A joint French and Russian opera based on Anton Chekhov’s timeless play The Cherry Orchard has premiered in Paris. Running under the same name, the production was created by the Paris Opera and the Bolshoi Theatre.

It was a fair division of labor, as French composer Philip Fenelon wrote the music, while Russian Aleksey Parin produced the libretto. Completed in 2010, the opera is performed in Russian.

The same year, the concert version of the opera played on the Bolshoi’s New Stage to crown the Russian-French cross-cultural year.

The production stars both French and Russian performers, including Bolshoi soloists, soprano Anna Krainikova and baritone Igor Golovatenko.  

Based on Chekhov's final play, The Cherry Orchard is the third opera Philippe Fénelon created for the Paris Opera.

Fenelon admits he is massively inspired by Russian culture, music and literature.