The Mariinsky Theatre is undertaking a major tour of countries in the Asia-Pacific region

On 21 November the Mariinsky Theatre will commence a major tour of the Asia-Pacific region with the ballet The Sleeping Beauty in Beijing. Over three weeks the St Petersburg company will be appearing at major venues in the Democratic People's Republic of China, Japan and South Korea, as well as giving concerts at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in Vladivostok. The tour ends on 13 December in Seoul.

On 21, 22 and 23 November the Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra will appear at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing) – one of the greatest Asian centres that this year celebrates ten years since its opening. The tour programme includes three performances of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's ballet The Sleeping Beauty choreographed by Marius Petipa and revised by Konstantin Sergeyev. The roles of Princess Aurora and Prince Désiré will be performed by Anastasia Matvienko and Vladimir Shklyarov (21 November), Renata Shakirova and Filipp Stepin (22 November) and Maria Shirinkina and Alexander Sergeyev (23 November). The role of the Lilac Fairy will be performed by Kristina Shapran and Yekaterina Chebykina. The Mariinsky Orchestra will be conducted by Alexei Repnikov.

The Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra will then depart to Shanghai, where from 26 to 28 November the Shanghai Grand Theatre will host the Mariinsky festival. On 26 and 27 November there will be performances of Sergei Prokofiev's ballet Cinderella choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky. The lead roles of Cinderella and the Prince will be performed by Maria Shirinkina and Filipp Stepin (26 November, 14.00), Anastasia Matvienko and Vladimir Shklyarov (26 November, 19.00) and Kristina Shapran and Alexander Sergeyev (27 November). The role of the Stepmother will be performed by Anastasia Petushkova and Zlata Yalinich, Khudyshka by Yekaterina Chebykina and Laura Fernandez and Kubyshka by Nadezhda Gonchar and Tatiana Tkachenko. The Mariinsky Orchestra will be conducted by Valery Gergiev.

The festival will continue with a Mariinsky Orchestra concert under Valery Gergiev – An Evening of Stravinsky (28 November). The programme includes the suite from the ballet The Firebird, music from the ballet Pétrouchka and Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra. Soloist: Denis Matsuev.

On 29 and 30 November, Denis Matsuev and the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev will present a Rachmaninoff Series at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre (Vladivostok). Both concerts will feature all of Sergei Rachmaninoff's works for piano and orchestra.

From Vladivostok, the St Petersburg ensemble will depart for Japan, where as part of the Russian Seasons project from 1 to 11 December there will be twelve concerts in various cities. The series of performances begins with a charity concert at the Kumamoto Prefecture Theatre. For child victims of the earthquakes that occurred in the prefecture in 2016 there will be a performance of Sergei Prokofiev's symphonic tale Peter and the Wolf. The evening programme includes Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings with the Mariinsky Stradivarius Ensemble, Hector Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique and Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 4 (soloist – Denis Matsuev). Valery Gergiev will be conducting. The appearances in Kumamoto, the homeland of the Mariinsky Theatre's long-standing friend and partner the Countess Yoko Nagae Ceschina - thanks to whom many of the theatre's projects have come to life, are dedicated to her memory.

On 2 December Denis Matsuev and the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev will present a programme at the Bunka Gakuen Concert Hall in Hiroshima. The programme includes Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony, the overture to Richard Wagner's opera Parsifal and Sergei Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto (soloist – Denis Matsuev).

On 3 December there will be a concert at Symphony Hall in Osaka. The programme includes Claude Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony and Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. The violin concerto will feature the acclaimed Japanese violinist and international competition prize-winner Sayaka Shoji.

On 4 December in the Kagawa Prefecture at the Rexxam Hall there will be a repeat performance of the overture to Richard Wagner's opera Parsifal and Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony as well as Sergei Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto with the young Japanese pianist Kanon Matsuda.

On 5 December the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev will present a concert at the State Musasino Concert Hall. The programme includes Sergei Prokofiev's Sixth Symphony, Claude Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune and Modest Musorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

On 7 December at the Seitoku University (Matsudo) the St Petersburg musicians will perform Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto (soloist – Sayaka Shoji) and Hector Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique. A similar programme will be performed on 9 December at the Ark Hall Civic Cultural Centre in the city of Tokorozawa. Also being performed will be Henri Dutilleux' Métaboles and Richard Wagner's overture to the opera Parsifal.

There will be four tour concerts by the Mariinsky Orchestra at Tokyo's Suntory Hall. On 6 December the programme includes Hector Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique, the suite from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Golden Cockerel and Dmitry Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No 1, the solo to be performed by Sayaka Shoji. The next concerts at this prestigious venue will take place on 10 and 11 December marking the colclusion of the Japanese tour. On 10 December Denis Matsuev and the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev will repeat the Rachmaninoff Series, performing all of the composer's piano concerti as well as his Symphonic Dances and Symphony No 2.

On 11 December the Mariinsky Stradivarius Ensemble featuring the brilliant soloists Yukio Yokoyama (piano) and Vadim Repin (violin) will conclude the series of Japanese concerts with a programme of works by Russian composers. The programme includes Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings and Dmitry Shostakovich's First Piano Concerto.

On completing the tour of Japan, Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra will depart for South Korea to perform two concerts at the Seoul Arts Center (12 and 13 December). The programme of performances includes the overture to Mikhail Glinka's opera Ruslan and Lyudmila, Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony and Sergei Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto, the solo to be performed by Denis Matsuev.