Leading Opera Voices of the World

In collaboration with The Queen Sonja International Music Competition (Norway)

By Romuald Sip

MOSCOW/RUSSIA: A sold out Bolshoi Theatre allready some months ago, waited for the concert presenting: Leading Opera Voices of the World. And it became a success and a compliment also to the initiative of bringing 8 excellent young singers to Bolshoi, to give them the chance to be heard by an international audience. 

The program was with big variations, still inside the kind of programmation that goes in to the hearts of a large audience. And in that we enjoyed variations from the most famouse French, Italian, Austrian and German composers. The only thing i was missing was Russian composers in the program. – I feel that a bit strange, to be in the heart of Opera in Moscow, and not only a single piece of Russian music.

CONCERT PROGRAM 

I Part

Giuseppe VERDI:
Overture to the opera La forza del destino

Aria of Banco «Come dal ciel precipita» from the opera Macbeth
Christian Valle (bass-baritone)

Aria of Violetta «È strano… Ah, fors’è lui … Sempre libera» from the opera La Traviata
Elsa Dreisig (soprano)

Duet of Gilda and the Duke «Signor ne principe» from the opera Rigoletto
Ruslana Koval (soprano)
Seungju Bahg (tenor)

George BIZET:
Seguidilla «Près des remparts de Séville» from the opera Carmen

Rihab Chaieb (mezzo-soprano)
Giovanni Sebastiano Sala (tenor)

Aria of Don José «La fleur que tu m’avais jetée…» from the opera Carmen
Giovanni Sebastiano Sala (tenor)

Léo DELIBES:
Aria of Lakmé «Où va la jeune hindoue» from the opera Lakmé
Alina Adamski (soprano)

Flower Duet «Viens, Mallika, les lianes en fleurs… Sous le dôme épais» from the opera Lakmé
Alina Adamski (soprano)
Rihab Chaieb (mezzo-soprano)

Giacomo PUCCINI:
Intermezzo from the opera Manon Lescaut

Jules MASSENET:
Aria of Manon «Adieu ma petite table» from the opera Manon
Elsa Dreisig (soprano)

Gaetano DONIZETTI:
Cavatina of Lucia «Regnava nel silenzio» from the opera Lucia di Lammermoor
Ruslana Koval (soprano)

Part II

Otto NICOLAI:
Overture to the opera Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor

Johann STRAUSS:
Aria of Adel «Mein Herr Marquis» from the operetta Die Fledermaus
Alina Adamski (soprano)

Carl Maria von WEBER:
Aria of Kaspar «Schweig! Damit dich Niemand warnt» from the opera Der Freischutz
Alexander Roslavets (bass)

Charles GOUNOD:
Recitative and Aria of Giulietta “Dieu quel frisson court dans mes veines… Amour ranime mon courage” from the opera Romeo e Giulietta
Elsa Dreisig (soprano)

Camille SAINT-SAENS:
Bacchanal from the opera Samson et Dalila

Charles GOUNOD:
Rondo of Méphistophélès «Le veau d’or» from the opera Faust
Alexander Roslavets (bass)

Cavatina od Faust «Salut, demeure chaste et pure» from the opera Faust
Seungju Bahg (tenor)

Terzet of Marguerite, Méphistophélès and Faust «Anges purs, anges radieux» from the opera Faust
Alina Adamski (soprano)
Seungju Bahg (tenor)
Alexander Roslavets (bass)

Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra
Conductor: Robert Tuohy

Short History about Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow:

On 28 March (17 according to the old style) 1776, Catherine II granted the prosecutor, Prince Pyotr Urusov, the “privilege” of “maintaining” theatre performances of all kinds, including masquerades, balls and other forms of entertainment, for a period of ten years
. And it is from this date that Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre traces its history.

The Bolshoi building, which for many years now has been regarded as one of Moscow’s main sights, was opened on 20 October 1856, on Tsar Alexander II’s coronation day.

On 29 October 2002 the Bolshoi was given a New Stage and it was here it presented its performances during the years the Historic Stage was undergoing massive reconstruction and refurbishment.

The reconstruction project lasted from l July 2005 to 28 October 2011. As a result of this reconstruction, many lost features of the historic building were reinstated and, at the same time, it has joined the ranks of most technically equipped theatre buildings in the world.

The Bolshoi Theatre is a symbol of Russia for all time. It was awarded this honor due to the major contribution it made to the history of the Russian performing arts. This history is on-going and today Bolshoi Theatre artists continue to contribute to it many bright pages.

Longer history about The Bolshoi Theatre Moscow, please visit this home page: https://www.bolshoi.ru/en/about/hist/history/