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The Sunday Opera: Rubinstein's "The Demon" from Opera National de Bordeaux

Join us for a trip to France and the Opera National de Bordeaux’s production of Anton Rubinstein’s “The Demon” on this week’s Sunday Opera (9/5 3:00 p.m.).   Based on a poem by Lermontov, this 1871 work centers upon the Demon of the title (Nivolas Cavallier) summoned by evil spirits to destroy everything beautiful in the world.   He’s up to the challenge until he sees Tamara (Evgenia Muraveva) with whom he falls immediately in love.   Tamara, however, is in preparations for her marriage with Prince Sinodal (Alexey Dolgov) and rebuffs the Demon.   Not to be denied, the Demon makes sure that Sinodal is killed on his way to the wedding, and the devastated Tamara begs her father to allow her to spend the rest of her life in a convent.   At the convent, Tamara is once again visited by the Demon who almost wins her soul this time but for the intervention of an Angel (Ray Cheneza) who saves her soul and reminds the Demon that he will always be alone.   The remainder of the cast includes Luc Bertin-Hugault, Svetlana Lifar, Alexandros Stavrakakis, and Paul Gaugler.  Paul Daniel leads the Chorus of the Opera National de Bordeaux and the Orchestra National Bordeaux Aquitaine.  

Stay tuned after the opera for more music of Rubenstein when Michael Kownacky will present two of his symphonies.   We’ll begin with Rubinstein’s Symphony No. 4 in D minor or “The Dramatic” performed by the State Symphony Orchestra of Russia conducted by Igor Golovschin, and we’ll end the day with Rubinstein’s last Symphony, his Symphony No. 6 in A minor performed by the Philharmonica Hungarica conducted by Gilbert Varga.  

Michael is program host and host of the WWFM Sunday Opera, Sundays at 3 pm, and co-host of The Dress Circle, Sundays at 7 pm.