Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
“It always seemed to me that we should perform our own music, not someone else’s. Why? Someone else’s one has already been performed, and even better. But no one has performed our own, so it will not be possible to do it better or worse. It will be exactly as it should be…”
The name of Vyacheslav Kuznetsov, Honoured Artist of the Republic of Belarus, laureate of the State Prize of Belarus, recipient of the Francysk Skaryna Medal, is well known among professional musicians and lovers of modern Belarusian music. The author’s works are part of the repertoire of leading musical ensembles in our republic.
“To be a composer… It’s so interesting! To discover something that has never existed before. A blank slate, endless possibilities…,” Vyacheslav Kuznetsov admitted more than once.
The composer’s work is distinguished by a wide variety of genres, including operas, ballets, symphonies, vocal and instrumental pieces of small and large forms.
In 2005, his opera Diary of a Madman premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus. His ballet Vitaut appeared in the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus in 2013. Later, in 2018, he again turned back to the era of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – this time in the ballet Anastasia. This production will be shown on 4 July to mark the anniversary of Vyacheslav Vladimirovich. On 15 June, he will turn 70.
On 4 July, the legend of Princess of Slutsk Anastasia, Joan of Arc of White Rus', will come to life to the fabulous music of Vyacheslav Kuznetsov on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus. The ballet was choreographed and staged by the People's Artist of Belarus Yury Trayan.
"By creating a national project, we draw attention to our history, to what happened before us. And this is very important,” Trayan said in an interview. “The story of Princess of Slutsk Anastasia is complicated and confusing, and this is exactly what is interesting for the theatre. But, of course, it is necessary to understand: ballet is not a historical study. We created a choreographic legend and tried to sprinkle it, as organically as possible, with the facts that had happened in the life of the main characters. Yes, Anastasia led the defense of Slutsk. This is a historical fact. But I was interested in showing the background, what this fragile woman had to go through, that she was able to gather an army and lead it. This is what fascinated me…”
On 4 July, the main roles in Kuznetsov’s Anastasia will be performed by the People’s Artists of Belarus Irina Eromkina (Anastasia), Anton Kravchenko (Simeon), Honoured Artist of the Republic of Belarus Yury Kavaliou (Mikhail Glinski), recipient of the Francysk Skaryna Medal Aleksandra Chizhik (Zaira), Vladimir Ruda (Khan Ahmed), Denis Shpak (Ivan). The performance will be conducted by the Honoured Artist of the Republic of Belarus Nikolai Koliadko.
