husband of her daughter appears before Fetinya. Meanwhile, Ankudin returns from the field. It’s easy to get along with him. The miller simply tells him, that he found a groom for Anyuta – an honest and hardworking plowman. Ankudin agrees, but a quarrel arises between him and his grumpy wife. Neither Ankudin nor Fetinya want to give up their choice.
Third act
Fetinya hurries to marry off her daughter, until Ankudin brings a peasant groom. Therefore, she called Anyuta’s friends and is actively preparing for the wedding. But then the miller comes and brings Philemon with him. Everyone recognizes in him the same person who appeared to everyone in fortune-telling. It turns out that it was about him that everyone individually thought. But who is Philemon? How can he cater to the conflicting desires of a noble mother and a peasant father? Was the miller deceitful? Nothing happened. It turns out that Filimon is a single palace. He, as the miller explains, –