The St. Petersburg Opera became the main participant in the opera festival on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. The opera company members will present to the audience 4 performances: Faust by Charles Gounod on 20 July, Il barbiere di Siviglia by Gioachino Rossini on 21 July, Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti on 22 July and Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini on 23 July.
The tour is supported by the Government of St. Petersburg and the Committee for Culture of St. Petersburg.
“The festival program was formed by the organizer. It is a lucky coincidence that we have all these performances in our repertoire. But, as they say, all accidents are not accidental. Within 4 days we will show 4 performances. In such a schedule, the team must work day and night, but we can do it,” - said the artistic director and founder of the St. Petersburg Opera, People's Artist of Russia Yuri Alexandrov.
Saaremaa Opera Festival dates back to 2008 and is the most popular and largest international opera festival in the Baltic States, which takes place in the middle of summer in the heart of the island, precisely in its capital, Kuressaare. During the festival, on the territory of the medieval castle of Kuressaare, a truly grandiose summer opera house with 2,000 seats with red carpets, white chairs and huge chandeliers is being erected.
The organizer of the Saaremaa Opera Festival is the Eesti Kontsert Foundation, the successor of the Estonian State Philharmonic Society, founded in 1941. Currently, Eesti Kontsert has 5 concert complexes and halls in different towns of Estonia, as well as a concert venue in the St. John’s Church (Jaani kirik) on Dekabristov Street in St. Petersburg.
“It is a great honor for us to host the operas of the great friend of Eesti Kontsert – the St. Petersburg Opera in the frameworks of the festival in Saaremaa. Over the years, the Latvian National Opera, the Hungarian National Opera, the National Opera of Ukraine, the Georgian Opera and Ballet Theater, the Piccolo Theater di Milano, the Wroclaw Opera, Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach, the Shanghai Opera, the Helikon Opera and others took part in Saaremaa Opera Festival. We are pleased to present to the public of the Baltic and Nordic countries the enchanting work of the St. Petersburg Opera and maestro Yuri Alexandrov. As it has become extremely difficult to organize events in the context of the pandemic, Eesti Kontsert has applied to the Estonian government for a special permit to hold the festival. The government appreciates the significant contribution of the opera festival to the cultural life of Estonia and confirmed the organization of the festival. All tickets for the performances of the St. Petersburg Opera at the grandiose summer opera house with 2,000 seats have already been sold out. The audience and organizers are waiting for our dear guests with great interest and love,” - said CEO of Eesti Kontsert Kertu Orro.