Paradise Moscow
Moscow, Cheryomushki (Russian: Москва, Черемушки; Moskva, Cheryomushki) is an operetta in three acts by Dmitri Shostakovich, his Op. 105. It is sometimes referred to as simply Cheryomushki. Cheryomushki is a district in Moscow full of cheap subsidized housing built in 1956, and the word is also commonly used for such housing projects in general.
The libretto was written by the experienced team of Vladimir Mass and Mikhail Chervinsky, leading Soviet humorists of the day. The satirical plot dealt with a topical theme geared to one of the most pressing concerns of urban Russians, the chronic housing shortages and the difficulties of securing livable conditions. Cheryomushki translates to “bird-cherry trees” and the operetta was named after a real housing estate in southwest Moscow.
The work was completed in 1958 and received its premiere in the capital on 24 January 1959. The operetta is reminiscent of Shostakovich’s popular music of the period, yet at the same time it engages a satirical assessment of the housing redevelopments in Moscow.
In a musical career which spans half a century, Shostakovich occupied himself with a diverse range of genres and styles. Beyond the fifteen symphonies and fifteen string quartets, the lesser-known works of Shostakovich offer intrigue and interest likewise. With the reappraisal of Shostakovich in recent times, this category of light music is beginning to enjoy unprecedented popularity within concert halls and record catalogues.
Cheryomushki belongs in this category of works. While the light idiom lent the operetta some initial success, the ailing work soon became forgotten in the Soviet operetta repertoire. For a long time the work remained unknown in the West, and this is partially linked to the decline of the operetta form in the post-war years, and the emergence of newer genres such as the musical. Yet perhaps its short commercial shelf life was not unexpected, given that the operetta was regarded as a work of light entertainment, and with that its emphasis on contemporary social issues and popular culture references.
The operetta tells the story of a group of friends and acquaintances who have been granted new apartments in this residential development. The different aspects of the housing problem are represented by each of the many characters.
Moscow, Cheryomushki received its premiere on 24 January 1959 at the Mayakovsky Operetta Theatre under Grigori Stolyarov. It was revived on 8 February 2004 at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, on 17 December 2004 at the Opéra Nouvel of Lyon it also embarked on a UK Tour with Opera North and played at the Brignez opera festival with Summer Strallen as Lidochka and Richard Leavey, Michelle Pentecost and Lee Meadows in the Ensemble, April 2012 at Chicago Opera Theater.
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