appearance. This part was performed by Ekaterina Arnu, who came to the academic stage from the world of popular music. Although this genre is not close to opera at all, she managed with her opera part very well, and created a very charming character on the stage. Banevich's score did not really survive into the future (the opera premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1980; at some point the production starred Anna Netrebko), but one has to admit that the instrumentation is really skillful. It gives the symphony orchestra a great opportunity to demonstrate all its potential and beauty; the brass instruments can do their best, the woodwinds can really play with different colors, the percussion can take the lead and the strings can warm the audience's hear with their tender sound. The conductor Anton Grishanin feels this music well and presents an ambitious interpretation; it also seems that the soloists enjoy the atmosphere of this winter fairy tale, even though sometimes it does seem a bit of a thriller. The year of 2015 will be the Year of Russia in Monaco During the Year of Russia the photo exhibition "Russian View of Monaco" will be organized in both of the Russian capitals by the representative office of the Principality's Department on Tourism and Conferences. The exposition will run from January 17th till January 30th in Moscow (private gallery in Lavrushinsky pereulok, 11/1) and from January 19th till February 1st in Saint Petersburg (gallery "Steklo", Lomonosov street, 1/28). The exhibition will feature modern photographs and unique rare pictures, provided by the archives of the Prince's Palace of Monaco and SBM company. The visitors will have a chance to enjoy the beauty of Monaco and to see how the country has changed over the last 150 years. They will also be able to ask a professional guide their questions. The entrance to the exhibition will be free of charge. The official start of the Year of Russia in Monaco has been scheduled on December 19th: the Bolshoi Theatre's dancers will present the ballet "The Taming of the Shrew" to the music by Dmitry Shostakovich at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. The world premiere of the ballet took place in Moscow in summer 2014. The production was staged by the former famous dancer Jean-Christophe Maillot, who is the artistic director of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. The ballet "The Taming of the Shrew" The Year of Russia in Monte-Carlo will have a varied cultural program; about 130 events have been planned, and these include exhibitions, concerts of classical music and theatre productions. In 2015 citizens and guests of the Principality will have numerous chances to enjoy the music of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninof f, Rimsky- K ors a ko v a nd P ro ko fie v. T he fu ll sch e dule o f e ve nts is a va ila ble a t monacorussie2015.com. Remembering the Alma Mater W orld ballet stars are about to make a generous gesture- they are going to present a performance to support the Kiev Choreographic School. The building has long been in a poor condition and in need of repair. The idea to organize the charity concert belongs to the Bolshoi's prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova, who started her ballet studies at this particular School. Famous graduates of this educational institution, as well as dancers that were studying there for some years, like Madame Zakharova herself, supported her. The concert will star Alina Cojocaru, Nina Zmievets, Leonid Sarafanov, Ivan Putrov, Iana Salenko, who completed her studies in Donetsk, Artem Ovcharenko, who started his studies in Dnepropetrovsk, and other ballet stars who have agreed to take part in the concert - Natalia Osipova, Patrick de Bana, Dino Tamazlakaru, Denis Rodkin and Denis Klimuk. Svetlana Zakharova, the initiator of the project, and Yuri Baranov, the Bolshoi Ballet's soloist and the producer of the project, decided to call it "Ballet without Frontiers". The program includes fragments from 20th century classical full-length ballets and numbers that have been created quite recently. For example, the piece "Digital Love" (in memory of the air crush of the Malaysian Boeing ); this piece was first presented by its author Patrick de Bana and Svetlana Zakharova at the star-studded gala concert in Shanghai this summer. W orld ballet stars that used to study at the Kiev Choreographic School and their star partners take part in the concert: Svetlana Zakharova (The Bolshoi Theatre) Nina Zmievets (The Boris Eifman Ballet) Alina Cojocaru (The English National Ballet) Natalia Osipova (The Royal Ballet) Iana Salenko (Staatsballett Berlin) Patrick de Bana (France) Denis Klimuk (St. Petersburg Academic Ballet Theatre of Boris Eifman) Leonid Sarafanov (The Mikhailovsky Theatre) Artem Ovcharenko (The Bolshoi Theatre) Ivan Putrov (the UK) Denis Rodkin (The Bolshoi Theatre) Dino T amazlakaru (Staatsballett Berlin) The most gifted students of the Kiev Choreographic School, the future ballet stars, will take part in the concert as well. The program includes fragments of ballets that have become "trademarks" of those theatres that the participants of the concert come from. December, 5 2014 Mass media about the Theatre Bolshoi Theatre in the Internet Newsletter

, 7 Lolitta Semenina (soprano), the Bolshoi Opera Company's soloist and the People's Artist of Russia, and Maxim Paster (tenor), the Bolshoi Theatre's soloist, celebrated their birthdays on December 4th. Our best wishes to the artists! Lolitta Semenina Maxim Paster December 7th - you have a chance to watch the Bolshoi Ballet production of "La Bayadere" at the cinemas in your city. T ickets are still available! Nikia, a bayadere - Svetlana Zakharova India. Old, magic times. A bayadere goes on secret dates with a Noble Warrior. He also loves her, but… first of all, the High Brahmin is jealous (although a clergyman is not supposed to be), second of all, the Rajah wants his daughter to marry the Noble W arrior, and he does not dare say that he has already made another promise. It is interesting that Marius Petipa knew nothing about life in India; he used a portrait of the main character in one of important episodes, although no portraits of live people were painted in India. The choreographer made a small error; still, he created one of the most beautiful ballets in his career. The march of the shadows in the Himalayas thrills like frost flowers on a window. Moreover, those frost flowers are moving. The cast: Nikia, a bayadere - Svetlana Zakharova Dugmanta, Rajah - Alexei Loparevich Gamzatti, his daughter - Maria Alexandrova Solor, a Noble Warrior - Vladislav Lantratov Additional information is available on website: http://.pathelive.com/fr/bolshoi-worldwide/bolshoi-worldwide-1

For articles published 3 December 2014 Der Tagesspiegel announces the concert at the Berlin Philharmonic of the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse conducted by Tugan Sokhiev who is also the music director of the Bolshoi Theatre. The article mentions that Sokhiev took on the job of music director at the beginning of this year at the scandal ridden Bolshoi Theatre and that he will leave his job as artistic director of Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester. Der Spiegel also announces the concert in Berlin of the Orchestre du Capitole de T oulouse conducted by Tugan Sokhiev. La Depeche (France) announces the New Year's concert of the National Capitol Orchestra will be devoted to two masters of the twentieth century: Anton Webern and Prokofiev. T ugan Sokhiev is conducting. The Epoch Times (USA) reports that while audiences for films screened in cinemas are declining the transmission of events such as opera and theatre performances including the Bolshoi Ballet is becoming so popular that it may save the cinemas from closing down. Many local editions announce upcoming recorded and live transmissions of the performances of the Bolshoi Ballet that will be shown in local cinemas. Samara mass media: Gala concert "Basses of the 21st Century" The 9th International Opera Festival "Basses of the 21st Century" closed at the Samara Opera and Ballet Theatre on December 4th. The gala concert starred Andrei Antonov and Andrei Valentiy (the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of Belarus), Alexander Kisilev ("Helikon-Opera"), Nikolai Didenko (the Bolshoi Theatre), Mikhail Guzhov ("Helikon-Opera"), Evgeny Stavinsky (Novaya Opera), Pavel Kudinov (the Bolshoi Theatre) and Mikhail Kit (the Mariinsky Theatre). The orchestra was conducted by Alexander Anisimov. The International Festival "Basses of the 21st Century" was first organized in 1998. The idea to organize this festival belongs to Dmitry Sibirtsev, the director of the Kolobov Novaya Opera Theatre of Moscow, the artistic director and the producer of the art-project "Tenors of the 21st Century", a pianist, concertmaster, producer and a laureate of international competitions. December, 5 2014
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