Ruslan & Lyudmila

"Ruslan and Lyudmila" is an opera by Mikhail Glinka, which premiered in 1842. It became one of the major theatrical sensations of 2011 (and the entire decade) due to the production by Dmitry Chernyakov, which was the first performance on the newly reconstructed historical stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. It was an event of national importance! Chernyakov is a director for whom personal life and relationships are paramount, while anything related to the state, authority, and authoritarianism is deadly dangerous for individuals. However, in the almost realistic version of "Ruslan and Lyudmila" at the Bolshoi, there is no politics; instead, there is a duet of manipulators, Finn and Faina, who subject the love of the main characters to trials. Pushkin's fairy tale unexpectedly finds resonance with "Dangerous Liaisons."