Rimsky-Korsakov: The Snow Maiden ***
Opera North, Grand Theatre, Leeds, 21st January 2017
Always winter, never spring. No, not Narnia, but The Snow Maiden, Alexander Ostrovsky’s 1873 fairy tale, rooted in Russian folklore, in which Snegurochka, daughter of Father Frost and Spring Beauty, is raised in winter’s icy grip. Tchaikovsky composed incidental music to the original play, but it’s Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s operatic version (written in 1880-81) which is justly famous… in Russia. Opera North’s new production is the first professional staging in the UK for over 60 years – Elsie Morrison in the title role at Sadler’s Wells back in 1954 – so her return is cause for celebration.
James Creswell (Father Frost), Aoife Miskelly (Snegurochka) and Yvonne Howard (Spring Beauty)
© Richard Hubert Smith
Read the full review on Bachtrack.