Daniil Trifonov to premiere his Piano Concerto № 1 in Russia at the opening of the XXV Stars of the White Nights music festival

May 26 will see the opening of the XXV anniversary Stars of the White Nights music festival at three venues of the Mariinsky Theatre. The festival will run until July 23 and will feature more than 190 performances and concerts starring world-famous performers.

Daniil Trifonov, one of the most eminent pianists of his generation, the winner of the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition, is set to perform at the opening of the festival at the Mariinsky II (20.00). Trifonov will be joined by the Mariinsky Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev. The pianist will present the Russian premiere of his Piano Concerto in E flat minor.

That same day, the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre (18.00) will host the performance of Rodion Shchedrin’s Boyarina Morozova, a Russian choral opera in two parts for four soloists, mixed chorus, trumpet, kettledrums and percussion (concert performance). The main parts will be performed by Yekaterina Sergeyeva (Boyarina Morozova), Violetta Lukyanenko (Princess Urusova), Stanislav Leontiev (Protopope Avvakum), and Yuri Vlasov (Czar Alexei Mikhailovich). The performance will be conducted by Andrei Petrenko.

The Mariinsky Theatre stage (19.30) will present a performance of Boris Asafiev's ballet The Fountain of Bakhchisarai, staged by Rostislav Zakharov and starring Anastasia Kolegova (Maria), Alexander Sergeyev (Vaslav), Danila Korsuntsev (Ghirei), and Daria Pavlenko (Zarema). The performances are also scheduled to take place on May 27 and May 28.

Daniil Trifonov is also expected to perform solo at the XXV Stars of the White Nights festival. On May 27, Trifonov will perform five preludes and fugues from 24 Preludes and Fugues by Dmitri Shostakovich, three fragments from Igor Stravinsky’s ballet Pétrouchka, Toccata in C major and the piano pieces Kinderszenen and Kreisleriana by Robert Schumann at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre (20.00).

Sergei Babayan, a recognised virtuoso pianist and Daniil Trifonov’s mentor, is scheduled to perform at the festival on June 3. Babayan’s mono programme Mozart includes the composer’s Piano Concerto No. 25, Symphony No. 35 ("Haffner"), and Symphony No. 38 (“Prague”). The Mariinsky Orchestra will perform under the baton of Christian Knapp (Concert Hall, 16.00).