Interviews

From 9 to 12 October the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia will tour St Petersburg with five performances of Dmitri Shostakovich’s comic ballet The Bright Stream at the Mariinsky II. The production features leading stars of the Moscow stage. Set designer: Boris Messerer. Conductor: Pavel Sorokin. Lighting designer: Igor Deryugin.

The world premiere of The Bright Stream took place on 4 April 1935 at the Leningrad Maly Opera and Ballet Theatre, choreographed by Fyodor Lopukhov with a libretto by Lopukhov and Adrian Piotrovsky. The story of a troupe of urban artists arriving at a collective farm to perform at the harvest festival was warmly received by both audiences and critics. The ballet was soon transferred to the Bolshoi Theatre, where it was first staged in Moscow on 30 November of the same year. Among the performers were Sulamith and Asaf Messerer, Sofia Golovkina, Alexei Yermolayev and, following Lopukhov, Pyotr Gusev and Zinaida Vasilieva. Yet the production’s stage life was cut short when, on 6 February 1936, the newspaper Pravda (“Truth”) published an anonymous article harshly criticising the ballet.

The Bolshoi Theatre premiered a new production of The Bright Stream on 18 April 2003. The choreography blends a wide range of styles – from traditional pantomime to Soviet acrobatic bravura and mass-gymnastics parade. Its protagonists are not mythical beings but ordinary people, instantly relatable to every spectator. The collision between “the troupe of artists” and “the brigade of collective farmers” produces a cascade of comic situations born of simple misunderstandings. One of the ballet’s most original comic devices is its play with disguises: ballerinas dance men’s parts, while male dancers perform female roles, creating witty exercises in humor and theatrical invention.

For this staging, designer Boris Messerer chose a deliberately parodic, kitsch aesthetic. The stage overflows with colour, flowers, and sheaves of wheat, interspersed with bold slogans and posters of the Soviet era. Toy-like trains and airplanes contrast with monumental folk-art sculptures towering over the sunlit land.

Cast: 9 October – Anastasia Stashkevich, Alexei Putintsev, Elizaveta Kokoreva, Vladislav Lantratov; 10 October – Anna Nikulina, Igor Tsvirko, Kristina Kretova, Artem Ovcharenko; 11 October, 13:00 – Yaroslavna Kuprina, Egor Gerashchenko, Maria Koshkaryova, Dmitry Vyskubenko; 11 October, 19:00 – Daria Khokhlova, Denis Rodkin, Eleonora Sevenard, Vladislav Lantratov; 12 October, 12:00 – Anna Nikulina, Igor Tsvirko, Kristina Kretova, Artem Ovcharenko.

On 10 and 11 October the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will host the grand opening of the opera portion of the X International Mariinsky Far East Festival. Under the baton of Valery Gergiev the Mariinsky Orchestra will present distinguished works by this year’s composer-anniversaries: Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Gustav Mahler. The programme will also include the recent celebrated premiere by the Primorsky company – Verdi’s Il trovatore.

In the year marking the 185^th anniversary of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s birth, the festival opens on 10 October with a concert performance of his opera The Queen of Spades. A gripping tale of fate and love, its exquisite arias and ensembles, combined with profound psychological depth, have secured its place as a pinnacle of musical theatre and one of the world’s most beloved works. The principal roles will be sung by soloists of the Primorsky Stage, joined by the Primorsky Stage Chorus. Conducting will be Valery Gergiev with the Mariinsky Orchestra.

The festival continues on 11 October with a tribute to Gustav Mahler on his 165^th birthday – his music will be performed in Vladivostok for the first time by the Mariinsky ensemble under Valery Gergiev.

Another highlight on 11 October will be Il trovatore, the Primorsky Stage’s premiere from the 2024–25 season. The staging by director Vyacheslav Starodubtsev and designer Pyotr Okunev, first seen in May, was a major cultural event in Vladivostok. Its concise yet vivid visual style underscores the opera’s tragic plot and emotional intensity. Costumes and sets were produced in the Primorsky Stage’s workshops. The performance features local soloists and the Primorsky Stage Chorus, conducted by Valery Gergiev with the Mariinsky Orchestra.

As in the previous year, the International Mariinsky Far East Festival will be held in two parts. Details of the ballet programme and its dates will be announced separately.

In the new season the Mariinsky Theatre continues to honour the great Austrian composer Gustav Mahler, whose 165^th anniversary is being widely celebrated this year. At the beginning of September Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra will present works by the symphonic genius at the Moscow Concert Hall Zaryadye, while a combined symphony orchestra of the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theatres will perform under maestro Gergiev on the Historic Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre.

The first concert at Zaryadye will take place on 6 September and feature Mahler’s Fourth and Fifth symphonies, with soprano Anastasia Kalagina as soloist. On 7 September the programme will include the First and Seventh symphonies. On 9 September the Moscow audience will hear one of Mahler’s most monumental and emotionally charged works – the Second Symphony (Resurrection), with soloists Anastasia Kalagina (soprano) and Zinaida Tsarenko (mezzo-soprano). On 10 September, again with Zinaida Tsarenko, the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev will play Mahler’s Third Symphony – one of the most complex masterpieces of the Austro-German symphonic tradition.

On 8 September at the Historic Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre a combined symphony orchestra of the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theatres will be conducted by Valery Gergiev in a performance of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony. Conceived by the composer as the “symphony of symphonies”, it crowns the epic symphonic cycle that Mahler created over the course of two decades. The work requires enormous performing forces: a greatly expanded symphony orchestra, organ, two mixed choirs, a boys’ choir and a group of soloists. Its world premiere took place in Munich on 12 September 1910 and was met with triumphant acclaim.

On 11 September the Festival of Chinese Culture will open in St Petersburg at the New Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre and will continue on 15 September in Moscow at the Main Stage of the Maly Theatre.

The festival is part of the programme for the Russia–China Year of Culture and will form a highlight of the XI St Petersburg International Forum of United Cultures. Events are presented with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and ROSCONCERT. The Chinese martial arts troupe Long Yun was founded in 2006 by the world-famous actor, director, producer and martial arts master Jackie Chan, who personally selected eleven talented, creative and highly skilled young performers from among millions of kung fu practitioners across China. Eleven Warriors of the Long Yun troupe honour the essence of martial arts, expressing emotion through movement and presenting kung fu as a unique artistic discipline.

In St Petersburg and Moscow the troupe will present Eleven Warriors, a programme consisting of five acts – Weapons, Spirit, Mastery, Silence and Celebration. Born of ancient Chinese traditions, the production traces the story of kung fu from its philosophical origins to its most refined contemporary techniques. Mastering diverse forms of Chinese martial arts, the troupe reveals the depth with which kung fu is rooted in the culture of their homeland. The central idea: the purpose of combat is to defend and to overcome – but martial practice becomes art only when discipline is transformed into a structured way of learning that transcends aggression. In fact, the literal meaning of “kung fu” is not “combat” but “the pursuit of skill and perfection”.

The troupe has already appeared in hundreds of performances and featured in dozens of films. Over the past three years alone it has performed in more than sixty countries. Their original artistry and mastery have been acclaimed worldwide and recognised by leading martial arts masters.

The programme will also feature Zhang Lu (guqin), a soloist of the Jun Tian Fang Music Ensemble, which has been recognised by the Government of China as a national intangible cultural heritage organisation. Zhang Lu is a laureate of numerous competitions (including the Third Yulong Yangchun Guqin Competition) and a recipient of prestigious scholarships such as the National Scholarship. She is a member of the Guqin Professional Committee of the Chinese National Orchestra Society.

On 3 September at 14:00 at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre soloists of the opera company together with the Mariinsky Chorus and the Mariinsky Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev will dedicate a concert to the memory of the great Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin, who passed away on 29 August.

The programme will open with the first part of the Russian liturgy for a cappella choir The Sealed Angel. Shchedrin was inspired to create this work by Nikolai Leskov’s story of the same name. “There are no direct narrative links with the literary source,” the composer explained, “but Leskov’s central idea – the indestructibility of artistic beauty, the magical, elevating power of art – is something I sought to convey through the language of music. In the story Leskov often cites the opening lines of Old Believers’ chants, and I set some of those texts to music.” The concert will also include Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony.

Rodion Shchedrin and the Mariinsky Theatre were bound by many years of genuine friendship and creative collaboration. Each year the theatre presents a festival on the composer’s birthday; entire subscription series have been devoted to his artistic legacy, and Shchedrin himself was a frequent guest on all of the Mariinsky Theatre’s stages. For the opening of Mariinsky II he composed his large-scale two-act opera The Lefthander, and the same building now houses a chamber hall that bears the name of our great contemporary.

In his later years the Mariinsky Theatre truly became Shchedrin’s home. Today the theatre’s repertoire boasts an unparalleled collection of his works: the ballets The Little Humpbacked Horse, Carmen Suite and Anna Karenina; the operas Dead Souls, The Enchanted Wanderer, The Lefthander, Boyarina Morozova, A Christmas Tale, Not Love Alone and Lolita; as well as numerous symphonic works including Poetoria, The Sealed Angel and The Adventures of the Monkey.

At the heart of Shchedrin’s vivid and original output lies his own libretti, almost always rooted in Russian literary classics. More than any other composer, he succeeded in creating truly Russian music – works in which profound traditions and modernity intertwine, where familiar characters and elements of the national cultural code are given striking new life in musical form.

Throughout September the Mariinsky Theatre will honour the memory of Rodion Shchedrin with performances of his works in all their diversity: the operas Not Love Alone (5 September), Dead Souls (12 September), The Enchanted Wanderer (22 September), Boyarina Morozova (23 September), Lolita (25 September) and The Lefthander (29 September); the third part of the Trumpet Concerto (5 September); and The Sealed Angel in its entirety (28 September).

In the early hours of today, at the age of ninety-two, the great Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin passed away. The world has lost not only one of the foremost creative figures of our age, but an artist whose voice has become part of the very fabric of modern music.

Rodion Shchedrin was a phenomenon – a singular presence and an entire epoch in the history of world culture. His operas, ballets and symphonic works have for decades enjoyed triumphs on the most prestigious stages across the globe.

His legacy is beyond price: music of inexhaustible invention that continues to strike a profound chord in audiences everywhere.

This is a tragedy of immense magnitude, an irreparable loss for the world of art.

On 25 and 26 July the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre will host the premiere of a new production of Sorochintsy Fair, the final opera by Modest Musorgsky. This staging will mark the closing premiere of the Mariinsky Theatre’s 242^nd season. The production is directed and choreographed by Ilya Ustyantsev, with set design by Yekaterina Malinina, costume technology by Maria Sedykh, and lighting by Vadim Brodsky. Its musical director is Valery Gergiev.

Sorochintsy Fair was Musorgsky’s last opera, begun in 1874 and based on the short story of the same name from Nikolai Gogol’s Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka. The composer masterfully captured the poetry and humor of Gogol’s tale, bringing to life the customs and folk spirit of its vivid characters. A vibrant village fair unfolds before the audience – lively, colourful, filled with merriment and dance. Street cries, quarrels and banter mingle with authentic folk melodies, romantic arias, and duets celebrating nature’s beauty and the joy of true love.

As with Salammbô and Khovanshchina, Musorgsky left Sorochintsy Fair unfinished. While many composers attempted to complete it, the version by Vissarion Shebalin – composed and orchestrated in 1931–1932 – has proved the most enduring. This is the version presented at the Mariinsky Theatre today.

The opera was first performed in concert on 16 March 1911 in St Petersburg, with its stage premiere following two years later in Moscow at the Free Theatre. In this new Mariinsky production, director and choreographer Ilya Ustyantsev seeks to move beyond mere illustration of the original tale. As he notes, the creative team aims to explore the deeper dilemmas faced by the characters: the tension between personal gain and the preservation of one’s soul and friendships.

Every year the Music Festival Stars of the White Nights brings together the leading lights of the international opera stage – brilliant artists whose names have long become synonymous with artistry and excellence. This July, audiences can look forward to an exceptional constellation of world-renowned performers. Featured in opera productions at the Mariinsky Theatre will be Ambrogio Maestri, Albina Shagimuratova, Hibla Gerzmava, Hovhannes Ayvazyan, Olga Borodina, Vladislav Sulimsky, Mikhail Petrenko, Sergei Skorokhodov, Alexey Markov, Dmitry Korchak, Tatiana Serjan and Irina Churilova.

On 3 July the Historic Stage will present Tchaikovsky’s immortal Russian opera Eugene Onegin – his celebrated “lyrical scenes”. In this legendary production staged by Yuri Temirkanov, the principal roles will be sung by an outstanding cast: Alexey Markov, Maria Bayankina, Dmitry Korchak, Yekaterina Sergeyeva and Mikhail Kit. The performance will be conducted by Timur Zangiev.

On 8 July the Mariinsky II will host a performance of Francesco Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, a tale of love, jealousy, passion, and betrayal centred on the celebrated actress of the Comédie-Française – one of the most influential theatrical figures of the Enlightenment. The principal roles will be sung by Tatiana Serjan, Hovhannes Ayvazyan (also appearing in Verdi’s Il trovatore on 10 July), Zinaida Tsarenko, Dmitry Grigoriev and Alexander Mikhailov. Making his Mariinsky Theatre debut as Michonnet will be the acclaimed Italian baritone Ambrogio Maestri.

Audiences will have a second opportunity to hear Ambrogio Maestri on 11 July, when he makes his Mariinsky Theatre debut in the title role of Donizetti’s delightful comic opera Don Pasquale. This is a must-see event: the celebrated singer has conquered the world’s most prestigious stages not only with his formidable vocal prowess but also with his extraordinary dramatic gifts – particularly in comedic roles. Joining him on stage will be Boris Stepanov and Oleg Balashov.

On 9 July the Mariinsky II will present one of the most enigmatic works in the Russian operatic repertoire – Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. The cast will feature a stellar lineup: Olga Borodina, Vladislav Sulimsky, Irina Churilova, Dmitry Golovnin and Daria Tereshchenko.

On 12 July the audience will be treated to Wagner’s life-affirming opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, a production of rare beauty that became the centerpiece of the company’s landmark 240^th season and crowned its unique collection of Wagner operas. The performance will feature the brilliant Sergei Skorokhodov and Mikhail Petrenko (who received the Russian opera award Casta Diva for his role in this opera). Conductor is Christian Knapp.

On 16 July the festival will present Verdi’s masterpiece Otello, brought to life by a golden duo of vocal stars. The title role will be performed by Honoured Artist of the Republic of Armenia Hovhannes Ayvazyan, while the role of Desdemona will be sung by People’s Artist of Russia and Abkhazia, the incomparable Hibla Gerzmava. Leading the Mariinsky Orchestra will be maestro Valery Gergiev.

A special treat for festivalgoers will be three performances by Honoured Artist of Russia and People’s Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan Albina Shagimuratova. On 14 July the audience’s beloved soprano will appear in one of her signature roles – Lucia in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (concert performance), with Sergei Skorokhodov and Miroslav Molchanov also in the cast. On 23 and 26 July her flawless interpretation of the spellbinding aria Casta diva will grace the stage in Bellini’s Norma, the highly anticipated new production that opened the 2025 Stars of the White Nights festival.

The XXXIII Music Festival Stars of the White Nights is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The festival’s Artistic Director is Valery Gergiev.

On 26 June the awards ceremony for the II Rachmaninoff International Competition for Pianists, Composers and Conductors took place at the Petrovsky Travel Palace in Moscow.

Soloists of the Mariinsky Orchestra, Alexey Krasheninnikov (violin) and Eduard Kiprsky (piano), were among the winners in the composition category. Krasheninnikov was awarded 2^nd prize and a Silver Medal, while Kiprsky received 3^rd prize and a Bronze Medal as well as the special prize for the best piano work.

Mariinsky Theatre guest conductors Alexei Aslanov and Yuri Demidovich shared 3^rd prizes and Bronze Medals in the conducting category. The Mariinsky Orchestra was honoured with a diploma “For Outstanding Work at the Competition”.

Established in 2021 on the eve of the 150^th anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s birth, the Rachmaninoff International Competition is a prestigious platform for showcasing and discussing the achievements of today’s leading performers and composers. The competition is held in three disciplines – piano, composition and conducting – which reflect the essence of Rachmaninoff’s genius: an unparalleled piano virtuoso, an exceptional conductor and a great composer whose musical legacy continues to inspire generations.

On 4, 5 and 6 July the New Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will host one of the most anticipated premieres of the XXXIII Music Festival Stars of the White Nights – Giuseppe Verdi’s Ernani, adapted by the renowned Bulgarian bass and opera director Orlin Anastassov. The production team includes set and costume designer Denis Ivanov, choreographer Yulia Smirnova, chorus master Konstantin Rylov and principal répétiteur Yuri Kokko. The production is under the musical direction of Valery Gergiev.

The Mariinsky Theatre is rightly known as the “House of Verdi”. Its repertoire currently features fourteen operas by the composer, and Ernani will soon become the fifteenth – a brilliant addition to this unique Verdi collection.

Ernani is among Verdi’s early works. At the time the young composer – whose success after Nabucco (1842) and I Lombardi alla prima crociata (1843) was soaring – received commissions from Italy’s most prestigious theatres. For his fifth opera he chose Victor Hugo’s drama Hernani as the basis. This was Verdi’s first collaboration with librettist Francesco Maria Piave, who would go on to become one of his most trusted creative partners. From the outset the composer was deeply involved in shaping the libretto, seeking to bring the principles of dramatic theatre into opera.

Ernani premiered on 9 March 1844 at La Fenice in Venice and was met with great acclaim. Its popularity grew with each performance, and within two years the opera had conquered the stages of fourteen Italian cities and gone on to achieve international recognition. The St Petersburg premiere took place on 18 September 1846 at the Bolshoi (Stone) Theatre, presented by the Imperial Italian Opera Company. Ernani remained in the repertoire for over thirty years and was performed by both Italian and Russian artists.

Though Verdi’s later masterpieces gradually eclipsed Ernani, the opera never vanished entirely: arias and ensembles from the work continued to be performed in concert halls worldwide. In December 2024 the Mariinsky Theatre revisited the opera with a chamber version accompanied by piano. Now this emotionally charged drama returns to the stage in all its orchestral and theatrical richness – in a full-scale production by Orlin Anastassov. Much like Verdi himself, who was known to involve himself in every detail of a production – from coaching singers to advising set designers – Anastassov brings to the rehearsal process not only his directorial vision but also his deep experience as a singer, guiding performers through the material with authority and insight.

“Choosing Ernani for a Mariinsky production felt natural – there are very few Verdi operas left that the theatre hasn’t explored. I know this work intimately; I’ve sung it often and directed it before. When I proposed it to maestro Valery Gergiev, he responded immediately – the St Petersburg audience is always eager for something new and unexpected. I wanted to create something never before seen here – and I believe I’ve succeeded,” says Anastassov.

His approach to direction involves meticulous study of both the score and the libretto, reading between the lines – and between the notes. He places great emphasis on understanding the historical context, the composer’s style and the interplay between characters within musical numbers. No less important is his attentive and individual work with singers, bringing out their strengths and shaping the dramatic arc through their interpretations.

This production will make full use of the Mariinsky II’s cutting-edge technical capabilities, including a rotating stage that transforms the space before the audience’s eyes. “It will be a visually stunning production in every sense,” says Anastassov. “And extremely dynamic – with no pauses between scenes, everything unfolds continuously. Ernani may not be the most famous of Verdi’s operas, but it is a phenomenal work. I’ve approached it with enthusiasm and absolute confidence from the start – and I have no doubt the result will be magnificent.”

The premiere of Ernani takes place as part of the XXXIII Music Festival Stars of the White Nights, presented with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Artistic Director of the festival is Valery Gergiev.