· More than 200 thousand people visited the Theatre;
· More than 350 performances on the home stage and on tour took place;
· There were 4 high-profile premieres: the operas Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti, Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi, and the ballets Les Noces and Petrouchka by Igor Stravinsky;
· The company went on 8 tours: to St Petersburg (summer and winter tours), Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Beijing (People’s Republic of China), Muscat (Oman), Minsk (Belarus), and several cities of the Far Eastern Federal District;
· More than 10 invited teams gave their performances: Leonid Yakobson Ballet Theatre, Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, Khabarovsk Musical Theatre, and others;
· 2 major Festivals took place: the IX International Mariinsky Far East Festival, and the II Far East Easter Festival;
· The artistic management, teachers and artists of the company received numerous awards and titles
· More than 200 thousand people visited the Theatre;
· More than 350 performances on the home stage and on tour took place;
· There were 4 high-profile premieres: the operas Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti, Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi, and the ballets Les Noces and Petrouchka by Igor Stravinsky;
· The company went on 8 tours: to St Petersburg (summer and winter tours), Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Beijing (People’s Republic of China), Muscat (Oman), Minsk (Belarus), and several cities of the Far Eastern Federal District;
· More than 10 invited teams gave their performances: Leonid Yakobson Ballet Theatre, Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, Khabarovsk Musical Theatre, and others;
· 2 major Festivals took place: the IX International Mariinsky Far East Festival, and the II Far East Easter Festival;
· The artistic management, teachers and artists of the company received numerous awards and titles.
The Theatre company rounded up the season on the home stage on May 31, 2025. The final event of the 2024/25 season of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in Vladivostok was the “Tchaikovsky – 185. Gala concert of romances” symphonic evening, marking the great composer’s anniversary.
In parallel, on May 28, 2025, the company took a tour to Krasnoyarsk, for the first time in its history. The Ballet Company presented Konyok-Gorbunok (The Little Humpbacked Horse), The Firebird and Phaedra. The audience will also enjoy the operas Iolanta, Pagliacci, Don Pasquale, and a large-scale Gala Concert. In the meanwhile, from June 2 to 15, 2025, the Primorsky Stage will host a tour of the Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre. The playbill includes the ballets Catarina ou la Fille du bandit, Spartacus, Dante’s Catharsis, and the operas Il barbiere di Siviglia and Lakmé. On June 4 and 5, 2025, the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage will end the season with its first ever performances in Minsk, presenting the ballet A Thousand and One Nights at the National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus. The performances of the Vladivostok company will open the annual Ballet Summer Festival in Minsk.
Premiere performances
In the 2024/25 season, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre presented premiere performances of the operas Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti, Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi, and the ballets Les Noces and Petrouchka by Igor Stravinsky. Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake received a new set design.
The chamber opera Mavra by Igor Stravinsky returned to the Chamber Hall playbill in a new director’s version.
Tours
The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre actively toured throughout the season. In September 2024, the first tour took place at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The historic stage hosted original opera and ballet performances from Vladivostok: the operas The Tsar’s Bride and Aida, and the ballets Le Corsaire, The Firebird, and Phaedra. The Ballet Company gave two traditional performances at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. The performances included The Nutcracker, Raymonda, Le Corsaire, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, and Phaedra. In addition, the company’s signature ballet, A Thousand and One Nights, was first presented on international stages in Beijing (People’s Republic of China) and Muscat (Oman). In March, it became part of the Golden Pool of the Russian Theatrical Productions, which includes top 100 performances from all over the country.
In February 2025, opera soloists Yevgeny Plekhanov, Tatiana Makarchuk, and Ilya Astafurov performed for the first time at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg in Rodion Shchedrin’s opera The Enchanted Wanderer.
Festivals
The IX International Mariinsky Far East Festival was held on the Primorsky Stage in October and November in two parts. The residents and guests of the city were treated to a rich program of events. The Mariinsky Orchestra conducted by maestro Valery Gergiev participated in the opening and first performances of the Festival. The opera part was adorned with such titles as The Enchanted Wanderer, Nabucco, Tosca, La Cenerentola, and a special performance of the opera Turandot.
The ballet part presented such new titles for the Far Eastern public as Anyuta and Coppélia. The ballets were performed by dancers of the Mariinsky Theatre and the Primorsky Stage.
Another grand Festival took place in April, when the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre held the II Far East Easter Festival in four regions of the Far Eastern Federal District. The company performed for the first time in the Jewish Autonomous Region and Amur Region. It then returned to Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories with new concerts, having traveled almost 3,000 kilometers along the entire route: Vladivostok, Spassk-Dalny, Khabarovsk, Birobidzhan, Blagoveshchensk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Titles and awards
The season 2024/25 was marked by high-profile professional triumphs and achievements. Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage Eldar Aliev celebrated the 50th anniversary of his artistic career and was awarded the title of the People’s Artist of Russia.
Director of the Opera Company Elena Glushenko was awarded the title of the Honoured Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation.
The title of the Honoured Artist of Russia was awarded to Principal Dancer Anna Samostrelova and Principal Chorus Master Larisa Shveikovskaya.
Opera soloist Samira Galimova became a prize-winner at the Hibla Gerzmava International Competition, winning the 1st prize among vocalists. Soloist Bat-Erdene Dorjtseden and accompanist Alexey Tikhomirov received special prizes at that Competition.
First soloists of the Ballet Company Lada Sartakova and Denis Klepikov became prize-winners at the All-Russian Competition of Ballet Dancers and Choreographers – 2025; the Leading Coach-repetiteur Natalia Raldugina and the Ballet Director Alexander Kurkov, as well as the dancer of the Ballet Company Vladislav Rzhevsky, were awarded special prizes for training soloists and staging their choreographic performance for the All-Russian Competition.
Iolanta, an outstanding operatic premiere of the season 2024/25, received high praise from the jury of the Golden Mask theatre prize: the Chief Designer of the Primorsky Stage Pyotr Okunev was nominated for the prize for the best Set and Costume Designer’s work.
The Ballet Company’s dancers are finishing the season in a new status: Shizuru Kato was promoted to the rank of a principal, and Denis Klepikov became a first soloist of the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage.
Symphonic and chamber programmes
The season was full of musical events dedicated to important dates and anniversaries, such as the 180th anniversary of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, the 225th anniversary of Alexander Pushkin, the 185th anniversary of Pyotr Tchaikovsky. In February and March, an ambitious Verdi Marathon took place, whose program included all the operas of the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi included into the Primorsky Stage repertoire, as well as several special events.
The playbill of the Chamber Hall delighted music connoisseurs with a variety of chamber concerts. The following programmes were performed for the first time: “Evening of French Music”, “Melodies of the 20th Century”, “Orchestra Gold”, “Wartime Songs”, “Tango d'amour”, and others.
In September, the soloists, the Chorus of the Primorsky Stage and the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage gave a large-scale open-air concert in the central square of Vladivostok, marking two events at once: the Great Consecration of the Transfiguration Cathedral building and the anniversary of Alexander Pushkin. Other outstanding visiting performances of the company included the traditional New Year’s Eve for teachers and students of the Far Eastern Federal University; a performance of the opera for the whole family Murych the Cat and a gala concert “I can recall that magic moment” at the Ussuriysk Theatre of the Russian Army.
Guests of the Theatre
Throughout the season, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre offered a warm welcome to guest companies and ensembles: the Leonid Yakobson Ballet Theatre, the Khabarovsk Musical Theatre, the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Central Exemplary Concert Band of the Russian Navy “Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov”, the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra, the China National Center of the Performing Arts Orchestra, the ensemble of the Mangyongdae School Children’s Palace of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, soloists of the Central Music School of the Academy of Performing Arts, graduates of the Vladivostok Branch of the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, the Combined Chorus of the Vladivostok Eparchy, and others.
Also in 2024, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre traditionally became the main venue for the III International Pacific Theatre Festival. The Primorsky Stage marked national holidays and citywide events with special concerts and performances. Those were given on the Day of Slavonic Literature, Christmas and Easter, International Women’s Day, Defender of the Fatherland Day, and Great Victory Day.
Today’s leading musicians and artists performed on the Primorsky Stage this season: Denis Matsuev, Sergey Davydchenko, Ravil Islyamov, Ilya Kozlov, Vladimir Karyakin, Sofia Tyurina, Ekaterina Mochalova, Borislav Strulev, Olga Maslova, Zinaida Tsarenko, Renata Shakirova, Alexander Sergeev, Konstantin Zverev, Nadezhda Batoeva, Kimin Kim, May Nagahisa, Tatiana Serjan, Sergei Skorokhodov, Vyacheslav Vasilyev, and others.
Anniversaries
The main winter ballet, The Nutcracker by Pyotr Tchaikovsky staged by Eldar Aliev, celebrated its 10th anniversary on the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. Also, the 10th anniversary of the first performance was celebrated this season by the performances Giselle, La traviata, The Firebird, Le Corsaire, and Tosca.
Educational activities
The educational activities of the Primorsky Stage included excursions, the Scenic Introduction project lectures taking place before performances and concerts, as well as guest lectures and master classes given by the Theatre’s artists and musicologists. In addition, the Primorsky Stage continued to hold creative competitions for the audiences this season, for instance, a creative workshop where New Year’s ornaments were made for the Theatre’s Christmas tree. The Primorsky Stage also became the initiator of a contest of ideas for new merchandise.
On August 1, 2025, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will open the season 2025/26. A playbill full of outstanding events is awaiting the audience: a ballet premiere, a large-scale symphony program, Italian opera masterpieces and timeless classics in a benchmark performance
On August 1, 2025, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will open the season 2025/26. A playbill full of outstanding events is awaiting the audience: a ballet premiere, a large-scale symphony program, Italian opera masterpieces and timeless classics in a benchmark performance.
Opera
The new season will be opened in grand style by the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
The opening performance of August will be Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta (August 1, 2025), a lyrical and life-affirming story of love and insight, directed by Anna Shishkina, with set and costume design by Pyotr Okunev. The opera series will continue with Georges Bizet’s Carmen (August 2, 2025) and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tale of Tsar Saltan (August 3, 2025).
Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Il trovatore, directed by Vyacheslav Starodubtsev, with set design by Pyotr Okunev, which premiered in the 2024/25 season, will continue in the new season, on August 8 and 10, 2025. Italian sounding will proceed with Gaetano Donizetti’s musical comedy Don Pasquale on August 14, 2025. In the first months of the season, the audiences will also enjoy grand productions of the operas The Tsar’s Bride (August 22, 2025), The Love for Three Oranges (August 24, 2025), Madama Butterfly (August 29 and 30, 2025), Aida (September 7, 2025), Eugene Onegin (September 10, 2025), Turandot (October 16 and 18, 2025) and other exciting performances.
Ballet
The Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will open the season with traditional performances in Saint Petersburg. From July 29 to August 8, 2025, the audience of “the Northern Capital of Russia” will enjoy the ballets The Nutcracker by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Giselle and Le Corsaire by Adolphe Adam, and A Thousand and One Nights by Fikret Amirov.
On the Primorsky Stage, in August and September, the ballet dancers will present the ballets that premiered in the 2024/25 season: Les Noces and Petrouchka (August 23, 2025), the company’s star performance A Thousand and One Nights (September 5 and 6, 2025 at 14:00 and 19:00), and traditional classics such as Don Quixote (August 21, 2025), The Sleeping Beauty (August 27 and 28, 2025), Swan Lake (September 18, 2025), Raymonda (September 11 and 13, 2025) and neoclassical original productions Phaedra and The Firebird (August 31, 2025).
However, the highlight of the first months of the 2025/26 season will be the premiere performances of La fille mal gardée ballet to the music by Louis Hérold, staged by People’s Artist of the USSR, legendary ballet director Oleg Vinogradov. The famous choreographer is working with the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage on one of the most joyful and popular ballets in the world. The premiere performances will take place on October 3 and 4, 2025 (at 14:00 and 19:00).
Symphony Concerts
The first large-scale concert of the season performed by the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage under the conduction of Pavel Smelkov will take place on August 9, 2025. The programme for the night, “The Classical Symphony”, will include pieces by Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitry Shostakovich, and Igor Stravinsky.
On September 4, 2025, a special musical programme will be presented by the outstanding pianist Denis Matsuev and the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra, who traditionally perform in Vladivostok at the beginning of the theatre season.
The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre is ending its season in Vladivostok with an impressive premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Il trovatore, after which it will go on a wide-scale tour
The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre is ending its season in Vladivostok with an impressive premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Il trovatore, after which it will go on a wide-scale tour.
On May 23 and 25, 2025, the Vladivostok audience will for the first time enjoy a stage version of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore directed by Vyacheslav Starodubtsev and designed by Pyotr Okunev. The plot of the opera borrowed from the play of the same name by the Spanish dramatist Antonio García Gutiérrez is based on real events that took place in the history of Spain in the 15th century. A dark romantic drama will unfold on stage; two brothers unaware of their blood ties, become bitter rivals in the struggle for power and love. The authors of the production will present a “classic interpretation of musical images in accordance with Verdi’s ideas”, against the background of a spectacular and expressive set design. The main parts will be performed by the Primorsky Stage opera soloists. The Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage will be conducted by the Principal Conductor of the Theatre Pavel Smelkov.
From May 28 to June 8, 2025, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will perform on tour in Krasnoyarsk for the first time. The Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre will become a host stage for the outstanding and original productions of the Vladivostok team.
On May 28, 29 and 30, 2025, the tour program will open with performances of Rodion Shchedrin’s ballet Konyok-Gorbunok (The Little Humpbacked Horse). On May 31 and June 1, 2025, the audiences will enjoy the company’s own original productions The Firebird and Phaedra performed in one evening. In Russia, both performances are available only in the repertoire of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
The series of performances in Krasnoyarsk will be continued by the opera company. On June 3 and 4, 2025, the tour program will feature the premiere of the past season, a masterpiece of the bel canto era, Gaetano Donizetti’s opera Don Pasquale. On June 5 and 6, 2025, Ruggero Leoncavallo’s drama Pagliacci will be performed. The pearl of Italian verismo will be presented in the original production staged and designed by Marat Gatsalov, recipient of the Golden Mask theatre prize. On June 7, 2025, the company will perform Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s most luminous work, Iolanta. This philosophical fairy tale of the awakening of love and inner light will be presented in the production staged by Anna Shishkina and designed by Pyotr Okunev, a nominee for the 2025 Golden Mask theatre prize for the best Set and Costume Designer’s work.
On June 8, 2025, the tour will be crowned with a grand gala concert of the opera soloists accompanied by the Chorus of the Primorsky Stage and the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage, also marking the end of the season for the company. The Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage will be conducted by the Theatre’s Principal Conductor Pavel Smelkov.
The performances will be held as part of the “Great Tour” project, organized by the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Culture ROSCONCERT in accordance with the All-Russian Tour and Concert Plan of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
On June 4 and 5, 2025, the Primorsky Stage ballet company will end the season with its first-ever performances in Minsk. The National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus will host performances of the ballet A Thousand and One Nights to music by Fikret Amirov. The performances will feature the Mariinsky Chorus and the Mariinsky Orchestra conducted by Ayyub Guliyev.
The original production of the ballet A Thousand and One Nights choreographed by the Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage, People’s Artist of Russia Eldar Aliev, was included in the top 100 performances of the Golden Pool of the Russian Theatrical Productions this season and became the most toured performance of the ballet company.
In Minsk, the performances will be held at the main music venue of Belarus as part of the Ballet Summer Festival.
On May 23 and 25, 2025, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will present the premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Il trovatore, directed by Vyacheslav Starodubtsev and designed by Pyotr Okunev
On May 23 and 25, 2025, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will present the premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Il trovatore, directed by Vyacheslav Starodubtsev and designed by Pyotr Okunev.
The plot of Il trovatore borrowed from the play of the same name by Spanish dramatist Antonio García Gutiérrez is based on real events that took place in the 15th century in Spain. Verdi was attracted by the romantic drama’s seething passions and heroic theme, which excited the composer’s compatriots and contemporaries – liberation movement activists. The story centers on love, revenge and a fatal secret from the past. Conte di Luna and the troubadour Manrico fight for the heart of the beautiful Leonora, but their destinies are linked by a terrible mystery known only to the gypsy Azucena. Giuseppe Verdi has endowed all the characters with excellent musical qualities which they reveal in monologue arias, duets and ensembles. The premiere of Il trovatore took place on January 19, 1853 in Rome and won popular affection straight away.
Stage Director Vyacheslav Starodubtsev, preparing one of the most popular operas in the world repertoire on the Primorsky Stage:
“Our production, like the opera itself, is done in a classic key, which is very difficult today, when there is a tendency to distort the main line, plot, and aesthetics of the composition. My task is to proceed from the composer’s music and to convey the traditional interpretation of musical images in compliance with Verdi’s concept. Fortunately, the composer always leaves very detailed dynamic and emotional guidance, and if a stage director puts himself in immersion in the opera score, it becomes easy for him to interpret the emotional storyline. By the way, this opera’s emotional structure is very intense, so another important goal is to bring this emotion closer to the realities of today’s world. After all, this is what the audiences come to the theatre for! At the same time, the stage design of the production promises to be thrilling and unforgettable, with today’s vivid and intense visual context. Together with the Set Designer Pyotr Okunev, we have done our best to create a colorful, beautiful, emotional Italian opera”.
In the Stage Director’s opinion, all the characters in the opera Il trovatore are “multi-faceted and not monotonous”.
“To my mind, this story is about the tragedy of motherhood. It is in this opera that Verdi talks about it a lot and shows mother’s love as something not so unambiguous, sometimes even brutal and cruel. Therefore, in my production, I wanted to make each character unconventional. Fortunately, the Primorsky Stage company has already dealt with Verdi’s heritage, and is prepared, to the maximum extent, to embody vivid characters”.
The scenery is done in laconic but expressive colors. The historical costumes are being made in the workshops of the Primorsky Stage based on the sketches by the Theatre’s Chief Designer Pyotr Okunev.
“In this production, we wanted to achieve maximum expressiveness with minimal means. That is, to emphasize all the drama of the plot, music and its intrinsic mood using a minimum of visual art”, Pyotr Okunev noted.
The parts for the premiere performances are being rehearsed by soloists of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage: Leonora – Anna Barkhatova, Samira Galimova, Alena Diyanova, Anastasia Kikot, Liliya Kadnikova, Galina Cheplakova; Azucena – Laura Bustamante, Irina Kolodyazhnaya, Tatiana Makarchuk; Manrico – Dagvadorj Davaasuren, Sayan Isin, Alexei Kostyuk, Alexei Smirnov, Medet Chotabayev; Conte di Luna – Sergey Krylov, César Méndez, Dmitry Migulyov, Nikita Odalin, Alexei Repin; Ferrando – Bat-Erdene Dorjtseden, Yevgeny Plekhanov, Sergei Pleshivtsev, Vladislav Chibirev; Ines – Elena Glushenko, Victoria Kangina, Svetlana Rozhok, Natalia Yakimova; Ruiz – Roman Krukovich, Vsevolod Marilov, Yevgeny Mizin.
Both evenings, the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage will be conducted by the Theatre’s Principal Conductor Pavel Smelkov.
On May 7, 2025, the music world celebrated the 185th anniversary of the birth of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a Russian music genius and one of the composers whose works are most often performed all over the world. On the occasion of the high-profile anniversary, special music events will be held at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in May
On May 7, 2025, the music world celebrated the 185th anniversary of the birth of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a Russian music genius and one of the composers whose works are most often performed all over the world. On the occasion of the high-profile anniversary, special music events will be held at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in May.
On May 18, 2025, the large symphonic concert will be given in the Great Hall by the guest violinist Ravil Islyamov, recipient of the 2nd prize and the Silver Medal at the XVII International Tchaikovsky Competition. Accompanied by the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage under the baton of the Principal Conductor Pavel Smelkov, he will perform early and mature works by the composer. The audience will be able to enjoy the Romance in F minor for piano, which was written by Pyotr Tchaikovsky in his early years of living in Moscow when he had a passion for the French soprano Désirée Artôt. The composer dedicated his instrumental miniature reflecting his personal feelings, to her. Besides, the Violin Concerto, the only concerto for violin in Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s career and one of his best-known compositions, which is included in repertoires of world leading violinists, will be performed. The evening will end with the famous Symphony No. 4, which was created as a result of the composer’s severe emotional crisis and opened a new stage in his life and work.
On May 29, 2025, Tchaikovsky’s sacred compositions, including the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, will be for the first time performed at the Primorsky Stage. The Liturgy written in July 1878 became a landmark in music, since for the first time after Dmitry Bortniansky a Russian composer turned to sacred music. However, unlike other composers, Tchaikovsky intended to “preserve those ancient church chants in their original form”, having written both the main canticles and all litanies, brief devotions and choristers’ responses to the clergy’s exclamations. The Liturgy and other selected sacred compositions by Pyotr Tchaikovsky will be performed by the Mariinsky Chorus of the Primorsky Stage under the direction of the Principal Chorus Master Larisa Shveikovskaya.
On May 31, 2025, opera soloists and the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage will present the concert programme Tchaikovsky – 185. Gala concert of romances. The public will be able to acquaint themselves with the composer’s rich vocal legacy. The romances, which Pyotr Tchaikovsky composed during all his life, feature a great variety of genres and themes and are a kind of the composer’s lyrical diary. The Gala concert will be a completing event of the season for the team of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre presents the program of events marking the anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War
The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre presents the program of events marking the anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
On May 7 and May 8, 2025 at 17:00, soloists of the Theatre’s Opera Company will perform beloved wartime songs in the Chamber Hall. These marching, lyric and heroic songs were born on the front and in the rear from the beginning to the end of the war. The musical memorials of the Great Patriotic War will be presented by such opera singers as Anna Barkhatova, Anastasia Kikot, Irina Kolodyazhnaya, Roman Krukovich, Alexei Smirnov, Gennady Akhmedov, Dmitry Nelasov, Nikita Odalin, and Sergei Pleshivtsev. The programme will include songs by Isaak Dunayevsky, Konstantin Listov, Valentin Levashov, Boris Terentyev, Bulat Okudzhava, and other composers.
On May 9, 2025 at 19:00, the monumental opera Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin will be performed in the Great Hall. The libretto is based on the early Russian epic The Tale of Igor’s Raid. The composer adapted the poem by himself while composing the music and writing the poetics almost simultaneously. At the same time, he studied other sources concerning discords and wars between Russian princes, battles and cooperation between Prince Igor and Polovtsian Khans. When composing his opera, Alexander Borodin as a learned amateur adhered to the European pattern well known to him, namely: a large French opera with a plenty of choruses, dramatic scenes and extensive monologues. However, having shared his friends’ likes and dislikes in the Mighty Handful, the composer charged melodies with Russian intonations and Oriental motifs. Nowadays, even those who have never visited an opera theatre are familiar with the chorus “Glory to the beautiful Sun” or Igor’s aria “No sleep, no rest for my tormented soul”. The slaves’ chorus “Fly away on the wings of the wind” has become a worldwide hit and part of the mass culture.
Prince Igor was first performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in October 1890, and the premiere was a great success. At the Primorsky Stage in Vladivostok, Alexander Borodin’s masterpiece was presented in concert in May 2023. At the upcoming concert the opera will be performed by such soloists as Marat Mukhametzyanov, Irina Novikova, Laura Bustamante, Alexei Kostyuk, Vladislav Chibirev, Bat-Erdene Dorjtseden, and Sergei Pleshivtsev. The Orchestra will be conducted by Pavel Smelkov.
From April 20, 2025 to April 29, 2025, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre held one of the main musical events of this spring in the Far Eastern Federal District, namely: the II Far East Easter Festival under the auspices of the XXIV Moscow Easter Festival
From April 20, 2025 to April 29, 2025, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre held one of the main musical events of this spring in the Far Eastern Federal District, namely: the II Far East Easter Festival under the auspices of the XXIV Moscow Easter Festival.
This year the Primorsky Stage toured about 3,000 kilometers, appearing for the first time in the Jewish Autonomous and Amur Regions and later returning to bring new concerts to Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories. The tour embraced Vladivostok, Spassk-Dalny, Khabarovsk, Birobidzhan, Blagoveshchensk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur to gather audiences of more than 5,000 at its venues.
The Festival started in Vladivostok on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025. At the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s lyrical opera Iolanta was presented in the production staged by Anna Shishkina and designed by Pyotr Okunev who became a nominee for the Golden Mask prize for the best Set and Costume Designer’s work that day. At the same venue on April 22, 2025, the Easter Concert was given by opera soloists, singers of the Chorus of the Primorsky Stage, members of the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage under the baton of the Principal Conductor Pavel Smelkov and the Combined Chorus of the Vladivostok Eparchy under the direction of its regent Elena Kokhanovskaya. The Easter Concert completed the series of largest festive events in Vladivostok and opened the tour of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
At the tour concerts, opera soloists together with the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage performed works by Russian composers Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Prokofiev and Alexander Smelkov as well as compositions and arrangements by Pavel Smelkov, Principal Conductor of the Primorsky Stage.
The first concert was given at the Spassk-Dalny Town Folk Culture Center “Primorye”. The next stop was in Khabarovsk. The tour team appeared at two venues: the Trade Union Palace of Culture and the Eastern Military District House of Officers where the musicians gave a charity concert for military personnel and their families.
Then, as part of the Far East Easter Festival, concerts were for the first time given at the Birobidzhan Regional Philharmonic Hall and the Blagoveshchensk City Public Cultural Center.
The last point on the tour map of the Festival was Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Two bright events were held there on the same day. The musicians performed Sergei Prokofiev’s symphonic tale for children Peter and the Wolf in the afternoon, and the program “Tchaikovsky – 185” was presented in the evening.
For 7 Festival days, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre gave 9 performances. Moreover, Yevgeny Plekhanov, a soloist of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage, held master classes for vocalists at the Knauf-Kaminskaya Central Children’s Art School in Blagoveshchensk and at the College of Art in Khabarovsk, and Alexei Zhurba, a member of the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage, gave a master class for Khabarovsk trombonists.
On May 23 and May 25, 2025, a stage version of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore will be for the first time presented at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The primary roles will be performed by soloists of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage. The Orchestra will be under Pavel Smelkov’s baton
On May 23 and May 25, 2025, a stage version of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore will be for the first time presented at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The primary roles will be performed by soloists of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage. The Orchestra will be under Pavel Smelkov’s baton.
Il trovatore won fame and national affection immediately after it had been premiered in 1853. The opera is the richest material for the four voice types and the chorus and is highly emotional. The somber romantic drama unfolds on the stage where two brothers, not suspecting their blood relationship, become implacable rivals in love and power.
“Il trovatore takes rank as one of the most successful operas even among the works by such genius as Giuseppe Verdi. The repertoire of our Theatre already includes some beautiful works by the Italian maestro, but the fact that we are planning so high-profile premiere indicates that our company develops and grows and is replenished with new unique voices with which we are able to carry out such music project. This opera is written in a traditional manner and includes many solo declarations, arias, duets, tercets and large ensembles, but if compared with other Verdi’s masterpieces, the composer’s technique is here distinguished with unusually emotional expressiveness. I am sure that every spectator will receive a store of artistic impressions,” said Irina Soboleva, Artistic Director of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
The soloists are also being prepared by Maria Nikitina, Italian Language Coach at the Mariinsky Theatre.
“With no false modesty, I must say that now the voices of soloists of the Primorsky Stage are world-class voices. The company is the strongest one, and besides having vibrant voices, each soloist is an interesting personality, and it is very important for performing operas by Giuseppe Verdi. Moreover, the singers are so adapted for bel canto that they can catch at once the most delicate gradations of performance. The repertoire, which they have learned and performed earlier, is a great base for work on today’s premiere,” Maria Nikitina emphasized.
It should be noted that nowadays the repertoire of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre is decorated with a significant collection of works by Giuseppe Verdi including his operas La traviata, Rigoletto, Aida, Don Carlo and Macbeth and his famous sacred composition Messa da Requiem. In February and March 2025, these compositions were performed as part of the large-scale music project Verdi Marathon, including Il trovatore which was performed in concert.
Lada Sartakova, Denis Klepikov, Vladislav Rzhevsky and the Coach-repetituers Natalia Raldugina and Alexander Kurkov became prize-winners at the All-Russian Competition of Ballet Dancers and Choreographers, held in Yoshkar-Ola from April 19 to April 26, 2025
Lada Sartakova, Denis Klepikov, Vladislav Rzhevsky and the Coach-repetituers Natalia Raldugina and Alexander Kurkov became prize-winners at the All-Russian Competition of Ballet Dancers and Choreographers, held in Yoshkar-Ola from April 19 to April 26, 2025.
Now the winners for the Classical Dance nomination and Special Michael Fokine nominations are announced. The first soloists of the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, Lada Sartakova and Denis Klepikov, received 1st prizes in the Duet nomination (senior group). Vladislav Rzhevsky, a dancer of the Ballet Company, was awarded special prize for the best choreography of a dancing performance specially staged for the Competition. Moreover, the Coach-repetiteur Natalia Raldugina and the Ballet Director Alexander Kurkov, Honored Artist of Russia, were awarded special prize for coaches successfully preparing participants in the Competition (senior group).
This year the Competition is dedicated to the 145th anniversary of the birth of Michael Fokine, an outstanding ballet dancer, choreographer and educator. The competitive selection of participants included several rounds. Lada Sartakova and Denis Klepikov were distantly selected though the entry list included 120 applicants from 23 Russian cities, and later they successfully demonstrated their skills in live contests.
For the Classical Dance nomination, the dancers performed pas de deux from The Nutcracker and pas d’esclave from Le Corsaire choreographed by Eldar Aliev. As part of the Special Michael Fokine nomination, the soloists presented the contemporary choreographic piece QuintAv to music from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, which was choreographed by Vladislav Rzhevsky.
The events of the saturated May playbill begin from the very first days of the month. The May holidays will be decorated with Adolphe Adam’s famous ballets Giselle on May 1, 2025 and Le Corsaire on May 3, 2025 at 14:00 and 19:00, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s sparkling opera buffa Le nozze di Figaro on May 2 and May 4, 2025 and Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s timeless classical ballet Swan Lake on May 8, 2025. The 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War will be marked with special events. On May 7 and May 8, 2025, beloved popular wartime songs will be performed by opera soloists of the Primorsky Stage in the Chamber Hall. On May 9, 2025, the Primorsky Stage will in concert present Alexander Borodin’s monumental opera Prince Igor where patriotism, courage and military virtue are main themes of the epic composition
The events of the saturated May playbill begin from the very first days of the month. The May holidays will be decorated with Adolphe Adam’s famous ballets Giselle on May 1, 2025 and Le Corsaire on May 3, 2025 at 14:00 and 19:00, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s sparkling opera buffa Le nozze di Figaro on May 2 and May 4, 2025 and Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s timeless classical ballet Swan Lake on May 8, 2025. The 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War will be marked with special events. On May 7 and May 8, 2025, beloved popular wartime songs will be performed by opera soloists of the Primorsky Stage in the Chamber Hall. On May 9, 2025, the Primorsky Stage will in concert present Alexander Borodin’s monumental opera Prince Igor where patriotism, courage and military virtue are main themes of the epic composition.
The premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore will be the biggest event of the opera playbill. The somber romantic drama will unfold on the stage where two brothers, not suspecting their blood relationship, become implacable rivals in love and power. The opera music is distinguished by bright expression, and the intensity of emotions is rising while the performance goes on, transporting the audience to medieval Spain. The closing season premiere will be performed on May 23 and May 25, 2025.
The noticeable event of the ballet playbill is the return of Fikret Amirov’s ballet A Thousand and One Nights, which rates among the 100 best performances of the Golden Pool of the Russian Theatrical Productions. Now the ballet, which is based on the famous collection of Arabic and Persian fairy tales and unites neoclassical plastic, sound of traditional instruments and incredible entertainment and beauty effects in itself, has become the most often toured one in the repertoire of the Primorsky Stage. This season it was first performed in Beijing and Oman’s capital Muscat. Vladivostok will be given a unique opportunity to enjoy the colorful performance at the Primorsky Stage on May 10, 2025 at 15:00 and 19:00.
The eventful May will cheer the public with concerts dedicated to the anniversary of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s birth. On May 18, 2025, Ravil Islyamov, an outstanding violinist, recipient of 2nd prize and the Silver Medal at the XVII International Tchaikovsky Competition, will appear on the stage together with the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage. The programme will include the Romance in F minor, for piano, the Violin Concerto and the Symphony No. 4. On May 29, 2025, the Chorus of the Primorsky Stage conducted by the Principal Chorus Master Larisa Shveikovskaya will for the first time perform the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, one of the most important sacred compositions by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. On May 31, 2025, marking the composer’s anniversary, a grand Gala concert of romances will be given by opera soloists and the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage under Pavel Smelkov’s baton.
The concert playbill will also surprise the public with theatrical concerts with sand animation, which will be for the first time moved to the Great Hall of the Primorsky Stage. On May 28, 2025, the well-known cycle Le quattro stagioni by Antonio Vivaldi will be performed. The audience will be able to enjoy a musical journey over the seasons, being illustrated with sand pictures right at the moments of performance. On May 30, 2025, the musical fairy tale Ruslan and Lyudmila in its version literarily composed and musically edited by the Theatre’s Principal Conductor Pavel Smelkov, will be performed. Among the exclusive music events, there will also be a concert on the occasion of the Day of Slavonic Literature, which will be given on May 24, 2025.
The Primorsky Stage will open its doors to guest ensembles and musicians. On May 5, 2025, the Mangyongdae School Children’s Palace of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will for the first time present a concert in the Great Hall of the Theatre. On May 16, 2025, an exquisite Evening of violin music will be held in the Chamber Hall. Violinist Ravil Islyamov, a prizewinner at international competitions, will be a soloist accompanied by pianist Sholpan Barlykova. On May 25, 2025, also in the Chamber Hall a graduate concert will be given by the Branch of the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, one of the best and oldest schools of ballet all over the world.
The May playbill also includes favorite and new repertoire performances. The audiences are looking forward to enjoying bold and original productions such as Sergei Prokofiev’s opera The Love for Three Oranges on May 11, 2025, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera Die Zauberflöte on May 14, 2025, and Igor Stravinsky’s ballets Les Noces and Petrouchka on May 15, 2025 and chamber opera Mavra on May 17, 2025 at 17:00 and 19:30. Among the classical pearls of the second half of May, there will be Giacomo Puccini’s opera Tosca on May 16, 2025, Alexander Glazunov’s ballet Raymonda on May 17, 2025 and Adolphe Adam’s ballet Giselle on May 24, 2025.
For the youngest audience, the one-act operas for children will be performed in the Chamber Hall, including Leonid Klinichev’s The Little Prince on May 8, 2025, Sergei Banevich’s Murych the Cat on May 10, 2025 at 12:00 and 15:00 and Gennady Gladkov’s Town Musicians of Bremen on May 24, 2025 at 12:00, 15:00 and 17:00.
Scenic Introductions will help to make a visit to the Primorsky Stage more exiting. Till the end of the season, the tours of the Theatre will be conducted on May 1, May 2 and May 3, 2025 at 12:00 and 17:00, on May 4, May 8 and May 10, 2025 at 13:00 and 17:00 and on May 11, May 17, May 18, May 24 and May 31, 2025.
