LOVE IN THE AGE OF THE PHARAOHS: PREMIERE OF THE FILM-OPERA AIDA WITHIN THE PROJECT THEATREHD

On May 21 the premiere of the film version of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida of the Helikon-opera Theater staged by Dmitry Bertman will take place at the Cinema Center The Oktyabr. Before the show guests will find an immersive zone that will dip them in the atmosphere of Ancient Egypt, a red carpet and a welcome drink. On the same day viewers of 60 Russian cities will be able to travel back to the mystical era of the pyramids and pharaohs in 200 cinemas in the country.

Aida is one of the most performed and highest-grossing operas in the international repertoire, the top of Verdi’s oeuvre. The production of the Helikon-opera impresses with its showmanship - giant Egyptian sculptures up to six meters high, colorful paintings in a scene on the banks of the Nile, gold-embroidered costumes of Egyptians and fantastic light.

The opera tells a touching love story of an Ethiopian princess in slavery and an Egyptian commander. Fierce rivalry in the fight for happiness, betrayal, the conflict between criminal love for the enemy and duty to the father and compatriots, vivid musical images created by the composer in magnificent arias and majestic chorus, an orchestra rich in romantic colors — these are the secrets of the popularity of Aida, thanks to which it became one of the most famous operas in the world!

The roles in the production were performed by Ivan Gyngazov and Elena Mikhailenko, already known to the audience for the film version of the opera The Queen of Spades, as well as Yulia Nikanorova, Mikhail Guzhov, Alexey Dedov, Grigory Soloviov, Yulia Shcherbakova and Dmitry Khromov,

In 2023 the spectacle Aida was nominated for the National Theater Award The Golden Mask in four categories and received the award in the nomination "Best opera conductor" (Valery Kiryanov).

Dmitry Bertman, the stage-director of the performance: "Aida is a mid-term opera for Verdi, it is so different from the previous ones, as if it was written by another composer. In Aida the music is not just beautiful arias and caballettes, but an exciting action with through-line of dramaturgy. Aida is also unique in its place of action: this is an ancient world that has existed for hundreds of millennia. In Aida history comes alive, but in our performance we are talking about very intimate human feelings."

The film version of the opera promises a complete immersion into the mysterious and enigmatic world of Egypt — multi-camera recording and advanced light and sound technologies will allow you to see and hear what was previously inaccessible to theater audiences.

The project TheatreHD, conceived and realized by the TV-channel Russia-Culture and the distribution company KINO.ART.PRO for broadcasting the best domestic theatrical productions on big screens, supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and more than a dozen Russian theaters. The number of project participants continues to grow. The motto of TheatreHD is: "The theater is getting closer, the theater is becoming more accessible."

Residents of 60 cities of the country have already seen the project, supported on the broadcast of the TV-channel Russia-Culture, as well as other TV channels, radio stations and online resources belonging to the media holding VGTRK. New high-quality educational content has joined the repertoire of Russia's leading cinemas: KARO chain, the united chain Formula Kino/Cinema Park, Moskino, cinemas of the Cinema Foundation and leading off–chain cinemas - Avrora (St. Petersburg), Pobeda (Novosibirsk), Gorizont (Rostov-on-Don).

The project partner is Theatre HD.