Gala concert of soloists of the opera of Russia and Ukraine

On June 13, 2013, St. Petersburg will witness a unique concert: on the stage of the Great Hall of the Philharmonic, the best voices of the National Opera of Ukraine will gather in the company of vocalists of the Mariinsky Theater.

Both Russia and Ukraine are famous for their deep musical traditions. The natural richness of voices in combination with an excellent school and high working capacity traditionally brings good results: there are many immigrants from Russia and Ukraine among world-class opera stars. For various reasons, in recent years it has become more difficult for domestic listeners to follow the development of Ukrainian vocal art - and this is precisely the problem that the gala concert, commissioned by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, is designed to solve.

Opera, by definition, is international. The Italians Rossini and Verdi, the French Bizet and Offenbach, the American Gershwin and the Czech Dvořák will be performed by Angelina Shvachka, Sergey Magera, Harry Setyan, Tatyana Kalinkina, Khachatur Badalyan and Alexander Trofimov.

The national artist of Ukraine Angelina Shvachka (mezzo-soprano) has her own personal record: she performed “Carmen” by Georges Bizet 105 times in 18 productions from around the world. It is her Habanera that the one and a half hour concert will open.

The owner of the powerful bass of a beautiful timbre palette, People’s Artist of Ukraine Sergey Magera is famous not only for his extensive repertoire, but also for his magnificent dramatic skill. Listeners will be able to verify this themselves, because he will appear in such different images as Mephistopheles, Gremin and Don Basilio.

Charming Tamara Kalinkina, who studied in Italy, including the famous La Scala, is loved in Ukraine not only for her magnificent soprano, but also for the sincere performance of romances and civil songs.

Honored Artist of Ukraine Harry Setyan (baritone) conducts active concert activities, performs with solo programs, in opera performances, as well as gala concerts in Ukraine and Russia. The singer’s concert repertoire includes Ukrainian folk songs, arias from operas, romances, as well as works of authorship.

The Russian opera tradition will be presented at the concert by two tenors. Soloist of the Mariinsky Theater Khachatur Badalyan, who had internship with prominent teachers in Italy and the USA, performed with such conductors as Mikhail Pletnev, Antonello Allemandi, Keri-Lynn Wilson, Theodor Currentzis, Marco Boemi, Eri Klas and many others. The soloist of the Academy of Young Opera Singers of the Mariinsky Theater, Alexander Trofimov, is loved by the public not only in St. Petersburg, but also in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Hungary and other countries where he traveled.

Undoubtedly, this concert will bring true pleasure to both connoisseurs of opera and simply to connoisseurs of high-class vocals and immortal classical music.