February, 5, 2014. Issue No. 227

Ekaterina Maximova passed away on April 28 2009 in Moscow.
To the middle of nowhere; to Norway; to Troms
Selected quotes:
- Sergei, we know that before you went on tour to Norway together with a group of soloists, the first meeting of the Bolshoi Theatre Artistic Council took place.
-When the accident happened to me, Anatoly Iksanov decided to organize the artistic council for the first time in order to help the ballet company in the given circumstances. At that time the council was composed of a few pedagogues-
repetiteurs who had some influence in certain ballet spheres, let me put it like this. As I was undergoing treatment in Germany, the Artistic Council provided serious support and assistance. We conducted meeting via Skype and discussed all issues so that things would happen according to the plans that had been made earlier. Today, when I am fully involved in the working process, I suggested to Vladimir Urin not to dismiss the Artistic Council, but to include in it all pedagogues (there are about 30 of them). He agreed to do it on the condition that Boris Akimov and myself would be deputy chairs of the body. All members of this Artistic Council will meet once or twice a month; we will discuss current issues and plans, the formation of the repertory and issues that are related to the Bolshoi Ballet's functioning.
- How did the Bolshoi Theatre pedagogue-repetiteurs react to this?
- I met with them before the order was issued and asked them what their attitude was and whether they wanted to gather and discuss our work. They all supported this idea. The first meeting of the Artistic Council was very interesting. The pedagogues were very active; they asked questions that are usually discussed somewhere in dressing rooms - but this time they asked them in the presence of the Bolshoi Theatre General Director. We managed to have an open dialogue with the General Director, which is very important, and which is the right thing to do. There are no secrets that some people have from others. Pedagogues from different generations should feel that the company is united; they should not be afraid to express their point of view, they should have a chance to let off steam face to face. Perhaps, it is possible to achieve results because we do let off some steam. As the General Director said at the first meeting of the Council, "the result that we get is our common result"; everything that we discuss is discussed not because of someone's personal desire or curiosity, but for the sake of the Bolshoi's success.Newsletter up Camusot (Yegor Simachev), the arrogant Duke (Alexander Fadeyechev), devoted Coralie's servant (Anna Antropova) and even the servant from the "ballet inside the ballet" (Anastasia Vinokur) would have enriched this broadcast.

Gala in the memory of Ekaterina Maximova, marking the 75 birthday of the ballerina, took place at the Bolshoi Theatre

Ekaterina Maximova was born on February, 1 1939 in Moscow. In 1958 she graduated from the Moscow Choreographic Institute and joined the Bolshoi Theatre Company, where she worked until 1988.
As RIA Novosti was informed by the Bolshoi press-office, the Gala "Everything that
you have done. In memory of Ekaterina Maximova" marking the 75 birthday of an outstanding Russian ballerina took place on the Bolshoi Theatre Historic Stage on Tuesday.
According to the Bolshoi press-office, "She was open for everything new and talented; this was something she loved in other artists and choreographers. This is why many choreographers will present their premieres at the Gala. The program includes pieces from choreographic numbers created in different styles and directions; they all have either been created specifically for this Gala, or will be presented in Moscow for the first time".
The Bolshoi ballet company, the choir and the orchestra took part in the concert together with
Ido Tadmor, the Israeli dancer, choreographer and the head of the Israeli Ballet, the Moscow choreographer, one of the founders of the "musical" genre in Russia, the choreographer Elena Bogdanovich (Moscow), the flamenco dancer Eduardo Guerrero, the young Brazilian choreographer Lucas Axel and many others.
The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra was be conducted by Pavel Sorokin.
Elaterina Maximova as Aurora, "Sleeping Beauty"

Ekaterina Maximova was born on February 1 1939 in Moscow. In 1958 she graduated from the Moscow Choreographic Institute and joined the Bolshoi Theatre Company, where she worked until 1988. Her repertory included most famous roles, such as Giselle, Kitri, Cinderella, Phrygia, Odette-Odile, Aurora and others. Abroad she performed the leading parts in the ballets of Maurice Bejart ("Romeo and Juliette" to the music by H. Berlioz), Roland Petit ("L'ange bleu" to the music by M. Constant), John Cranko ("Onegin" to the music by P. Tchaikovsky). Maximova always danced together with her husband, Vladimir Vasiliev; she danced in the productions that he staged at the Bolshoi and at other theatres, such as "Ikarus", "Anyuta" and February, 52014Sergei Filin: There are no secrets that some people have from others. Photo: RIA NOVOSTI, .ria.ru
- The Bolshoi Theatre soloists - Semyon Chudin, Mikhail Lobukhin, Ruslan Skvortsov, Kristina Kretova, Anna Nikulina, Olga Smirnova and others - performed at the closing ceremony of the International Art Festival "Northern Lights" in the city of TromsГё, located in the northern part of Norway, for the first time. Nature itself marked their triumph: after the first gala-concert the sky was lighted by the long-awaited northern lights. How interesting was it for the Bolshoi Ballet to perform in the small Norwegian town?
- This tour turned out to be very important not as much for the Bolshoi Theatre, as for Norway and for TromsГё citizens; people from different parts of the country came there to watch the Bolshoi Ballet artists perform. The theatre does not have a special program to present at such international festivals, but we found a way to make a small holiday for this city. I would say that all soloists who performed on the small stage in TromsГё did not regret coming there. We are used to traditional performances at big theatres in big European and American cities where the audience is used to us and it is difficult to surprise them. But for the Norwegian audience this event became truly spectacular.
-What place do the Bolshoi Ballet tours take in the life of the company?
- Today the numbers of tours we go on are minimized, although there is an enormous number of an invitation from different countries and cities. We have to refuse almost all of those invitations; we choose only our partners and friends in London, Paris and New York. We have decided to go only on the most important tours that we traditionally go on, for example, to Washington, D.C. or to Japan where the audience absolutely loves the company.
- Do you plan to go on tour somewhere in Russia at some point?
- The Bolshoi Theatre plans are connected with large tours and big stages; this is not because we are so great and so arrogant. Today we have certain commitments for the Ministry of Culture and the General Director: the Bolshoi Theatre has to fulfill the plan that the government elaborated. For example, several days ago the ballet "Lost Illusions" by Alexei Ratmansky was broadcast live in the cinemas around the world. The ballet was filmed in order to make a DVD as well, although right now it is difficult to say whether this will become a tradition. We give about 560 performances in the world on all stages. This number, however, does not include performances we give on tours. We need to make a huge effort in order to find an opportunity to go somewhere.
Projects that Tugan Sokhiev plans to carry out at the Bolshoi Theatre will be announced before the end of this season
According to the Bolshoi Theatre General Director Vladimir Urin, the Bolshoi Theatre plans for the season of 2014/2015 will be announced this spring. Mr. Urin informed the InterMedia reporter: - I think that in May or June we will be able to announce all our plans for the new season, including those projects that maestro Sokhiev will carry out.
Mr. Urin also mentioned that it was necessary that the Bolshoi Theatre's new music director and chief conductor took the office "one step at a time and in a civilized way". When asked about changes in the current orchestra management, the General Director replied that "the Bolshoi plans for the near future will not be changed".
- Those conductors that work in house, as well as guest conductors will continue working, - he added.

On January, 20 2014 Tugan Sokhiev, the music director of The Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse and Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin was appointed the Bolshoi Theatre chief conductor and music director. He will spend the next six months getting acquainted with the staff and dealing with three-year planning; in September, 2014 he will conduct the Bolshoi Orchestra for the first time. It was announced earlier that in the season of 2014/2015 maestro Sokhiev will present the audience two projects; the names of the projects have not been announced yet. The conductor will start working at the theatre full-scale a season later according to the Newsletter February, 52014Tickets to the Bolshoi Theatre for 100 rubles (approx. $ 3)

Starting from February 1 the new ticket sales rules came into force: from now on the advance sale will be conducted on Saturdays. Those changes are mostly relevant for the benefit-entitled audience. As the Bolshoi Theatre official website announces, full-time students of the Russian universities still will be able to buy a ticket for performances and concerts that take place on the Main and Historic Stages at the cost of 100 rubles (approx. $3). There are not many cheap tickets for students; 60 tickets are allocated for concerts and performances on the Bolshoi Theatre Historic Stage, and only 30 - for concerts and performances on the New Stage. Tickets for students are sold an hour and a half before a concert/performance in the box office No. 2, administrative building. A student that has a student ID can buy only one ticket.
Advance ticket sales for the Bolshoi Theatre performances will start three months prior to an event, just as it used to be earlier. One person can buy only two tickets to a concert or a performance.
Disabled persons and veterans of the Great Patriotic War, Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation and Full Cavaliers of the Order of Glory will be able to buy discount tickets for half-price. They can take one accompanying person with them, but this person will need to pay the full ticket price. For mobility impaired people special seats in the stalls will be assigned. The person accompanying a disabled person, will need to pay the full ticket price. Benefit-
entitled spectators will be able to book a ticket via phone seven days in advance.
Marking the birthday of Vladislav Piavko
Vladislav Piavko is one of the brightest Russian opera singers. Those productions at the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre, where he performed leading roles of the tenor repertory, went down the history of the famous theatre as some of the most memorable. His performance of the most difficult main role in the opera "Guglielmo Ratcliff" by P. Mascagni at the opera theatre in Livorno (Italy) became a world sensation. This part is considered to be almost impossible to sing; over the more than a hundred years since the time this opera was composed, the Russian tenor became the fourth singer to perform the part of Guglielmo. In 1984 he was awarded the gold medal "Vladislav Piavko - the Great Guglielmo Ratcliff" and the Diploma of the City of Livorno, as well as the Silver Medal of Pietro Mascagni Society 'Friends of the Opera'. He became the first Russian tenor singer, who was awarded this gold medal in Italy, in the country that is the motherland of tenors, for his performance of the opera, composed by the Italian composer.
The singer also participated in recording operas that make up the major part of the Russian opera repertory, such as "Boris Godunov" (author's edition) and "Khovanshchina" by M. Mussorgsky, "Mazeppa" and "The Maid of Orleans" by P. Tchaikovsky and "The Invisible City of Kitezh" by N. Rimsky-Korsakov. The recording of "Khovanshchina" received the prize of Academie Charles Cros. The recording of the opera "Dead Souls" by Schtschedrin was highly appraised by music critics around the world and received the "Critic Choice" Award (the UK).
During the last decade V. Piavko has continued to perform in concerts, productions at the opera theatres in Russia and neighboring countries and music festivals; he has also devoted much time and effort to educational activities and public work. These activities have been aimed at contributing to the professional development of young Russian musicians. The singer is a member of the jury of the Glinka International Vocal Contest, the First Open Competition of Vocal Music Named in Honor of G. V. Newsletter "starting almost the same day" that he took the office. According to Mr. Urin, "quite a few" candidacies, capable of taking the position of the Bolshoi Orchestra conductor, were discussed with the Bolshoi Theatre new music director and chief conductor Tugan Sokhiev. Vladimir Urin mentioned that Vladimir Jurowsky and Semyon Bychkov were two of those who agreed to conduct the Bolshoi Orchestra. According to the General Director, they reached the agreement to cooperate "during the next few years".
Plans for February: broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera and the Bolshoi Theatre
Operas "Rusalka" and "Falstaff" + the ballet "Jewels"
These cold evenings let us gather and watch productions of the New York Metropolitan Opera or the Bolshoi Theatre that will be broadcast at the Moscow
cinemas on February, 8, 16 and 22.
The first on the list is the new opera "Rusalka" starring the opera diva Renée Fleming; this will be the first time that we will hear her singing one of her signature parts in live broadcast as a part of Live in HD series. The touching and melodious opera by DvoЕ™ák was staged by the Czech director Otto Schenk. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the orchestra. The cast also stars Petr Bechala, who performs the part of the charming Prince, whose love Rusalka (the Mermaid) longs for.

On February, 16 the season will continue with the ballet "Jewels" choreographed by George Balanchine and staged by the Bolshoi Ballet. This ballet has no plot; Balanchine chose three precious stones, three colors, three famous silhouettes and signs of three ballet epochs. The first part of "Jewels" ("Emeralds"), according to Balanchine, "is, perhaps, pointing to France; France of elegance, comfort, fashion and perfumes". "Rubies" relates to the American ballet, while "Diamonds" - to the Russian classical ballet.
In the first part ("Emeralds") artists wear long "Sylphide" dresses; in the second ("Rubies") - very short skirts; in the third ("Diamonds") - classical white tutu skirts.
Here we have the romantic ballet, the 20 century ballet and the classical ballet. The chorography implies three styles, three great ballet schools - the French, the American and the Russian.
The ballet "Jewels"
February, 52014Newsletter Sviridov and a member of the International S.I. Taneev Chamber Ensembles Competition organizing committee. Vladislav Piavko is the first vice-president of International Union of Musicians and The Irina Arhipova Foundation; he deals with organizing numerous concerts of young Russian singers, educational campaigns, music festivals, charity concerts and recordings.
In his younger days Vladislav Piavko was fond of sport; he is a master of sports in Greco-Roman wrestling; in the end of 1950s he became the champion of Siberia and the Far East among boys in the weight category up to 62 kilos. He is now fond of slide shows and writing poems. He is the author of the book "Tenor… (from the chronicles of past lives)" and a large number of poems.

On Februar, 8 at 7 p.m. the opera "Eugene Onegin" will be performed at the Bolshoi Theatre. The music by P. Tchaikovsky matched the poems by A. Pushkin perfectly; the director added some unexpected details to the mise-en-scenes that were given a second thought. They say that this production presents a new point of view for the well-known piece.
Text: Tatiana Elagina
All romances by Tchaikovsky. Part 4
I hope that our regular readers remember about the "marathon" - singing all 104 romances by P. Tchaikovsky - that started a year ago. The project initiated by Academy of Music "Hanns Eisler" (Berlin) professor Semyon Skigin and the Head of the Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Opera Program Dmitry Vdovin seemed ambitious from the very beginning; it has been developing according to the chronology of Tchaikovsky's creative career, from his early opuses to pieces composed by the
mature composer. On January 30 the fourth concert of the cycle took place.
The participants are different every time. "Veterans" and graduates of the Young Artists Opera Program change places with newcomers. It is surprising how at each concert we hear more mature works of P. Tchaikovsky performed by more and more skillful vocalists.
Let me start from talking about the author of the project. Semyon B. Skigin, the regular emcee, who charms the audience from the very beginning. However, he is used to working with mature musicians, and at first he overwhelmed the young singers with his brutal grand piano sound. Later it gave way to competition, where not all soloists managed to deal with bright piano accompaniment. At the fourth concert professor Skigin was the embodiment of every vocalist's dream; his accompaniment was soft, caring and almost as melodious as voice. Working on each piece in detail together with the singer requires great skill of the pianist.
The work that has been done with accompanists of the Young Artists Opera Program is by no means less valuable. At the first concerts of the cycle one could guess who plays the piano - the professor or young pianists - with his eyes closed. Now this has become much harder to define. Both girls that participated in the fourth concert have obviously matured as musicians. Elizaveta Dmitrieva, who was boyishly harsh and Sologub), the real lyrical pearl, was performed in a very spring-like manner; it was easy to hear the nightingale singing and feel first love coming.
The romance to the lyrics by A. Fet that Olga Kulchinskaya sang is also very popular. Her soprano is even lighter and more resonant; she also had some very sophisticated nuances. I saw a smart flirty girl who should not talk to someone or bother him: he will come and proclaim his love himself!
Maria Lobanova knows how to present her dramatic soprano in a compact way and to put up a real "one-man theatre", if she can relate to the music. She sang two romances; the first - to the lyrics by A. Apukhtin, the second - to the lyrics by N. Nerkasov. The one she could best relate to was the first. It seemed that she had suffered and cried herself to sleep during the night she sang about a long time ago, so they were just a mere memory. The culmination was rather reserved and thoughtful; there was no drama in it.
Yulia Mennibaeva, the soloist of the "Novaya Opera", who stepped into the breach for a colleague who fell sick, demonstrated style sophistication. Somehow I never noticed before that "The Song of the Gypsy" (to the lyrics by Y. Polonsky) is similar to Spanish songs by Ravel in terms of how graceful the melody is.
Alexandra Chukhina's voice is even deeper and darker; this is a real contralto. From those three romances that she performed, I liked "Fall Asleep" to the lyrics by D. Merezhkovsky best of all.
But then there was Dmitry "cello" Chesnokov. The young lad with the figure of Don Quixote has such wonderful timbre. His singing had all the strong and weak points of this string instrument. When he was singing the romance "Death" (to the lyrics by D. Merezhkovsky) I had a feeling that his voice was not warmed up enough; the "hit" to the lyrics by A. Plescheev that he performed in the second part of the concert was much better.
Andrei Zhilikhovsky started singing the first romance to the lyrics by A. Tolstoy in an insinuating and careful manner. His passionate baritone showed in full force as he was singing the masterpiece "Heroic Deed" (to the lyrics by Khomyakov). Here we February, 52014where "the storm" calmed down and soprano came in harmony with tenor.
Surprising as it might be, but female duets seemed more organic and harmonious that evening. The high soprano of Olga Kulchinskaya and contralto of Alexandra Chukhina together - this is so tasty, just like black coffee with ice-cream! The girls performed both duets, the lyrical "Evening" to the lyrics by I. Surikov and the joyful "In the Garden, Near the Ford" to the lyrics by T. Shevchenko, translated by I. Surikov, in unison and clearly enjoyed themselves.
The voices of Angelina Nikitchenko and Yulia Mennibayeva matched in an interesting way as they performed the touching romance "Tears" to the lyrics by F. Tyutchev. The exalted romance "The Dawn" to the lyrics by I. Surikov that closed the concert was Newsletter The Bolshoi Theatre in the InternetPhotos: Damir Yusupov
February, 52014Newsletter We have also published the pictures taken at the concert of the Bolshoi Theatre Symphonic Orchestra and the Bolshoi Theatre Choir:Photos: Damir YusupovAnalysis of articles published February, 3 The US newspaper the Sarasota Herald reviews the cinema transmission of Alexei Ratmansky's Lost Illusions very favourably saying that he has put new life into the full-length story ballet making it relevant and spirited. The reviewer also reviews the performance of the Bolshoi dancers very positively.
The Sydney Morning Herald writes about top performances in Australia at Queensland Performing Arts Centre saying it has been enticing huge crowds with performances of the highest caliber such as Russia's Bolshoi Ballet.
RTS CH a Swiss media outlet writes about the upcoming celebration of 200 years of Russian Swiss diplomatic relations which will include a gala with ballet dancers from the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky.
In Krasnodar a route almost 48 kilometers long will go down historic streets and memorable places. There will be 324 torch bearers, including 11 champions of Olympic and Paralympics games. The Olympic champion Arsen Galstyan, Olympic medalists Maria Abakumova, Danila Izotov, Alexander Ivanov, Dmitry Ushakov and Marina Shainova, as well as famous Russians, including the Minister of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Response Vladimir Puchkov, the Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin, rectors of the major educational institutions of the Krasnodar region, bloggers, student representatives and school students will carry the torch.
Syktyvkar mass media:
It is 7 times cheaper to watch a Bolshoi Ballet production in Syktyvkar

On February 2 the reporter of the news portal progorod11.ru together with the Syktyvkar audience went to see the live broadcast of the ballet "Lost Illusions" staged at the Bolshoi Theatre. The reporter shares some impressions with the readers:
There are not that many ballet fans in our city. The house was not full; the students of the Syktyvkar art school choreography department and their parents made up the main part of the audience.
However, those who did come were very keen spectators.
Each ballet fan dreams to visit the Bolshoi Theatre at least once in his or her life; unfortunately, not all of them do have such opportunity. By the way, the cheapest ticket to "Lost Illusions" at the Bolshoi Theatre costs 2500 rubles (approx. $85). This time professionals, newcomers and regular ballet fans had a chance to watch the live broadcast of the performance for as little as 350 rubles (approx. $12).
Of course, the question of price is not as important as the production of "Lost Illusions" itself; this is a ballet about ballet, a ballet about music, high art and lofty love. Transmission of the ballet at the cinema has one great advantage - a spectator has a chance to see faces of dancers and their emotions in more detail. Transmission also has a disadvantage: it is difficult to feel the theatre atmosphere, excitement of the actors and emotions of the audience. This happens even though not only the production itself, but preparation backstage and the audience hall are shown during the transmission.International press analysisIn brief February, 52014Newsletter Digest has been compiled by The Bolshoi Theatre Press Office
Photos: Damir Yusupov and Mikhail Logvinov
Design layout: Vladimir AndrusenkoAll materials used in the digest are the public domain of information agencies, mass media, civil society organizations and government "Lost Illusions" impressed greatly with its plot, costumes, acting and precise performance. The director of Syktyvkar art school choreography department Galina Shiryaeva said she was happy with this opportunity to see the ballet staged at the Bolshoi Theatre. She also hoped that the next time the cinema hall would be full. This really is a unique opportunity for those who appreciate ballet. The chance to see spectacular productions of the Bolshoi Theatre can be compared to a chance to see Russian ballet stars live. Perhaps, the Russian audience is not ready for such a format yet. By the way, live broadcasts of Russian ballet productions are very popular abroad; the emcee translates her commentary for the ballet in English and French.World ballet stars will perform in Riga in April

On April 28 the great Etoile Ballet Gala will take place at the Latvian National Opera; the brightest stars of world ballet will participate in the Gala. Chinara Alizade will be one of those stars.
CHINARA ALIZADE - the Honored Artist of Azerbaijan; graduated from the Moscow State Academy of Choreography. She is now a Bolshoi Theatre soloist. She was awarded the first prize at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow. /…/