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The great ballerina Nina Timofeeva passed away at the age of 79 The ensemble "Les Arts Florissants " will perform at the Festival "Baroque. A Journey ", organized by the Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre Woodwind Quintet presented its first CD on November 5th Elena Obraztsova organized the "Opera Ball" Facebook: press-conference about the performance of the French ensemble "Les Arts Florissants " - November 6th, 3 p.m. November 5th - 9th - premiere performances of the ballet "A Legend of Love" November 6th - the Bolshoi Theatre New Stage Foyer, 3 p.m.: the press-conference about the coming performances of the world-famous French baroque music ensemble "Les Arts Florissant" Historic Stage - A Legend of Love. Ballet in three acts. PREMIERE New Stage - 'Baroque. A Journey' Festival. Rameau - MaГ®tre Г Danser. One-Act Performances. Daphnis et Eglé. La naissance d'Osiris. Les Arts Florissants November 6th, 7th - New Stage: 'Baroque. A Journey' Festival. Rameau - MaГ®tre Г Danser. One-Act Performances. Daphnis et Eglé. La naissance d'Osiris Nina Timofeeva, a ballerina and a People's Artist of the USSR, passed away. В© Valentin Sobolev/T ASS photo archives. 1967. Nina Timofeeva as Asel and Nikolai Fadeyechev as Ilyas in the ballet "Asel", Bolshoi Theatre Mass media about the Theatre in the ballet "Spartacus" together with her many times. We had a good contact, both professional and personal. Of course, it is dif ficult to get used to the idea that she is not with us anymore. It makes you understand how quickly the time flies and how short our life is. It happened so in her life that she left her motherland but I communicated with her daughter a lot and I know that she always took interest in what was happening at the theatre. When she was there, Bolshoi Theatre remained her life. She was interested in everything; she stayed informed about everything. Her creative career is a remarkable page in the Bolshoi Ballet's history, in the Russian ballet's history and in the world ballet's history as well. The audience both in Russia and abroad knew her well and loved her. She was always given tremendous ovations during Bolshoi Ballet's guest performances abroad. This is a tragic day for us. A whole epoch is passing away; the time that we lived in, created and worked with such outstanding artists and masters is passing away as well. Nina Timofeeva was truly one of Bolshoi Theatre's great masters that were jewels in the theatre's crown in the 1960s and 1970s". /…/ The Bolshoi Theatre Woodwind Quintet presented its first CD A concert "The Classics. Romanticism. Avant-garde" took place at the Bolshoi Theatre Beethoven Hall on November 5th. The Bolshoi Theatre Woodwind Quintet, founded one year ago, gave the concert to mark the release of its first CD. The Bolshoi Orchestra's woodwind soloists and artists founded the Bolshoi Woodwind Quintet; the ensemble started giving concerts in the end of 2013. Recently, the Quintet has participated in the "Night of Music". This time the musicians presented their own CD. Its concept is unusual: the program includes only original pieces for a woodwind quintet, composed by Russian composers of the 19th and the 20th centuries. Alexander Alyabyev was the first composer who started writing music for such ensembles. The quintet by Edison Denisov represents a very different epoch; this is one of the early pieces composed by the most prominent representative of the Soviet music avant-garde. There was also the quintet "One Day in the Village", composed by Evgeny Svetlanov, an outstanding conductor, composer and pianist; a whole epoch in the existence of the Bolshoi Theatre is connected with the name of this musician… The CD (and the concert as well) also has pieces composed by the participants of the quintet; several of them are talented composers. There is a Fantasy on the theme from the opera "The Queen of Spades" by P. T chaikovsky, written by Sergei Lysenko, and "Carnival of Animals and Insects" by Nikolai Popov. The model range The Bolshoi Theatre presents a new kind of festival: "Baroque. A Journey ". Y oung singers explore new territories and begin to enjoy what they are doing It was considered that the Bolshoi Theatre and baroque music did not really agree with each other. But today, when we already know the style of the Bolshoi Young Artists Opera Program, nothing surprises us. The young artists demonstrate equally successful performances of operas by Mozart, romances by Tchaikovsky and melodies by various French composers, from Berlioz to Messiaen. Why cannot they demonstrate a successful performance of baroque music as well? Moreover, such a well-rounded enthusiast as Philipp Chizhevsky joined this project. It was him, who conducted the program of Italian music at the Bolshoi Theatre Beethoven Hall; that program had mostly arias from baroque operas and oratorios. Maestro Chizhevsky not only feels the style of Vivaldi, Porpora, Cesti, Hasse and Broschi, but also makes it his own rather successfully; his manner is similar to improvisation and the authentic orchestra "Questa Musica", headed by the concert- master Sergei Filchenko, finds it easy to respond to it. Regardless of the fact that, strictly speaking, when it comes to baroque music there is no need to have a conductor, the concert almost convinced us to the opposite. The arias were performed by the participants of the Young Artists Opera Program; this Program has lately become the main "assembly line" that produces vocal "goods". Ekaterina Morozova, a slender and beautiful singer with a warm, resounding timbre, was the model example of the festival concert. She has a soprano of a wide range and impresses with her lower notes; she performed light coloraturas very nicely as well. Ruslana Koval, another participant of the Young Artists Opera Program, who has a light and flexible soprano, was good as well; Alexandra Chukhina (mezzo-soprano) demonstrated a nice performance and the duet of those two singers was especially good. Alexander Roslavets (bass), the only man, performed only one piece but left a positive impression as well. Compared to the fighting-mad young singers, Olga Kulchinskaya, who has a charming timbre and has already become a part of the Bolshoi Opera Company, created an impression of a mature lyrical heroine. Another trump card was saved till the very end: Christina Eshba, who is not on Bolshoi Theatre's list, performed the aria "Son qual nave" by Broschi (from the repertoire of the famous castrato singer Farinelli), where she demonstrated bright sound with brilliant coloratura and remarkable virtuosity. It looks like a whole handful of baroque singers appeared; these singers will soon be able to compete with famous foreign guest singers. " Don Carlo " with a residence permit in Moscow The series of performances of Verdi's masterpiece continues at the Bolshoi Theatre The opera "Don Carlo" premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre last year; as it had been anticipated, the premiere cast starred a lot of guest singers who mostly perform abroad. The performance which took place on November 1st was remarkable firstly because there were three debuts in the main parts and secondly because the cast starred only singers who perform at Moscow theatres; moreover, two of those singers have recently joined the Bolshoi Opera Company. Quite recently the words of Bolshoi Theatre's General Director Vladimir Urin, who stated that it was necessary to provide a decent level of performance not only when it came to premieres but also when it came to Bolshoi's regular repertoire, and who pointed out that the casts had to be formed using the theatre's own resources, have been perceived as some kind of a long-term project and a task for some distant future! But we can see that this task is already being fulfilled today. The title part does not have large solo numbers and perhaps is not really the main part; still it imposes serious requirements for a singer's voice. It has to be a good tenor with stable mezza voce that can balance between the heroic style of decisiveness and Carlo's helpless and infantile "Hamletism". Speaking of singers who were invited to perform this part in the previous series of performances, we can probably say that Andrea Caré, who performed it on the opening night, was the only one who really succeeded. V oices of Hector Sandoval and Dimitri Pittas obviously were not right for the Historic Stage; besides, those two singers demonstrated not very distinct acting on the edge of parody. Oleg Dolgov, who became famous as Novaya Opera's soloist and takes active part in projects of the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Valery Polyansky, is a real savior for opera productions that need a tenor singer with remarkable dynamics and plastique. Dolgov has already performed the most difficult part of the Prince in the opera "The Enchantress" by Tchaikovsky on the Historic Stage; the Moscow audience also heard him performing Don Carlo last season, when Polyansky presented a concert version of this opera. The artist presented a very distinct image of this character: adolescent devotion and quick temper were portrayed without using small gestures, jactitation and hysteria that singers who perform this part often overuse. The same can be said about the vocal constituent of this part: the singer has remarkably bright fortes, but he used the power of his voice for the purpose intended, as he showed the ups and downs of his character's emotional state. Apart from minor faults, for example, some confusion with the text, Don Carlo, performed by Oleg Dolgov is probably the best; the fact that the singer joined the Bolshoi Opera Company in November can be considered not only a deserved and long-awaited event, but also an expected and appropriate one. Newsletter November, 6 2014 Newsletter November, 6 2014 The part of Eboli was performed by Agunda Kulaeva, who has also become Bolshoi's soloist the other day and who came from the same Novaya Opera. The singer's unique vocal and dramatic skills allow her to perform successfully a wide range of parts, from contralto ones (Konchakovna) to those that are almost written for a dramatic soprano (Santuzza), and to create images that are very different from each other. The warmth and a particular feeling that Kulaeva gives to her heroines allowed her to create a convincing image of Eboli "with a human face". She is not an intrigante made to repent, but a strong, powerful woman of remarkable beauty, which is a fatal and cruel gift; this woman turned her own life into a nightmare because her love was rejected. To find a mezzo that can perform both the quick song about the veil and the aria in the third act, which has no mercy for a singer's voice, equally well, has never been an easy task. It really was very hard to believe that the incredibly powerful dramatic "drill" in the fountain scene and in the aria "O, don fatale" belongs to the same singer that performed oriental fiorituras in "Nei giardin del bello" in such a virtuoso way. Eboli catalyzes the action and disappears from the stage long before the story ends, but the part, performed by Agunda Kulaeva, leaves an emotional charge that remains in the audience hall till the very finale, like a ball lighting. At the premiere the part of Philip was performed by Dmitry Beloselsky and we remembered his aristocratic cool; this character was rational even when he was furious and he made decisions that his soul rebelled against with a cold heart. Given the fact that the vocal and dramatic bar was set so high, it was interesting to see and hear the totally different interpretation of this bass part, which is considered to be one of the most difficult. Dmitry Ulyanov, a soloist of the Stanislavski and Nemirovich- Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre, who performed the part of Philip II, found an excuse for his character, just like Aguna Kulaeva did for her Eboli. The audience saw a dignified monarch whose self-control was not limitless; he was a lion losing his power, and this could be heard in his voice very well. Philip loses all fights: the one to his son, to his wife, to the Grand Inquisitor, and even to his father in the finale. He accepts the necessity to go on with his life as the most dreadful punishment. November, 6 2014 V alentina Tereshkova, the artist Alexander Shilov, the couch Irina Viner, the writer Mikhail Zhvanetsky, the owner of "Glavproduct" Sergei Govyadin and the model Ksenia Sukhinova, the doctor Leonid Roshal, the singer Zurab Sotkilava, the choir master Mikhail Turetsky and even the deputy of the Krasnoyarsk region's legislative assembly Anatoly Bykov attended the concert. Such a diverse list proves that Obraztsova's talent is universal. In the end of the "Opera Ball" the singer was presented with tons of flowers from everyone who came to the concert, and also from the Patriarch Kirill and the Prime Minster Dmitry Medvedev, who could not come to the Bolshoi Theatre. Elena Obraztsova celebrated her birthday in July, but it was possible to bring all opera stars together only during the theatre season. Oleg Dobrodeev, the General Director of VGTRK, turned 55 on the day of the "Opera Ball". He came to the Bolshoi together with his wife Maria, his son Boris and his wife, as well as Anton Zlatopolsky, the first deputy General Director of VGTRK with his wife Darya Spiridonova and Dmitry Kisilev, the deputy General Director of VGTRK. All of them gathered at one of the concession stands during the intermission. Mr. Kisilev toasted: "We all love you so much!". This toast was a very short one, but a very loud one as well. Elena Obraztsova gathered her fans for the "Opera Ball" Half a century ago Elena Obraztsova performed at the Bolshoi Theatre for the first time. Back then the student of the Leningrad Conservatoire made her debut with the part of Marina Mnishek in "Boris Godunov". Today Elena Obraztsova has fans all over the world. People adore this opera singer for her incredible sincerity. Several days ago Elena Obraztsova performed on Russia's main stage again. "24 The World" informs that the most famous Carmen in the world organized the "Opera Ball" to mark her 75th anniversary. Elena Obraztsova, an opera singer and a People's Artist of the USSR, said: "I am happy, because wonderful famous singers, who wanted to congratulate me, came here. This is the most important thing; it means that I still mean something in the world. Today I will sing the aria from "The Queen of Spades"; this is my favorite scene. W e will see how it goes, because I have not sung for five months; I was in hospital and today I have opened my mouth for the first time. I do not know what will happen; I just believe that everything will be fine as I come on stage". Dmitri Hvorostovsky, an opera singer and a People's Artist of Russia, said: "This person has always amazed me with her remarkable love for life, her incredible power, energy and optimism that she has always had, no matter what happened in her life. Of course, her numerous fans, audiences, professional musicians and simple people could not fail to feel the same. I can imagine how many people she introduced to the art of classical music and opera singing". Anna Netrebko, Maria Guleghina, Olga Peretyatko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, José Cura - and the list is not exhausted yet. The orchestra was conducted by Eugene Kohn (USA). In order to participate in the concert, opera stars changed their plans and even cancelled some of their performances. Elena V. Obraztsova celebrated her birthday on July 7th, but unfortunately at that time she had to stay in hospital with pneumonia. The celebration had to be rescheduled. But it seems that the fans are still grateful to Obraztsova for this celebration that she organized in Moscow. For articles published 31 October - 4 November 2014 The Huffington Post publishes A Brief But Stunning Visual History Of Ballet In The 20th Century including big resolution photos with Anna Pavlova, Alexandra Danilova, Serge Lifar, George Balanchine, Alexander Godunov, Maya Plisetskaya etc. Dance Tabs writes that the Mikhailovsky Ballet will make their American debut at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City from 11 to 23 November. The St. Petersburg- based company plans to showcase its principals, Natalia Osipova, Ivan Vasiliev and Angelina Vorontsova (all formerly of the Bolshoi Ballet) in Giselle, Don Quixote, and Mikhail Messerer's much-admired restaging of the Soviet classic, The Flames of Paris. Dance Tabs says that "today the Mikhailovsky Ballet continues to stage more adventurous contemporary programming than the Bolshoi or Mariinsky." Deseret News (Utah, USA) announces that Ballet West from Salt Lake City will open Giselle on 7 November 2014 and remembers that "last spring, Moscow's famous Bolshoi Ballet presented a Giselle that simply upped the bravado of a secondary male character, Hilarion. This was most likely done to add more male virtuosity into the female-heavy ballet. The New York Times accused the Bolshoi of muddying the plot". The Calvert Journal announces that starting this week Russians will have the chance for the first time ever to watch performances at the Bolshoi Theatre via a live broadcast in cinema theatres across Russia. Lincolnshire Echo places 'The Pharaoh's Daughter: Bolshoi Ballet Live from Moscow at The Trinity Arts Centre in Gainsborough on November 23' among the 135 things to do in Lincolnshire in November. La Nacion revista (Argentina) publishes an interview with Herman Cornejo, who received the Benois de la Danse in Moscow. Cuba Debate and El Caraboeno publish an EFE story about Julio Bocca, a famous Argentinean dancer who also danced at the Bolshoi, and who gave a masterclass in Cuba. Ismene Brown asks in The Spectator "What happens to male ballet greats when they retire" and gives the example of Irek Mukhamedov saying that "recent appointments at flagship state companies such as the Royal, Paris, the Bolshoi and Mariinsky have shown a move away from stars and towards managers and choreographers - more collegiate figures." Daily Mail announces the return of the Russian ball with dozens of debutantes dancing the Waltz of the Flowers in London. About 1,000 guests watched dances and performances by the Bolshoi ballet, Russian opera singers and orchestras. Londonist.com is recommending the UK premiere of ' Rodion Shchedrins satirical operaLevsha with a pre-concert talk given by Rodion Shchedrin and former Bolshoi prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya at Barbican on 4 November. Nano Press (Italy) publishes a story about acid attacks which increase in Italy with the latest happening in the night from 1st to 2nd November. The story mentions the acid attack on Sergei Filin, "a story of revenge, accusations, jealousy and strife in the heart of the most famous ballet in the world that concluded with an absurd violence". Classicpoint.ch publishes an interview with Vadim Repin who acknowledges that sometimes his wife, Svetlana Zakharova, prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet, dances for their daughter while he plays the violin. Slippedisc (slippedisc.com) mourns the death of Nina Timofeeva: "Sad News: Great Bolshoi Star Has Died". Financial T imes publishes a story about Paris Opera Ballet and writes that "Galina Ulanova's desperate dash across the stage as Juliet, her cape billowing behind her, was a moment of startling purpose that cemented her legend and the Bolshoi's". Irish Mirror announces that the Nutcracker with Cork City Ballet will have four performances on 20-22 November with the choreography signed by Yury Demakov from the Bolshoi Ballet. Theater Astoria from Lerici (Italy) is one of the theatres screening Bolshoi ballets. Citta della spezia (Italy) writes about its new season which will include The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet starting January 2015. Arte.it announces the opening of the exhibition Madame Niet. The Legend of the Russian Ballet at Casa dei Teatri in Rome. The exhibition about Ekaterina Maximova will be opened between 6 November 2014 and 18 January 2015. Südkurier (Germany) publishes a story about Triberger Kronenlichtspielen which used to broadcast live from the Bolshoi Ballet and now became the smallest theatre receiving green light for broadcasting live from the Metropolitan New York. Newsletter , 7 " Les Arts Florissants " baroque music orchestra and chorus Music Director: William Christie Stage Director: Sophie Daneman Choreographer: Françoise Denieau The project marks the 250th death anniversary of the great French musician and enlightener Jean-Philippe Rameau On November 1st Vadim Tikhonov, Bolshoi Theatre's tenor and an Honored Artist of Russia, celebrated his birthday. Our best wishes to the singer! V adim Tikhonov
November, 6 2014 Nina Timofeeva passed away Nina Timofeeva, a People's Artist of the USSR, passed away in Israel at the age of 79. She was the brightest representative of the Bolshoi Ballet's outstanding galaxy of artists in the 1960s and 1970s. Powerful acting, enchanting charisma and dramatic performance allowed the ballerina to develop her own unique style that showed brightly in various classical productions and helped her to create unforgettable characters in various ballet productions staged in her time, mainly in productions choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich. The ballerina was buried at the Givat Shaul Cemetery, Jerusalem. The Bolshoi Theatre mourns this loss and expresses its most sincere condolences to the ballerina's relatives and friends. On the Bolshoi Theatre official pages in the social networks we published an invitation to the press-conference about the performance of the world-famous French ensemble "Les Arts Florissante ", a participant of the music festival " Baroque. A Journey ", which will take place on November 6th 2014 at 3 p.m. The press-conference will take place at the Bolshoi Theatre New Stage Foyer. William Christie, an outstanding musician, conductor and founder of the instrumental and vocal ensemble "Les Arts Florissante", will take part in the press-conference. The concert "'Baroque. A Journey.' Festival. Rameau - MaГ®tre Г Danser" will take place on November 6th and 7th 2014 on the Bolshoi's New Stage at 7 p.m. The program includes unique one-act ballets, "La naissance d'Osiris" and "Daphnis et Eglé", which were first staged more than 260 years ago and combine all components of the baroque art: music, singing and dancing. Bolshoi Theatre in the Internet |
