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Bolshoi to stage ten new productions in upcoming season

There are 26 operas and 37 ballet productions in the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater at present

© Sergey Fadeichev/TASS

MOSCOW, May 4. /TASS/. The Bolshoi Theater will present ten new productions next season, theater director Vladimir Urin told TASS on Thursday. While the current 242nd season is still underway, plans have already been made for a new production of Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin" on the Historic Stage, and the ballet troupe will also have two big premiers that for now are nameless.

"When announcing plans for the new 243rd season, I would first like to say that as of today, there are 26 operas and 37 ballet productions in the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theater. We tried to set up new projects for the 2018/2019 season, based on those figures.

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The new Eugene Onegin will be directed by Yevgeny Arye, with its set design by Semyon Pastukh, and conducted by Tugan Sokhiev. It’s scheduled to open a year from now on May 15, 2019.

"By carefully studying the current repertoire, we realized that we do not have Rossini at all," said Urin, adding that for the new season, two Rossini operas will be staged straightaway.

Evgeny Pisarev, head of the Pushkin Theater, will direct Barber of Seville, scheduled to premiere on November 3. The set will be designed by Zinovy Margolin, and conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi.

"Journey to Reims," previously held as a concert performance, will be turned into a full-fledged production, directed by one Italy’s best. Damiano Michieletto, one of the most interesting Italian opera directors will carry out the production, with Paulo Fantin on its set design and Tugan Sokhiev conducting. The opera is scheduled to premiere on December 12, on the Historic Stage.

"I think that the unconditional interest of opera lovers will reach its zenith from a new production by Timofei Kulyabin - Dvorak's "Mermaid" - to premier on March 3, 2019 on the New Stage," said the theater director.

Urin went on to say that the Bolshoi would continue the practice of opera concert performances. "On September 29 and 30 of this year, theatrical and concert performance of the opera Candide by Leonard Bernstein will take place on the Historic Stage, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of this remarkable American composer," Urin said.

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"As for ballet, two world premieres are expected here, the first of which will be "Petrushka "to the music of Igor Stravinsky in the choreography of Edward Clug." The second world premiere still bears the working title "Samodurov and Krasavin." Then again, maybe this title will be fixed for one-act ballet created by choreographer Vyacheslav Samodurov to the music of composer Yuri Krasavin," Urin shared.

The next season also has many important anniversaries in store, for example on February 1, 2019, a Gala Concert dedicated to the 80th birthday of the prima ballerina, People's Artist of the USSR Ekaterina Maksimova (1939-2009) that will take place on the Historical Stage. And on November 20 this year the performance "The Queen of Spades" will be dedicated to the memory of the Bolshoi Opera’s legendary soloist, People's Artist of the USSR, Zurab Sotkilava (1927-2017).

The touring schedule, according to Urin will also be intense. In September, the ballet troupe is scheduled to perform at the La Scala stage as part of the Russian Seasons in Italy. In October, the troupe will travel to Riga, Latvia for the performance of The Taming of the Shrew. In the spring of 2019, they will visit Brisbane, Australia and London, UK in the summer. The opera troupe is also scheduled to visit various French cities as well as Chelyabinsk, Russia.

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