Valery Georgiev to present Don Quixote at the Shalyapin festival
A first night of opera «Don Quixote» by Jules Massenet will be presented at the XXXI International opera festival to be held on February 16, 2013 in Kazan. A performance will be presented by the company of State academic Mariinsky theatre (St Petersbrug) under conduct of a well-known maestro Valery Georgiev. The production will become a bright final accord of the Shalyapin forum-2013 program
The opera «Don Quixote» on motifs of the same novel by Migel Servantes never was staged in Kazan-nor in Soviet times , neither before the revolution. A premiere of «heroic comedy in 5 acts» by Massenet took place on February 19, 1910, in Monte-Carlo. The role of a noble hidalgo was written specially for Fyodor Shalyapin, having performed the main part at the first presentation.
The performance gained an absolute success, wholly generated by genius of Shalyapin. The great artiste created the image of an imperishable «dreamer and fighter for happiness, having fallen a prey of human cruelty and egoism».
First time, the part of Don Quixote was performed by Shalyapin in Moscow, at the Bolshoi theatre on November 28 , in 1910. Nine years later, the opera was staged in St. Petersburg. A year later, Mariinsky theatre turned again to a half-forgotten masterpiece: Valery Geoand the collective of Mariinka presented a concert performance of «Don Quixote», and issued on Mariinsly label a cognomina record, recently nominated for «Grammy» award
On December 28, 2012, a long awaited premiere of scene version of the opera by Jules Massenet «Don Quixote» takes place on the stage of Mariinsky theatre.
A month and half later after Petersburg opening night, soloists, artists of the chorus and orchestra of Marrinsky theatre will perform «Don Quixote in Kazan.
We remind that XXXI International opera festival named after F. Shalyapin will be held in Kazan from February 1 to 16, 2013. A forum is dedicated to 140th anniversary of the great singer