February, 10, 2014. Issue No. 230On February, 8th the Bolshoi Theatre dedicated the performance of the ballet "Sleping Beauty" to Marina Kondratieva. Olga Smirnova, Kondratieva's student, made her debut in this production, which took place on the Bolshoi Historic StageMass media about the TheatreRehearsals for the opera "The Tsar's Bride" that is scheduled to premiere on February, 22 at the Bolshoi. Photos: Damir YusupovThe Bolshoi Theatre went north of the Arctic Circle The Bolshoi Theatre has not performed in Norway for 54 years. It is no wonder that the company's visit to the "Northern Lights Festival" in the town of TromsГё, located north of the Arctic Circle, became an event of federal importance. The tickets for both performances were sold out in 18 minutes, although the price was rather high - 950 krones (this is the cost of a ticket from Oslo to Moscow). The audience looked happy. Pas de deux, Adagio and Grand Pas from "Don Quixote" and "Jewels", "Spartacus", "Sleeping Beauty", "The Golden Age" and "Swan Lake" starred the soloists - Olga Smirnova, Maria Vinogradova, Semyon Chudin, Sergei Rodkin and their colleagues. Even the disappointing fall of one of the dancers during an encore (her partner dropped her) did not spoil the general impression. Sergei Filin was also the focus of attention of Norwegian mass media; this was the first time the Bolshoi Ballet artistic director went on tour after the tragic events of the last year. The Russian part always takes an important place in the festival program. "The Northern Lights Festival" was first organized 27 years ago; it brings together classics from dance, including contemporary dance, folk and jazz. Yuri Bashmet, the Mariinsky Theatre, Pavel Serbin, you name them… Many different musicians, ensembles and companies have come to TromsГё, which is called the "Norwegian Paris" (there is no Eiffel Tower, but there is a university, a film festival and tons of museums). This year the Arkhangelsk State Chamber Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Onufriev performed here. The program presented by the Norwegian pianist Gunilla Süssman included Lera Auerbach's piano cycles "10 Dreams" and "Images from Childhood". The Russian-American composer, poet and pianist (born in Chelyabinsk, she commenced her studies in New York at the age of 17), Auerbach is popular on the both sides of the ocean today. John Neumeier commissioned her to write a ballet; she was awarded the Paul Hindemith Prize; her three-act opera "Gogol" was staged at The Theater an der Wien. It is as if Auerbach's music came from the epoch when atonality did not exist and only a few had any idea of what modern was; her music was right in its place together with pieces by Mendelssohn and Brahms, Ravel and Bartok. The Saint Petersburg Conservatory graduates Yulia Novikova, who lives in Germany, performed together with The Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Martynas Statkus. Novikova also gave two solo concerts together with the pianist Sergej Osadchuk. The program "Songs for the Moon" included pieces by Handel, Rossini, Schuman, Rachmaninoff and other European composers. One of the concerts took place in the Norwegian Longier (Spitsbergen). This was the first time that the festival went to the archipelago where coal is still mined. Here it is traditional to take off your shoes inside of any house you come to, including the concert hall (they can give you boot covers or slippers, as it is done at the local museum), and the visitors are told to beware of polar bears (there were cases when bears attacked people and killed them). You will rarely hear classical music in this place, but the audience was large. Novikova with her expressive and warm voice received as massive an ovation as after the performances with Domingo or Erwin Schrott. She Analysis of articles published February, 6, 2014 The culture news is dominated by articles about Sochi and the Winter Olympics with many articles mentioning that Russia will send some of its top opera and ballet talent for the opening ceremony of the games. Many publications republish the AFP interview with Bolshoi Theatre director Vladimir Urin who says the theatre will be more transparent and that standing room tickets will be sold in future. Publications include NTD TV China with the headline Bolshoi Chief Pledges Transparency at the Troubled Theatre. The International New York Times writes that Valeriy Gergiev and Anna Netrebko are expected to perform at the opening of the Sochi Winter Olympics along with top Russian ballet dancers. Le Monde interviews the Bolshoi Theatre's new music director Tugan Sokhiev who says that he is happy to be able to work at the Bolshoi Theatre but that he is still very much committed to working also in Toulouse conducting the orchestra there. We have uploaded two video clips of the program "A Ticket to the Bolshoi" on the Bolshoi official pages in the social networks. The program features: the jubilee of the ballet "The Nutcracker" and interview with Yuri Grigorovich; the jubilee of Elena Obraztsova; interview with the designer E. Zaitceva talking about costumes for "The Tsar's Bride"; A. Tikhomirova, E. Krysanova and K. Kretova making their debuts in the ballet "Coppélia"; faces from the Bolshoi Theatre's history - Maris Liepa. The second program tells about details of the "Don Carlo" premiere; there also is an interview with the People's Artist of the USSR Lyudmila Semenyaka and couple of shots of her receiving the "Artist" prize, a story about work of the Bolshoi Theatre transportation department, an interview with the opera company soloist Dinara Alieva and a story about the work of the Bolshoi Theatre costume department. "Don Carlo" at the Bolshoi TheatreNewsletter The Bolshoi artists felt at home in the northern country. Photo: Marius The Bolshoi Theatre If you are going on an excursion to the Historic Building, you should keep in mind that getting a ticket is no easier than getting a ticket to a production. There are only 15 tickets available every day; they are sold one ticket per customer and even though International press analysis The Bolshoi Theatre in the Internet February, 102014The repertory of the "Talents of the World" Fund includes about sixty different projects; the musicians give 85 concerts a year. Famous singers are part of the Fund. Three baritones, three Bolshoi Theatre soloists came to Lugansk - David Gvinianidze, Yury Zaltsman and Sergei Plyusnin. The latter has a unique voice; he sings in bass and baritone equally well. The "Talents of the World" Fund has existed for 11 years; according to its artistic director, this is the first time they have come to Lugansk. Krasnoyarsk mass media: The 5 International Festival "Parade of Stars" opened at the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre on February 7. This year the festival is dedicated to the Russian opera, and there is a good reason behind it: in 2014 the international music community marks jubilees of the composers that made the Russian opera famous all over the world - Mikhail Glinka, Modest Mussorgsky and Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov. Svetlana Voitkevich, who is a Ph.D in History of Arts and a professor of the Krasnoyarsk State Academy of Music and Theatre, says: "This festival grants the artists of the theatre and all Krasnoyarsk citizens a unique opportunity to see and listen to the best musicians of the modern age. Working with world opera stars and conductors that are acknowledged all over the world gives the musicians and the singers a whole different perspective of the creative processes that are going on at the theatre; it also provides them with invaluable experience". The Bolshoi Theatre soloists Makvala Kasrashvili and Irina Dolzhenko will give two joint concerts during the festival. A galaxy of the Bolshoi Theatre artists and conductors will participate in the festival events. /…/ Makvala Kasrashvili Irina DolzhenkoNewsletter Digest has been compiled by The Bolshoi Theatre Press Office Photos: Damir Yusupov and Mikhail Logvinov Design layout: Vladimir AndrusenkoAll materials used in the digest are the public domain of information agencies, mass media, civil society organizations and government In brief Russkiy Dom (Russian House) in Sochi opened its doors for the Olympic Games guests and participants The Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin said: "I would like to wish good luck to all sportsmen, no matter what stage they are at, what team they are on and or how famous they are. I would like to wish them to have enough energy and luck; I would like each and every of them to believe that he or she is the best, because today they are here, in Sochi-2014!". /…/ Lugansk mass media: Famous Bolshoi Theatre baritones came to Lugansk A unique event will take at the Oblast' Philharmonic Hall. Songs from the Muslim Magomayev repertory, as well as famous classical and popular pieces by different authors will be performed in the Gala concert "My Love- the Melody". This is the joint project of Lugansk State Philharmonic Hall and the Moscow Charity Fund "Talents of the World". The artists will be accompanied by the Philharmonic Academic Symphonic Orchestra. Last spring it was the Russian artists who suggested organizing this project. Vera Gertsiy, the director of Lugansk Oblast' Philharmonic Hall said: "After we accepted this offer; the main thing we had to agree on was the time. Such Funds usually have everything planned three years in advance. We managed to set everything in a very short period of time. We wanted to have this event on our stage so much that we shortened this way and this distance…" As a result, the collectives were working remotely during several months; one of them was working in Lugansk, and the other one - in Moscow. Everyone was satisfied with the result. David Gvinianidze, the Bolshoi Theatre soloist said: "I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the organizers; yesterday we came here and the orchestra was ready, I mean, we even did not have to rehearse any song twice…" The musicians from Lugansk admitted that it was rather difficult to work remotely, although it turned out that the work was productive. This was something they felt at the very first rehearsal. Yuri Kirichenko, concertmaster of the Lugansk Philharmonic Academic Symphonic Orchestra said: "We had a feeling that we were already playing it for some audience, like there were people in the Hall… The main thing is that we had this connection with you right away. Thank you so much, guys. You are wonderful professionals, we could hear it from the first notes…" |
Main Stage
1 Teatralnaya ploschad (1 Theatre Square), Moscow, Russia
New Stage
Bol'shaya Dmitrovka Street, 4/2, Moscow, Russia