The onset of spring at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will come as a true hymn to awakening, light, and love. From March 5 to 9, 2026, the audiences will be able to enjoy four opera performances of affection and beauty, a festive Opera Gala dedicated to the International Women’s Day, a special programme for young audiences, and a unique opportunity to peek behind the scenes of the Theatre. All the events of these days will be permeated with a single concept, to lift the spirits of the audience and to welcome spring immersed in glorious music.
The series of opera nights will be launched on March 5, 2026 with Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s touching and philosophical opera Iolanta, the composer’s final operatic creation, full of hope and the triumph of all-conquering love. This is the only opera by Tchaikovsky where no one dies; the composer started writing it from the joyful and triumphant finale, and therefore the entire work is imbued with amazing joy and lucidity. Sets and costumes are designed by Pyotr Okunev, Chief Designer of the Primorsky Stage. His work on this production has been recognized with a nomination for the prestigious Golden Mask National Theatre Award.
On March 7, 2026, the theatre-goers will immerse into the grotesque and effervescent world of Sergei Prokofiev’s opera The Love for Three Oranges. Based on the tale by Carlo Gozzi, full of fantasy and delicate irony, this vibrant production gives the audiences a tinge of celebration, carnival, and carefree fun. Here, Prokofiev’s music conveys the atmosphere of theatrical performance and buffoonery with amazing precision. The score is full of witty rhythmic inventions, march-like intonations, and grotesque orchestral colors that fold into Prokofiev’s inimitable style: daring, energetic, and at the same time truly captivating.
The opera nights will culminate with a festive Opera Gala on March 8, 2026. The opera company’s finest voices will present masterpieces of world vocal lyricism, from the golden classics to the present day. Music dedicated to the most sublime emotions, love, and beauty, will come as a true gift for the spring holidays. Pavel Smelkov, Principal Conductor of the Primorsky Stage, will take the baton.
The programme includes operatic arias and chamber romances, showcasing various national schools and styles. Western European classics will be represented by masterpieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gioachino Rossini, and Giuseppe Verdi; these composers’ names have become synonyms to opera. The French “opéra lyrique” will be explored through the exquisite music by Georges Bizet and Charles Gounod. The Viennese Romanticism will be reflected in the graceful melodies by Johann Strauss. The sensuality and drama of Italian verismo will come embodied in Giacomo Puccini’s arias. The music by Leonard Bernstein, who has combined the academic tradition with the intonations of the American musical will represent the language of the 20th century.
A special place of the programme will be occupied by the Russian vocal school, from the founder of the national opera, Mikhail Glinka, through the psychological depth of Pyotr Tchaikovsky and the flexible vocal line of Rimsky-Korsakov, to the elegiac lyricism of Rachmaninoff. The performance will be enhanced with works by Florian Hermann, whose music has become the inspiring basis of the romance “Dark Eyes”, and by Pavel Smelkov, whose work continues the development of Russian culture today.
Also on March 8, 2026, the chamber opera The Little Prince will be performed in the cozy atmosphere of the Chamber Hall. This heart-pounding and wise story of friendship, love, and responsibility, told through the language of music, will captivate both children and their parents. This colorful, touching performance will come as a wonderful start to a festive day for the whole family.
The first spring decade will culminate on March 9, 2026 with Le nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a joyful festive performance full of cross-dressing and commotion reaching the point of chaos. In the interpretation by the Stage Director Alexander Petrov, the action takes place in the early 20th century, during the Art Nouveau era, which lends some new shades of meaning to the classic plot. Sunlit music, a sparkling plot full of comedic situations and lighthearted intrigue, together with a brilliant vocal ensemble, create an atmosphere of carefree joy and cheerfulness, finalizing the series of festive events perfectly.
For those who want to look at the Theatre from the inside and to imbue its special atmosphere, the Theatre can offer some fascinating backstage tours on March 5, 7, and 8, 2026. The guests will get a chance to peek behind the scenes of the Great Hall and the Orchestra, to visit the costume and scenery workshops, and to learn how the Primorsky Stage’s famous productions are created.
