France. Tour

From 20 September to 8 October the leading soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus were on tour in France. Russian opera Aleko by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Iolanta by Pyotr Tchaikovsky opened the new seasons of the largest theatre venues in Rennes, Angers and Nantes (France).

It is no accident that these two works are often performed together, they really have a powerful effect on the viewer.
 
Two Russian geniuses, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, met for the final exam at the Moscow Conservatory in 1892. 19-year-old Rachmaninoff presented his graduate project (opera Aleko). And the famous composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky gave the young musician the highest score. Moreover, he asked permission to perform Aleko together with his own one-act opera Iolanta. This could be the beginning of a friendship between two great composers. But it did not happen. In the autumn of 1893 Tchaikovsky died…

These masterpieces of Russian music – Aleko and Iolanta – were performed at the Opéra de Rennes, Grand Théâtre in Angers and Théâtre Graslin in Nantes. The concert versions of these works featured the leading soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre: the People's Artists of Belarus Anastasia Moskvina and Vladimir Petrov, Honoured Artists of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Valentii and Vladimir Gromov, winners of international competitions Irina Kuchinskaya, Natalia Akinina, Ilya Silchukov, Victor Mendelev and Alexander Gelakh. Maestro Andrei Galanov conducted the Brittany Symphony Orchestra.

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Aleko et Iolanta défendus (vocalement) par la troupe du Théâtre Bolshoï de Minsk à l'Opéra de Rennes: https://www.opera-online.com/fr/columns/manu34000/aleko-et-iolanta-defendus-vocalement-par-la-troupe-du-theatre-bolshoi-de-minsk-a-lopera-de-rennes