In February, the Mariinsky Theatre will pay tributes to renowned artists and musicians to celebrate their anniversaries. On February 1, a gala evening in the Concert Hall will be dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Fyodor Chaliapin. The Mariinsky also continues to pay homage to Sergei Rachmaninoff. In the year of the 150th anniversary of his birth, the composer's music will be played at the Mariinsky more often than ever. On February 3, Rachmaninoff's one-act opera Francesca da Rimini will be performed, and on February 23, under the baton of Valery Gergiev, you can hear the famous Bells.
Another important event is the performance of works by Shostakovich and Gavrilin, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Stalingrad on February 2. A concert of the Mariinsky Brass Band on 23 February will be held in memoriam of conductor Valery Khalilov, conducted by Arseny Shuplyakov. Both events will take place in the Concert Hall.
The opera playbill highlights a few of the repertoire rarities. In February, you can hear Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, one of the performances is expected to feature Albina Shagimuratova in the title role. Also, there is Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (concert performance), Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, Prokofiev's The Fiery Angel and The Gambler, Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Maid of Pskov and Khovanshchina by Mussorgsky, all conducted by Valery Gergiev.
The Mariinsky will also continue to show the premieres of the current season: Shakespeare's tragedy Othello rendered by Verdi and beautiful performances for a family trip to the opera, such as the philosophical Die Zauberflöte by Mozart and the burlesque Love for Three Oranges by Prokofiev. The Twelve by Alexander Sergeev, a recent ballet premiere based on the poem by Alexander Blok, will attract the connoisseurs of avant-garde and those who prefer a new approach to ballet productions.
The Mariinsky is that unique theatre where the same title can mean works by different authors. For instance, in the Concert Hall in February you can hear two Cinderellas, the opera by Massenet (conducted by Maestro Gergiev on February 13) and that of Rossini (February 15). Also, there are two various performances of Don Pasquale by Donizetti. One performance is the original Italian version (February 22), while the other is sung in Russian (February 17).
On Valentine's Day, the Mariinsky Stradivarius Ensemble and Lorenz Nasturica-Нershowici is to perform a works by Astor Piazzolla. The opera and ballet playbill on this day features works celebrating love in all its glory: there is Puccini's opera western La fanciulla del West, Donizetti's cheerful melodrama L'elisir d'amore and the famous ballets, Le Park to the music by Mozart and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. There is a big choral concert and some spring opera fairytales by Rimsky-Korsakov to celebrate Maslenitsa at the Mariinsky, according to the tradition.
The Concert Hall will host performances by the Mariinsky and also guest orchestras: the Brass Ensemble conducted by Valery Gergiev (February 12), the Stradivarius Ensemble (February 25), the Ural Youth Symphony Orchestra with Denis Matsuev (February 11) and the Krasnoyarsk Academic Symphony Orchestra, which will bring Mahler's Sixth Symphony to St Petersburg (February 18).
As for the ballet playbill, the audience will enjoy the classic performances of La Sylphide, Giselle and The Sleeping Beauty, an evening of one-act ballets from The Russian Seasons, Marguerite and Armand and divertissement. In addition to that, from February 21 to March 2 the Mariinsky hosts the traditional winter tour of the ballet of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky theatre. This year, the company from Vladivostok is to bring three ballet tales to St Petersburg: their signature production of A Thousand and One Nights by Eldar Aliyev and original versions of the classical ballets Le Corsaire and The Nutcracker.
| user_name | | Exit |
