I. Strauss "The Bat". Premiere. 12+

February 9 and February 28

The dazzling, bright, cheerful operetta of Johann Strauss “The Bat” will be presented by artists of the Petersburg Concert and the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of the People’s Artist of Russia Sergei Stadler on the stage of the Hermitage Theater.

Her inspiring music is characterized by an inexhaustible melodic ingenuity and is permeated with a Viennese waltz. It creates a special atmosphere of joy, anticipation of the holiday, expectation of new emotions…

The plot was based on a supposedly real case in life when a man at a masquerade ball did not recognize his wife under a mask, and was fascinated by a "beautiful stranger." The plot is not new, but still relevant: sometimes, to be noticed by her own husband, a woman is forced to appear in a new mysterious image! And you need to have the wisdom of Rosalind to get out of this piquant situation with dignity.

The performance is filled with funny moments, curiosities and misunderstandings, which the characters deal with in Straussian style easily and cheerfully.

The stage story of the Bat turned out to be not so easy as its content. The first performance took place on April 5, 1874 in Vienna, at the An der Vin Theater. This is surprising, but she was coldly received by the very exquisite Viennese audience who idolized Strauss for waltzes. The operetta withstood only 17 performances, after which it was removed from the repertoire of the theater. However, in Berlin this work was a huge success, Parisians accepted it even more enthusiastically. In Paris, not only portraits of the composer were snapped, but hats and gloves “a la Strauss” and ties “Bat”. Only after such a triumph in Europe, this operetta, once again staged in Vienna, was adequately appreciated by the audience.

Johann Strauss’s “bat” has long been on a par with the best musical performances in the world. This is one of the most famous and brilliant operettas in the history of the genre. Outstanding conductors and musicians have addressed and continue to appeal to her, among them Gustav Mahler, Bruno Walter, Felix Weingartner, Hans Knappersbush, Herbert von Karayan.

St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra
artistic director and chief conductor -
People’s Artist of Russia Sergey Stadler
Actors and performers:
Heinrich von Eisenstein - Alexander Trofimov (tenor)
Rosalind, his wife - Julia Muzychenko (soprano)
Adele, the maid of Rosalind - Victoria Rebenko (soprano)
Alfred, a singing teacher - Denis Zakirov (tenor)
Dr. Falk, notary - Vladimir Celebrovsky (baritone)
Frank, director of the prison - Vladimir Celebrovsky (baritone)
Dr. Blind, Attorney - Sallensky Leonty (tenor)
Prince Orlovsky - Galina Sidorenko (mezzo-soprano)
The ensemble of soloists "Christmas"
Director and Conductor - Honored Artist of Russia Olga Stupneva
Ensemble "Lady"
Head - Honored Artist of Russia Tatyana Timokhina
artistic director and chief conductor of the production -
People’s Artist of Russia Sergey Stadler
Director - Irina Fokina