Stars of the White Nights Music Festival will commence on 27 and 28 May at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, heralding the most anticipated event of the theatre season. This annual festival promises a dazzling array of major ballet and opera premieres, outstanding guest performances, repertoire rarities, unique musical programs, and timeless classics featuring world-renowned stars.
On the eve of the festival's grand opening, the Mariinsky Theatre has prepared a special concert gift for its audience. On 26 May at 18:00 Denis Matsuev will perform Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto with the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev, at the Concert Hall. The program will include additional pieces.
The festival at Mariinsky II will open on 27 May with Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades, commemorating the 225th anniversary of Alexander Pushkin's birth. This performance will feature a stellar cast including Oleg Dolgov (Bolshoi Theatre), Irina Churilova, Olga Borodina, Vladislav Sulimsky, and Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar, conducted by Valery Gergiev. The historical stage will mark the festival's start with the ballet Giselle, featuring Oksana Skorik, Nikita Korneyev, Roman Belyakov, and Anastasia Kolegova. The Concert Hall will open its doors for the festival a day later, on May 28, with a performance by the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev.
June will feature major events such as the Verdi Festival and the celebration of Stravinsky's birthday, the striking premiere of Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos directed by Sergey Novikov, and the Saint Petersburg premiere of the ballet Concert Dances to Stravinsky's music choreographed by Alexander Sergeev. Additionally, there will be guest performances by the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia featuring the ballet Ivan the Terrible to the music of Prokofiev. In June, the Mariinsky has prepared four generous subscription series for viewers: the "Giuseppe Verdi Festival," "Igor Stravinsky's Birthday," "Pushkin-225," and "Brightest Premieres at the Mariinsky Theatre" – a unique opportunity to see all the newest and most impressive in the repertoire.
The Verdi Festival will feature both popular and rare operas by the composer: Falstaff conducted by Valery Gergiev (4 June), Rigoletto (7 June), Aida (8 June at 13:00 and 19:00), La Traviata (9 June at 14:00 and 19:30), Macbeth (11 June), A Masked Ball (23 June), and The Force of Destiny (24 June).
In honor of Igor Stravinsky's birthday, the ballet Concert Dances to the composer's music, choreographed by Alexander Sergeev, will premiere in Saint Petersburg. Performances can be seen at Mariinsky II on 15 and 16 June (at 13:00 and 19:00), and 17 June. The evening will also feature the rarely performed ballet The Fairy's Kiss by Stravinsky, choreographed by Maxim Petrov. The historical stage will also host Concert Dances on 28 June, presented alongside the ballet The Firebird. The festival's concert hall program includes Stravinsky's works performed by the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra (16 June), the opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex (17 June), and the composer's vocal music (18 June).
Another notable June birthday is that of Alexander Pushkin, whose 225th anniversary is being celebrated extensively at the Mariinsky Theatre since the beginning of the year. Celebrations will include a concert for the choir Pushkin's Garland by Sviridov (6 June), performances of the ballet The Fountain of Bakhchisarai by Asafiev (3 and 4 June), and the operas Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky (5 June) and The Tale of Tsar Saltan by Rimsky-Korsakov (16 June at 12:00 and 19:00).
In June, the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia returns to the Mariinsky with the ballet Ivan the Terrible to Prokofiev's music, choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich. Performances are scheduled for 11, 12, and 13 June at Mariinsky II.
A spectacular opera finale for the first month of summer will be the premiere of Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, directed by Sergey Novikov, remembered by Petersburgers for his production of Lakmé. Premiere performances are scheduled for 27, 28, and 29 June (at 13:00 and 19:00).
Among the repertoire rarities not to be missed are concert performances of Mussorgsky's The Fair at Sorochyntsi (8 June) and Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment (26 June), as well as performances by the Borodin Quartet (21 June) and the Renaissance Percussion ensemble (30 June).
The XXXII Stars of the White Nights Music Festival will run from 27 May to 1 August. The festival's rich program will encompass all the Saint Petersburg stages of the Mariinsky Theatre. The artistic director of the festival is Valery Gergiev. The festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
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