Robert Carsen said: "I have no idea of how the Russian audience will react to this production; Verdi's opera by itself is absolutely shocking, and when he was composing this piece, he constantly had to fight with Italian censors. I guess you know that Hugo's drama that the opera is based on was prohibited; while Hugo was still alive, "Rigoletto" was performed only once. It seems to me that we are dealing with a very complicated piece. This is not a music comedy, but rather a drama; Verdi was the first to make an antihero the main character, and, basically, he paved the way for other great pieces that we would not have ever seen on the stage, but for V erdi's "Rigoletto". The European premiere took place in autumn. The opera was a huge success. All tickets for the Bolshoi premiere were sold out long time ago. It is still not clear, whether the capricious Russian audience will like Robert Carsen's shocking interpretation of "Rigoletto". Circus at the Bolshoi Theatre: Verdi's masterpiece "Rigoletto" is back in Russia "Rigoletto" is back at the Bolshoi! Giuseppe Verdi's opera, based on the drama "Le roi s'amuse" by Victor Hugo, was staged on the Bolshoi's New Stage by the famous Canadian director Robert Carsen. The opera "Rigoletto" was first performed in Moscow in 1859. Several different productions of Verdi's masterpiece have been staged at the main theatre of the country since that time. The last time "Rigoletto" was staged at the Bolshoi was a quarter of a century ago, in 1989. There are skillful acrobats and bouncy gymnasts in the arena; the main heroine sings her aria swinging on the swing that flies under the big top. Robert Carsen set the action of "Rigoletto" at the circus. He also made the spectacular Duke of Mantua the director of this place. Carsen is convinced that it was a wonderful idea and says: "It is dif ficult to set the plot of "Rigoletto" in time and space. I wanted Rigoletto to be the main character of this piece. The circus is the only place, where a jester can be the main character. This is a place, where people can laugh and be afraid; there also are certain sexual motives. For me circus is a metaphor; it is not just a place where the story unfolds". According to critics, Victor Hugo, the author of the drama "Le roi s'amuse", which "Rigoletto" is based on, pronounced a sentence on his time, when malice and greed ruled the day. It was the time when each character was in competition with the others in terms of the number of sins and bad thoughts. There is the Duke of Mantua and Rigoletto; these are two main characters, and both of them are villains. One is a spectacularly handsome man, the second one is an ugly, broken jester. Each of them provokes mixed feelings. Dimitris Tiliakos (Rigoletto) stresses that the main thing about his character it that he is an antihero: "Antihero. Yes, he is an antihero, I like this word. You know, he is a clown. It is very difficult to understand the psychology of this character. It is dif ficult to understand why he does these things. He always has some passions; he either laughs or cries". But there is something, or, rather, someone that unites these two evil demons. This is the pure and tender Gilda, Rigoletto's daughter. He brings her up in godliness and innocence. However, fate has other plans for this girl. She is doomed to fall in love and to realize that the subject of her love is an indecent person; still, she will die for this feeling. It is like this heroine, played by Kristina Mkhitaryan, lives two lives. The singer says: "What I really like about the part of Gilda, is this drama in the end. She turns from a small girl into a woman. She decides to save her father and her lover, because otherwise either her father or the Duke will be killed. So she decides to die. This is interesting, and this is reflected in Verdi's genius music in such a way, that you do not have to make up anything. You just need to hear this music". Classical music is the background for quite extraordinary actions: the court nobility d em onstr a te acro ba tic sk ills an d eve n pe rfo rm so m e bre ak-d an ce. S erg e y Romanovsky (the Duke) says: "This is a very innovative production. Everything works there. Of course, it is amazing to watch: there are trapeze artists and artists that perform some hip-hop elements in some theatrical manner. This is a very energetic production". The famous Canadian director Robert Carsen made his debut a t th e m ain th eatr e of R ussia w it h th e opera "R ig ole tto ". G iu se ppe V erd i's masterpiece is performed on the Bolshoi Theatre New Stage from December 16th till December 21st. December, 17 2014 comfortable places to sing. He shared: "It is dif ficult for me to act this part, but there is the abundance of beautiful melodies and the wonderful music that makes you want to sing it and to hear it, and this is what makes this character not such a bad one". Having spent an hour and a half for make-up and put on the heavy costume of a clown, Dimitris Tiliakos is ready to go on stage. His Rigoletto is a clown. Whatever his character is hiding behind that mask is a mystery even for the singer himself: "I am telling the story of Rigoletto with my heart. We do not understand why he does this or that. Yes, he is an antihero. I like this word very much. But he is also the main character of this story". Robert Carsen worked together with Evelino PidГІ (Italy). This was not the first time they worked together. The conductor mentions: "This production of "Rigoletto" is new for the Moscow audience, but not for me. We have worked together with Robert Carsen twice in Europe. I am happy that we could discuss this production and that I could share my perception of the score". Acrobats are working on the stage together with singers; they do various tricks, somersaults and jumps. There also are tragedies that Victor Hugo once wrote about in his drama "Le roi s'amuse". Verdi's music gave a new life to Hugo's masterpiece that was prohibited in France; this story has had a long life on the opera stage. Flying under the big top The Bolshoi Theatre presented the premiere of the opera "Rigoletto" A new production of the opera "Rigoletto" by Verdi has premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre. This is a co-production of several European theatres and festivals. The premiere took place on the New Stage: the theatre keeps the promise it gave in the beginning of the season and tries to separate innovations (the New Stage) and traditions (the Historic Stage). "Rigoletto", staged by Robert Carsen, was considered to be an innovative production. It really is not so: the production is quite traditional. W ell, there are stripping women in the first act and the Duke's naked behind in the second act. Other than that, this interpretation is conservative and very convincing. Dimitris Tiliakos as Rigoletto. Photo: Oleg Chernous W e still remember Carsen's other production that was performed in Moscow; it was "Don Giovanni" by W.A. Mozart, presented by La Scala. The director neglected the full title of the opera ("Il dissoluto punito, ossia il Don Giovanni", literally "The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni") and refused to "punish the rake"; on the contrary, he dealt with Giovanni's numerous pursuers. As for "Rigoletto", the Duke (Sergey Romanovsky) does not seem to be a villain; he is just a handsome young man with a boosted libido (who says this is bad?). The main character (Dimitris Tiliakos) is the real villain; he decides that he has the right to punish the others, and pays a terrible price: his daughter is killed. Dimitris Tiliakos performed the part of this monster in a very convincing way; when we say "monster", we mean it not in a physical sense, but rather in a moral one. If "Rigoletto" had been a musical, the artist could have become famous all over the world. However, "Rigoletto" is an opera. So the audience expected to hear good singing, full baritone sound and clean intonation. Unfortunately, T iliakos took almost all top notes with the rising glissando and had some faults in ensembles, so his duet with Gilda in the first act was not very much in tune. Meanwhile, Kristina Mkhitaryan (Gilda) was very precise and delighted the audience with her beautiful voice. It Newsletter

"Opera is a contract with time" - Mr. Carsen, how did the production change on its way from Aix-en-Provence to Moscow? - The production was initially designed as a joint project of five theatres. It is not like the Bolshoi just rented this production. According to the contract, we were supposed to stage the opera equally well at all five theatres. The production team is very proud and excited by the fact that the Moscow audience is presented with absolutely the same version of "Rigoletto" as the audience in Brussels or in Genève. Of course, there can be some special features. If I staged, say, "The Queen of Spades", I would have to think about the ways to do it in Russia. But in general I consider it is a mistake to stage productions, being guided by the audience's desires. - How does a director's concept appear when it comes to an opera production? - My job is to study the text of a libretto and the original literary source in all details. Everything that happens on the stage is based on emotions and situations from the text. For instance, Rigoletto is a very bad person. I consider this to be the reason why this piece is so modern. Opera is always complicated, and this complexity is the best thing about opera. My task is to make everything a bit more complicated. When people come to the opera theatre, they have expectations similar to those they would have when they are about to read a great novel or a piece of great poetry. I think this might be the reason why stage direction is being more and more appreciated and has become an inalienable part of opera productions. If these expectations are met, an opera becomes a significant performance. - Which of your productions do you consider to be the most successful? - It is hard to name one, because it would mean that the others were not very successful. I do not want to say that everything I have staged is amazing. But it seems to me that in most cases I managed to find some harmony with the pieces. Still, my first production, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by B. Britten, is the closest to my heart. Nowadays, 24 years after the premiere, we are going to revive it in Aix-en- Provence. I consider opera to be a kind of a "contract" with the time, but I also think that productions should be timeless. - Is there an opera you would like to stage so much it is almost an obsession? - "The Rake's Progress" by Stravinsky. I have said that I want to stage this opera for the past 20 years, but no one invites me. I adore Stravinsky. He is an amazing composer; his music amazes, it has some incredible energy, and this is something an opera production always needs. The opera "Rigoletto" is back at the Bolshoi Theatre The opera "Rigoletto" by Giuseppe Verdi premiered on the Bolshoi Theatre New Stage. The last time it was staged at the Bolshoi was a quarter of a century ago. This time the audience is presented with a co-production of the famous Festival d'Aix-en- Provence and four major European opera houses - Opéra National du Rhin, Theatre La Monnaie (Belgium), Grand Théâtre de Genève, and the Bolshoi Theatre. The opera was staged by the Canadian director Robert Carsen. T wo days prior to the premiere of "Rigoletto" mass media were already spreading the word about this production. The director, who is famous for his provocative ideas, always makes people nervous. This time he set the action not at the Duke's castle, but at the circus. The stage director explains: "Rigoletto" is a complicated story. It seemed to me that the circus was the most suitable place for it. Here I can make a jester the main character. There is some danger, as well as something funny and something scary at the circus. There is certain sexuality. The circus is a metaphor for me". The artists went to the gym. They would not have coped without sportive training. The singers perform many arias flying in the air, on trapezes and moving all the time. Alexander Tsymbalyuk says: "We run for three hours in the morning and in the evening. Sometimes even those who do not run, lose two-three kilos during one performance". Kristina Mkhitaryan performs one of Gilda's most famous arias sitting on the swing five meters above the stage. The Bolshoi Theatre soloist says: "Someone asked me if I had had any circus training in order to be able to do it. I said I had not; they just put me on the swing, and that was it". Sergey Romanovsky's dancing background makes it easier for him to cope with the part of the Duke. He is a break-dance champion. In Carsen's version of the opera his character is the director of the circus, a handsome Latin lover that makes women crazy. The singer works at the end of his tether. High steps and stairs are not the most December, 17 2014 "The Taming of the Shrew", choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot for the Bolshoi Ballet, will be presented at the Grimaldi Forum, one of the main concert venues in Monte Carlo, on December 19th. The ballet "The Taming of the Shrew", based on Shakespeare's comedy and choreographed to the music by Shostakovich, premiered in Moscow and was a real success. Now the ballet will be performed in Monaco. The choreographer wrote: "Our collaboration with the Bolshoi Theatre was a most intriguing story and I hope that the dancers were as pleased to participate in it, as I was". He also mentioned that it had been the first time in 20 years that he had staged a production not for Les Ballet de Monte Carlo that he is the artistic director of, but for another company. A scene from the ballet "The Taming of the Shrew". Photo: Mikhail Logvinov The letter from Jean-Christophe Maillot, published on the Bolshoi Theatre's official website, says: "I would like to thank Sergei Filin [the Bolshoi Ballet artistic director - editor's note], who offered me the chance to choreograph "The Taming of the Shrew" and Vladimir Urin [the Bolshoi Theatre General Director - editor's note], who helped us realize the project. I am also very grateful to the Principality of Monaco and, in particular, to Her Royal Highness the Princess of Hanover. It is due to her patronage of the art of dance and to her love of beauty that I have had this exciting experience in my career as choreographer". The Bolshoi's website also quotes Maillot's interviews to Monaco journalists. For instance, the famous choreographer said: "I have refused to work at the Paris Opera for several years; the other day I refused to work there once again. But I consider the Bolshoi Ballet to be one of the best companies in the world, or, perhaps, the best one. The company is amazing when it comes to classics; what they manage to do is spectacular. I have been a part of the world of the dance for forty years, but the Bolshoi still is a sacred myth". The Bolshoi Ballet's guest performances will take place at the Grimaldi Forum on December 19th - 21st. The artists will dance to the accompaniment of the Monte Carlo Philharmonic, conducted by Igor Dronov. The cast of "The Taming of the Shrew" stars the Bolshoi Theatre leading soloists: Ekaterina Krysanova, Kristina Kretova, Olga Smirnova, Anastasia Stashkevich, Vladislav Lantratov, Denis Savin, Semyon Chudin and Artem Ovcharenko. The agreement to organize the Year of Russia in Monaco was signed in July 2014. The program of the Year covers various spheres of life and includes about 130 events. Many of those events will be presented during the festival of the Russian culture; the audience will have a chance to visit performances of Valery Gergiev, Y uri Bashmet, Anna Netrebko and other outstanding Russian masters. Still, the ballet takes first place in the cultural program of the Year of Russia in Monaco, and there is a good reason for that. In the beginning of the 20th century the Principality became home to the iconic ballet company, the legendary Ballets Russes, directed by Sergei Diaghilev. Cooperation in the ballet sphere continues nowadays as well. For example, "The T aming of the Shrew" is a joint project of the Bolshoi Ballet and the choreographer from Monaco. Newsletter

seemed that Romanovsky's timbre lacked overtones (especially when it came to top notes); however, he was very musical in ensemble scenes. When he appeared on the stage stark naked, some might have considered it to be shocking and provocative, but it did not contradict the plot or the music: I mean, it is not like he would make love to a young beauty with his trousers on! The orchestra, conducted by Evelino PidГІ, highlighted the beauty of the Verdi's score; dynamic nuances and agogics were expressive enough. Still, there were some fragments where the orchestra, the soloists and the choir could have cooperated better. I should also mention the singers that performed secondary parts, especially Alexander Tsymbalyuk (Sparafucile) and Vyacheslav Pochapsky (Monterone). There were also charming girls from the supernumeraries, whose stripping made the audience nervous. The director and the set designer (Radu Boruzescu) dressed Rigoletto as a clown and set the story at the circus. Some of the expressive means were taken from the circus as well. The choir has several equilibrists that perform various acrobatic tricks very skillfully and silently; those tricks only add harmony to the production. The scene of Gilda's kidnapping is brilliant; the supernumeraries climb the highest staircase and fly there, as if with the help of some magic. Kristina Mkhitaryan sings her famous aria, swinging on the trapeze right beneath the fly gallery. The production has many gimmicks; still, the stage direction gives way to the music (as it often happens in Robert Carsen's productions). Mise-en-scenes are staged in a way that enables the singers to convey the beauty of Verdi's melodies in the best possible way. The director's ideas, even the most acute and radical ones, are aimed at making the author's ideas brighter and easier to understand. Carsen is the master of cadenzas. The finale that he builds in this production is grandiose in terms of the effect that is has on the audience. There is the circus arena. There are indif ferent and cynical men from the Duke's court nobility in the stalls. There is the dying Gilda in the hands of the crying Rigoletto. And then a naked female figure appears from under the flying gallery; it is flying on the red fabric ties, and this is so beautiful and so expressive. This is the tragic flight of Gilda's soul, the ascension of the soul that belonged to this girl, who sacrificed herself for the sake of love… One of Verdi's popular operas is back at the Bolshoi Theatre This is "Rigoletto". However, this is not a classical version of the production; the plot is the same, but, as the director admitted, the new interpretation might shock the audience. Robert Carsen set the action of Verdi's opera not at the Duke's palace, but on the circus arena. Rigoletto is not a royal jester, but a clown. The Latin lover is not the Duke of Mantua, but the director of the circus; he is handsome, and not a single girl can resist. Robert Carsen, the stage director: "I have to admit that Verdi's opera is shocking by itself. When it was written, the composer had to fight for it, because it was prohibited; he also had to fight with censors. You do know that Verdi's opera is based on the drama "Le roi s'amuse" by Victor Hugo. While the writer was still alive, the opera was performed only once. This is a complicated piece that has had a complicated production history; this is not a cheerful music comedy". The Bolshoi Ballet will open the Year of Russia in Monaco with the production of "The Taming of the Shrew" The program of the Year of Russia has about 130 events, including performances of V alery Gergiev, Y uri Bashmet, Anna Netrebko and other famous artists. On Monday the Bolshoi Ballet went on tour to Monte Carlo. The company will open the Year of Russia in Monaco. The inauguration, marking the opening of the Year of Russia in Monaco, will take place a little earlier than the year of 2015 actually starts. On December 19th the ballet December, 17 2014 Mass media about the Theatre Elizaveta Malashenko, Andrei Jilihovschi and Oleg Tsybulko After the break a tribute was paid to Russian music. Kira Parfeevets and Elizaveta Malashenko played the Waltz from the ballet "The Nutcracker" by P. T chaikovsky. Of course, there were some arias from the opera "Eugene Onegin". At first Bogdan V olkov performed the aria of Lensky, his signature piece. The way he sings it makes the audience feel the pain for the poet's short life and love that did not bring him happiness. The aria was followed by the duel scene. It is nice that the participants of the concert decided to perform it; this scene is actually never performed in concerts. Bogdan V olkov and Andrei Jilihovschi did not just sing the fatal duet of Lensky and Onegin; they lived through it, and each of them foresaw the collapse of his own life and destiny. Clémence Barrabé and Bogdan Volkov Then Ludvine Gombert performed the Rusalka aria from the opera by A. DvoЕ™ák, and Marion Lebegue presented bright performances of Salud aria from the opera "La V ida Breve" by M. de Falla which is absolutely unknown in Russia. This was followed by a wonderful Duet (Madrigal) of Romeo and Juliette from the opera by C. Gounod, and then Oleg T sybulko created an evil atmosphere on the stage as he performed Méphistophéles Newsletter

Russian and French Young Artists Programs at the Bolshoi. It is something interesting and informative The Bolshoi Theatre Young Artist Opera Program has close ties with similar vocal institutions in Italy, the USA and France Such exchange performances are very important for beginner singers; they are important for their professional development and solo career, they give them a chance to communicate with each other, ensure a dialogue of different cultures and help young artists to find their places in the global operatic environment. The concert "The Jumping-of f place for Young Singers: Moscow - Paris" took place at the Bolshoi Theatre Beethoven Hall. This was a return visit that followed the performance of young artists from Russia and France at the Opéra Grand Avignon. Three French female singers came to Moscow: Clémence Barrabé (soprano), Ludvine Gombert (soprano) and Marion Lebegue (mezzo-soprano). Ludvine Gombert The Bolshoi Theatre was represented by three young gentlemen: two graduates of t h e Y ou ng A rtis ts O pera P ro g ra m, O le g T syb ulk o (b a ss), A nd re i Jilih ovsch i (baritone), and a student of the same Program Bogdan Volkov (tenor). The singers were accompanied by Kira Parfeevets (France) and Elizaveta Malashenko (the Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Opera Program). Fortunately, "The Jumping-of f Place" turned out to be not a regular report concert that can sometimes be boring and mundane, but a real theatrical performance. This happened due to the ef forts of the French director Nadine Duf faut; she brought the artists together in fragments of operas by Mozart, as well as Italian, French and Russian composers. A couple of chairs, a table, two staircases in the audience hall, the light and several props helped to create the atmosphere of a theatre. The concert opened with music by Mozart. The sextet from the opera "Così fan tutte" allowed all participants to introduce themselves. The aria of Osmin from "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" and the aria of Donna Anna from "Don Giovanni" allowed the audience to get better acquainted with Oleg Tsybulko and Clémence Barrabé. Then it was time for "Così fan tutte" again; the terzetto "La mia Dorabella..." was performed by Bogdan Volkov, Andrei Jilihovschi and Oleg Tsybulko. Mezzo-soprano Marion Lebegue performed the famous Rosina cavatina from the opera "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" by G. Rossini; Bogdan Volkov presented a total rarity, the aria of Milio from the opera "Le Roi d'Ys" by É. Lalo. Mr. V olkov performed this aria in a stylish and graceful manner. French music was performed for the rest of the first part of the concert. Nadine Duffaut staged the card scene from "Carmen" in a rather skillful way; the French singers coped with all singing and acting tasks. Marion Lebegue (Carmen) was particularly interesting to watch and to listen to. Andrei Jilihovschi demonstrated a brilliant performance of Mercutio ballad from the opera "Roméo et Juliette" by C. Gounod. Ludvine Gombert presented the Marguerite aria from the opera "Faust" by the same composer; however, her interpretation of this part was not particularly interesting. The first part of the concert closed with the smugglers' Quintet from the opera "Carmen". December, 17 2014 Maurice Ravel, a classic of French music impressionism, did not write any solo music for bassoon. However, the program of the concert included his Vocalise-étude en forme de Habanera, op, 51 (1907); arrangements of this vocal piece for strings and winds are very famous. Francis Poulenc, one of the representatives of the French group "Les Six", was fond of music for woodwinds; sometimes he wrote music for rather strange combinations of those instruments. He wrote the sonata for clarinet and bassoon in his adolescent years (1922), and then edited it in 1945. Jacques Ibert is mainly famous as the author of the music for the famous film "Don Quixote" (1932), starring Fyodor Chaliapin. However, Ibert wrote a lot of different music and was particularly interested in composing pieces for winds. Arabesque for bassoon and piano has a sub-title "Carignane" (a kind of grape that grows in Spain). André was a member of the group of composers "La jeune France", headed by Olivier Messiaen. Jolivet spent the most of his creative career studying culture of Africa and South-Eastern Asia. Concerto for bassoon, strings, harp, and piano (1954) was composed in the late period of his creative career, when his interest in the East was already not as strong as his interest in traditions of national culture. Marcel Bitsch is a composer of the next generation; he entered the world of French music in the second half of 1940s and became a famous music theoretician and historian. In his works Bitsch paid particular attention to the winds. He composed the concertino for bassoon and piano in his early period (the piece was finished in 1948); this concertino was written in memory of Gustave Dhérin, the 20th century French bassoonist and a professor of the Conservatoire National in Paris. For articles published 15 December 2014 The Telegraph (UK) publishes an article about the Russian Ballet Collection saying the Bolshoi's Nutcracker has a magical and enduring appeal for young and old alike especially at Christmas time. Itar Tass publishes an article in its English language news service about the Bolshoi Ballet's upcoming performances in Monte Carlo of The Taming of the Shrew, a project of The Bolshoi and Monaco's choreographer Jean Christophe Maillot as part of the Y ear of Russia in Monaco in 2015. Nice Matin (France) also writes about the performances saying the legendary Bolshoi Ballet will be a highlight of the Monaco Dance Forum. There will also be a chance for the public to talk to Jean-Christophe Maillot, Sergei Filin, Bernice Coppieters and dancers of the Bolshoi at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The Moscow Times reviews Diana Vishneva in John Neumeier's Tatiana at Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater very positively. The articles mentions that Vishneva also appeared previously in John Cranko's Onegin at the Bolshoi. The French edition L'ГЌndependant writes that the director of the Kiev State Ballet School has refused to accept money raised for the school by the Bolshoi Ballet prima Svetlana Zakharova at a recent gala at the Bolshoi Theatre. Robert Carsen, one of the most sought-after and discussed opera directors in the world, became a guest of the Bolshoi Theatre's Green Living Room. After a long break the Bolshoi Theatre presents the opera "Rigoletto". The premiere series of performances: December 14th, December 16th-21st. The interview is in English with Russian subtitles. Newsletter

Rondo from "Faust" by C. Gounod. There also were three arias of Juliette from the 3rd act (Clémence Barrabé), the aria of Robert from "Iolanta" (Andrei Jilihovschi) and the beautiful Barcarole from the opera "The Tales of Hof fmann" by J. Offenbach (Ludvine Gombert and Marion Lebegue). The concert closed with the Waltz from the opera "Les saltimbanques" by L.-G. Ganne (all participants), and when the audience asked for an encore, the singers performed a fragment from operetta "Moscow, Cheryomushki" by D. Shostakovich. The concert program was interesting; it included both popular music and some pieces that the audience was not familiar with. The concert itself was interesting not only due to its program, but also due to the singers - Russian singers in the first place. Several years ago members of the jury at various competitions used to say that the Russians had spectacular voices but did not have a real school, sang loudly and did not know either languages or styles. This is partially true. But our situation with the academic vocal has started changing for the better rapidly. A new generation of brilliant singers has appeared at the Bolshoi Theatre Young Artist Opera Program and V. Popov Choir Academy; these singers join the Bolshoi Opera Company and the Novaya Opera company. They have also made brilliant careers in the West. Curtain calls As for the French singers, Marion Lebegue was the best. She has a real, beautiful mezzo-soprano, great acting skills and individuality. Who knows, perhaps, if she had not been expecting a baby, she would have become a decent partner for our singers. Ludvine Gombert also demonstrated professional skills; however, she lacked acting charisma and her singing lacked emotion, so her arias were all the same and boring. Clémence Barrabé turned out to be weaker than her colleagues. Her soprano is neither grand nor beautiful; besides, she has some problems with her vocal technique and demonstrates a rather boring performance. Surprising as it might be, both of these singers performed in a much brighter and more enthusiastic manner when they appeared on the stage together with Russian soloists. In general the concert "The Jumping-of f Place for Young Singers: Moscow - Paris" made a good impression on the audience; some were really excited. French music for bassoon at the Bolshoi Theatre The concert of the new program "'Faces' of the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra" took place at the Beethoven Hall on December 16th. The Bolshoi Orchestra soloists performed. This time the bassoon, a woodwind instrument, was the "main hero" of the concert. The program included pieces by French composers that are not well-known in Russia. The French music for bassoon was performed by Andrei Lokalenkov, Alexei Bazhalkin and Dmitry Plotnikov. The concert also starred Sergei Petrov (clarinet), Tatiana Oskolkova (harp), Nadezhda Demyanova (piano), the string quintet and the Bolshoi Theatre chamber orchestra (conductor - Mikhail Tsinman). Marina Tyakht played the piano part. François Devienne was a musician, a composer and a pedagogue; he could play several instruments, but was best at playing the flute and the bassoon. He joined the orchestra of the Paris Opera (Académie Royale de Musique at that time) in 1779 and soon became the first bassoonist. Devienne's numerous sonatas, ensembles and concert symphonies for winds were very popular. December, 17 2014 Bolshoi Theatre in the Internet Newsletter

, 7 December, 17 2014 It is available on the Bolshoi YouT ube channel: .youtube.com/watch?v=3_FdIPcVhx4&index=30 W e also uploaded photographs of the second cast of "Rigoletto" on the Bolshoi official pages in the social networks: V alery Alexeyev performed the title role. Anne-Catherine Gillet performed the part of Gilda Fabrizio Paesano as the Duke. Anne-Catherine Gillet as Gilda Photos: Damir Yusupov

Cheboksary mass media: T he w orld fa m ous b ass sin ger V la d im ir M ato rin w ill g iv e co n certs in Cheboksary T he Y ear o f C ult u re in C huvas h R ep ublic w ill clo se w it h th e u n iq u e performances of Vladimir Matorin, a People's Artist of Russia and a Bolshoi Theatre soloist The solo concert of the world famous bass singer, accompanied by the symphony orchestra, conducted by Maurice Yaklashkin, a People's Artist of Russia and Chuvashia, will take place at the Chuvash State Opera and Ballet Theatre on December 17th at 6.30 p.m. The program of the concert includes arias from operas, romances and Russian folk songs. The concert of spiritual music will take place at the Pokrovsko-T atianinsky cathedral in Cheboksary on December 18th at 1 p.m. The concert is a part of the project "Music of the Soul"; the project won a grant from the Chuvashia Head, aimed at providing support to various projects in the sphere of culture and art. The male ensemble "V ivat" and the choir of the Pokrovsko-T atianinsky cathedral, conducted by Kira Ivanova, will perform together with Vladimir Matorin. Entrance: free of charge. /…/
In brief