XII Moscow Easter Festival

“They have both performed with me many times.  These are world-class people.  We just recently performed Wagner’s “Die Walküre” with René Pape in the part of Wotan.  I believe that Moscow is not well acquainted with this performer, but he is an exceptional artist.  And then Ildar Abdrakazov, whose name is featured on playbills around the world, should be better known by the capital’s audiences,” the conductor explained.  Pianist Denis Matsuev is also one of the main participants in the Festival.  The Festival’s Artistic Director observed that its programme marks the 200^th anniversaries of the birth of Wagner, Verdi and Dargomyzhsky, and the 140^th of Rachmaninov.  Some of the highlight events will be the performances of Hector Berlioz’s opera “Benvenuto Cellini” in Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow for the close of the Festival and of Verdi’s “Attila” in Cherepovets and Moscow.  Other highlights will be Dargomyzhsky’s opera “Rusalka” performed in Kostroma, and Rachmaninov’s symphonic poem “The Bells” in Yaroslavl and Vologda.

Valery Gergiev also mentioned that experienced hands will be the first audience in the new building of the Mariinsky Theatre (Mariinsky-2) which is set to open in early May:  “On May 1^st we will show off the new building to veterans of the stage and to senior personnel from universities and museums, as well as from other theatres.  We would like to pay our respects to all of them.”  He said that the programme to consecrate the new stage will incorporate two identical concerts that will take place on May 1^st and 2^nd.  Soloists from the Mariinsky Theatre will perform in those concerts.  The celebration will continue on May 3^rd and 4^th.  On those days there will be shows that will “initiate the theatrical history of the new theatre.”  There will be “Iolanta” with Anna Netrebko, “Bolero” with Diana Vishneva, and also “Jewels.”  On the evening of May 4^th famous artists Plácido Domingo, Leonidas Kavakos, and Denis Matsuev will appear on the new stage.  Gergiev added that ten days ago Rodion Shchedrin finished “Levsha”, his new opera specially commissioned by the Mariinsky Theatre for its new stage.  The world premiere of this work will take place during the opening month of the new building.  A performance by talented children from the Vaganova Ballet Academy will also be part of the festivities.  “As both an artist and a developer of ambitious projects, I believe that they cannot succeed without including children,” the conductor stated.

Valery Gergiev added that one of his highest priority endeavours right now is the revival of the culture of choral singing in Russia:  “Just a month ago I became head of the Russian Choral Society.  We have to recover that wonderful tradition that goes back centuries.  We need to have our children sing.  For that reason it will be essential to involve children’s choirs in the upcoming Easter Festival.”