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Bolshoi Theater vows to put on at least 10 new shows next season

Among the expected productions are works by renowned directors Katie Mitchell and Rimas Tuminas

MOSCOW, May 26 ./TASS/. With the 241st Bolshoi Theater season still underway, plans for next year have already been announced, the theater’s director Vladimir Urin told TASS on Thursday. Among the expected productions are works by renowned directors Katie Mitchell and Rimas Tuminas, while the ballet troupe will present choreography by John Neumeier, Jiri Kylian and Alexey Ratmansky.

"If you look at the Bolshoi Theater, as a whole, it becomes clear that the overall composition is important for getting an impression and understanding of where we are going. Without a doubt, opera and ballet premieres are pivotal points, our billboard will add a few diverse works to the listing, we’re expecting at least 10 premieres," Urin said.

He added that in addition to new shows, the Bolshoi Theater will roll out its stage for other theaters on tour, from other Russian cities and from abroad.

The Bolshoi itself has a number of road tours planned in particular, to Novosibirsk, Beijing and then Seoul.

The season will also commemorate the centennial of the Bolshevik October revolution and the 100th birthday of director Yuri Lyubimov, who passed away three years ago.

"The entire next season will be dedicated to the topic of the 200th birthday of Marius Petipa," Urin told reporters.

He added that several world famous performers have been invited to the Bolshoi Theater for the next season, among them Anna Netrebko, Yusif Ayvazov, Hibla Gerzmava, Nadia Krasteva, Dmitry Beloselsky, Ekaterina Gubanova, Giorgio Berrugi.

"As for Dmitry Hvorostovsky, our invitation remains in full force: we are waiting for Dmitry at any time, as soon as health allows him to perform on the Bolshoi’s stage," Urin assured.

Opera premiers will kick off on September 24, on the New stage with Animal Carnival by Camille Saint-Saens and The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten, directed by Alexey Frandetti, conducted by Anton Grishanin.

October will bring two new operas including Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Maid of Pskov, Handel’s Alcina, and several more in the winter. Among them is The Queen of Spades.

This coming winter’s ballet premiers will begin with Leo Delibes’ Coppelia, directed by Sergei Vikharev and Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, directed by former Bolshoi theater director Alexei Ratmansky.

Among other plans, Urin mentioned Verdi’s Requiem that will be performed on December 17, in memory of the victims of the TU-154 plane crash.

However, Urin reiterated that the current 241st season is still underway, with two premiers up ahead, both on the historic main stage - Rimsky-Korsakov’s Snow Maiden directed by Alexander Titel and the ballet Nureyev, a production by composer Ilya Demutckiy, director Kirill Serebrennikov and choreographer Yuri Posokhov.