"Affective" Baroque: the Nizhny Novgorod Opera Theatre will present the premiere of a pasticcio

      November 27, 2025, 3:11 PM. Afisha

      On December 18 and 19, 2025, at the Pakgaus Concert Hall, the A.S. Pushkin Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre will present the premiere of an unusual project — the production "In a State of Affect" (16+), created by artist Sasha Frolova and opera dramaturge Ilya Kukharenko.

      Photo: Anastasia Konovalova

      The new production investigates the phenomenon of the Baroque "affect" — the dominant emotional state underlying every aria of the Baroque era. The creators of the project reflect on how these historical emotional codes manifest in the present day and how they can be expressed through color, form, movement, and sound.

      Photo: Sergey Tyutelov

      Today the word "affect" is more often associated with psychiatry or forensic examination. However, in the 17th–18th centuries it was precisely the affects that defined the inner world of each character on the operatic stage. Emotions in Baroque music were strictly structured, and an experienced listener could easily recognize Desire, Anger, Sorrow, Grandeur, or Supplication from the very first notes.

      "In a State of Affect" is constructed on the principle of the Italian opera pasticcio — a genre in which fragments from different works are combined into a new stage statement. The production includes arias and instrumental numbers from works by Vivaldi, Porpora, Scarlatti, Broschi, and Handel. Each musical scene reveals one of the affects through Sasha Frolova's artistic interpretation.

      Photo: Sergey Tyutelov

      One of the features of the staging is the short video segments featuring the soloists. These interviews, filmed by Sasha Frolova, reveal the performers' personal experiences connected to emotions such as Rage, Jealousy, Sorrow, Self-flagellation, Joy, Unity, and Love. In the production they are woven into the fabric of the action and accompanied by harpsichord improvisation by Fyodor Stroganov, reminiscent of Baroque opera recitatives.

      The dance portion of the production, staged by choreographer Leonid Sychyov, refers to Baroque dances and the expressive stage plasticity of that era. Natalia Kaidanovskaya, a specialist in historical dance and a ballet master, also worked on the production's physical language. Thanks to her involvement, the performers' gesture language is constructed in accordance with Baroque theatrical tradition, where every movement carried a precise emotional weight.

      Photo: Sergey Tyutelov

      Nizhny Novgorod Baroque has already become a local phenomenon known across the country. Two brilliant prima donnas, Yana Dyakova and Dilyara Idrisova, and one magnificent primo uomo, Sergey Godin, as well as the instrumental ensemble of soloists of the La Voce Strumentale orchestra of the A.S. Pushkin Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre under the direction of Igor Bobovich — truly a brilliant line-up of world-class performers.

      This production, in which ancient Baroque passions seek their place in the modern world, will offer a better understanding of how and where they still live with us.

      Advertisement. Tax ID 5262035539. State Budgetary Cultural Institution of the Nizhny Novgorod Region "A.S. Pushkin Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre"

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