The press-conference, devoted to "Un Ballo in Maschera" performance, was held in "Helikon-opera"

05.09.2013

The press-conference, devoted to "Un Ballo in Maschera" performance, was held in "Helikon-opera"

On September 5, the press-conference of the production team of "Un Ballo in Maschera" premiere performance was held in "Helikon-opera" theatre. Presentation was made by director of the performance , the artistic director of the theater , People's Artist of Russia, professor Dmitry Bertman, conductor Simone Fermani (Italy), who is a direct descendant of Giuseppe Verdi, and the set designer Honored Artist of Russia Igor Nezhny.

Dmitry Bertman said that this opera by Verdi attracts him primarily because of political intrigue , and how the composer reveals the nature of power, betrayal and conspiracy theme. Bertman convinced the audience that this is not a melodramatic story of the past, but the story of modern life.

Italian conductor maestro Simone Fermani, with whom D. Bertman met last year while working in Riga, aroused a great interest of journalists. S. Fermani spoke about how he became interested in the concept of the director, and how he enjoyed working at the theater, and that he liked working with the soloists, chorus and orchestra of "Helikon-opera" . Maestro Fermanagh answered the journalists' questions about his great ancestor , and devoted the audience into the intricacies of the genealogy of his family, telling the moving story of his great-grandmother, illegitimate daughter of composer and singer Giuseppina Strepponi. Simone Fermani introduced his book published in Italy in 2011 , which published the proof of this version of Verdi’s family history.

Photos by Denis Vasiliev and Anastasiya Ditkovskaya