On December 25 and 26, 2025, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will present a major New Year’s Eve premiere, Sergei Banevich’s opera The Story of Kai and Gerda.
This opera occupies a special place in the composer’s oeuvre. In it, the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen gains depth and unravels to the accompaniment of an exquisite score, where each character possesses a unique musical world of his own.
The wise Lamplighter’s sermon, dance interludes, and the symphonic scene “Flight on the Reindeer” make the operatic plot more prominent.
This production of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre continues the history of this opera's productions at the Mariinsky Theatre, featuring its own stage version by Alexander Ponomarev and production and costume design by Pyotr Okunev.
The parts in the premiere performance on December 25, 2025 will be performed by soloists of the Primorsky Stage Opera Company: Samira Galimova, Alexander Garshin, Laura Bustamante, Aleksey Yurkovsky, Elena Glushenko, Viktoria Kangina, Azamat Malyshov, Aygiz Gizatullin, Vsevolod Marilov, and Vladimir Volkov.
Mikhail Leontiev will take the conductor’s console on December 25 and 26, 2025. The premiere performances will also take place on January 7, 8, and 9, 2026 under the baton of Vitaly Shevelev.
The Musical Director of the production is Irina Soboleva, Honored Artist of Russia, Artistic Director of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
