Rare Italian opera ‘Mefistofele’ returns to Moscow after nearly 120-year hiatus

Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre will host a rare production of the Italian opera Mefistofele for the first time in almost 120 years, beginning this Saturday. The opera, initially rejected by audiences due to its unconventional musical style and lengthy duration of over five hours, is now hailed as a masterpiece by Italian composer Arrigo Boito.

This production follows the tragic tale of Faust, a German scholar who trades his soul to a demon for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. The Bolshoi Theatre, now under the direction of pro-Kremlin conductor Valery Gergiev since 2023, will welcome Ildar Abdrazakov as the demon, who praises the production as "wonderful" and a "magnificent work" suitable for his bass voice. Mefistofele first premiered in Milan in 1868 and was last performed at the Bolshoi theatre in 1909.