29 October 2014, Wednesday

Opera stars, outstanding musicians and dancers congratulated the opera diva. Anna Netrebko, Maria Guleghina, Olga Peretyatko, Ekaterina Siurina, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, José Cura, Bruno PraticГІ and Yusif Eyvazov sang in honor of Obraztsova. The main heroine of this even prepared a surprise for the audience as well; she appeared on the stage as the Countess from the opera "The Queen of Spades" by P. Tchaikovsky. The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra was conducted by the famous Eugene Kohn, who worked with Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and other opera legends.
One day before the concert the Bolshoi Theatre General Director Vladimir Urin said: "It feels great to realize that you are a part of such a spectacular star team. We have already celebrated the opera diva's birthday recently. But when Elena V. Obraztsova suggested organizing "Opera Ball", I did not hesitate for a single moment. The theatre should value its history, and Obraztsova represents a great page in this history. I am convinced that this celebration of music, which the singer has devoted her whole life to, left no one indifferent".

Photos: Mikhail Logvinov