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The Mariinsky Theatre is set to unveil a fascinating rarity – scenes from Modest Musorgsky’s unfinished opera Salammbô. This early work, a captivating glimpse into the composer’s burgeoning genius, receives its premiere on the Mariinsky Theatre’s New Stage on 22 and 23 February (at 13:00 and 19:00).

Musorgsky embarked on Salammbô at the tender age of twenty-four, right at the start of his professional journey. Composed between 1863 and 1866, it offers a compelling insight into his lifelong preoccupation with themes of national identity and his extraordinary ability to weave a grand historical narrative through the personal struggles of individuals.

The opera draws its inspiration from Gustave Flaubert’s eponymous novel, which chronicles the conflict between Carthage and its rebellious mercenary army. Musorgsky adapted and expanded upon Flaubert’s plot, envisioning a four-act opera. However, the work’s path was fraught with challenges from the outset. Lacking support from his fellow composers in the Mighty Handful, Musorgsky eventually abandoned the project, leaving behind a tantalising collection of incomplete musical fragments.

The resurrection of this operatic rarity is largely due to the Mariinsky Theatre’s commitment to championing lesser-known works. In 1989 the theatre commissioned the renowned St Petersburg composer Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn to create a performing edition of the opera. This edition incorporates numbers orchestrated by Musorgsky himself, along with orchestrations by Rimsky-Korsakov and Vissarion Shebalin. In 1991 the edition was expanded to include several related works by Musorgsky, and the Mariinsky Theatre presented this version later that year at the atmospheric setting of the ancient Roman amphitheatre in Mérida, Spain.

Now, in 2025, scenes from Salammbô will be presented at the Mariinsky Theatre in a new production by stage director Sergei Novikov, with evocative designs by Rostislav Protasov. This production was recently acclaimed at the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, where it received two successful performances in late 2024.

“This was a fascinating challenge for me as a director,” says Novikov. “We had to weave together these disparate musical fragments to create a coherent narrative. To achieve this, we introduced a narrator, Hamilcar, the ruler of Carthage and father of Salammbô. This role is performed by the esteemed actor Vladimir Steklov, People’s Artist of Russia. We also added a duet for Salammbô and her spiritual mentor, Shahabarim, drawing on musical sketches that Musorgsky later developed into the duet for Marina Mnisheck and Rangoni in Boris Godunov.”

Novikov’s production reveals a lesser-known facet of Musorgsky’s genius – his capacity for profound lyricism. The opera poignantly captures the emotional turmoil of a young woman torn between love and duty.

The production interweaves historical and battle scenes with captivating mythological narratives, including the theft of sacred fish and the legend of the Zaïmph, the sacred veil of the goddess Tanit, believed to protect Carthage from harm. Protasov’s designs reflect the interplay between the earthly and the celestial through striking colour contrasts, shimmering gold accents in the costumes and sets, flowing fabrics and opulent brocades.

On 9 February, the birthday of Honoured Artist of Russia Vladimir Shklyarov, the Mariinsky Theatre will host an evening dedicated to the memory of the brilliant danseur noble on its Historic Stage. Stars of both the Mariinsky and Bolshoi ballets will participate in this special event. Arseny Shuplyakov will conduct the Mariinsky Orchestra.

For the many admirers of this exceptional artist who are unable to attend in person, the Mariinsky Theatre will live stream The Magic of Vladimir Shklyarov on its official VKontakte community and the Mariinsky.tv website.

The programme includes:
Act III of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Sleeping Beauty. Choreography by Marius Petipa (reconstruction of the 1890 production), staged by Sergei Vikharev. Principal roles will be danced by Renata Shakirova and Philipp Stepin.
Gala programme featuring soloists from the Mariinsky and Bolshoi ballets. The programme includes choreographic masterpieces from across the years, reflecting the magic of Vladimir Shklyarov’s transformations – roles in which he shone as a soloist. Close colleagues from different generations will pose questions to Vladimir about his craft, his roles, and, of course, about happiness, and the audience will see video responses from their beloved danseur noble.
Kingdom of the Shades scene from Ludwig Minkus’ ballet La Bayadère. Choreography by Marius Petipa (1877) in the version by Vladimir Ponomarev and Vakhtang Chabukiani (1941). Principal roles will be performed by Viktoria Tereshkina and Kimin Kim.

The concept for the evening was conceived by Yuri Smekalov, with video projections by Andrey Sevbo.

The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre is set to embark on an extensive tour, taking its acclaimed production of Fikret Amirov’s ballet A Thousand and One Nights to Muscat, Oman, and then returning to its roots in St Petersburg.

On 6 and 7 February the Primorsky Stage Ballet Company will make its debut in Muscat, presenting A Thousand and One Nights at the Royal Opera House. This production recently gained national recognition, ranking among the top three hundred performances in the prestigious Golden Fund of Theatre Productions of Russia competition.

Leading soloists from the Primorsky Stage, including Anna Samostrelova, Irina Sapozhnikova, Lilia Berezhnova, Viktor Mulygin, Sergei Umanetc, Lada Sartakova, Shizuru Kato, Saki Nishida, Yuri Zinnurov, Sergei Amanbaev, Denis Klepikov, Alexandra Shalimova, Georgy Stelmakh and Daria Tikhonova, will dance the principal roles. The performances will also feature the Primorsky Stage Chorus and opera soloists Samira Galimova and Anastasia Kikot. Eyyub Kuliev will conduct the Mariinsky Orchestra.

This original production by the Primorsky Company premiered in the Middle East in December 2023 – in Doha, Qatar, where it was met with resounding success. A Thousand and One Nights has consistently garnered warm receptions from audiences at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre and Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts.

Following the performances in Muscat, the Primorsky Stage Ballet Company will continue its tour with a series of performances in St Petersburg. The company will grace the Historic Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre from 18 to 28 February.
The tour opens with Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, staged by People’s Artist of Russia Eldar Aliev. Performances will take place on 18, 19, 22 (at 2 pm and 7 pm) and 23 (at 2 pm and 7 pm) February. Audiences can also look forward to Adam’s Giselle (20 and 21 February) and Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty (25 and 26 February). The programme concludes with the exclusive one-act ballets Phaedra and The Firebird (27 and 28 February).

The Mariinsky Theatre is set to unveil a spectacular new production of Verdi’s operatic masterpiece, Aida, in February. This grand staging, helmed by the renowned Italian director Giancarlo del Monaco, will grace the Mariinsky-2 stage, with premiere performances scheduled for 7, 8 (at 13:00 and 19:00), 9 (at 13:00 and 19:00), 10 and 11 February.

Commissioned by the Khedive of Egypt to celebrate the opening of the Cairo Opera House and the completion of the Suez Canal, Aida premiered in Cairo in 1871, a year later than planned, as Verdi was unable to finish the opera in time for the canal’s inauguration. However, fate smiled upon Aida, and it quickly captivated audiences worldwide, becoming a mainstay of the operatic repertoire.

The Russian premiere took place at the Bolshoi (Kamenny) Theatre in St Petersburg in 1875, performed by the Imperial Italian Opera Company. Just two years later, in 1877, the Imperial Russian Opera Company presented the work at the Mariinsky Theatre in a Russian translation by Grigory Lishin. Aida continued to grace the Mariinsky (then known as the Kirov Theatre) throughout the Soviet era, and the history of modern productions began in 1998 with a staging by Alexei Stepanyuk, which remains in the theatre’s repertoire today. In 2011 the renowned Swiss theatre and circus director Daniele Finzi Pasca presented his own interpretation of Aida at the Concert Hall.

This latest production, eagerly anticipated by audiences, is the result of a collaboration between an international team led by the celebrated Italian director Giancarlo del Monaco. Set designer Antonio Romero and costume designer Gabriela Salaverri have created a visually stunning world for the opera, while choreographer Emil Faski brings dynamic movement to the stage.

Del Monaco’s production promises to be a spectacle of grand scale and innovative technical elements. The Mariinsky-2 offers the possibility of swift changes in visual perspective, with sections of the stage rising and falling to create dramatic effects. The production, which features hundreds of artists, including soloists, a large chorus and numerous extras, boasts nearly 400 costumes.

The director’s vision draws inspiration from architecture, reflecting the belief that the ideas and aspirations of different historical periods find expression in the buildings they create. The new production incorporates historically accurate set elements: fragments of ancient Egyptian structures – temples and monuments – constructed from materials reminiscent of basalt and volcanic lava, alongside imposing ten-metre-high columns and statues. These visual and technical features complement Verdi’s majestic and unforgettable music, a jewel of the Italian operatic tradition. However, del Monaco keeps the focus on the characters’ personal dramas and the complex interplay of their relationships.

“Aida is a late, mature masterpiece by Verdi,” del Monaco notes. “I have seen productions of this opera in both modern and classical styles, often with historical inaccuracies. There are also productions where everything is built around the anticipation of the Triumphal March. But I perceive Aida as a very personal, even intimate opera, similar to Don Carlo. Everything here is personal drama. Aida is perhaps one of Verdi’s most intimate operas, so it is essential to bring to the stage the personal drama that unfolds against the backdrop of political events.”

The production also reflects the religious history of ancient Egypt, where many animals were revered as sacred creatures. The Aida team has engaged an unusual “performer” not seen in any other current production at the Mariinsky Theatre.

On 9 February, the birthday of Honoured Artist of Russia Vladimir Shklyarov, the Mariinsky Theatre will host an evening dedicated to the memory of the brilliant danseur noble on its Historic Stage. The beloved artist, who tragically passed away in November last year, would have turned forty on this day.

The commemorative evening, titled The Magic of Vladimir Shklyarov, will feature stars of both the Mariinsky and Bolshoi ballets. Arseny Shuplyakov will conduct the Mariinsky Orchestra.
The evening will commence with Act III of Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty, a rarely performed reconstruction of the opulent 1890 production, choreographed by Marius Petipa and revived by Sergei Vikharev. The principal roles will be danced by Renata Shakirova and Philipp Stepin, with Maria Shirinkina as Princess Florine and Yevgeny Konovalov as the Bluebird.

The second part of the programme will feature a gala performance with soloists from the Bolshoi Ballet – Svetlana Zakharova, Artemy Belyakov, Igor Tsvirko and Vladislav Lantratov – and the Mariinsky Ballet: Maria Shirinkina, Ekaterina Kondaurova, Konstantin Zverev and Maxim Ismestyev. The programme includes masterpieces from the treasury of ballet, showcasing roles in which Vladimir Shklyarov shone as both a soloist and an attentive partner. His artistic range was truly boundless, encompassing everything from fairytale princes to spirited rogues – this versatility will be celebrated in the second half of the evening. Dancer and choreographer Vladimir Varnava, with whom Shklyarov collaborated extensively, will also perform. In addition to the gala programme, the second part will include excerpts from video recordings featuring Vladimir Shklyarov.

The evening will conclude with the majestic and mesmerising Kingdom of the Shades scene from Minkus’ La Bayadère, with Viktoria Tereshkina and Kimin Kim in the principal roles.
Furthermore, a commemorative photographic exhibition will open at the White Foyer of the Mariinsky Theatre’s Historic Stage on this day. The exhibition will showcase a kaleidoscope of the numerous characters created by Vladimir Shklyarov over two decades of his vibrant stage career.

The Mariinsky Theatre is currently on a captivating tour of the Middle East, running from 18 to 27 January. Opera soloists, the Chorus, and the Orchestra, led by the renowned Valery Gergiev, will grace the stages of the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman and the National Theatre of Bahrain in Manama. Audiences can look forward to Verdi's opera Simon Boccanegra, alongside arias and symphonic excerpts from operas and ballets by some of the greatest Russian and European composers.

The tour began on 18 January with an intimate concert by Mariinsky soloists at the Royal Opera House Muscat. They performed a selection of arias from Simon Boccanegra, giving audiences a taste of the dramatic intensity to come. The concert featured Gleb Peryazev, Angelika Minasyan, Alexander Mikhailov, and Vladislav Kupriyanov, with Grigory Yakerson on piano.

On 23 and 25 January, the company will present Simon Boccanegra at the Royal Opera House Muscat under Maestro Gergiev's expert direction. Two performances are scheduled, each with a stellar cast. Vladislav Sulimsky takes on the title role, joined by the distinguished Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto, Tatiana Serjan, and Gleb Peryazev. Audiences can enjoy two different tenors as Gabriele Adorno: Sergei Skorokhodov on the 23 and Alexander Mikhailov on the 25. The role of Paolo Albiani will be sung by Roman Burdenko on the 23 and Vladislav Kupriyanov on the 25.

This production, originally created in 2014 by director Andrea De Rosa and costume designer Alessandro Lai, was brought to the Mariinsky from La Fenice in Venice. It was on this historic stage that Simon Boccanegra first premiered in 1857. This work, by a mature Verdi who had already produced many of his greatest operas, showcases his genius as a musical dramatist. It explores profound inner conflicts and celebrates the human capacity for repentance and forgiveness.

On 24 January, a gala concert will take place at the Royal Opera House Muscat, featuring a dazzling array of symphonic excerpts and arias from the international opera repertoire. The programme includes favourites from Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Rossini, Cilea, Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, and Wagner. Maestro Valery Gergiev will conduct this musical feast.

The Middle Eastern tour concludes on 27 January with a concert at the National Theatre of Bahrain in Manama. The programme features arias from Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tsar's Bride, Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades, Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, and Puccini's Tosca. The concert also includes orchestral showpieces: Glinka's Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila, Three Wonders from Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, and his symphonic suite Capriccio espagnol>, excerpts from Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker, Mussorgsky's Dawn on the Moskva River (prelude to the opera Khovanshchina), and excerpts from Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird.

Philipp Stepin was born in Leningrad into a ballet family. In 2005 he graduated with honours from the Vaganova Ballet Academy (class of Boris Bregvadze) and joined the Mariinsky Ballet. He was promoted to Soloist in 2009.

Throughout his career at the Mariinsky Theatre Philipp has performed a wide range of classical roles, including Basilio in Don Quixote, Siegfried in Swan Lake, Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty and many others. He is equally compelling in contemporary works. Both audiences and critics alike praise Philipp for his artistry, attentive partnering and consistently elegant dancing. His captivating stage presence contributes significantly to the success of every performance in which he appears.

Congratulations to Philipp! We wish him continued creative success, joy and well-being.

On 19, 22 and 29 December the Mariinsky Theatre will present the first premiere of its 242^nd season – a new production of Richard Wagner’s enchanting opera Tristan und Isolde. Directors Konstantin Balakin and Alexei Stepanyuk, together with designer Elena Vershinina, will bring this ode to all-consuming love to life on the stage of the Concert Hall.

The world premiere of Tristan und Isoldetook place almost 160 years ago, on 10 June 1865, at Munich’s Royal Court Theatre (now the Bayerische Staatsoper), conducted by Hans von Bülow. The opera was received with great enthusiasm, with the first performances achieving triumphant success.

Despite its acclaimed premiere and subsequent international renown, this work’s stage history is not replete with productions. This is primarily due to the complexity of the score and the significant demands placed on the performers, which few opera companies can meet. The Mariinsky Theatre, with its constellation of Wagnerian singers, its truly Wagnerian orchestra and its unique repertoire, is the only theatre in Russia with a history of staging Tristan und Isolde.

The opera was first performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1898 by a German company, but on 5 April 1899 the theatre’s own production premiered (in Russian, translated by Vsevolod Cheshikhin and edited by Ivan Ershov). Ten years later, in 1909, audiences witnessed Vsevolod Meyerhold’s directorial vision, with set design by Alexander Shervashidze (in Russian, translated by Viktor Kolomiytsov). The production received mixed reviews but had a significant impact on Meyerhold’s development as a director. With the outbreak of the First World War, all German operas disappeared from the theatre’s repertoire. Tristan und Isolde did not reappear on the playbills during the Soviet era.

The opera’s next staging came only in the new millennium, in 2005, directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov, with set design by Zinovy Margolin, Irina Tsvetkova and Gleb Filshtinsky. Valery Gergiev conducted. The production ran on the Mariinsky Theatre’s Historic Stage until 2010 and was transferred to Mariinsky II in 2015.

Konstantin Balakin and Alexei Stepanyuk’s production offers a fresh perspective on this renowned tale of love and death. In the Concert Hall, where the stage, reminiscent of an ancient amphitheatre, is situated below the stalls, no detail will escape the attentive gaze of the audience. Profound emotions and subtle, barely perceptible nuances will unfold before the audience with utmost clarity.

“Love here is presented as a myth, as an element and as a space,” Konstantin Balakin emphasises. “It is dark, but this darkness has a certain solemnity, a ritualistic quality. Wagner literally hypnotises a listener: from the first to the last sound we are immersed in an infinitely extended melody; it is mesmerising, leading us somewhere, carrying us away, we simultaneously soar and plunge into the abyss. The composer overlays his personal, rather painful experiences onto a medieval legend that is not actually tied to any particular era but continues to resonate today. Wagner said that he wanted to give the art of the future new paths, and in Tristan und Isolde he succeeded in doing this like nowhere else: symbolism, modernism and even postmodernism find expression in this opera.”

Wagner wrote the libretto for Tristan und Isolde himself, drawing inspiration from the medieval Celtic legend recounted in Gottfried von Strassburg’s epic poem. The composer significantly condensed the plot, the number of scenes, and the characters. He placed the focus on two lovers who are destined to reveal their feelings for each other only on the threshold of death.

“Young people today are pragmatic,” notes Alexei Stepanyuk. “They meet online, they marry online. Tristan und Isolde is an island of intoxicating, exalted love, where every phrase is charged with the powerful energy of passion. This production should remind us that beyond the material, there is something more – feelings and emotions. They can be so all-consuming that the concepts of ‘love’ and ‘death’ become synonymous. And death is not to be feared.”

The production design, conceived by the directors, will incorporate themes that allude to Arnold Böcklin’s iconic symbolist painting Isle of the Dead, a work contemporary to Wagner. A century ago a reproduction of this painting could be found in almost every drawing-room, not only in Germany and Austria but also in Russia. Motifs from the painting, which ushered in a new, symbolist era in painting, will serve as a visual reflection of the opera’s central idea – the ultimate collision of love and death, the mystery that the composer termed Liebestod.

On 10 and 11 December the Mariinsky Theatre will present two performances of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades in Yuri Temirkanov’s legendary production on the Historic Stage. This marks the return of the production to the theatre after an absence of almost ten years, coinciding with the 86^th birthday of the eminent conductor and director.

The world premiere of The Queen of Spades took place at the Mariinsky Theatre on 7 December 1890, conducted by Eduard Nápravník. It was a resounding triumph for Tchaikovsky, with the enthusiastic audience calling him back for countless curtain calls. Gennady Kondratiev directed the first production, followed by stagings by Alexandre Benois (1921), Nikolai Smolich (1935) and Nikolai Gladkovsky (1946). Exactly forty years ago, on 25 December 1984, Yuri Temirkanov’s production was unveiled at the Kirov (Mariinsky) Theatre – a production destined to become a benchmark interpretation.

Temirkanov’s The Queen of Spades has garnered international acclaim, establishing itself as a definitive example of classic opera direction and a long-standing favourite in the Mariinsky Theatre’s repertoire. This production has showcased a host of exceptional artists and has been cherished by generations of theatregoers for its meticulous staging, faithful to the composer’s intentions and the spirit of the era. Together with designer Igor Ivanov, Yuri Temirkanov recreated the defining characteristics of 18^th-century St Petersburg with remarkable accuracy: the delicate latticework of the Summer Garden, the Winter Canal, the interiors of the gambling house and the masked ball – all the details and costumes meticulously reflect their historical counterparts. The production was last seen in St Petersburg in 2015, marking its 109^th performance.

In that same year, 2015, The Queen of Spades was taken to the Far East in a major artistic initiative. Valery Gergiev and leading soloists of the Mariinsky Theatre introduced Vladivostok audiences to this celebrated production, which subsequently entered the repertoire of the Primorsky Stage. Now Yuri Temirkanov’s definitive production returns to St Petersburg. It is also worth noting that another of Temirkanov’s landmark productions, Eugene Onegin, graces the Mariinsky Theatre’s December schedule with a performance on 19 December.

It is with profound sadness that the Mariinsky Theatre announces the untimely passing of principal dancer Vladimir Shklyarov. Mr Shklyarov, a beloved artist and audience favourite, died tragically on 16 November. His loss is deeply felt by the entire Mariinsky family and the wider ballet world.

Mr Shklyarov graced the Mariinsky stage for over two decades, joining the company in 2003 upon graduating from the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. He was promoted to principal dancer in 2011, captivating audiences with his expressive artistry and technical brilliance. His exceptional talent was recognised with numerous awards, culminating in the prestigious title of Honoured Artist of Russia in 2020.

Renowned for his versatility and captivating stage presence, Mr Shklyarov excelled in a vast repertoire encompassing both classical and contemporary works. He was equally compelling as the noble Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty and the rebellious youth in MacMillan's Manon. His performances were characterised by an impeccable technique, dramatic intensity, and an innate musicality that made him a true artist of the stage.

A memorial service will be held on 21 November at 11:30 am in the White Foyer of the Mariinsky Theatre (historic stage). Further details will be announced in due course.
The church funeral service will be held at 2:00pm in St Nicholas Naval Cathedral (Nikolskaya Square, 1/3).
The burial ceremony will take place at 4:00pm at the Smolensk Orthodox Cemetery (Kamskaya Street, 26).