News

On September 29 and 30, 2023, the North Ossetia-Alania Branch of the Mariinsky Theatre will host two one-act ballets, Phaedra by Philip Glass and The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky, performed by the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage.

The tour will be the onset of cooperation between two Branches of the Mariinsky Theatre. The audience of Vladikavkaz will be able to enjoy the exclusive performances that can only be seen in Vladivostok so far.

On September 29, 2023, evening performances of the two one-act ballets will take place. Part I of the evening will include Phaedra staged by the Danish choreographer Flemming Flindt, to the music of the famous American minimalist composer Philip Glass. In Part II, the audiences will enjoy The Firebird, one of the most famous masterpieces by Igor Stravinsky, a symbol of Russian culture in the twentieth-century ballet. The Firebird, though having many choreographic interpretations, will be presented in the original version created by the Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage Eldar Aliev, Honored Artistic Creator of Russia. On September 30, 2023, the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage will complete its series of performances with a daytime show of The Firebird.

The main parts will be performed by leading soloists of the Primorsky Stage: prima ballerina Lilia Berezhnova, principal dancers Sergei Umanetc and Viktor Mulygin, soloists Sergei Amanbaev, Daria Tikhonova, Ksenia Abdulkarimova, Alexei Golubov, Shizuru Kato and Arina Nagase.

In October, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will expand the geography of the Rachmaninoff – 150 Project. The performances to commemorate the composer’s anniversary will be taking place not only in the Theatre, but also at other venues in the Primorsky Territory. Vocal masterpieces by the outstanding Russian composer will be performed by soloists of the Opera Company and the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage under the baton of Pavel Smelkov on October 3, 2023, at the “Primorye” Folk Culture Centre in Spassk-Dalny, and on October 5, 2023, at the Officers’ House of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok. On October 19, 2023, the Primorsky Stage itself will act host: as part of the all-Russian marathon “My Rachmaninoff”, the audiences will enjoy the composer’s popular works performed by the prize-winner at the Tchaikovsky Competition, pianist Stanislav Korchagin accompanied by the National Symphonic Orchestra of the Republic of Bashkortostan conducted by Dmitry Kryukov.

The October playbill has also been replenished with opera performances. On October 13, 2023, the audiences will enjoy a dramatic love story about the clash of different cultures in the opera Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini. Some space will be allotted for carefree fun as well: on October 15, 2023, an opera for the whole family The Tale of Tsar Saltan by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov will be performed, and on October 21, 2023, – Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II. At the end of the month, the audience will be treated to the tightly-plotted opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi (October 27, 2023) and a brilliant example of lyrical opera, Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (October 29, 2023).

The Chamber Hall of the Theatre will host several opera performances for the youngest audiences, Murych the Cat by Sergei Banevich (October 1 and 8, 2023), The Little Prince by Leonid Klinichev (October 14, 2023) and The Turnip by Rustam Sagdiev (October 22, 2023).

On October 20, 2023, the ballet playbill of the month will be complemented by the second performance of Raymonda by Alexander Glazunov, a vivid romantic ballet in the best traditions of the classical heritage. Since its premiere, this production has won the affection of the public and become one of the most demanded ballets in the Company’s repertoire.

On September 26 and 27, 2023, Fikret Amirov’s ballet A Thousand and One Nights based on the famous Arabian fairy tales was performed for the first time on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre in the choreographic embodiment by Eldar Aliev.

The main parts were performed by the first soloist of the Mariinsky Ballet Renata Shakirova, who appeared as Scheherazade and Nurida on different days, as well as by the leading soloists of the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage, prima ballerina Lilia Berezhnova, principal dancers Sergei Umanetc and Viktor Mulygin, and the first soloist Lada Sartakova.

It was the first encounter of the Moscow audiences with the original performance of the Vladivostok Company’s ballet repertoire. The choreography of the ballet is done in a neoclassical style and contains elements of folklore, reflecting the colorful palette of Oriental dances.

“A Thousand and One Nights is special for me for two reasons. It was the first narrative ballet where I was the choreographer, and it also became the last ballet where I performed the leading part. While working on the ballet choreography, I aimed to create a large-scale performance that would harmoniously combine all the elements of a modern ballet, that is, drama, music, dancing, costumes, scenery, and lighting design. I was keen to achieve the effect of completely immersing the audiences in the music and dance world of Arabian fairy tales ruled by Love, Beauty and Wisdom”, comments the Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage, Eldar Aliev.

The performances were held as part of the “Leading Theatres” line 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 September 24, 2023 at 17:00, the central square of Vladivostok will become a venue for a concert to commemorate the consecration of the Transfiguration Cathedral building. Opera soloists, together with the Chorus and the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage under the baton of the Principal Conductor Pavel Smelkov will present a program containing Russian classical masterpieces. A cantata written specifically for the opening of the Cathedral will also be performed.

The New Temple cantata created by the renowned modern academic composer Alexander Smelkov in 2023 is dedicated to Vladimir, Metropolitan of Vladivostok and Primorsky Territory. The composition has five movements and is scored for soloists, chorus and a great orchestra.

“My intention was that the finale of the New Temple cantata should express the unanimous joy of the Feast of Transfiguration of Jesus and delight at the construction and consecration of the Cathedral building in Vladivostok”, the composer Alexander Smelkov commented. “However, we do not immediately reach the jubilant glorification of the Savior. In the second movement of the cantata, composed on Fyodor Tyutchev’s brilliant poem Our Century, one can perceive the confusion and ambivalence of someone lacking spiritual support. The poem, written in the middle of the 19^th century, has retained its actuality till nowadays. Through Blok’s hurricanes and the yawning fogs of the third movement, we try to push towards the light and our own transfiguration, and to get rid of the painful burden of unbelief. In the fourth movement, based on the poem New Temple by Ivan Bunin, so consonant in its name with our celebration, through simple people, people of labor, such as painters, artists, and builders, we turn to the sincere and heart-warming Faith as an example of unpretentious admiration for the Creator God and His Creation. The cantata starts with a solemn opening on the theme of glorification and with a choral prayer. It is a prayer to the Savior for the future of our beloved Russia, written in the non-clamorous tonality of the Transfiguration, revealed to the disciples on Mount Tabor”.

The Chorus and soloists of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage, such as Alina Mikhailik, Alisa Fedorenko, Laura Bustamante, Tatiana Makarchuk, Ilya Astafurov, Alexei Kostyuk, Mingiyan Odzhaev, Alexei Repin, and Yevgeny Plekhanov, will take part in the concert.

The concert is organized by the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre and the Vladivostok Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church with the support of the Vladivostok City Administration.

The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre is announcing the opening events of the October playbill. The audience will be treated to unsurpassed ballet classics – ever-living productions and exclusive performances by the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage.

On October 8, 2023, the ballet playbill will start with Raymonda by Alexander Glazunov, a medieval chivalric legend told through extensive dance scenes, classical ensembles and character dances. This ballet has been performed on the Primorsky Stage for only a few months, but has already captivated the audiences with its complex primary female part, vivid male characters and picturesque set design by Simon Virsaladze.

On October 12, 2023, Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake will be performed, a love story that has become the symbol of the Russian ballet. The Primorsky audience will be able to enjoy their favorite performance in one of its canonical versions, as revised by Konstantin Sergeyev. Another masterpiece by Pyotr Tchaikovsky will be presented on October 28, 2023, this time in the original production of the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage. Two performances of the ballet-féerie The Nutcracker will add a sense of wonder and the anticipation of the forthcoming miracle.

The ballet playbill of October also contains dynamic and cheerful performances that will not let the autumn blues overtake you. On October 14 and 26, 2023, the audiences carried away under the southern skies of Adrianople will meet the brave pirates from Le Corsaire ballet by Adolphe Adam. On October 22, 2023, the Primorsky Stage will turn into a piece of sunny Spain with Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus. The audiences will be able not only to enjoy the high-class academic dance, but also to laugh heartily at the amusing adventures of the main characters.

The September playbill of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre goes on with performances of outstanding artists, a ballet premiere of the last season and the Festival of Indian Culture in Russia. Some events will be held as part of the diverse cultural program of the Eastern Economic Forum.

On September 14 and September 16, 2023, the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage will create the audience’s fairy mood in Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty. This classical costume ballet always amazes the public with its large scale, splendid scenery, masterly parts, and impressive character images.

The September opera playbill includes Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Tchaikovsky on September 17, 2023. At the Primorsky Stage, the opera has been staged and designed by renowned Saint Petersburg masters such as Alexei Stepanyuk, Honored Artist of Russia, and Vyacheslav Okunev, People’s Artist of Russia, who have preserved the traditions of so called big style. This production rich with historical costumes reminds of the famous Eugene Onegin presented by the Mariinsky Theatre.

From September 7 to September 11, 2023, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will again become one of the cultural venues of the Eastern Economic Forum.

On September 7, 2023, an event of the Festival of Indian Culture in Russia will be held in the Great Hall. Bharatanatyam Dance Company as part of the large-scale music forum is billed to appear on the stage in Vladivostok. They will perform this Indian classical dance tinged with five thousand years’ traditions and culture of South India. Later this evening the audience will be able to enjoy performances of an Indian fusion band and Purbayan Chatterjee, a sitar maestro, a recipient of the President of India Award and winner of numerous international prizes.

On September 8, 2023, the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage will perform Alexander Glazunov’s Raymonda, the premiere of the last season. The gorgeous ballet is based on a French medieval legend. Choreographed and revised by Eldar Aliev and colorfully designed by Simon Virsaladze, the story of Raymonda will unfold in the Great Hall of the Primorsky Stage.

The concert from the Rachmaninoff – 150 cycle, timed to coincide with the jubilee of the outstanding composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff, will be given on September 9, 2023. The concert program includes vocal compositions and the opera Francesca da Rimini featuring the outstanding opera singer Albina Shagimuratova, Honored Artist of Russia, and Alexander Mikhailov, a soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre. Albina Shagimuratova will also appear on the main opera stage in Vladivostok on September 15, 2023 to perform in concert the title part in Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. This part is rightfully considered to be one of the most significant ones in the singer’s repertoire or one of the most masterly ones for a lyric dramatic soprano in the world repertoire. This night the singer’s companions will be soloists of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage and the Saint Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre Vladimir Moroz and Alexander Mikhailov.

On September 11, 2023, Denis Matsuev, a brilliant Russian pianist and People’s Artist of Russia, and the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dmitry Jurowski will complement the concert playbill. They will perform Dmitry Shostakovich’s Suite No. 1 for Variety Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from the musical West Side Story and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra.

On September 26 and 27, 2023, the Historical Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre will host performances of Fikret Amirov’s ballet A Thousand and One Nights. The production is choreographed by Honored Artistic Creator of Russia Eldar Aliev, Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The Moscow audiences will enjoy the original performance of the ballet repertoire of the Vladivostok company for the first time.

The performances will be held within the framework of the “Leading Theatres” branch of the “Great Tour” project held 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.

The choreographic language of this ballet after the well-known collection of Arabian and Persian tales is an alloy of immortal classics and modern dance. The colors and flavors of the Middle East are vividly and ambitiously conveyed by the lush scenery and costumes by Pyotr Okunev, complemented by modern video arts by Vadim Dulenko. The grand performance is accompanied by the sound of live female voices and the chorus.

“The Primorsky Stage Ballet Company is the youngest in Russia; yet, over a decade of hard work, the company has managed to establish itself as a highly professional one, claiming to be one of the leaders in its area. The company annually performs at the main venues in Russia and abroad and releases its own exclusive productions. One of such productions is Fikret Amirov’s A Thousand and One Nights. The performance has repeatedly achieved success on tour in St Petersburg, on the Historical and New Stages of the Mariinsky Theatre, as well as in Kazan, at the opening of the Rudolf Nureyev International Classical Ballet Festival. For us, it is important to present to the Moscow audiences this particular ballet version, which until now has been performed only in Vladivostok”, said Eldar Aliev, Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage.

Albina Shagimuratova’s tour will make the central musical event of the month on the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The world-renowned opera diva and Honored Artist of Russia is going to participate in the Rachmaninoff – 150 concert on September 9, 2023, as well as in a concert performance of Lucia di Lammermoor on September 15, 2023.

Critics call the performing arts of Albina Shagimuratova a sensation. The opera diva shines at the world’s best venues such as the Teatro alla Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, the Los Angeles Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. “Albina Shagimuratova’s soprano voice is a phenomenon that has to be heard to be believed. She demonstrates complete yet seemingly effortless control over her pitch throughout her wide voice range, easily producing rich and resonant sounds regardless of their height, and making the delicate notes especially exquisite and touching”, Opera News wrote about the singer.

The singer has been working closely with the Mariinsky Theatre since 2015. She has regularly performed on its stages, and in particular, on the Primorsky Stage as part of the International Mariinsky Far East Festival.

In September, Albina Shagimuratova will come on tour to Vladivostok once more.

On September 9, 2023, the singer will grace the Rachmaninoff – 150 concert program timed to coincide with the outstanding composer’s anniversary. The program includes concert performance of the opera Francesca da Rimini and vocal masterpieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

On September 15, 2023, the audience will enjoy a concert performance of Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. The part of Lucia is one of the milestones in Albina Shagimuratova’s career. Each of her performances in the Donizetti’s opera is a phenomenon that opera lovers try not to miss. Her appearance in Vladivostok is a unique event for one more reason: at the beginning of 2023, the singer decided to stop performing this part.

“Lucia is a truly great bel canto part. It is a part composed by Gaetano Donizetti for a true prima donna, where every cell, every beat, every musical pause is to be lived to the utmost. There is not a single empty second not to empathize with the heroine”, the singer noted.

The console of the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage will be occupied by the Principal Conductor of the Theatre Pavel Smelkov both evenings.

The summer tour of the Vladivostok Ballet Company on the Historical and New Stages of the Mariinsky Theatre was successfully completed by the adventure ballet Le Corsaire. This August, the artists had also presented original versions of the classical ballets The Nutcracker and A Thousand and One Nights in the northern capital. And in the second half of the month, they will delight the Vladivostok audience with their performances.

From August 1 to August 10, 2023, the Ballet Company performed before the St Petersburg audiences for the 13^th time. Ballet performances by the Primorsky Stage once again attracted full houses and became the final event of the 240^th season of the Mariinsky Theatre. The main parts were performed by the bright soloists of the Primorsky Stage, as well as by guest performers from St Petersburg, Renata Shakirova, Alexei Timofeyev and Anastasia Lukina.

In September, the ballet dancers will treat the audiences to the best classical titles: Raymonda by Alexander Glazunov (September 8, 2023), The Sleeping Beauty (September 14 and 16, 2023) by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and La Bayadère (September 2, 2023) by Ludwig Minkus.

The St Petersburg performances have opened an eventful series of tours of the Primorsky Stage Ballet Company in the new season. Having completed the performances on their home stage, the dancers will travel to Moscow, where they will present the ballet A Thousand and One Nights at the Bolshoi Theatre for the first time.

As early as on Saturday, August 5, 2023, the jubilee celebrations in honor of Sergei Rachmaninoff will continue at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre marking the 150^th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Masterpieces by this one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music are to be performed within a colorful program, which combines two formats for one night: a symphonic concert in Part I and an opera in Part II.

The concert program includes some compositions, which the young composer created in his formative years from 1892 to 1895 when Rachmaninoff often turned his emerging talent to Gypsy songs.

“Any genius has compositions which are well known and favorite. However, he also has others, which are on the sidelines of the universally acknowledged masterpieces. In our concert, we want to combine some undeservingly forgotten compositions by Sergei Rachmaninoff with his famous opera Aleko and familiarize the Primorsky public with his early pieces for solo violin and cello and with his Capriccio on Gypsy Themes for orchestra. The program is elaborated so as to turn the motifs of the composer’s early works of various genres into an organic sequence of chamber, symphonic and operatic compositions and to convey images of such a significant part of the nineteenth century Russian culture as Gypsy music which many Russian writers and composers – from Alexander Pushkin to Rodion Shchedrin – have admired and reflected in their works,” said Pavel Smelkov, Principal Conductor of the Primorsky Stage.

In Part I, the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage under the baton of Pavel Smelkov will perform early compositions by Rachmaninoff such as Prelude, Oriental Dance, Romance and Hungarian Dance. Emil Yakovlev will play the solo violin, and Elizaveta Sushchenko, a prizewinner at international competitions, will do the solo cello. The audience will also be able to enjoy the symphonic poem Gypsy Capriccio. It is emotional variations for orchestra, which reflect the essence of the Gypsy themes in Rachmaninoff’s works.

In Part II, a new stage version of the one-act opera Aleko – which became the young composer’s first success and won accolades from the public – will be premiered. The primary parts are rehearsed by opera soloists of the Primorsky Stage.

“Last season, the concert cycle dedicated to Sergei Rachmaninoff opened with this opera presented in concert. Now the audience will enjoy its full stage version. The main emphasis is made on a discovery of the conflict between Aleko and Gypsies and on a collision of the two cultures. The chorus is involved in acting more arduously; the main heroes are conveyed better; some dances are added,” the Director Yulia Ruleva remarked.

It should be noted that the next concert of the large-scale Rachmaninoff – 150 cycle will be held on September 9, 2023 and will feature Albina Shagimuratova, Honored Artist of Russia.