Dom Cultural Centre (Address: Moscow, 24 Bolshoy Ovchinnikovsky Lane, bldg 4)

Composer: Nikifor Yakovlev (Sakha Republic, Yakutia)
Performers: Sergey Malinin (tenor) and the Studio for New Music

Nikifor Yakovlev’s mono-opera is based on the Yakut epic Olonkho, which is traditionally performed by a single performer — the olonkhosut. The narrative lasts for several days, since the number of characters can run into dozens, even hundreds. The storyteller masterfully embodies each character through a distinct manner of speech, intonation and individual vocal techniques. It was precisely this feature — the unity of one performer and many characters — that determined the choice of the mono-opera genre. The work also employs traditional Yakut and classical European instruments. Each of them takes on a personalised function, personifying an individual hero.