Black Square, opera
Moscow, 2018
Urbana, IL, 2024
Original idea by Igor Konyukhov
libretto by Olga Maslova and Igor Konyukhov
composer Ilya Demutsky
World Premiere, semi-staged: November 27, 2018, directed by Danila Kozlovsky - conductor Ilya Demutsky — Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
Academic World Premiere, orchestra, directed by Nathan Gunn - Conductor: Michael Tilley. April 2, 4 & 6, 2024 — Tryon Festival Theatre, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The libretto combines elements of opera buffa and opera, blending original text with fragments from Russian Futurist poets Aleksei Kruchenykh and Velimir Khlebnikov. The work is loosely inspired by the 1913 opera Victory over the Sun.
The Last Day of the Eternal City, an oratorio
staged work for choir, soloists, and ensemble
original idea and libretto by Olga Maslova
in collaboration with Katya Kapovich
composer Ilya Demutsky.
World Premiere: November 11, 2021 — Zaryadye Concert Hall, Moscow, Russia Directed by Daria Borisova · Artistic Director and Conductor: Timofey Goldberg
A staged work for choir, soloists, and small ensemble, The Last Day of the Eternal City combines fragments of ancient Roman inscriptions with contemporary poetry and dramatic action. Drawing on the visual language of political protest and digital ruins, it explores collapse, memory, and survival .
Venetian Cycle
an art song cycle for baritone, soprano and a string quartet + harp
original idea, libretto and poetry by Olga Maslova, composer Ilya Demutsky.
First produced as a part of Six World Premieres, Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, May 2, 2023, Tryon Festival Theatre, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Urbana, IL. The Illinois Modern Ensemble. Conductor Julie Jordan Gunn, projection design Eme Ospina-López
This six-part cycle dwells on the dark mysteries of medieval Venice during the time of the Carnival and the Bubonic Plague, set in the darkly famous quarantine island Lazzaretto Vecchio ("Old Lazaret") that housed a hospital during the plague epidemics and the Jewish ghetto of Venice.