"The Maid of Orleans" at the Bolshoi

Photo: Damir Yusupov Although Sokhiev does not avoid powerful tutti and knows how to get the full sound from the orchestra, it is the precise composition of the instrumental groups that helps him achieve the desired effect. The orchestra did a wonderful job; there were just a couple of faults during the three hours. The choir, made of a hundred people, sang harmoniously, and the soloists' voices could be heard even in the big choir ensembles. The cast itself marked a new page of the Bolshoi's policy. Last season Tugan Sokhiev and the Bolshoi's General Director Vladimir Urin scared the general public when they announced that the company's full-time soloists would have priority. However, there was only one full-time soloist among the eleven singers of "The Maid of Orleans" first cast: it was Vladimir Krasov and he had a couple of episodes. Another full-time soloist was Arseny Yakovlev, the promising participant of the Young Artists Opera Program (he performed the part of Raimond that his father Arkady Mishen'kin used to perform). We have already heard other singers at the Bolshoi as guest soloists, but for Anna Smirnova, who performed the main role, this was her debut at the Bolshoi and, perhaps, her debut at the Russian theatre. The European and the American audiences know this singer very well. Smirnova made a wonderful impression with her big, soft and strong voice, convincing emotions and a remarkable vocal range. One has to have a remarkable range in order to perform the part of Joan. Smirnova, who is a mezzo-soprano, sang the original soprano version, just like Maria Kamenskaya, the first singer to perform this role (later, when this became difficult for her, T chaikovsky rewrote several numbers in grave tonality). It was no surprise to see such masters, as Pyotr Migunov (Joan's father) or Igor Golovatenko (Lionel, Joan's fatal attraction) on the Bolshoi's stage. Igor Golovatenko and Anna Smirnova. Photo: Damir Yusupov It was also nice to listen to other guest singers - the sweet-voiced lyrical soprano Irina Churilova (Agnes Sorel) and Stanislav Tromifov (Archbishop), who has a deep soft bass voice and a spade beard. Oleg Dolgov (The King), Andrei Gonuykov ( D unois, a Fre nch kn ig ht), Ota r Kunch ulia (B ertr a nd, a peasa nt) an d Anastasia Shchegoleva (Angel) demonstrated a decent performance as well. The concert version of "The Maid of Orleans" was so comprehensive, that it can be called a true theatrical premiere, moreover it is admirable that the Bolshoi Theatre chose such a rare and relevant piece. October, 2 2014 Direct speech T ugan Sokhiev, the Bolshoi Theatre's music director - When a new person comes to a collective, others are always suspicious. Some time should pass, and then we will start to understand and to trust each other. "The Maid of Orleans" was my choice. I have dreamed of performing this wonderful opera for a long time. I love Tchaikovsky's music a lot and treat his scores very reverently. I tried to feel and to understand his admiration of Joan of Arc. I hope this production will give the right start… For example, there are a hundred people in the orchestra, and each of them can have his/her own opinion on how to interpret this or that musical phrase. The conductor is the person who brings everything to a common standard. I consider that the conductor is fully responsible for the production from the very first note to the very last one. The Bolshoi Theatre presented the opera "The Maid of Orleans" with no costumes and set The opera "The Maid of Orleans" by P. Tchaikovsky, the Bolshoi Theatre's first

premiere of the new season, was presented to the audience on September 28. It was the concert version of the opera; the performance had neither costumes nor the set. The decision was made by Sokhiev, the Bolshoi's new music director and chief conductor, who made his debut at the Bolshoi Theatre with this production. The choir, which consists of 120 people, and numerous soloists took part in the performance. Mr. Sokhiev mentioned that "The Maid of Orleans" was not as popular in Russia, as "Eugene Onegin" or "The Queen of Spades". However, maestro believes it is not fair that "The Maid of Orleans" was forgotten in Russia and in Europe. The conductor said: "This is a magnificent opera, based on an historical plot that everyone is familiar with. Joan of Arc by herself is a dramatic character that attracts attention. This production has already been staged at the Bolshoi by Boris Pokrovsky; the cast starred great singers". The opera premiered on February 13th 1881 at the Mariinsky Theatre. However, contrary to the author's expectations, who had put high hopes on it, the opera did not become a great success. "The Maid of Orleans" appeared in the Bolshoi Theatre's repertoire only a century later, in 1990. Besides this opera by Tchaikovsky the Bolshoi will present eight more premieres in the new season, five new opera productions and three new ballets. In the near future the Bolshoi's audience will have a chance to see "A Legend of Love", "The Story of Kai and Gerda" and "Rigoletto". Vladimir Medinsky, the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, stressed that the Bolshoi Theatre was in a very good shape; the busy schedule of guest performances illustrates this. Soon the artists will go to Japan, then - to Monte Carlo, Hong Kong and Brazil. The Minister of Culture said: "This means that culture knows no borders, and that culture can break any political barriers. The Bolshoi's recent triumphant guest performances in New York proved once again, how absurd all talk about possible cultural sanctions are". The return of Joan The opera "The Maid of Orleans" premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre

The winds of change in the main opera theatre of Russia give hope. The 200 anniversary of G. Verdi, which the whole world celebrated in 2013, was marked only at the end of the anniversary year with the premiere of "Don Carlo" in December;

however, the 175 anniversary of P. I. Tchaikovsky, which will be celebrated in May of 2015, has already inspired the first project that the Bolshoi's opera company, orchestra and choir, headed by the new chief conductor and music director T ugan Sokhiev implemented in the new season. "The Maid of Orleans" is an opera that is not performed very often; the general public does not know it very well either, apart from one aria of the main heroine. Maestro Sokhiev was the one who chose this opera for his debut at the Bolshoi Theatre. Here is how he explained his choice in numerous interviews prior to the premiere: "I have long been fond of this music; this opera is underestimated and is performed rarely". But now, after the premiere, we would like to add - there are not that many operas by Tchaikovsky that demonstrate all skills of the soloists and the Bolshoi Theatre's choir and orchestra so well. The heroine named Joan: now on the opera stage The Bolshoi Theatre presented the first premiere of the season, the concert version of the opera "The Maid of Orleans" by P. Tchaikovsky. Tugan Sokhiev, who was appointed the Bolshoi's music director in February, made his debut with this production. "The Maid of Orleans" is an opera by P. Tchaikovsky in 4 acts; the composer also wrote the libretto, based on the drama by Schiller, translated by Zhukovsky. This is not a box-of fice hit - probably, due to the fact that this opera is close to the grand oratorio style; therefore, performing the concert version of this piece is probably the best solution. The list of characters includes the King of France Charles VII and his lover Agnes Sorel, minstrels and fools, executioners, gypsies and soldiers. However, up to the present day the famous French heroine who fought against the English aggressors during the Hundred Years' W ar and whose mystical heroic deeds were not understood even by her closest relatives (her father Thibaut accuses his daughter Joan of witchcraft), appeared on the Bolshoi's stage only once. Almost a quarter of a century ago the great Boris Pokrovsky staged this opera. At that time the cast starred the wonderful Makvala Kasrashvili. Makvala Kasrashvili and Tugan Sokhiev after the premiere. Photo: Katerina Novikova This time Anna Smirnova, s graduate of the Moscow Conservatoire, who started her successful career at the best opera theatres of the world in 2007 (at first she performed at La Scala, and then - at other famous theatres, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York), made her debut at the Bolshoi with this role. The singer has a spectacular orotund voice that suits this role, which demands a unique vocal range and a rich timbre, very well. This was the first (!) Russian role in Anna's repertoire, and she did not make it very diverse from the emotional point of view. She created the image of some warriorress and Valkyrie, who does not surrender to love and passion. But Joan is head over heels in love with her enemy, a Burgundian knight Lionel, and this romantic story makes the opera even more tragic. By the way, Igor Golovatenko (baritone) demonstrated an absolutely wonderful performance of in his role of Lionel. Other soloists made some vocal mistakes and did not demonstrate outstanding acting either. The work that T ugan Sokhiev did with the choir was very impressive; it was a rare occasion when one could understand every word of what they were saying. What the conductor did with the orchestra was very impressive as well; it had a powerful and beautiful sound. It is a shame, though, that the brass instruments sometimes disturbed the orchestra's wonderful performance. At the end of the three-hour production Tugan Sokhiev looked rather more tired than happy. Nevertheless, there was an air of success and the anticipation of a new creative life at the Bolshoi Theatre. Maestro Sokhiev will conduct the orchestra again in November, when the audience will be presented with the opera "La Boheme" by G. Puccini. In January he will conduct "La Traviata" by Verdi, and in the end of the season, in July, he will present the premiere of the main opera hit, "Carmen". Newsletter

October, 2 2014 Newsletter

Not every piece by Tchaikovsky is a work of genius. The score of "The Maid of Orleans" has parts that are not very exciting and too long. I have to admit that after I had listened to the 1946 recording of this opera, I was very skeptical about this music. Besides the thrilling monologue "Farewell you native hills and fields", which I have loved since childhood, the final duet of Joan and Lionel was the only thing that I remembered. This was it. It seemed to me that the rest of the score was simply to be put up with. But in summer my friends from the orchestra intrigued me: "Sokhiev works in such an interesting way! This is wonderful music; all of us, who play the score of "The Maid of Orleans", are really happy". I managed to get to the orchestra run-through and… also was charmed by the unknown Tchaikovsky at once. It turned out that this music simply had to be presented in the right way, polished well and decorated a bit with instrumental and choir colors. The majestic prayer from the first act "The Tsar of the Supreme Forces" did not let go for a long time; it kept playing inside. Back then, in July, I discovered a completely different sound of the Bolshoi's orchestra and choir; it was harmonious, pure and rich with various subtle colors. Why there was a concert version and not a real production? This is a rhetorical question. But, without any doubt, one can feel the beauty of the music much better if he is not distracted by a director's interpretation.

During the premiere, which took place on September 26, the choir and the orchestra reaped the benefit of the tremendous job that they had put so much enthusiasm and ef fort into. I have not felt so pleased with the sound of the huge collective (120 people in the choir and 103 - in the orchestra, including the wind orchestra on the stage) since the time I listened to Verdi's "Requiem", conducted by Riccardo Muti at the Great Hall of the Conservatoire during La Scala guest performances in 1989. When the strings moved from three pianos to the weighty cantilena, there were no faults in the passages and the attack was perfect. There were multi-colored synchronized roulades of the two harps. There were clear and accurate wood winds; I forgot about a couple of their fault right away. There were noble and harmonious brass winds. There was strict percussion, headed by the fatal, sad and reserved tamtam. There was a racy and powerful organ in the coronation scene. Even the backstage "gang" in the same scene in Reims was good - a little pause gave scale to the feeling of the sound space. In the beginning the choir was chamber and female voices prevailed, but then we heard melancholic male voices singing to the famous tune of "The Old French Song" from "The Children's Album". There were powerful tutti, especially the final one in the execution scene. And, of course, there was "The T sar of the Supreme Forces", the jewel in the crown of the choir numbers. The Bolshoi's choir demonstrated its power and richness, just like it did back in the Soviet times, when at the guest performances of "Khovanshchina" in Milan the audience wanted an encore. Besides, there was the modern freshness of voices and the academic precision of certain parts (chief choirmaster - Valery Borisov). During certain choir and orchestra tutti the magnificent powerful sound was like the tenth wave, and all talk about the "wrong" acoustics of the Historic Stage after the renovation seemed stupid. I guess that the wooden panels that the stage was decorated with are made from some expensive resonant material. But maestro Sokhiev is the one to thank for the balance of the orchestra groups, the choir and the soloists in the first place. Given all the difficulty and the complexity of the orchestra and the choir score, "The Maid of Orleans" can definitely be called a "beneficial" opera, where the singer that performs the main part bears the lion's share of the meaning and the stage time. Inviting the guest soloist Anna Smirnova to perform the role of Joan was the right thing to do. She was born in Moscow; she comes from a musical family, she started her vocal studies at the Moscow Conservatoire and continued them in Zurich. Today Smirnova is not only an acknowledged mezzo-soprano singer that performs roles in Verdi's operas at the best theatres in the world; she can also perform the soprano part of Abigaille in "Nabucco" or Santuzza in "Cavalleria rusticana" (these parts are performed by either soprano or mezzo-soprano singers). Her voice is plummy; the lower register is deep, like a mezzo, and the top notes are bright, like a soprano. This is the kind of voice that Tchaikovsky dreamed about for his Joan. The role is extremely difficult; in terms of the singing time it is longer than many parts in Wagner's operas. This was the first part that Anna Smirnova performed in Russian. I have to admit, though, that everyday rehearsals that allowed the choir and the orchestra to perfect their performance, fatigued most of the soloists and especially Smirnova, who sang in full voice almost all the time by herself. But I am not criticizing; I simply regret about the dialectics of the creative perfection, where the human vocal chords are not as strong as the wood and the brass of the orchestra instruments. Anna Smirnova performed her part with a beautiful, thick and warm sound; the timbre is similar to the timbre of Irina Arkhipova, one of the best singers that has ever performed this part. The meaningfulness of the phrase and words are very Russian as well; however, her vocal manner is more European, which is appropriate in Tchaikovsky's operas. The monologue "The Hour has Come" was convincing, but this was not the culmination of her role. Smirnova's voice was fuller and brighter in the finale. In both duets with Lionel and in the scene on fire. It is critical that the singer managed to distribute her energy and not a single phrase or line, even the ones in the ensembles, was unimportant. Given the Spartan concert version, she used the minimum of acting: she could use a majestic turn of the head, a walk across the proscenium and give her partners an expressive look. Her heroine, wearing an angel-white dress, was epic, but since the singer is well- built, it was earthy at the same time. Joan's loved one, Lionel (Igor Golovatenko) was a perfect example of how a powerful plummy baritone can match a knightly appearance that needs no make-up and a temperament that can attract the Maid. His character does not have a solo aria, but both duets of Lionel and Joan are the brightest numbers in the score. In the beginning of Act 3 - the fight that ends up with the characters suddenly falling in love - Golovatenko's voice went from stressed demonism to passionate lyricism. The final duet of Act 4, "Oh, wonderful sweet dream", the sparkle of love before death, was extremely elevated. When Lionel entered, the orchestra culmination gave goose bumps; the next charming theme is, perhaps, as emotionally evocative as the best episodes of "The Queen of Spades" and the Fifth of the Sixth Symphony. Smirnova sang the last phrase to her dying loved one, "Take my last kiss and wait for me - we will meet soon", sotto voce, but it was so touching that I could immediately imagine her performing Marfa in "Khovanshchina" some time. October, 2 2014 Artem Ovcharenko - (Laughs.) Y ou can say that the third adagio from "Lady of the Camellias" is rated PG-13… Olga and I worked a lot, really: we rehearsed a lot, thought about this adagio and discussed it with the choreographer John Neumeier. John is an intellectual; every detail has a deep meaning for him, so Olga and I could think of nothing else besides the relationships of our characters in "Lady of the Camellias". W e were no longer Artem Ovcharenko and Olga Smirnova; we became Armand and Marguerite Gautier. W e lived through this story together. Perhaps, this is why there was this kind of chemistry on the stage. Artem and Anna during a rehearsal Newsletter

The claviers of "The Maid of Orleans" list the King Charles VII as the first in the list of characters. This is a small part, but it is rather important just because of the character's title and his place in the dramaturgy. Oleg Dolgov is the kind of the tenor that is lyrical enough to express the lack of will power and the self-love of the careless king, and spinto enough to be heard in the ensembles and to act like a king when he accepts the adoration of his people and of the Maid that came to him. He demonstrated smart, concentrated singing; he also is attractive and looks intelligent (actually, he is much nicer than the historical character). How can a woman fail to be tender with him and to promise to sacrifice herself for him! Irina Churilova created a very nice image of Agnes Sorel, the lover of Charles VII. Her round flexible soprano allowed her to cope with the artful tessitura arioso "If you are given no power"; she was wearing a sparkling dark-blue dress and looked like a woman from a Renaissance portrait. This image will be hard to forget. Even though it was a concert version, and the soloists even had music stands, it was still possible to see the characters and the images. This is another strength of "The Maid of Orleans" cast. Pyotr Migunov, who has a soft bass voice, performed the part of Thibaut, Joan's father. His character blamed Joan in the first act and cursed her in the third one; he had gray hair and did not look not like a peasant, but like a noble man, and made the audience remember about the historically apocryphal stories about the Maid's royal roots. The historical Joan had a real fiancé, who was daring enough to sue her for breaking of f the engagement. Raimond in the opera, on the other hand, is the embodiment of the pure attraction and forgiveness of the disobedient Joan. The terzetto in the beginning and the duet with Thibaut before the coronation in Reims. This was the first significant part for Arseny Yakovlev (tenor). Even though he was nervous because of his debut, his voice sounded vey harmoniously. His timbre is very promising, regardless of his age; however, he looks very young and is very thin, which created a touching contrast with his well-built fiancée that never became his wife. Dunois, a French knight (Andrei Gonukov, bass) protected Joan from accusations passionately. Archbishop (Stanislav Trofimov) gave his short lines like a church bell. Other members of the cast - Otar Kunchulia as Bertrand, Vladimir Krasov as Soldier / Lauret and Anastasia Shchegoleva as Angel - demonstrated good performances as well. Speaking of the return of "The Maid of Orleans" to the Bolshoi Theatre, I am grateful to Tugan Sokhiev in the first place. He is the one who gave the audience back if not an absolute masterpiece of the classic, then at least a very significant piece, which is full of hidden beauties and charming melodies. It is a shame that only two performances have been planned for this season! It is a shame, because the huge collective spent so much time and effort to perform the opera only twice; I also feel bad for those who did not hear this triumph of T chaikovsky's music. There is no need to create a conceptual and expensive production; just a bit of the magical light, conventionally historical costumes, the projection of some suitable video on the backdrop, and the production that has been created with so much love and care will appear on the Bolshoi's playbill to everyone's joy. Artem Ovcharenko, the Bolshoi Theatre's star, talks about ballet and idols Last season the Bolshoi's principal Artem Ovcharenko participated in several premieres that were much spoken about. He can be particularly proud of his work in the final premiere, the production of "Lady of the Camellias", choreographed by John Neumeier. He performed the part of Armand, the lover of Marguerite Gautier, brilliantly and received the most positive reviews from critics. HELLO! attended one of Artem's rehearsals and talked with the dancer about his parts, the chemistry between partners and the new season. - All of them. It is hard to choose one person. It is as hard, as to answer the question: "Who is your idol?" I can like the same dancer in "Swan Lake" a lot, and like him much less in "Spartacus". Each artist has particular roles that people remember him for. But speaking of the legendary dancers, I would name Carlos Acosta. He is about to finish his career, so to see him performing is a must. Mass media about the Theatre October, 2 2014 mind that we live in the 21 century… I hope that they will finally stop shooting and killing people in Ukraine. - There will be a lot of interesting things. Yuri Grigorovich is planning to revive his famous production "A Legend of Love" at the Bolshoi. Radu Poklitaru will stage the new ballet "Hamlet". Yuri Posokhov will come from San Francisco to stage the ballet "A Hero of Our Time" for us; it will be a brand new ballet as well. Besides, we will dance the premieres of the last season - "Lady of the Camellias", "Onegin" and "The T aming of the Shrew". There is a lot of work; we already are staying at the theatre day and night. "The Bolshoi Theatre will stand for 200 years, no problem" The Bolshoi Theatre's Deputy General Director on technology gave an interview to "Lenta.ru" The Historic Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. Photo: Vladimir Vyatkin/RIA NOVOSTI The International Fair of Technologies and Services for Events, Installation and Production targeting trade visitors from Russia and the CIS Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia took place from September 11 to September 13 at the Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Centre. All companies involved in event and communications technology, A V production and entertainment, system integration and media technology had an opportunity showcase their products and services to key dealers, distributors and wholesalers. On the opening day of the Fair leading Russian specialists made reports. Andrei Pronichev, the Honored cultural worker and the Bolshoi's Deputy General Director on technology represented the Bolshoi Theatre. In his interview for "Lenta.ru" he talked about the Bolshoi's reconstruction, its technological capacities, employment policy and the current state of affairs in the theatre industry.

- I had been working at the Mariinsky Theatre for more than thirty years; I had been the Chief Technology Officer for the last twenty years. I was responsible for the theatre's internal technological equipment. When the Bolshoi Theatre opened, we were invited here in order to strengthen this sphere and find the backstage staff to work at the main s ta g e. The Bols h oi The atr e to ok th e responsibility to show the results of the reconstruction. Andrei Pronichev Newsletter

-When you are dancing with a ballerina, it is important to understand that she trusts you. It does not matter if a ballerina is heavy or light; if she does not want her partner to lift her, no one will be able to do it. When I am dancing with Anna, we sometimes do not even think about it. She trusts me, and I appreciate it very much. Anna Tikhomirova and Artem Ovcharenko are together not only on stage, but also in the real life - The audience gave us a wonderful welcome. Americans are very open and emotional people. If they do not like something, they show it. When we left the "Lincoln Center" after performances, they said: "We have been waiting for you for ten years. Why haven't you come for so long?" It is true, the last time that the Bolshoi came to New York was ten years ago; it is a very long time period for the audience. Anna and Artem during a rehearsal together with Radu Poklitaru

- Y es, I was asked questions. But there was no pressure and no negative attitude to the Bolshoi's artists. As you know, art knows no borders; those guest performances were our contribution to maintaining good relationships between our countries. Of course, we all were worried. I was worried, too; I was born in Dnepropetrovsk, my mother and sister live in Kiev… What is happening there now is barbaric, bearing in October, 2 2014 Newsletter

I consider that some outstanding work has been done, regardless of all negative aspects. We can argue as much as we like, but the Bolshoi Theatre's building almost fell into pieces, but now it is standing on a concrete foundation, which is very sustainable. It will stand for 200 years, no problem. Underneath there is another building of the same size, stuffed with equipment. The bearing capacities of the stage are enormous. This is one of the most perfect stages in terms of technology in the world; I mean, if we are talking about theatre that have been reconstructed. We need to understand that if a new theatre is being built, we are talking about completely dif ferent capabilities. -When we still worked in St. Petersburg we understood the need to have fairs of theatre technologies; there are no good fairs in Russia that focus on this sphere. At some point we organized two or three similar fairs in "Lenexpo". But no matter how much I respect my native city I have to admit that there are much fewer theatres there than in Moscow, so this initiative was not very successful. On the other hand, it developed into the St. Petersburg cultural forum. During Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia we participated in a theatre forum about the achievements of the professional light and sound industry in Russia. This is a separate exposition for theatre specialists and for all of those who are interested in theatre. This year such a forum has been organized for the first time; it will now be organized annually. On the opening day my colleagues from the Bolshoi Theatre and I made several reports there which focused on all those things that we are now discussing. - I absolutely cannot agree with this. The Bolshoi Theatre has enough problems; those problems are very complicated ones, because during the reconstruction the theatre set some very ambitious technological tasks. They have been solved with more or less success. During the exhibition we agreed to talk about some things and to show some things. W e had the section of sound technological equipment, video and production passportization. - W e have made a huge step forward: a certain information system has been created. It is similar to Wikipedia. Any Bolshoi Theatre technician, no matter what part of the world he is in, can use his password to access the theatre's database and to see any detail of any production. This information is available only for professional use. - Some designer, let's call him Paul Brown, is in Australia and receives an invitation from the Bolshoi Theatre to work on a new production. He asks for the technical measurements of the stage, we send him the password and he can access this database and see all those measurements, see what equipment we have, what he can use when he comes and so on. Of course, it does not substitute for work on the real stage, because there are many nuances, but it considerably shortens the period of negotiations with guest specialists. -They are totally different. The Mariinsky is a new theatre; it was almost built from scratch, so the technology and the ideology there are totally different. The Bolshoi Theatre has no room on the sides to grow; there is urban area all around. No one would demolish TsUM, Maly Theatre or any other buildings. The Mariinsky was not limited in terms of the space, so they used as much of it as they wanted. Here they were building facilities underground and it is now clear that the building will stand for a very long time and that the bearing capacities of the stage are enormous in terms of technology. Most importantly, technologies and equipment change with time. 20 or 30 years pass and everything becomes outdated; mechanisms work longer, but still. T oday the Bolshoi Theatre has 78 flying bars on the main stage, and each of them can lift a ton. There also are 100 isolated lifts with the same capacity. This means we can lift 178 tons above the Bolshoi's stage, plus the lightning equipment, plus other technological equipment that is hanging there. Although there are some problems as well. - First of all, the problems of debugging. The Bolshoi Theatre has one of the most complicated systems of the stage equipment computer control in the world. This is the way it was done during the reconstruction, and it is not so easy to finish off the whole thing. We have been struggling with it for two years; we are constantly fighting with someone. I have to admit that this is a usual story. When the Royal Opera House opened in London after the reconstruction, they cancelled ten productions during the first season, because all their equipment just would not work. There are many such examples. The Bolshoi Theatre will soon have its fourth season after the reconstruction, and we did not cancel a single production, although sometimes it was quite nerve-racking.
- All productions that have been stage recently are using the most modern technology. The most modern productions are performed on the Historic Stage. If some productions are revived, it means that they are also reconsidered from the technological point of view. For example, there was "The Tsar's Bride", when new sets were made. "Boris Godunov" is a complete revival, as well as some ballets by Grigorovich. Have you seen "Don Carlos"? This is a grandiose production, one of the recent premieres. Or take "Prince Igor", staged by Lyubimov, "The Enchantress", staged by Levental, "Der Rosenkavalier", "Ruslan and Lyudmila", "La Traviata" - the set is on the stage now. All of those productions use the most modern technology. It would have been impossible to stage such productions at the old theatre; they would have simply not fit on the stage. The final scene of the gala-concert marking the opening of the Bolshoi Theatre Historic Stage after the six-years reconstruction. Photo: Vladimir Rodionov/RIA NOVOSTI - I read somewhere that the artists at the Bolshoi Theatre use microphones when they sing; it just made me laugh. It is vice versa; no rear-fills or microphones are used, let alone phonograms. Microphones are used at the concerts and to record some special effects. For example, if we need to have a thunder-like voice of some Ruslan or some other incredible sound. In this case we use rear-fills. - New acoustics is the most modern technology. There is a special acoustic shell for concerts at the Bolshoi today; it gives the feeling of perfect acoustics in the audience hall. The technological video department has a lot of divisions, for example, the closed circuit TV system during the performance, the broadcast of the conductor - this is when there are monitors on the sides, so the artists on the stage do not have to look at the conductor, but just follow his hand on the monitor as they look to the side. This is not a very easy thing to do: if we just put a TV, there will be delays and divergence, but there is special equipment. There are a lot of such technological moments; as for the video, the Bolshoi Theatre is not fully equipped yet. - Of course, there is. But it is all about finances. Still, I can say that the reconstruction was done in a very modern way. But as you know the sky is the limit. For example, the system of 3D modeling is not completely ready yet. This is when the production is checked on the computer before we go on the stage; this allows us to avoid many mistakes. Then, the Bolshoi's New Stage needs renovation, because more than ten years have passed since the reconstruction. The lighting equipment has become outdated; we will partially change it this year. October, 2 2014 Newsletter

- This is a complicated question. People that work there get rather modest salaries. Of course, they pay much more in show business. W e cannot compare the money that a lighting technician can earn in some show-program with the money that he gets at the Bolshoi Theatre. But there are other aspects and other incentives. First of all, this is a state theatre. The work is sustainable, there also are certain social benefits and the opportunities for professional advancement. My colleagues and I also teach. The new technology department is about to open at the High School of Stage Art; this is a rather powerful organization, they have very good sponsors and it makes sense to start educating specialists in the sphere of theatre technology. - Of course, it is. There is a rather good college in Moscow; future specialists have been studying there for many years. When we came here from St. Petersburg, we went to that college and took all the recent graduates. Our heads of departments are about 25-30 years old. Almost all backstage staff are young, and, frankly speaking, I am proud of it. There are about 500 people in the backstage staf f that work at both stages. - This is a complicated question as well. Right now we have 1500 computers that control stage mechanisms. They are, in turn, controlled by the head computer; a complicated program is being used. Unfortunately, it has not been completely finished by the Germans, so now we are sort of fighting with them. There was a problem: where to find specialists? We invited graduates of the Moscow Aviation Institute; they are smart guys, interested computer specialists and programmers. At the same time, the mechanics that control all stage mechanisms have a very difficult job. They are moving several tons of weights above people's heads during the performance. Of course, the new system needs tremendous debugging, so they use their brain and sometimes their Russian gumption to avoid the mistakes that the Germans made when they developed the program. Sometimes they solve those problems in such a virtuoso way, that the foreigners come, the development engineers and the consultants come and study everything very carefully. Then they write a new program and tell me: pay us money and we will sell it to you. But I say: no, thank you… - Y es, in general everything was done in the right way and the money was spent on the right things. -First of all, this is not some constant figure; everything changes. Back in the 1960s the Metropolitan Opera was the best in terms of technology, I mean, if we are talking not only about the way the building is constructed and equipped, but also about the way everything works and is maintained. China is very much ahead of us in terms of technology. Almost every big city has theatres that have the most modern technological equipment, it is incredible. But another question is, how much of this equipment is actually used. Perhaps, "Beijing Opera" does use all its equipment, but other theatres do not necessarily do it. Everything is connected with the creative process. And, of course, the Germans were always ahead of everyone else. Gottfried Semper built theatres especially for W agner; in general, the German traditions are incredible. All leading companies that produce stage equipment are German, and this is not for nothing. Without any doubt, they have the priority in this sphere. There also are small theatres that are very well designed; "Norwegian Opera" is quite interesting. There also are huge theatres, like "Opera Bastille" in Paris. It looks spectacular and cost a lot of money, but at the same time there are serious architectural miscalculations. The stage has certain depth, but the audience hall is built in such a way that it is not possible to see the stage from the sides. I consider that the Bolshoi Theatre's reconstruction was a heroic deed of engineering in a way, no matter what people say. The Bolshoi and the Mariinksy Theatres today are some of the world's top theatres in terms of technological equipment. The premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre: the ballet "Requiem", choreographed by the famous ballet master Boris Eifman The music by Shostakovich, the poems by Akhmatova and the choreography by Eifman. The modern ballet was presented on the Bolshoi's New Stage. "Requiem" was brought to Moscow from St. Petersburg. Thanks to the International Chereshnevy Les Open-Art Festival the Moscow audience had a chance to see this production that leaves no one indifferent. In order to tell about horrifying winters during the blockade Leningrad without words, the dance should be almost a scream; it should also make the dancers demonstrate the maximum of what a human body can do. In order to achieve this goal, maestro Eifman makes himself and his artists have almost extreme emotions during the rehearsals. In 1991 Eifman already staged "Requiem" to the music by Mozart. Back then the country that was looking forward to changes gave the production a very warm welcome. 20 years later the choreographer decided to revive the production. As a result, an absolutely new ballet appeared; it has been inspired by the music of Shostakovish and the poems of Akhmatova. Maestro added one more act and dedicated this production to St. Petersburg, humans and eternity. Boris Eifman says: "Our spirit is much stronger than our body; this is a very serious issue. The spirit and the body always are antagonists; this is a constant fight of God and Devil, who is the tempter, the tempter of our bodies. The fight of the spirit and the body is an internal dialogue". Sportive young men and women keep the line. People in uniform enter to the chime of the Kremlin bells. We cannot see their faces. But we can recognize the silhouettes of KGB servicemen and we understand that these are the years of purges. Anna Akhmatova and her "Requiem" touched the heart of the choreographer. The set is just one wall. Everything else is done by the lighting. In 1938 the poetess would stand at the prison gate all night, trying to get some information about her son, who had been arrested. After those desperate night shifts she wrote her poems. We see the dance-confession, dance-pain; it seems that it breaks all rules of choreography. There are the jerked movements of those almost electrified bodies. "This is neither classic nor modern; this is just Eifman", - his artists joke. Lyubov Andreeva, the soloist of the St. Petersburg Eifman Ballet, says: "Our theatre is very dramatic; it is all about acting, acing, acting. There are no useless or empty gestures; each gesture has its own meaning". Oleg Gabyshev, the soloist of the St. Petersburg Eifman Ballet, says: "The production process is very difficult and very interesting at the same time. You feel that you are searching as well; you are helping the choreographer find the right expressive means, the right language". There is no plot. But there are characters. They are not associated with any particular time or historical period. There is a mother and a son who have been separated. There is a husband and a wife. There is a simple man and a simple woman. There is first love. There is life that is cut in two halves, where happiness is "in the past" and solitude and desperation "in the present". Boris Eifman explains: "The combination of various styles and various techniques is what makes our choreography so unusual and unique. Of course, our dancers have to be actors as well; they should be able to express the emotion of the soul using the body". Eifman is a philosopher and a choreographer; he studies the movements of a human's soul and, as usual, stops the moment in a virtuoso way in order to live it to the fullest. This is kind of a ballet film. Static pictures are bright like flashes. As usual, there is an open finale, which leaves both the characters and the audience alone with the eternal secrets of life. W orld Ballet Day live! .youtube.com/watch?v=ddf3pLzNSzA&list=UUUimBc08CcsoCvP_WlYJl0Q The live on-line broadcast gave the audience the chance to take a look behind the scenes and into the rehearsal halls of the five best theatres of the world, including the Bolshoi! The baton was passed from one theatre to another. The Australian Ballet in Melbourne was the first. Moscow took up the baton and passed it to London; the company from Toronto followed, and the San Francisco Ballet closed this internet- marathon. Bolshoi Theatre in the Internet October, 2 2014 Newsletter

Svetlana Zakharova, Denis Rodkin and Yuri Grigorovish during a rehearsal of the ballet "A Legend of Love". A shot of the live broadcast from the Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Ballet showed the rehearsals for the ballet "The Taming of the Shrew", choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot, which premiered in the end of the previous season, and the ballet "The Legend of Love", choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich, which will be revived on the Bolshoi Theatre Historic Stage on October 23rd. On October 26th the live broadcast of the ballet "The Legend of Love" will take place in more than 800 cinemas around the world. On-line broadcast from behind the scenes at the Bolshoi Theatre on the Bolshoi's YouT ube channel: .youtube.com/watch?v=ddf3pLzNSzA&list=UUUimBc08CcsoCvP_WlYJl0Q

For articles published 30 September 2014 Many editions publish articles about World Ballet Day on 1 October 2014 including the Sydney Morning Herald, MX Sydney, W A Australia, San Jose Mercury and others. Russia T oday reports where viewers will also be able to watch the internet broadcasts. Sydney MX writes "If you've ever dreamt of seeing the Royal Ballet or the Bolshoi Ballet, now you can - and from the comfort of your own home." Another edition calls it a feast for ballet lovers. Var Matin (France) reports that you will be able to see rehearsals of the Taming of the Shrew by Jean-Christophe Maillot and the Bolshoi Ballet. W orld Ballet Day LIVE will kick off with four hours of live streaming from the Australian Ballet, before handing over to the Bolshoi, the Royal Ballet, the National Ballet of Canberra and the San Francisco Ballet. The Daventry Express (UK) reports that performances live from the Bolshoi Theatre will be broadcast in local cinemas. Novgorod mass media: The Bolshoi Theatre's stars presented the Novgorod audience with an unforgettable concert When a friend of mine, who is a journalist from Moscow, learned that the Bolshoi Theatre's stars - Stanislav Mostovoy, Venera Gimadieva and Alexei Pashiev - performed in Novgorod, she said: "I guess that you, citizens of Novgorod, do not really understand how lucky you are. It is very rare that we can hear those singers even in Moscow". /…/ This concert took place as a part of the new festival "Kremlin Classics", which the Novgorod audience has already called one of the brightest events of the year. The Bolshoi Theatre's soloists performed masterpieces of the opera classics, arias from "Eugene Onegin", "Carmen", "Don Giovanni", "Rigoletto" and "La Traviata". In the second part of the concert they also performed arias from operettas and musicals. Venera Gimadieva performed the famous lullaby from the opera "Porgy and Bess" by G. Gershwin and the aria of Eliza "I Could've Danced All Night" from the musical "My Fair Lady" by F. Loewe. Stanislav Mostovoy excited the audience with Neapolitan songs, and Alexei Pashiev impressed everyone with couplets of T oreador from the opera "Carmen". The singers also performed pieces by Sergei Rachmaninof f: Venera Gimadieva performed the romance "Here it is so nice", Stanislav Mostovoy - the romance of the young gypsy from the opera "Aleko". We asked the stars to say how they feel about Rachmaninof f's body of work and to share their impressions about the city and the concert. V enera Gimadieva (soprano), a laureate of international competitions, the National Theatre A ward "Golden Mask" (category - "Best female singer") and the Prize of the President of the R ussia n Fed era tio n "fo r outs ta n din g performance, which enriches and develops traditions of the Russian vocal school": "For me, as for every singer, I guess, works by Rachmaninof f are something special and something I always look forward to. I remember that when I studied at the Conservatoire I was always waiting anxiously for my teacher's approval to start working on this or that romance by Rachmaninof f. A romance is a very touching and a very true story that the composer lived through himself. I have wanted to come to Novgorod for a long time; it did not have to be for a concert. I am very happy with such an opportunity and I am grateful to the organizers, who In brief October, 2 2014 false". /…/ Alexei Pashiev (baritone), a laureate of international competitions, the soloist of the State Chamber Music T h eatr e "S t. Pete rs b urg Opera " since 2002, the Bolshoi Theatre's guest artist since 2012; in 2009 was n o m in ate d fo r th e aw ard "T he Golden Soffit" in the category "Best male singer" (for the production "Don Giovanni", staged by Yuri Alexandrov): "I love Rachmaninof f very much, and I sing a lot of his romances; I wish he had composed more operas, though. My professor at the musical college taught me as a bass-baritone voice, so Aleko's cavatina was my signature piece! This is not the first time that I have performed at your philharmonic hall. Before I joined the Bolshoi Opera, I had worked at the "St. Petersburg Opera" and we came here with a concert. But back then I did not really pay attention to the great acoustics; however, this time I had a chance to duly appreciate it! Unfortunately, we had only one rehearsal with your chamber orchestra. But the musicians are really good; they did their best and demonstrated a good performance at the concert, even though it is dif ficult for the chamber orchestra to perform pieces that were written for a big symphony orchestra". Newsletter

October, 2 2014 , 7 invited us to perform in this wonderful city. It has been my first time here; unfortunately, I did not have enough time to walk down the streets or go to the ancestral home of the great Rachmaninof f. I hope that I will get another chance to come here and to see the city of my favorite composer!" Stanislav Mostovoy (tenor), a l a u re ate of in te rn atio n al c o m petit io ns, th e Bols h oi O pera Com pan y's so lo is t since 2012: "Of course, Rachmaninof f is a great master; most prominent musicians and singers include his pieces into their repertoires. For me his music is like an endless series of revelations. There is love, faith, courage, grief… Besides, the music by Rachmaninof f demands from a performer remarkable skills; he has to know how to work with the score attentively and how to use the most subtle intonation nuances. One needs to be very responsible with his music and make sure neither intonations nor emotions are