On 5 November within the grandeur of Zhuhai's opera theatre, the Mariinsky Theatre's majestic Chinese tour culminated with the final performance of Swan Lake. Almost a month since 10 October, the ballet troupe graced four Chinese cities with seventeen spellbinding performances.
Residents of Beijing, Nanjing, Taiyuan, and Zhuhai were enchanted by the golden treasures of global ballet heritage, experiencing Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Minkus's Don Quixote. Leading roles were embodied by the Mariinsky Ballet’s principal artists Vladimir Shklyarov, Timur Askerov, Nadezhda Batoeva, Oxana Skorik, Renata Shakirova, Konstantin Zverev, Philipp Stepin, Maria Khoreva, and Nikita Korneev, with Arseny Shuplyakov conducting.
"These Chinese tours have been long-awaited by the troupe. We haven't set foot in the Celestial Empire since 2019. Much has changed during this time; cities have flourished, but most importantly, ballet enthusiasts in China have grown in number and ardour! This tour has added the previously unvisited Taiyuan, where classical ballet had not yet toured, and Zhuhai – a southern province where the reception was not just warm – it was fervently enthusiastic. The vast crowds of fans waiting for the artists at the stage door after the performances are a testament to this. We conclude the tour with a touch of melancholy and the hope of an imminent reunion with the adored audience!" shares Yuri Fateev, Acting Director of the Mariinsky Ballet.
This tour also marked a special occasion for the emerging generation of ballet artists. On 28 October at the request of the Grand Theatre of Shanxi (Taiyuan), a masterclass was held for children from ballet schools in the province. Ballet mistress Elena Androsova and pianist Dmitry Sarytsyn led the class with premier dancers Vladimir Shklyarov and soloist Maria Khoreva offering their keen observation.
It is noteworthy that the recent tour in China is the largest in the history of the Mariinsky Theatre: the ballet and opera companies, choir, and symphony orchestra performed in six cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Harbin, Taiyuan, and Zhuhai. On 20 and 22 October, the Shanghai Grand Theatre hosted the premiere of new stage versions of the third (Siegfried) and fourth (Götterdämmerung) parts of Wagner's monumental tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen. Moreover, on 25 October the Mariinsky Orchestra, under the baton of Valery Gergiev, ceremoniously opened the new hall of Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts.
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