The main opera premiere of this spring, a production of Iolanta by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, will open the April playbill of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. Inspired by a lyrical play about a blind princess, the composer filled his last opera with a whole polyphony of meanings. The Stage Director of the Mariinsky Theatre Anna Shishkina went further and placed not only Iolanta, but also her loving father at the center of the plot. The author of the sets, Chief Designer of the Primorsky Stage, Pyotr Okunev, developed original costumes based on the works by William Morris, which are completely different from those of the St Petersburg production. Premiere performances of the opera will take place on April 5, 6 (at 14:00 and 19:00) and April 19, 2024.
The two performances of the guest soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre Zinaida Tsarenko (mezzo-soprano) will become notable events on the playbill. A bright singer, a native of Khabarovsk and Grand Prix winner at the XVII International Tchaikovsky Competition will perform one of the main female parts in Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera The Tsar’s Bride on April 10, 2024, and will also give a stage embodiment to one of the main characters, Princess Eboli, in Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Don Carlo on April 14, 2024.
The opera repertoire of the Primorsky Stage in April also includes The Love for Three Oranges by Sergei Prokofiev (April 12, 2024), La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi (April 26, 2024), The Snow Maiden by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (April 28, 2024) and Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II (April 30, 2024 at 14:00 and 19:00).
On April 21, 2024, a large concert dedicated to the 180th anniversary of the birth of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov will take place. The concert will encompass the composer’s works of different form and mood. The guest soloist of the evening is Honored Artist of Russia, first violin of the legendary St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra Lev Klychkov. The day before, on April 20, 2024, the violinist will also present Chamber music evening in the Chamber Hall of the Theatre.
The chamber playbill is going to amaze the audience with the variety of concert programs throughout the month. On April 6, 2024, Borodin Quartet, a world-famous string ensemble that has existed for more than 75 years, will perform in the Chamber Hall. On April 7, 2024, the musical fairy tale Ruslan and Lyudmila will be performed there. The music by Mikhail Glinka will be complemented by live scenery in the form of sand animation. On April 13, 2024, talented students of the branch of the Central Music School, the Primorsky Academy of Performing Arts, will perform classical music masterpieces accompanied by the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage. The series of events in the Chamber Hall will be ended with the sophisticated Evening of French chamber music on April 27, 2024.
Following a triumphant tour in the capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Pyongyang, the Ballet Company of the Theatre will present the best performances of the classical heritage and its own striking productions on its home stage. Fikret Amirov’s spectacular ballet A Thousand and One Nights will make its comeback to the playbill after a long break on April 13, 2024 (at 15:00 and 19:00). This ballet was last performed in Vladivostok last May. The ballet repertoire will also be graced by Le Corsaire (April 7, 2024) and Giselle (April 20, 2024) by Adolphe Adam, Swan Lake (April 11, 2024) by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Don Quixote (April 17 and 18, 2024) and La Bayadère (April 25, 2024) by Ludwig Minkus, Konyok-Gorbunok (The Little Humpbacked Horse) by Rodion Shchedrin (April 27, 2024) and Raymonda by Alexander Glazunov (April 29, 2024).
The youngest audience will be able to enjoy nice and colorful performances about friendship, love and good deeds: The Turnip by Rustam Sagdiev (April 7, 2024), The Little Prince by Leonid Klinichev (April 13, 2024), Murych the Cat by Sergei Banevich (April 20, 2024), and Town Musicians of Bremen by Gennady Gladkov (April 29, 2024 at 12:00 and 14:00).
