The play "Kalmania" in honor of the anniversary of Imre Kalman

At the Moscow Helikon-Opera Theater, viewers saw the premiere of a new production of Kalmania, dedicated to the anniversary of the operetta genius, by the Hungarian composer Imre Kalman. This year 130 years have passed since the composer’s birthday. Choreographer Edwald Smirnov says that this play contains excerpts from the best Kalman’s operettas, beloved by the audience.

In the operetta genre, Imre Kalman has a significant face. During the time devoted to music, he managed to try his hand at various musical professions - from the pianist to the composer. Even mastered the profession of music critic. However, he became world famous as the author of operettas.

At the time when Kalman began to write his works, a melodrama reigned in the opera, and the audience sobbed along with the singers over the tragedies of the heroes. The operetta was just starting its life, proving that the audience would be no less willing to watch musical performances on the stage, where funny music would sound, where everyone would be happy.

In the play “Kalmania”, the most important characters from Kalman’s works, the heroes of the operettas “Silva”, “Princess of the Circus”, “Maritsa”, were sung. The scenes from the operetta “Violet of Montmartre”, written by Imre Kalman based on the popular novel “Scenes from the Life of Bohemia”, were not forgotten either. Kalman dedicated this operetta to his wife, the famous Russian actress Vera Makinskaya.

The idea of creating such a production came up with the director of the Helikon Opera theater, Dmitry Bertman, and the production and selection of actors was entrusted to Edvald Smirnov, since he has sufficient experience in creating such performances. In the play “Kalmania” everyone sings and dances, because without it there is no operetta, and young actors are employed in it, annually replenishing the theater staff.

You can see the play "Kalmania" until December 9th.

Ludmila Trautmane