The Chaliapin Festival will begin with the premiere of the opera “The Tsar's Bride” in Kazan,

The festival poster includes 10 performances and 2 gala concerts, as well as lectures on various aspects of the musical theater and the “School of Opera Spectator”.

(KZN.RU, January 31). From 1 to 23 of February, the XXXVII International Opera Festival will take place in Kazan on the stage of the Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theater named after M. Jalil. The forum is dedicated to the 145th anniversary of the Kazan Opera and the 80th anniversary of the Tatar Opera Theater. The poster of the Chaliapin Festival includes 10 performances and 2 gala concerts, as well as a block of side events.

The program of the forum will be opened by the premiere of the Tsar's Bride opera by N. Rimsky-Korsakov (February 1 and 2). The new production of the director Mikhail Panjavidze is designed in a classical manner, the set design was created by the artist Harry Hummel (Germany), Nina Gurlo (Belarus) worked on the costumes.

The main parts will be performed by: Mikhail Kazakov (the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, the Opera and Ballet Theater of M. Jalil), Mikhail Svetlov (USA), Ekaterina Sergeeva (the Mariinsky Theater), Sergey Semishkur (the Mariinsky Theater), Stanislav Trifonov (the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus), Gulnora Gatina (the Opera and Ballet Theater of M. Jalil), Venera Protasova (the Opera and Ballet Theater of M. Jalil), Bogdan Volkov (the “Novaya Opera”, Moscow), Maksim Ostroukhov (the “Novaya Opera”, Moscow), Elena Vitman (the Mariinsky Theater) and etc. The performance is occupied by artists of the choir (choirmaster is Lyubov Draznina), a mimic ensemble, ballet, orchestra of the theater. The conductor is Arif Dadashov (Moscow). The beginning is at 6 pm.

A block of operas representing masterpieces of Russian classics will continue with the performances of “Eugene Onegin” (February 5) and “The Queen of Spades” (February 8) by P. Tchaikovsky. The main parts will be performed by soloists of the Bolshoi Theater Igor Golovatenko (Onegin), Anna Nechaeva (Tatiana Larina), Tatiana Erastova (the Countess), Oleg Dolgov (German), and Maria Lobanova (Lisa).

On February 13, the birthday of F. Chaliapin, M. Mussorgsky’s opera “Boris Godunov” will be performed by Mikhail Kazakov (Boris), soloists of the “New Opera” Vladimir Kudashev (Pimen) and Artem Golubev (Impostor Gregory Otrepev), Ekaterina Egorova, a soloist of the Mikhailovsky Theater (Marina Mnishek), and others.

The program will include performances of foreign composers: “Madame Butterfly” (February 4) and “Turandot” (February 11) by G. Puccini, “Aida” (February 15), “Nabucco” (February 18) and “La Traviata” (February 20) by G. Verdi. Gulnor Gatinu, a soloist of the Opera and Ballet Theater of M. Jalil, will play the part of the geisha Chio-Chio-san in “Madame Butterfly”. Khachatur Badalyan, the soloist of the “New Opera”, debuts as Pinkerton. Zoya Tsererina, a soloist of the Opera and Ballet Theater of M. Jalil, Prince Calaf in the title part of the opera “Turandot” will be played by Ahmed Agadi, a soloist of the Mariinsky Theater. The main parts in the opera “Aida” will be performed by soloists of the Moscow Musical Theater named after K. Stanislavsky and V. Nemirovich-Danchenko Ksenia Dudnikova (Amneris), Nikolai Erokhin (Radames) and Maria Pakhar (Aida). The performance of the German singer Boris Statsenko (Nebuchadnezzar) and Victoria Yarovaya, a soloist of the “Novaya Opera” (Fenen), are expected in “Nabucco”. In the main part of the “La Traviata”, viewers will hear Svetlana Moskalenko (Mikhailovsky Theater). Renat Salavatov (the Opera and Ballet Theater of M. Jalil), Marco Boemi (Italy), Stefano Romani (Italy), Vasily Valitov (Moscow), Arif Dadashev (Moscow) will perform at the conductor's stand.

The festival program will be completed with two gala concerts with the participation of invited stars. For the first time, Yulia Lezhneva, a singer performing at the largest European and world venues, will come to Kazan.

During the festival, two parallel programs are planned: a set of lectures on various aspects of musical theater and the educational “School of Opera Spectator”.

On February 6 at 6 pm, a meeting devoted to the 145th anniversary of the Kazan Opera and the 80th anniversary of the Tatar Opera Theater will take place in the House of Actor named after M. Salimzhanov.

On February 9 at 5 pm, the creative laboratory “Ugol” will discuss contemporary opera art. Videos of works created in recent years will be shown: operas “Dreams of Jacob, or Scary Place” by A. Manotskov (nominee performance of the National Theater Prize of Russia “Golden Mask”-2018) and “Kollontai” by E. Nizamov. The discussion of contemporary opera trends with the composer Elmir Nizamov will take place as well.

On February 12, music journalist Nikolai Rybinsky (Moscow) will tell about the greatest singer of the XX century in the House of the Actor. The beginning is at 6 pm.

On February 14 at 6 pm, there will be a lecture entitled “Opera Houses and Festivals of Europe”, which will be read by Alexander Laskowski, the correspondent of the “Opera Magazine” (London).

The entrance to all lectures is free; preliminary registration is required for the meeting on February 9 on the website kazanopera.timepad.ru.

For the first time within the framework of the festival, a two-week project will be organized on learning the opera art for interested spectators “School of Opera Spectator”. Participants will attend private rehearsals of the Chaliapin Festival performances, meet with the festival participants, and get acquainted with modern opera compositions, reports the press service of the festival.