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Mariinsky II

Mariinsky II

Opera

Любовь К Трем Апельсинам (полусценическое Исполнение) – Mariinsky II, St Petersburg

Date
Friday, 16 October 2026
Time
19:00
Duration
02:10
Venue
Mariinsky II
Address
улица Декабристов, 34, Saint Petersburg, Russia
City
St Petersburg
Organisation
Mariinsky Theatre
Language
Russian

About this event

Composed by the thirty-year-old Sergei Prokofiev, The Love for Three Oranges is a metaphorical love letter to the theatre and its carnivalesque flipside, to the impossibility of living outside the game. Drawing on commedia dell’arte, the composer created an opera about opera—its wonders, clichés, and endearing absurdities. Exposing operatic “untruth” through its own means becomes the best way to celebrate it. This presentation revives the 1991 staging by director Alexander Petrov. While the theatre has recently returned to a full-scale version, the Concert Hall has hosted the semi-staged version, which is the focus here. The opera is rooted in the spirit of the Italian mask-theatre and in Prokofiev’s own libretto, inspired by the journal The Love for Three Oranges associated with Vsevolod Meyerhold. The production blends buffoonery, tricks, and stage magic to create a true theatrical fête.

Cast & creative