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Rigoletto: Opera stars at the Belarusian Bolshoi

Rigoletto is often regarded by many musicians as one of the most beautiful operas ever composed by great Giuseppe Verdi. The genius composer said so himself, recognizing that of all the stories he had ever written music to, this particular one was the best. On 8 April, a tragic and beautiful opera Rigoletto will be performed at the Belarusian Bolshoi.

'Gilda is one of my favourite parts,' confesses Inara Babayeva. On April 8, the Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan will sing the part of a gentle, loving, touching and utterly devoted daughter of the court jester Rigoletto on the stage of the Belarusian Bolshoi. The repertoire of the soloist of the Akhundov Azerbaijan Academic Opera and Ballet Theater comprises 30 leading roles, including Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart, Rosina in Il barbiere di SIviglia by Gioachino Rossini, Violetta in La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi, Micaela in Carmen by Georges Bizet, Adele in Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss and many others. Inara brilliantly performs oratorios and chamber music by Bach, Handel, Bellini, Poulenc, Brahms, Fauré, Mahler, Strauss, Debussy, Orff. The devotees of the Belarusian Bolshoi will recall that Inara Babayeva has already performed on our stage during the Youth Opera Forum in the spring of 2012. It was then that Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème was on at the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus, and the young singer from Azerbaijan attained outstanding success in the part of Musetta. It's amazing, but being the Honoured Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the leading soloist of the Theatre of Opera and Ballet, the triumphant representative of her country in the world, from England, France, Russia to China and Japan, a permanent participant of numerous music festivals in Europe, a voice teacher at the University of Culture and Art of Azerbaijan, Inara Babaeva wouldn’t stop or rest on her laurels. Her endeavors include stage directing. She always finds time for reading books and various materials about the legendary musicians of the world which helps her to better interpret the roles she is to play on stage.

The tune from Rigoletto “La Donna e Mobile” (Woman is flighty like a feather in the wind) is familiar to everyone. It is difficult to imagine that once it seemed too frivolous and obscene to the censors, and therefore dangerous. And on 8 April, this song will be performed by the soloist of Lviv National Opera Mykhailo Malafii. The Ukrainian tenor will sing the Duke of Mantua, frivolous and dissolute, on the Belarusian stage for the first time. The winner of First Prize and Audience Award at the 2nd Minsk International Christmas Singing Competition has already performed the role of Riccardo in the opera Un ballo in maschera by Giuseppe Verdi for three times on stage of the Belarusian Bolshoi; he also sang a challenging part of Alfred Germont paired with the brilliant Nadezhda Pavlova in the title role in La traviata  by the same brilliant composer. He also managed to superbly portray Vladimir Lensky in Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. On 8 April, the Belarusian public will discover the new facets of Michael Malafii’s talent. Previously, the Ukrainian tenor had played solely noble or even sacrificial heroes. In Rigoletto the Duke of Mantua is a debauched tyrant who abuses his authority. But at the same time, it is a beneficial part for the singer: the Duke ‘wearing fascinating sparkling colourful vocal garments.’ Therefore it will be very interesting to see and hear whether Malafii will be comfortable in these garments, and how he will transform from hero amplua to the one of lecherous villain.

The conductor of the performance of Rigoletto  on 8 April will be a graduate of Music Academy of Florence Gianluca Marcianò. When he was 20, being a magnificent pianist, he realized that it wouldn’t suffice for him just to play, but that he is eager to create music. ‘Yes, music is my passion,’ says Maestro Marcianò , ‘I have hobbies, but music is my true passion that devours me from the inside. Surely, contracts and money matter, but the most important thing for the conductor is to do his job with respect for himself, for  his colleagues and for the public, and to do it perfectly! It is hardly possible to do so without fanatical devotion to the music.’ Gianluca has become one of the most famous young conductors in the world. He was one of the 16 members of the jury at the 3rd Minsk International Christmas Singing Competition in December 2016, strict but fair. Maestro collaborates with the Belarusian Bolshoi and many other opera theatres of the world including the ones in England, Italy, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Georgia and Japan. He was a principal conductor of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, musical director and principal conductor of the Paliashvili Tbilisi State Theatre of Opera and Ballet (Georgia), guest conductor of the Romanian Philharmonic orchestra, ‘Kyiv Camerata’ ensemble of soloists, etc. Maestro participated in Longborough Opera Festivals (UK) and collaborated with the famous orchestras of England, China, Russia, Armenia and Italy. Today he is primarily known as Artistic Director of Al Bustan Festival in Beirut. His repertoire includes operas by Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Leoncavallo, and many others. But Gianluca confesses, ‘It is the music by Puccini and Verdi that flows in my blood. That is for sure!"
    
It remains to be said that on 8 April, the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus will feature an outstanding cast with the Honoured Artists of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Gromov as Rigoletto; Andrei Valentii will sing the part of Sparafucile for the first time, and Oksana Volkova will sing his sister Maddalena.

This performance is dedicated to the memory of People's Artist of Belarus Yury Bastrikov.

 

Media:

http://minsknews.by/blog/2017/03/23/belarus-azerbaydzhan-ukraina-operu-rigoletto-spoet-sbornaya-komanda-artistov/

 

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