RimskyKorsakov The Tsars Bride

The argument is based on an historical case In the suburbs of Moscow reigned around 1571 Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible Widowed he is looking for a new wife for the third time He chooses the young Marfa she loves another man but bends to the will of the Tsar and renounces her love From this starting plot the Russian director Dmitri Tcherniakov retains only the frame A live competition is organised for a virtual monarch like in a reality show called Joe Millionaire where competitors attempt to marry a rich man Here the characters become the various players of the audiovisual industry bringing an acerbic criticism of contemporary TV Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin with Olga Peretyatko Anita Rachvelishvili and Johannes Martin Kränzle Recorded at Staatsoper Im Schiller Theater Berlin in October 2013