Interviews

On 24 and 26 June, as part of the XXXIV Music Festival Stars of the White Nights, Chinese conductor Daye Lin will appear with the Mariinsky Orchestra at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre. Audiences will hear a vivid symphonic programme and a performance of Puccini’s Turandot.

Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra, Daye Lin is also a Distinguished Professor at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing, an Adjunct Professor at the School of Music of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and a Guest Professor at the Shanghai and Tianjin conservatories of music. In 2012 he won 1^st prize at the Sir Georg Solti International Conductors’ Competition in Frankfurt, becoming the first Chinese winner of this prestigious contest. In 2023 he was named one of Shenzhen’s Top Ten Outstanding Young People.

On 24 June Daye Lin and the Mariinsky Orchestra will present St Petersburg audiences with a magnificent musical programme. The concert will feature Respighi’s famous Roman Trilogy – a cycle of symphonic poems celebrating the Eternal City, with its rich history and inimitable atmosphere. In this trilogy, which brings together Fontane di Roma (“Fountains of Rome”), Pini di Roma (“Pines of Rome”) and Feste Romane (“Roman Festivals”), Respighi succeeded not only in encompassing different eras but also in expressing the distinctive national character of the music. The programme will also include Southern Radiance by contemporary Chinese composer Wang Danhong.

On 26 June an exquisite blend of Chinese colour and Italian tradition will unfold in Puccini’s final opera, Turandot, conducted by Daye Lin. This drama of a cruel princess, whose icy heart is ultimately melted by love, combines an ancient fairy-tale plot with the aesthetics of verismo and is rightly regarded as a masterpiece – the crowning achievement of the great composer’s creative path. The leading roles will be performed by Zhanna Dombrovskaya, Karlen Manukyan (Bolshoi Theatre of Russia), Yekaterina Goncharova, Gennady Bezzubenkov, Andrei Spekhov, Alexander Timchenko and Oleg Balashov.

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

On 29 May St Petersburg will host the ceremonial opening of the Mariinsky Theatre’s largest and most eagerly awaited festival – Stars of the White Nights. Each year the festival becomes a powerful centre of attraction for connoisseurs of music and theatre. Its programme brings together the season’s major premieres, a wealth of musical rarities, exclusive concert programmes, outstanding guest performances, and, of course, appearances by the brightest stars of the international stage. During the first month of the festival, productions will feature Ildar Abdrazakov, Albina Shagimuratova, Hibla Gerzmava, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Elena Stikhina, Sergei Skorokhodov, Alexey Markov, Mikhail Vekua, Zhenisbek Piyazov, Juan Sancho and Veronica Cangemi.

The operatic programme of the XXXIV Stars of the White Nights will open on 29 May at the New Stage with one of the most talked-about premieres of the current season – Musorgsky’s Boris Godunov. The title role will be performed by People’s Artist of Russia Ildar Abdrazakov, the celebrated bass and international star. His stage partners include Alexey Markov, Yevgeny Akimov, Yuri Vorobiev, Roman Shirokikh, Andrei Popov and Miroslav Molchanov. The performance on 31 May at 20:00 will also feature Abdrazakov. Valery Gergiev conducts. The singer will return to the Mariinsky stage on 16 June, performing another of his signature roles – Philip II in Verdi’s Don Carlo.

On 4 June the Concert Hall will present Wagner’s Tannhäuser in a production by Vyacheslav Starodubtsev created specially for this venue. The title role will be sung by Mikhail Vekua, the Mariinsky Theatre’s outstanding Wagnerian tenor.

On 5 June a superb ensemble of singers will present Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, a masterpiece of Romantic bel canto, at the New Stage. The title role will be sung by Honoured Artist of Russia Albina Shagimuratova, one of the world’s most celebrated interpreters of Lucia. Her partners on stage will include Sergei Skorokhodov and Alexey Markov.

On 15 June Mariinsky II will present one of the treasures of the world operatic repertoire – Verdi’s Otello. The role of Desdemona will be performed by People’s Artist of Russia Hibla Gerzmava, whose interpretation gives the heroine true Shakespearean depth.

On 19 June the New Stage will host Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila, a rare and exquisite jewel of French music. The performance will feature the incomparable Ekaterina Semenchuk, the renowned mezzo-soprano and an exemplary Dalila.

On 26 June Elena Stikhina will delight St Petersburg audiences with her appearance at the Historic Stage. The singer will perform Leonora in Verdi’s La forza del destino, the opera the great composer wrote specially for the city on the Neva.

A special event of the festival’s first week will be the inter-union concert Music of the Theatre, marking the 150th anniversary of the Union of Theatre Workers of Russia. On 3 June at 19:00 an entire constellation of performers will appear at the Historic Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The concert will feature Hibla Gerzmava, Olga Borodina, Tatiana Serjan, Evgenia Muravieva, Irina Churilova, Yevgeny Nikitin, Sergei Skorokhodov, Viktoria Tereshkina, Alexander Sergeev and others.

The following day, 4 June, Mariinsky II will host the first Russian performance of a production from the Alisher Navoi Bolshoi Theatre in Tashkent – Handel’s Tamerlano, staged by the acclaimed Italian director Stefano Poda. The principal roles will be performed by an international cast: Zhenisbek Piyazov (Uzbekistan), Juan Sancho (Spain) and Veronica Cangemi (Argentina). Alibek Kabdurakhmanov conducts.

The XXXIV Music Festival Stars of the White Nights takes place with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. This year the festival will run until 24 July, with events spanning all Mariinsky Theatre venues in St Petersburg. The festival’s Artistic Director is Valery Gergiev.

On 22 May the Chengdu Grand Theatre hosted the premiere of a new production of Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot, marking the centenary of the opera’s world premiere, which took place at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala in 1926.

Valery Gergiev served as the music director and conductor of the production. Jackie Chan directed the staging.

The project brought together an impressive international team. Musicians of the China National Symphony Orchestra and the Mariinsky Orchestra took part in the production, alongside performers from leading Italian musical theatres. The project united artists from different countries and cultures in a shared act of creativity, affirming the power of art beyond borders.

This evening, Valery Gergiev will return to the podium to conduct the joint international orchestra in a concert programme featuring Modest Musorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Maurice Ravel’s Boléro and La Valse, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.

The soloist will be Chinese violinist Gao Can.

The Chengdu project stands as a vivid example of cultural dialogue and international musical collaboration, bringing artists from different countries together on one stage in the name of art and mutual understanding.

On 29 May St Petersburg will welcome the ceremonial opening of the Mariinsky Theatre’s largest and most eagerly awaited annual event – the Music Festival Stars of the White Nights. It crowns the theatre season and draws connoisseurs of classical music from around the world. It offers audiences a chance to experience unforgettable performances in the heart of Russia’s cultural capital. Major premieres, rare repertoire, and appearances by leading international artists come together in the unique atmosphere of the white nights. This year the festival runs from 29 May to 24 July and spans all Mariinsky Theatre venues in St Petersburg.

The operatic programme opens on 29 May on the Mariinsky II stage with the season’s headline premiere – Boris Godunov by Modest Musorgsky. Renowned Bulgarian director Orlin Anastassov and designer Denis Ivanov have created a large-scale new production of this monumental drama. Further performances follow on 30 and 31 May at 13:00 and 19:00.

The ballet programme begins at the Historic Stage with a cornerstone of the classical repertoire – Swan Lake by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. On 29 May Maria Ilyushkina and Even Capitaine take the leading roles. On 30 May at 13:00 the festival presents a notable debut: Maria Bulanova appears as Odette–Odile for the first time, partnered by Nikita Korneyev as Siegfried. That evening at 19:00 Maria Khoreva and Timur Askerov perform the principal roles. The end of the month also features Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev (31 May at 13:00 and 19:00). In the evening performance Victoria Tereshkina and Roman Belyakov lead the cast.

The Concert Hall launches its festival programme with the Mariinsky Stradivarius Ensemble under the direction of Lorenz Nasturica-Herschcowici. The ensemble, known for performing on period string instruments, has prepared a special surprise programme. It returns on 31 May at 19:00. Earlier that day, at 13:00, the hall hosts a performance for younger audiences – Once Upon a Time There Lived Bach.

The programme will be expanded.

The XXXIV Music Festival Stars of the White Nights takes place with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Valery Gergiev serves as Artistic Director of the festival.

The XXV Moscow Easter Festival will take place from 12 April to 10 May. This anniversary season sets a new record both in scale and in duration. The festival retains its traditional strands – Symphonic, Choral and Bell-ringing programmes – as well as its core principles: charitable, educational, and outreach activities that bring together audiences across Russia. The XXV Moscow Easter Festival takes place with the support of the Moscow Government and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, and with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’.

Major venues in Moscow and across the regions will welcome internationally acclaimed artists and legendary ensembles. Their performances will mark significant anniversaries, including the 135^th anniversary of Sergei Prokofiev and the 120^th anniversary of Dmitri Shostakovich. This season also pays special tribute to the 90^th anniversary of Yuri Luzhkov, whose name remains inseparably linked to the history of the festival.

“The dedication of the Moscow Easter Festival to Yuri Luzhkov rests on deep foundations. His contribution to the support of cultural initiatives and to the shaping of Russia’s contemporary cultural environment is difficult to overestimate. It was in collaboration with Yuri Mikhailovich, and with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, that the organisational, social, and spiritual principles of the festival were established – principles that have largely defined its further development and its significant place in the cultural life of the country,” said Valery Gergiev.

On 11 April, on the eve of the festival and of Easter, the Mariinsky II stage will present Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s epic mystery The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya, conducted by Valery Gergiev. Alexei Stepanyuk’s production draws on the traditions of Russian icon painting, emphasising the prayerful character and spiritual depth of the score. The principal roles will be performed by Irina Churilova, Nikolai Gassiev, Yuri Vorobiev, Alexander Trofimov, Alexey Markov and Svetlana Karpova.

The festival will open ceremonially, as tradition dictates, on Easter Sunday. On 12 April at 20:00 a combined symphony orchestra of the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theatres will perform at the Historic Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre under Valery Gergiev. The programme includes Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Festival Overture, Stravinsky’s The Firebird suite, Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite (Ala and Lolli) and his Symphony No. 5.

As part of the Symphonic Programme, Valery Gergiev and leading musicians from Russia’s two principal theatres will travel more than twenty thousand kilometres over twenty-nine days, visiting nearly forty towns and cities. In addition to Moscow, performances will take place in Tver, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Tikhvin, St Petersburg, Cherepovets, Vologda, Kirov, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Surgut, Tyumen, Omsk, Kemerovo, Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, Ufa, Orenburg, Saratov, Astrakhan, Vladikavkaz, Rostov-on-Don, Saransk, Penza, Samara, Kazan, Almetyevsk, Naberezhnye Chelny and others. Votkinsk, the birthplace of Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and Smolensk, the birthplace of Mikhail Glinka, will host joint events of the XXV Moscow Easter Festival and the 3^rd Music Festival Genius of the Place.

On 9 May, Victory Day, a combined orchestra of the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theatres, conducted by Valery Gergiev, will give a large-scale open-air concert at Poklonnaya Hill, traditionally attended by thousands. Veterans of the Great Patriotic War, public organisations, and students of Moscow’s arts schools will be invited.

The Far East Easter Festival will take place for the third time this year as an annual extension of the Moscow Easter Festival. From 12 to 28 April the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will perform in Sakhalin, Primorsky, and Khabarovsk regions.

The Choral Programme will feature twenty-nine ensembles from across Russia, including Moscow, St Petersburg, Suzdal, Perm, Yessentuki, Ivanovo, Arkhangelsk, and from South Ossetia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and China. Performances will take place in churches, concert halls, care centres, rehabilitation facilities, and institutions supporting family welfare. For the first time the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre will also host choral performances.

Choral events will extend beyond Moscow to numerous towns and cities, including Reutov, Balashikha, Zvenigorod, Istra, Dmitrov, Yegoryevsk, Klin, Krasnogorsk, Shchyolkovo, Sergiyev Posad, Odintsovo, Zaraysk, Kolomna, Podolsk, Serpukhov, Kashira, Alexandrov, Rostov Veliky, Vladimir, Suzdal, Murom, Tver, Staritsa, Tula and Arkhangelsk.

The Bell-ringing Programme will include forty-four concerts in churches across Moscow, St Petersburg, Istra, Zvenigorod, Krasnogorsk, Rybinsk, Kaluga, Yekaterinburg and Feodosiya. More than fifty professional bell-ringers from Russia and Belarus will take part. As always, these performances remain open and accessible to all.

Over the years the Moscow Easter Festival has grown into one of the largest and most anticipated cultural events in Russia. It stands not only as a celebration of music for millions but also as a unique platform for international cultural dialogue. Thousands of performers from around the world have taken part – from globally renowned artists to emerging talents, including laureates of the International Tchaikovsky Competition.

Valery Gergiev and the Moscow Government founded the Moscow Easter Festival in 2002. In 2003 it received national project status with the support of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

On 24 and 25 April (at 12:00 and 19:00) and on 26 April at the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia’s Historic Stage, as well as on 29 and 30 April and 1 May (at 12:00 and 18:00) at Mariinsky II, the renowned Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe of China will return for a second гастроли in Russia.

The Chinese virtuoso performers, who captivated audiences in St Petersburg and Moscow in 2024 with their breathtaking feats, once again present the spectacular acrobatic drama Swan as part of their spring tour in the two capitals.

Swan traces the emergence of the unique genre of “ballet on shoulders” and the creation of the world’s first acrobatic drama inspired by Swan Lake. The story unfolds through the artistic journey of Yu Meng, encompassing triumphs and setbacks, perseverance and ultimate success. It is both a metaphorical narrative of Chinese acrobatic art and a tribute to the resilience and dedication of every performer.

The production seamlessly combines elements of drama, acrobatics, dance and Chinese shoulder ballet, creating a striking and immersive theatrical experience.

The performance has received support from the National Arts Fund of China and has won numerous prestigious awards, including honours for performance, staging and visual design. During its previous tour to Russia, Swan was warmly received by audiences and highly praised by representatives of the Chinese Embassy as “an outstanding example of the innovative fusion of Chinese and Western art”.

Founded in 1959, the Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe of China preserves and develops the rich traditions of Chinese acrobatics. By integrating contemporary dance, artistic gymnastics, theatre and other art forms, the company has established a distinctive modern performance style.

The troupe enjoys international acclaim, having received more than a hundred awards and titles both in China and abroad for its contribution to the development of contemporary acrobatic art and international cultural exchange. In recent years the company has toured extensively across Asia, Africa, Europe, North and Latin America and Oceania.

From 8 to 14 April the Mariinsky Theatre will present the tenth anniversary edition of the International Flute and Harp Music Festival Virtuosi of the Flute & Northern Lyre. The festival was conceived and created by Sofia Kiprskaya and Denis Lupachev.

Audiences in the Northern Capital of Russia can look forward to seven outstanding concerts featuring leading instrumentalists of today, masterpieces of the repertoire, original transcriptions for harp and flute, and world premieres of works written especially for the festival’s participants.

Two particularly significant events will precede the festival. On 4 April the Rachmaninoff Hall will host The Musical Future of Russia, a concert showcasing gifted students from Russian and European music institutions. On 6 April the Concert Hall will present a symphonic evening in memory of Yoko Nagae Ceschina – the Japanese harpist, patron and long-standing friend and partner of the Mariinsky Theatre. The Mariinsky Orchestra will perform under Valery Gergiev.

The festival opens on 8 April with a gala concert. In the year marking the 270^th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birth, his Concerto for Flute and Harp will symbolically launch the celebrations. The event will bring together artists from the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theatres, alongside distinguished musicians from Switzerland, Serbia, China and Syria.

On 9 April audiences will hear the harp programme Uniting Worlds. Opera and ballet soloists, the Mariinsky Chamber Choir and leading instrumentalists will take part. The evening will introduce listeners to the unique sounds of the Syrian qanun, the Chinese guzheng and both classical and Celtic harps. The concert is directed by Yuri Smekalov.

On 10 April the Stravinsky Hall will host an evening of chamber music featuring world premieres composed especially for the festival. The concert, A Tribute to Teachers, honours the memory of distinguished mentors, including Asya Varosyan, Vera Dulova, Grigory Korchmar, Sergey Slonimsky, Lidiya Gordzevich, Tatiana Tauer, Boris Tishchenko, Igor Boguslavsky, Sergey Banevich, Fyodor Stepanov and Ivan Pushechnikov.

On 11 April the Concert Hall will welcome the renowned international flautists Yu Yuan (China) and Sébastian Jacot (Switzerland).

The festival will conclude on 14 April with a gala at the Concert Hall. Soloists from Russia, Germany and China will perform with the Mariinsky Orchestra. The programme includes Quantz’ Concerto for Two Flutes, Romberg’s Lunaaeternalis, Weiner’s Romance for Cello and Harp, Vivaldi’s Piccolo Concerto, Eduard Kiprsky’s Elegiac Concertino for Harp, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto (in a transcription for flute) and Tatiana Ivanova’s Heroic Music for hurdy-gurdy.

In addition, the festival will feature a series of open masterclasses led by distinguished artists from Serbia, China, Switzerland, Germany and Russia.

To mark the anniversary, the Mariinsky Theatre offers a special themed subscription package, allowing audiences to attend concerts from Virtuosi of the Flute & Northern Lyre at reduced prices when purchasing tickets for three or more events.

On 6 and 7 March (at 12:00 and 19:00) the New Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will host performances of the mystical opera Mandragora by Tchaikovsky–Dranga, created with the assistance of artificial intelligence. The world premiere took place on 19 June 2025 at Mariinsky II as part of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, where it became one of the most widely discussed events. Now audiences will have the opportunity to experience this unique work.

The idea for the opera Mandragora arose after Pyotr Tchaikovsky became acquainted with Professor of Botany Sergey Rachinsky. A man of many talents, Rachinsky was also a mathematician and folklorist who wrote extensively on the arts, including literature and music. He authored the libretto of Mandragora. Although the complete text has not survived, a synopsis reached us through a letter Rachinsky wrote to the composer’s brother, Modest Tchaikovsky.

Mandragora became one of Tchaikovsky’s fantastical stage works that he left unfinished. “I was ready to undertake this libretto, but friends dissuaded me, insisting the opera would prove unstageable,” the composer wrote. The only completed fragment is the evocative and magical Chorus of Flowers and Insects on Ivan Kupala Night. It was first performed in Moscow on 18 December 1870 under the baton of Nikolai Rubinstein.

Today, a century and a half later, modern technology offers audiences the chance to glimpse what Mandragora might have been. Composer Peter Dranga, together with artificial intelligence, has completed Tchaikovsky’s opera. A neural network assisted in reconstructing the libretto as well as in developing the scenography and costume designs. Dranga rebuilt the opera’s structure and composed additional music and text, drawing on the surviving materials and the artistic language of Tchaikovsky and Rachinsky.

“The creation of Mandragora demanded the utmost respect for its source and a deep immersion in the style of Tchaikovsky and Rachinsky. Artificial intelligence became an important partner in this process: it helped structure the dramaturgy and refine the visual imagery and stage design. When technology makes it possible to hear the voice of an era, it is not magic – it is true art,” noted Peter Dranga.

The production is directed by Ilya Ustyantsev, with choreography by Dmitry Pimonov. The chorus master is Konstantin Rylov; the répétiteur in charge is Yevgenia Isupova.

From 3 to 12 March the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will embark on major spring tour in St Petersburg. Audiences in the Northern Capital of Russia will see exclusive productions by the Vladivostok company: Tchaikovsky’s fairytale The Nutcracker, Adam’s romantic Le Corsaire and the troupe’s calling card – Amirov’s One Thousand and One Nights. As part of the tour, the Primorsky Stage will also present in St Petersburg for the first time this season’s ballet premiere – La Fille mal gardée set to music by Louis Hérold. In total, twelve performances will take place on the Mariinsky Theatre’s Historic and New stages.

The programme opens with Fikret Amirov’s One Thousand and One Nights, one of the Primorsky Stage productions especially beloved by St Petersburg audiences. This enchanting dance vision of the world of Arabian tales, created by People’s Artist of Russia Eldar Aliev, forms part of the “Golden Fund of Russia’s Theatrical Productions”. It is the work the company most frequently performs on tour. One Thousand and One Nights has enjoyed repeated success in Russia, China, Oman, Qatar and Belarus. Performances will take place on 3, 4 and 9 March (at 14:00 and 19:00). Leading roles will be danced by Lada Sartakova, Irina Sapozhnikova, Razmik Marukyan, Sergei Borovykh, Anna Samostrelova, Liliya Berezhnova, Sergei Umanetc and Erlan Suyunbek. The performances will be conducted by Vitaly Shevelev.

On 5, 6 and 8 March (at 14:00 and 19:00) the Historic Stage will host Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. This fairy-tale production, staged exclusively by Artistic Director of Ballet of the Primorsky Stage, Eldar Aliev, has been performed with success in Vladivostok and on tour for more than ten years, consistently drawing enthusiastic acclaim. The principal roles will be danced by Sergei Umanetc, Anastasia Kaplina, Lada Sartakova, Denis Klepikov, Mikhail Shulaev, Alisa Pestova, Irina Sapozhnikova, Alexei Golubov, Maria Popova, Lilia Berezhnova and Sergei Amanbaev. The performances will be conducted by Dušan Vilić.

On 7 March at 14:00 and 19:00, audiences will see the thrilling sea adventure ballet Le Corsaire by Adam in a new interpretation. Eldar Aliev’s version, first staged in Indianapolis and brought to Vladivostok in April 2015, is an authorial edition incorporating fragments of choreography by Marius Petipa. Its defining feature is the deliberate rejection of pantomime in favour of continuous dance action, lending the production heightened dynamism. The principal roles will be performed by Anna Samostrelova, Lilia Berezhnova, Razmik Marukyan, Sergei Amanbaev, Irina Sapozhnikova, Lada Sartakova, Shizuru Kato and Denis Klepikov. Vitaly Shevelev will take the conductor’s stand.

The most intriguing highlight of the tour will be performances of La Fille mal gardée set to music by Louis-Joseph-Ferdinand Hérold. This production, staged by People’s Artist of the USSR Oleg Vinogradov with designs by People’s Artist of Russia Vyacheslav Okunev, premiered at the Primorsky Stage in October last year. One of the oldest ballet comedies, it immediately won audiences’ hearts with its charming characters, light-hearted plot, witty pantomime and elegant choreography. The principal roles on 11 and 12 March will be performed by Lada Sartakova, Denis Klepikov, Irina Sapozhnikova and Shizuru Kato. Vitaly Shevelev will take the conductor’s stand.

On 26 and 27 February Mariinsky-2 will present the first ballet premiere of the season – Round Dances to music by Rodion Shchedrin. Choreography, sets and costumes are created by Honoured Art Worker of Russia Vyacheslav Samodurov, whose Dance Scenes became one of the most talked-about ballet events of the last season. The upcoming premiere continues the Maya and Rodion Festival and is dedicated to the composer’s memory. The evening will also feature the legendary Carmen Suite by Bizet–Shchedrin. Valery Gergiev conducts the premiere performances.

From 20 November to 16 December last year the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theatres hosted the Grand Tribute Festival Maya and Rodion, dedicated to the memory of the outstanding composer and the legendary ballerina, whose contribution to Russian and world culture is immeasurable. For the Mariinsky the project held special significance: Rodion Shchedrin and Maya Plisetskaya shared decades of close friendship and fruitful artistic collaboration with the theatre.

Today the Mariinsky’s repertoire includes a unique collection of Shchedrin’s works: all of his operas have been staged, three of his ballets are represented, and his choral, symphonic and chamber compositions – many of which were premiered here – are regularly performed. The ballet based on Round Dances – Shchedrin’s Fourth Concerto for Orchestra – will receive its first staging at the theatre. In addition to the classical instruments of the symphony orchestra, the score calls for recorder, Russian wooden spoons, sleigh bells of a Russian troika, and prominent solos for piccolo clarinet and piccolo trumpet.