A press-conference, devoted to "Helikon-opera" plans, was held

15.01.2014

The press-conference, devoted to “Helikon-opera” plans for the nearest half of the year was held in the theatre

80 performances will be given from January to June 2014 on the main stage

On January 15, the press-conference, devoted to theatre’s plans for the nearest half of the year was held in Helikon-opera under Dmitry Bertman. The Artistic Director of Helikon-opera Dmitry Bertman told about solemn delivery of

“Tsarina” performance by D. Tukhmanov to Helikon-opera theatre, which had been scheduled to the end of January. As is known, the performance was staged by Dmitry Bertman and the troupe of the theatre in 2008 with the initiative of META Education Fund with the support of “Uralsib” financial company. In 5 years since its premiere in Aleхandrinsky theatre of Saint-Petersburg, “Tsarina” production went around many Russian cities from Moscow to Vladivostok, getting people’s love and recognition. Soon, “Helikon-opera” will become an owner of the production.

On February 4, Helikon-opera theatre will perform the concert version of G. Verdi’s “Aida” in Dmitry Bertman production in Svetlanovsky hall of Moscow International House of Music. Conductor Vladimir Ponkin. Soloists of the theatre Elena Mikhailenko (Aida), Vadim Zaplechny (Radames), Ksenia Viaznikova (Amneris), Sergey Toptygin (Amonasro), Alisa Gitsba (High Priest), as well as Mikhail Guzhov (Ramphis), Alexander Kiselev (The King of Egypt), Mikhail Seryshev (The Messenger) are engaged in the performance.

On February 8th and April 19th Helikon-opera theatre presents the new program “Love Forever” in Moscow Variety theatre. The premiere of the program took place on October 31, 2013. Two Moscow theatres invite everybody to the romantic night to enjoy live sound. The star hits by “The Beatles”, “Queen”, Marylin Monroe, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, “The Platters”, Roy Orbison, Demis Russos, Tina Turner, Adriano Celentano will be performed. Soloists and artists of the theatre will appear on the stage, dressed in Bosco di Ciliegi attires.

The same day, February 8th, the premiere of "Eugene Onegin" by P. Tchaikovsky in Dmitry Bertman production will take place in NorrlandsOperan in the city of Umea, Sweden.

The famous baritone Peter Mattei (Sweden) will perform as Onegin and Maria Fontosh as Tatiana. Maria has already worked with Dmitry Bertman, she performed as Tatiana in Swedish Royal Opera and as Desdemona in "Othello" by G. Verdi, staged by Dmitry Bertman in 2011.

In the beginning of March 2014 the ceremony of awards of the National Prize of Kind Deeds “We Can Do It Together” (“Smozhem vmeste”) will take place on stage of “Helikon-opera”. It is a joint action of “Argumenty Nedeli” newspaper and Helikon-opera theatre.

On March 4, the premiere of Stravinsky’s “Le Rossignol” opera after H. C. Andersen tale will be performed at Al Bustan festival in Beirut (Lebanon). Helikon-opera will perform there for the 14th time. Moscow premiere of this opera, which is rarely performed in Russia, will be presented on May 7th, 2014. The money for the production will be raised with the help of crowdfunding at www.planeta.ru. We invite everybody to participate in action of public funding of Helikon’s project and to help the theatre. Gifts and privileges are provided.

On March 13, by the 175th anniversary since M. P. Moussorgsky’s birth “Helikon-opera” will present “Boris Godunov” opera in Dmitry Bertman’s production. The critics consider his work to be “the most interesting and significant production among Russian operas, which we have recently seen on Moscow scenes” and defined “Boris Godunov” as “a dialogue with Russian classic on its own territory, which is rarely met today”

On April 10, (Helikon’s birthday) the series of festive concerts will be held on stage of the theatre in New Arbat. 

On April 19, we invite spectators to see “Love Forever” concert on stage of Moscow Variety Theatre again.

On April 26, the premiere of “Der Rosenkavalier” by R. Strauss in Dmitry Bertman’s production will be held on stage of Swedish opera theatre in Malmo.

On May 15, by the 170th anniversary since N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov birth Helikon will perform “The Tsar’s Bride”. This production stood the test of time (its premiere was held in 1997) and is permanently popular among spectators. Dmitry Bertman lifted the everyday love story to the level of tragic scale, which is peculiar to great dramas of world masters of the genre. 
In the end of May “Un Ballo in Machera” by G. Verdi will be presented in Helikon-opera in the context of the Festival of Moscow premieres of the Department of Culture of Moscow.

On June 24, Helikon-opera will show “Fallen from the Sky” performance upon “The Story of a Real Man” by S. Prokofiev on stage of “Novaya Opera” theatre.
From January to June 2014 the theatre will show 80 performances on the main scene.

The Artistic Director of “Helikon-opera” also presented the new staff: assistant of Artistic Director of Helikon-opera theatre Irina Plotnikova, theatrucal critic, producer and stage director, and the Head of PR-department of Helikon-opera Denis Ryabtsev, a member of Union of Journalists and Union of Russian writers.

Dmitry Bertman also answered journalists’ questions, telling about the reconstruction of historical building in Bolshaya Nikitskaya: “The works are being done. Yesterday I visited the building site, so you coud receive new information. The works were stopped in July, because our workers were sent to build Zhulebino metro station. The good weather was missed. Then the Mayor of Moscow arrived and everything started again. Yesterday they filled up 95 cubic meters of cement. Everything is covered with tents there, the special equipment for warming up is inserted in them. The restorers make the good work in the old building, stucco work is done perfectly, the dome in the hall is restored, the capitals of the columns, as well as the columns are restored too. Many things are done, it is visible. The decoration work is left.  In the new part the most difficult things are also done: the space of lower machinery, orchestra pit, engineering network. The most important thing is that there is no water, everything’s dry. Moscow is built on underground rivers, there were dangers, as the water is very near. But everything is done perfectly, which is a miracle. The stucco work is done accordingly to the documents of the XIX century. The colour was green during Soviet times. And now there is the historical colour, yellow, the same that Moscow conservatory has. I think the building will be very beautiful, when they finish it”.

The journalists of Moscow media Maria Babalova (Vechernyaya Moskva), Ludmila Borzyak (Radio of Russia), Vladimir Vasiliev (Teatralny Mir), Yuri Vasiunkin (Deputy of Director General of Information Policy of International Assembly of capitals and large cities, MAG) and Natalia Mesitova (MAG press-secretary), Natalia Viktorova (The Voice of Russia), Natalia Zimyanina (Tournée agency), Olga Kordiukova (Orfeus Radio, Radio of Culture), Roman Korolev-Namazov (Radio of Russia), Igor Koryabin (Planeta Krasota), Eugenia Krivitskaya (“Culture” newspaper), Nadezhda Kuziakova (Deputy of Director General and Artistic Director of Russian State Musical TV and Radio Center), Elena Laschenko and Elena Zhukova (Musical Klondike), Emily Lebed (The Voice of Russia, German Department), Anatoly Lysenkov (Orfeus Radio), Dmitry Morozov (Muzykalnaya Zhizn), Irina Muravieva (Rossiyskaya Gazeta), Alisa Nikolskaya (Chief Editor of “City Entertaiments” portal, Gleb Olkhovoy (RIA “Novosti”), Ildar Safuanov (Literary Russia), Galina Snitovskaya (Muzykalnaya Zhizn), Elena Soboleva (The Voice of Russia), Ludmila Stolyarenko (freelance journalist, Moscow’s blogger), Irina Shvedova (Moskovskaya Pravda), Elizaveta Schteiger (Parlamentskaya Gazeta) visited the press-conference.

Photos by Anton Dubrovsky