Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
34 events of the 85th jubilee season, which you might have for gotten. But we will remind you!
SEPTEMBER
1. The new production of La traviata by the Latvian director Andrejs Žagars and conductor Andrei Galanov will open the jubilee 85th season of the Belarusian Bolshoi. For our theatre it was the 6th production of the legendary opera by Giuseppe Verdi. In this version of La traviata the audience saw their contemporaries: the action of the opera is set in Paris of the 21st century. Realities of our time: jeans, coffee "take-away" and hottest parties appeared on our stage. Our artist "told" the love story and music so that people can’t hold back the tears in the final of the performance.
2. Every Sunday night, exclusively in the warm season, in front of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus waltzes, polka and marches were sounded: our Symphony orchestra plays half-hour programmes, which are based on the popular classical music. Concerts begin almost one hour before the evening performance. In early autumn 2017 maestro Andrei Ivanou started this tradition, and Aleg Lessoun and Ivan Kostyakhin conducted this music festival in late spring and summer 2018.
3. The Bolshoi Theatre continued to attract attention to national projects in the jubilee season. For example, at the end of September folk music group HardWood and theatre of historical dance Soleil literally moved the audience few centuries ago before Vyacheslav Kuznetsov's ballet Vitaut.
OCTOBER
4. In early October the artists of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus performed in the concert hall "Brucknerhaus" within the world-famous festival in Linz for the first time (!). More than 100 Belarusian artists took part in the festival, which is held in Linz in honour of the composer Anton Bruckner annually since 1974. Andrei Galanov conducted both nights. ‘Maestro conducted without excessive gestures, but tremblingly,’ NeuesVolksblatt wrote with genuine delight. ‘Thanks to the high skill of the orchestra music was fascinating. It was full of colors and harmony…’
5. On 1 October in Minsk our theatre decided to combine two holidays (International Music Day and International Ballet Day) for the first time. ‘The poetry puts into words the things that can’t be explained by the art of painting. But the thing that poetry can't explain, you can feel with the help of music, because music is beyond words, it hovers over everything, it brings beauty, power, charm, but most importantly, that it inspires a person and his soul…’ the principal conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus Viktor Ploskina, who was "responsible" for the first part of the programme on that day, admitted. The second part has been left to the mercy of dance. Expecting the premiere of the classical ballet Le Corsaire, the audience, who came to the theatre this evening, could see the fragments of this production and once again admired the beauty of academic dance.
6. Gianluca Marcianò brought a little bit of Italian sun in the life of Belarusian theatre. Maestro became the chief guest conductor of the Bolshoi. His debut on the Minsk stage was Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro.
7. Le Corsaire was first shown in 1856 at the Opéra de Paris. Since then, it has been repeatedly rewritten, but each time like a Phoenix he returned to the world stages. And the reason is simple. It is beloved by both audience and artists. On 7 October Le Corsaire appeared on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus for the third time. The choreographer of the Mariinsky Theatre Vyacheslav Khomyakov (St Petersburg) staged the ballet. ‘Le Corsaire was the performance, which impressed the boy Kostya Alekseev. Maybe that's why he later became a great actor and brilliant director Konstantin Stanislavsky…’ the musical director Nikolai Koliadko said.
8. On 20 October the soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow, Honored Artist of Russia, winner of the special jury prize of the Golden Mask National Theatre Award Gennadi Yanin will perform his signature role of Modest in Anyuta by Valery Gavrilin. Many critics even called Yanin "the best Modest".. ‘There are a lot of good roles in my collection. Modest in Anyuta is one of them,’ the artist admitted. ‘I have danced it for a long time. If I do something not so good today, I can correct it next time. Of course acting aspect is very important in this role. But it is also important not to overplay. In ballet you have no voice, but by your moves and suppleness you need to convince the audience that there is an old man on the stage. And you should do it so the audience doesn’t scream ‘I do not believe it!’.’
9. On 15 October conductor Andrei Galanov invites the audience to an evening on the occasion of his jubilee. ‘On this day I want to make a real holiday for the audience, a festival of music. Yes, it could be a concert kaleidoscope of popular melodies, but I do not really like this idea. So I decided to take serious and large-scale works - Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Symphony No.6 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.’
NOVEMBER
10. The President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko sent greetings to Valentin Elizariev. ‘Your name is inseparably associated with the development, high achievements and worldwide acceptance of the Belarusian ballet. You create the performances, which are included in the golden fund of the national choreography, receive much acclaim and bring out emotions of the audience,’ the greeting said. In honour of the legendary choreographer, teacher and People’s Artist of the USSR Celebration Gala Featuring Stars of World and Belarusian Ballet took place on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus.
11. On 14 November the long-awaited concert of laureates of the state prize took place. The concert featured maestro Alexander Anisimov, principle chorus master Nina Lomanovich, chief set designer Alexander Kostiuchenko, leading soloists Nina Sharubina, Anastasia Moskvina, Oksana Volkova, Sergey Frankovsky and Stanislav Trifonov.
12. On 26 November the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus presents the Celebratory Evening of the People’s Artist of Russia Andris Liepa, ‘Diaghilev Gala’, comprising three one-act ballets from Sergei Diaghilev’s collection ‘Russian Seasons’-The Firebird, Scheherazade, La Spectre de la rose. The legendary Nina Ananiashvili was especially bright.
DECEMBER
13. Probably, Minsk International Christmas Opera Forum was the main musical event of December. In the Belarusian Bolshoi it was held for the 8th time. As always, the audience was able to enjoy the best voices of the world opera in the premiere performances of our theatre. The Belarusian winner of the prestigious international competition BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, two-time laureate of the "Golden Mask" Theatrical Award Nadine Koutcher now shining on the stage of the Perm Opera performed the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte directed by Hans-Joachim Frey. The leading tenor of Mariinsky Theatre, Honoured Artist of Russia and guest soloist of the Belarusian Bolshoi Akhmed Agadi appeared in the role of Turiddu in Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana staged by Mikhail Pandzhavidze. The artists of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic (Poland) performed the most popular in the world opera Carmen to the Belarusian admirers of the opera. The leading role sang the prima donna of our theatre Oksana Volkova. And Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata staged by Andrejs Žagars featured the soloist of the Perm Opera Nadezhda Pavlova. Gala-concert of the world opera stars ended our forum.
14. 111 participants from 20 countries- it is the statistics of the Minsk International Christmas Singing Competition, which takes place in the Bolshoi Theatre for the 4th time. Young artists from Belarus, Russia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, USA, South Africa, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, France, Germany, Latvia, Moldova, Poland and Ukraine expressed a desire to take part in the vocal competition. And the winners this time were: Sargis Bazhbeuk-Melikyan (Armenia)-grand prize,Sergey Kaydalov (Russia)- first prize, Maria Galkina (Belarus), Kseniya Bakhritdinova (Ukraine)- second prize, Aliaksandr Helakh (Belarus), Konstantin Suchkov (Russia)- third prize, Margharyta Liauchuk (Belarus)- audience prize.
15. For the seventh consecutive year, the ballet company of the Belarusian Bolshoi is going to conquer the big cities and small towns of Austria and Germany. From 18 December to 22 January, our artists will give a real holiday to European audience at this wonderful Christmas and New Year time. The choreographer of the Belarusian Bolshoi, the recipient of the Francysk Skaryna Medal Aleksandra Tikhomirova: ‘Considerable effort had been devoted both from the Bolshoi Theatre and German impresario Victor Sheller and his wife Natalia Lutoshkina in order to make Europe aware of the Belarusian ballet. Because we need not only to open the brand named "The Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus ballet" to the European audience but also to defend it. On this tour we represent not only our theater, we represent the country, and our theatrical victories are the victories of the republic as a whole.’
JANUARY
16. More than 100 original toys decorated the Christmas tree of the Bolshoi. All of them were handmade by children for the "Christmas Tree Decoration” contest for the 4th time.
17. The Big New Year’s Ball at the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus was held the night from 13 to 14 January for the 9th time. This time the temple of Thalia and Melpomene gathered more than 1000 guests. 150 couples took part in the Russian ball, which was solemnly opened by Maestro Nikolai Koliadko! Dance classes under the direction of ballet master and répétiteur Yuliya Dziatko began in October. And on 13 January gentlemen and their ladies walked in the polonaise and marches in a dignified manner. Also they didn't deny themselves the pleasure to waltz round and dance polka to delight the audience. The Honoured Artist of the Republic of Belarus Yuliya Dziatko noted that every year she prepares a new programme with her students. And this one was also different: her students learned 9 new dances, and not the easiest ones in choreography.
18. The national ballet Vitaut by Vyacheslav Kuznetsov staged by People's Artist of Belarus Yury Trayan was successfully welcomed in Vilnius. And on 28 January standing ovation in Siemens Arena spoke volumes about it. It would seem that this venue is not designed for the classical performances. But for our show organizers created a beautiful ballet stage, where our great artists performed with pleasure. In 2016 Vitaut was successfully performed on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow within the Days of the Republic of Belarus Culture in Russia.
FEBRUARY
19. On 2 February the national ballet Passions (Rogneda) staged by People’s Artist of the USSR Valentin Elizariev was performed on our stage in honour of the 80th anniversary of the outstanding composer, People's Artist of Belarus, laureate of the State Prizes of the Republic of Belarus Andrey Mdivani.
20. On 9 February chief set designer of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus Alexander Kostiuchenko turns 60. On this occasion Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades was performed on our stage. This opera Alexander Kostiuchenko created in collaboration with the famous Bulgarian director Plamen Kartalov.
21. On 9 February on the stage of Teatro de Cancun the ballet company of the Belarusian Bolshoi performed the first performance of the Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. And then they were going to Merida, Villahermosa, Celaya, Irapuato, Puebla, Morelia, Guadalajara, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Torreon, Chihuahua, Juarez, Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Tampico, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, of course, Mexico City and others. A month and a half of touring, 25 venues in 45 days- is the statistics of the tour of Belarusian Bolshoi in Mexico. It was the second tour to this beautiful country for our theatre. Last time the audience warmly welcomed Don Quixote.
22. Tosca is a great work, which combines dramatic art and music in an amazing way. Sardou’s talent multiplied by the Puccini’s genius phenomenally affects the audience. And it is not an accident that this opera is one of the most popular in the world’, the principal stage director and recipient of the Francysk Skaryna medal Mikhail Pandzhavidze said. He is the one who brings Puccini's masterpiece back to the repertoire of the Belarusian Bolshoi. He did it together with musical director Gianluca Marcianò and designer Alexander Kostiuchenko. The premiere took place on 24 February.
MARCH
23. On the International Theatre Day true admirers of opera and ballet art received a great gift. On 27 March the opening of the exhibition "Theater. Inside" dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus took place in the "University of culture" gallery.
24. According to the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus is the most visited theatre in 2017. 227,5 thousand (!) spectators visited our productions and concerts. We found out such happy news on the World Theatre Day, which was initiated by UNESCO in 1961 and celebrated on 27 March. 
APRIL
25. On 12 April at the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus the presentation of the unique edition, one poem book And, say, who goes there? by Yanka Kupala took place. The book includes the best translations of this poem into one hundred languages.
26. On 19 April at the National Library of Belarus an exhibition "Since those early days to the present time" dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the Bolshoi Theatre was opened. 70 posters without many words tell about the most significant milestones in the history of the Belarusian Bolshoi since its birth on 25 May 1933 to the present time.
27. The chief and artistic director of opera of the Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre, People's Artist of Russia and four time winner of the Golden Mask National Theatre Award Alexander Titel came to Minsk to show his vision of Giacomo Puccini’s opera to the Belarusian audience. And we can say for sure: such La bohème you haven't seen before.
28. The grand tour "The World of Hans Zimmer. A Symphonic Celebration" started in Germany and Switzerland at the end of April and the symphony orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus helped to discover Hans Zimmer’s music worlds. And our musicians received standing ovations of the audience at the arenas of Hamburg, Berlin, Hanover, Leipzig, Nuremberg, Cologne, Stuttgart and Zurich.
MAY
29. On 24 May,on the eve of the theatre's birthday, a grandiose gala concert was held on the stage of the Belarusian Bolshoi. The audience did not want to let go of both stars of the Belarusian opera and ballet and our famous guests. And as the chief director of the theatre Mikhail Pandzhavidze promised we had a real music day in an atmosphere of joy and goodness in the result.
30. On 25 May the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus opened its doors to all those, who don’t know anything about the theatrical backstage, but dream to plunge into this magical world. The theatre invited everyone to celebrate its birthday together! About 5 000 spectators came to congratulate their beloved theater!
JUNE
31. British composer, best known for his scores to famous animated films, including How to Train Your Dragon, Rio, Ice Age, X-Men, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Shrek, Oscar nominee John Powell had personally come to the last rehearsals in Minsk before the concert "Hollywood in Hamburg". 82 artists of the Symphony orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus and about 40 chorus artists went to conquer the world's largest music venue – the Elbphilharmonie for the first time! On 24 June two gala concerts took place there. All 2100 tickets were sold in a few days.
32. From 6 to 13 June a large-scale choreographic festival Ballet Summer at the Bolshoi took place for the 5th time. Only ballet stars and only premieres! It was our slogan when this project started. And we still follow these traditions. The absolute premiere- Igor Stravinsky’s ballet staged by Andris Liepa opened this "summer". The legendary Spartacus by Aram Khachaturian (in autumn Valentin Elizariev created the revised version); Le Corsaire, which featured the leading soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia Mikhail Lobukhin in the role of Conrad; Swan Lake (roles of Odette/Odile and Siegfried were performed by the soloist of the Mikhailovsky Theatre Oksana Bondareva and soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre Igor Kolb); choreographic parable about love Orr and Ora staged by Alexandra Tikhomirova continued it. The festival will end on 13 June with a gala concert of world ballet stars directed by Olga Kostel.
33. Evenings of the Bolshoi Theatre at the Radziwill Castle” took place in Nesvizh for the 9th time. Traditionally, it started with the concert programme “Belarusian Romanticism” at the Church of Corpus Domini. In the evening, about 1,000 spectators came to the courtyard of Radziwill Castle to admire the brightest fragments from Swan Lake, Le Corsaire and one-act ballet Sonnets (new production of our theatre staged by Alexandra Tikhomirova). Saturday rain did not prevent the audience to come to the Theatre Hall of the castle to hear two great concerts: “Four Centuries of Belarusian Vocal Music” and “Evening of Sergey Rachmaninov’s Art Songs”. On a Saturday night Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata was performed on the main stage. On Sunday at the Theatre Hall of the Nesvizh castle the concert "Milonga with the Serenada" took place. The grandiose concert ‘The Radziwill Ball’ closed the traditional festival of the classical theatre art. The concert was directed by Galina Galkovskaya.
34. At the end of the season, the famous Belarusian maestro, People's Artist of Belarus Alexander Anisimov was appointed to the post of conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus and adviser to the general director on the prospects of musical development of the theatre.
