Guests of the Chaliapin Opera Festival heard "Aida" and "Eugene Onegin"

KAZAN. On February 1, in TAGTOiB, the 31st international festival, named after the world famous bass of Russia Fedor Ivanovich Chaliapin, was solemnly opened with the premiere of the opera Aida. Kazan is the hometown of Chaliapin, and this was the reason due to which, at the initiative of the administration of the State Opera House of Tatarstan, this opera festival appeared. Over the years of its existence, the festival organically fit into the cultural life of the country, annually gathering guests and participants from all over the world.

At the premiere opera Aide, the conductor’s console was a longtime friend of the festival, Italian maestro Marco Boemi. Speaking at the press conference before the festival, the conductor expressed sincere admiration for the new production of Aida. During the festival, the maestro will conduct another opera - “Poet’s Love”, written by Rezeda Akhiyarova.

The opera Aida was not chosen for the production by chance - this year the composer Giuseppe Verdi turns 200 years old. In addition, this opera has been part of Chaliapin’s repertoire for many years. The production was directed by a director from St. Petersburg, People’s Artist Yuri Alexandrov, and the creator of a new set design and costume designer was an artist from Moscow, Victor Gerasimenko.

The main parts of the opera are sung by singers, well-known on the stages of the best opera houses in the world. Aida’s part is performed by the soloist of the Ukrainian National Opera Oksana Kramareva, and Ramades sings with the voice of the singer of the Mariinsky Theater Ahmet Agadi. To create an atmosphere on the stage corresponding to the performance, a video screen was used depicting a stone wall with flickering torches fixed on it.

The next festival performance was shown on February 3rd and warmly received by the audience "Eugene Onegin", staged by Mikhail Panjavidze.

Ludmila Trautmane