Mazeppa

Pyotr Illich Tchaikovsky’s seventh grand opera Mazeppa is a timeless parable of the laws of social change and the continuously re-occurring conflict between tradition and revolution, and between reality and utopia.

The hetman (general) Mazeppa dreams of a great future for his oppressed country of Ukraine. He wants to bring about modernisation in all aspects of life: he is the representative of the modernity that gives short shrift to tradition. His friend, the large landowner Kochubey, mistrusts Mazeppa’s plans to go against traditional values. When Maria, Kochubey’s young daughter, falls in love with Mazeppa, the friendship between the two old men turns into hatred: Maria chooses her forbidden love for Mazeppa and is consequently accused of betrayal by her family.

The private conflict escalates. Kochubey’s intriguing has fatal political consequences. The result is a bitter battle between families and nations extremely ill-disposed to one another. All that is left for Maria is the escape into another world, that of madness. The younger generation was promised everything and now everything is being taken away. There is no future.

Tchaikovsky’s disturbingly emotional masterpiece is now receiving its Belgian premiere in the hands of the young director Tatyana Gürbaca. It is also Belgium’s first encounter with one of the most gifted directing talents in the entire opera world, together with the equally young conductor Dmitri Jurowski and a team of renowned singers, including several stars from Valery Gergyev’s Mariinsky Theatre.