International Projects of the St. Petersburg Opera Theatre

Yuri Alexandrov, People's Artist of Russia, Artistic Director of the St. Petersburg Opera, Evgenii Malygin, Director of the St. Petersburg Opera, Charge d'affaires of Russia in the UAE Yuri Vidakas, Deputy Director of the Rossotrudnichestvo in Belgrade Yevgeny Demin, and Managing Director of the Estonian National Culture Foundation Juri Leiten spoke about the tour program and the restoration of cultural exchange between countries at a press conference at TASS on May 31, 2021.

The resumption of international projects is the result of the comprehensive work of the Government of St. Petersburg, Russian embassies, offices of the Rossotrudnichestvo, and host theatrical venues.

Already on June 10th and 11th in Egypt, the musical drama "Rigoletto" by G. Verdi will be presented on the main stage of the Cairo Opera House.

"The St. Petersburg Opera is the first Russian opera house to come to Cairo with a full opera

production. It is a great honor and, at the same time, responsibility and, that is why we decided to present to the Cairo audience one of the best examples of world opera – “Rigoletto”. We have shown our stage version of Verdi's masterpiece in many countries and always with unfailing success thanks to the professionalism of our soloists, who perform the most difficult music with virtuosity. We sincerely hope that the audience will enjoy our luxurious costumed performance and that it will be the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship. Rigoletto is certainly the hallmark of the theatre”, Yuri Alexandrov said.

The performance “Rigoletto” will be shown on October 11th and 12th to the audience in the UAE on the stage of the Dubai Opera. “The tour of the St. Petersburg Opera coincides with the beginning of Expo 2020. Dubai expects a large number of tourists, guests and exhibitors from all over the world. The epidemiological situation here is calm, according to media reports, from June 6th, 2021, for safety reasons, only vaccinated viewers will be able to attend mass events”, Yuri Vidakas, Charge d'affaires of Russia in the UAE Yuri Vidakas, said. “I am sure that "Rigoletto" will be a great success, the hall will be completely filled. For the first time, the collective will come here within the frameworks of bilateral cooperation between the theatres of the Dubai Opera and the collective from the Northern capital of Russia, moreover, with a full-fledged production. The visit of the St. Petersburg Opera is a serious contribution to the promotion of the culture of Russia, which is our property, one might say, the heritage of our country. "

The St. Petersburg Opera has a long-standing friendly relations with the leading theatres in Serbia – the National Theatre in Belgrade and the Madlenianum Opera and Theatre. On the stage of the National Theatre in Belgrade, the collective will present "Elektra" by R. Strauss (on June 26th), and on the stage of the Madlenianum Opera and Theatre gala concert (on June 27th), as well as opera "Esmeralda" by A. Dargomyzhsky (on June 28th) will take place.

Within the frameworks of the Saaremaa Opera Festival, which is taking place in Estonia, the troupe of the theatre will show 4 performances from July 20th until 23rd as the main participant in the cultural event. The audience will be presented with "Faust" by C. Gounod, "The Barber of Seville" by G. Rossini, "Lucia di Lammermoor" by G. Donizetti, "Madame Butterfly" by G. Puccini.

“The Saaremaa Opera Festival is the largest opera festival in the Baltic States. We are proud to have received permission from our government to hold the event,” Jüri Leiten, Managing Director of the Estonian National Culture Foundation, chief producer of the Saaremaa Opera Festival said. “The St. Petersburg Opera is the first theatre from the northern capital of Russia to come to our festival. Tickets for all performances have already been sold. Also, for the first time on our venue, "Faust" will sound.", added Jüri Leiten.

The troupe of the St. Petersburg Opera will meet with the Estonian audience again in August in Tallinn. The performances of "Esmeralda" by A. Dargomyzhsky and "Elektra" by R. Strauss will take place on the stage of the National Opera on August 30th and 31st, respectively.

Within the frameworks of the Russian-Greek Cross Year of History and festive events dedicated to the Bicentennial anniversary of the Greek Revolution, a gala concert of the best performances of the collective will take place on July 29th.

At the Hungarian State Opera, the St. Petersburg Opera will present 2 performances on September 25th and 26th, respectively, – “The Pearl Fishers” by G. Bizet and “Faust” by C. Gounod.

“I treat international touring activities as a battle, audience recognition is very important for us, especially when we are surrounded by giants – the best theatres in the world,” summed up Yuri Alexandrov. "We are constantly improving our skills and every time we surprise the audience," Alexandrov added.

About the St. Petersburg Opera

The State Chamber Music Theatre St. Petersburg Opera was founded in 1987 and is well known in Russia and abroad. In 1998, the troupe obtained its own stage - the mansion of Baron von Derviz at Galernaya Street, 33. In recent years, the Opera has successfully performed in France, Greece, Serbia, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. The People’s Artist of Russia, Yuri Alexandrov, is the artistic director and founder of the theatre.