- Do you mean that classical music has nothing to fear? - Absolutely. Music, opera, theatre and art in general unite people. Even if certain statements of foreign cultural workers appear in the press, we should not react too emotionally. - What goals do you set for yourself at the Bolshoi? Will you place your stake on traditional productions, or will you give innovation a chance as well? - What do we come to the theatre for? To become better people; therefore, our goal, just like the goal of any other theatre, is to work for our audience. Vladimir G. Urin and I have come to the Bolshoi recently, so we are elaborating possible ways of creative development based on the creative capacity that the theatre has today. My dream as a conductor is to look for and to find Russian musicians. The Bolshoi Theatre used to have such stars as Obraztsova, Atlantov, Kasrashvili and Arkhipova. It seems to me that we need to preserve the level that they set. This should happen regardless of the century or the year. W e should aim for the quality level of the productions that are performed at the Bolshoi daily in the first place. This is my principled position. Premieres that we put a lot of time and effort into are one thing. But unfortunately sometimes the current repertoire is not paid enough attention to. But the level of the theatre is defined by the quality of productions that are presented to the audience every day. - The Bolshoi Theatre has survived through hard times. What should be done in order for the word "Bolshoi" to be associated not with scandals, but with the theatre's achievements? - Right now we should put all our efforts into the creative process. The Bolshoi's most recent guest performances in Vienna and in New York were wonderful. The opera "The Tsar's Bride", conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky, was a great success. Even the audience at the Metropolitan Opera in New York gave the artists a standing ovation. This is the kind of success that should form our image of the Bolshoi. I do hope very much that nothing like the events you are talking about will ever happen again. - Let us talk about ways of development again. The Bolshoi's last significant opera commission was "Rosenthal's Children", composed by Leonid Desyatnikov in 2005. This season we will see a new ballet to the music by the modern composer Ilya Demutsky. Will the Bolshoi Theatre remain the majestic music museum, or will it demonstrate that it is no stranger to the modern art? - We are still searching, so I will not reveal all secrets yet. Do not forget that half of the season 2014/2015 was planned by the previous administration. Because of certain commitments and arrangements with foreign artists, directors and production teams, those plans should be implemented. For example, we are supposed to stage the opera "Rigoletto" together with the Aix-en-Provence Festival… - Do you think this is something you should refuse? - Perhaps, we should have organized the repertoire in a slightly different way. Perhaps, it would have been better to stage "Rigoletto" not in this season, but in a couple of seasons. The director of the theatre is guided by the general picture and dramaturgy of the season. The Bolshoi's repertoire should definitely have operas by

Russian composers; we do have such operas. It is very important that the 175 anniversary of P. Tchaikovsky will be marked by "The Maid of Orleans" and "The Queen of Spades". There will be Mozart, the Italian opera and the children's opera "The Story of Kai and Gerda" by the modern composer Sergei Banevich. We will be able to discuss some tendencies in the repertoire policy starting from the 2015/2016 season. We are looking for modern composers and I hope that some interesting titles will appear in the Bolshoi's repertoire. Of course, popular operas that everyone likes - such as "La Traviata" and "Carmen" - should be presented at the Bolshoi Theatre as well. - Does it mean that the premiere of the opera "Carmen" that is scheduled for 2015 will be quite modest and traditional in terms of directing? - We will try to remain faithful to the great Bizet as much as we can. The opera theatre is mainly about the music that the director works with. Our goal is to present the composer's vision on the stage. Music comes first. - In your opinion, what is an ideal opera director like? - It is important for me that the director feels the music, knows the score and tries to convey the meaning that he thinks the composer put into the piece. I consider that it is not right to express your modern opinion of this world, to express various political processes and your personal attitude to whatever is happening in the world today using the music by Tchaikovsky, V erdi or Mozart. Did not Tchaikovsky think about dramaturgy when he composed "The Queen of Spades" or "Eugene Onegin"? Dramaturgy is in the composer's music! Think about "The Queen of Spades" and the scene at the countess's bedroom. Tchaikovsky uses music to tell us about the characters' condition and the atmosphere in the room. This is the kind of approach that a director would use! One should not consider himself to be smarter than T chaikovsky! Both conductors and directors should try to understand what the composer wanted to express and to convey this message to the audience. - Does it mean that we should not be looking forward to seeing productions by Dmitry Chernyakov or other modern directors at the Bolshoi Theatre? - "Eugene Onegin", staged by Chernyakov, is on at the Bolshoi. It is possible that we will cooperate in the future. I guess each artist has his own successes and failures; it is important to choose the right piece to stage. - But modern productions make people think about the modern world and the human's place in this world… - I am convinced that a person can think about the meaning of life no matter what production he watches, the modern one or the historic one. It all depends on the quality of the production. One should not lose Tchaikovsky in "Eugene Onegin", this is the most important thing. I saw the production of "Eugene Onegin", staged at the Novosibirsk Theatre; the production was nominated for "The Golden Mask" Award. It was an ultramodern production, but I could not take my eyes off the stage. But there can be other examples. For example, the revived production of "The Tsar's Bride" in an authentic set; Gennady Rozhdestvensky, who conducted the orchestra, breathed energy and life into this production. We have just discussed the success that this production had during our guest performances. What is bad about the amazing and highly artistic set, designed by the great artist? What is bad about the beautiful production? What is bad about the fact that the great conductor conducts the orchestra? - Will the Bolshoi Theatre change the repertoire system or transfer to the "stagione" system? - I think that we need to both adjust and search for our own ways. We cannot remain a repertoire theatre only, or to switch to "stagione". Through search and experiment we will find balance that will allow us to use the best of these two systems. - What would you personally prefer? - I am not ready to answer this question yet. Today I am satisfied with the way everything happens at the Bolshoi Theatre. There are some things that can be changed, but any changes in such a huge collective should be made very slowly. Shocks of any kind destroy the harmony and create some unnecessary tension in the company. - Will you reduce the number of your foreign contracts? - The two coming seasons have already been planned. Anyway, the Bolshoi Theatre is my priority now. I come to Moscow regularly. I am trying to keep my eye on the ball. Interviewer: Elena KRAVTSUN The Bolshoi's plans. What to expect from the main theatre of the country in the new season The Bolshoi Theatre will present nine premiers in the new season. The first premiere

will mark the 175 anniversary of the great Russian composer P. Tchaikovsky: the company will present the concert version of the opera "The Maid of Orleans". The premiere of another opera by Tchaikovsky, "The Queen of Spades" (the production will be brought to the Bolshoi from the Paris Opera, where it was staged by Lev Dodin), will mark the composer's anniversary as well. In the end of the season (July 2015) the director Alexei Borodin and the conductor Tugan Sokhiev will present a new production of the opera "Carmen" by G. Bizet. It is also planned that maestro Sokhiev will conduct two productions of the Bolshoi's current repertoire, "La Boheme" and "La Traviata". Two classical operas - "Rigoletto" by G. V erdi and "Le Nozze di Figaro" by W.A. Mozart - will premiere on the Bolshoi's New Stage. The theatre will also present the children's opera "The Story of Kai and Gerda" by Sergei Banevich. The production is scheduled to premiere this November on the New Stage. As for world ballet premieres, there will be two productions: "Hamlet", choreographed by Radu Poklitaru and directed by Declan Donnellan, and "A Hero of Our Time", choreographed by Yuri Posokhov and directed by Kirill Serebrennikov.

On October 23 the ballet company will present the revival of the ballet "A Legend of Love" to the music by Arif Melikov, which has been in the Bolshoi's repertoire for many years. The production was created by Yuri Grigorovich together with the set designer Simon Virsaladze. The Bolshoi will also organize the festival of baroque music and the cycle of concerts "Great conductors and the Bolshoi". September, 2 4 2014 Newsletter

September, 2 4 2014 Business card A man of the orchestra

T ugan SOKHIEV was born on October 21 1977 in Vladikavkaz. He is a conductor and a People's Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania. In 2001 he graduated from the department of opera and symphony conducting at the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory, where he studied in the class of professors Ilya Musin and Yuri Temirkanov. In 2002 Tugan Sokhiev made his debut in Iceland (the production of the opera "La Bohème" by G. Puccini). He also worked with the Welsh National Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, the Philharmonic Orchestra in London, the festival in Aix-en- Provence (France), the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and many others. T ugan Sokhiev has been a permanent conductor of the Mariinsky Theatre since 2005. In 2005 he was also appointed the main guest conductor of the Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse; in 2008 he became the music director of this orchestra. In 2010 he was appointed the chief conductor of the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester (Berlin). On January 20 2014 he was appointed the Bolshoi Theatre's chief conductor and music director. Maestro Sokhiev tours a lot around Europe and performs as a guest conductor in Strasburg, Montpelier, Frankfurt and many other cities. "The Golden Spindle 2014" On October 5 2014 the 12 National Award Ceremony in the sphere of fashion "The Golden Spindle" will take place at the state complex "Palace of Congresses" (Konstantinovsky Palace) in Saint Petersburg. /…/ Nomination "The art of theatre costume" Artistic workshops of the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre for costumes that were made for the ballet production "Ivan the Terrible". Costumes and set - Simon V irsaladze, choreography - Yuri Grigorovich, the Bolshoi Ballet artistic director - Sergei Filin, Moscow. /…/ The ballet season in Yekaterinburg will open with the choreography project "Dance-platform" Eight choreographers will stage an experiment at the Opera and Ballet Theatre The laboratory "Dance-platform" at the Yekaterinburg Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre provides young choreographers with the unique opportunity to work with professional artists of the ballet company at a professional theatre for three weeks. In the end they will have a chance to demonstrate the fragment they have been working on during the gala-concert. 8 choreographers (one from Moscow, three from Saint Petersburg and four representatives of the Urals choreography school) will participate in the "Dance-platform" this year. The Bolshoi Theatre's prima ballerina Ekaterina Krysanova and the English National Ballet's soloist Anton Lukovkin will participate in the gala-concert as the honored guests. W orld opera stars will perform at the second Russian charity ball in London The main goal of the event is to remind people about the great history and strong ties that connect Russia and the UK. It will be the second time that the British capital will host the Russian charity ball. W orld opera stars and the Bolshoi Ballet will participate in this event that will take

place at the Old Billingsgate Hall on November 2. This ball is organized under the patronage of the Princess Olga Romanova; 60 pairs of debutants from various countries - Russia, the UK, the USA, Georgia, Malta and Estonia - will open the ball. The organizers stress that this is firstly a cultural event; its ultimate goal is to remind people of the great history and strong ties that have connected Russia and the UK for many centuries. The artists that will take part in the Russian ball were chosen very carefully. The guests will have a unique opportunity to hear the soprano of Venera Gimadieva, the Bolshoi Theatre Opera Company's soloist, and the baritone of Vasily Ladyuk, a singer, who possesses amazing vocal technique and was the student of Placido Domingo. As the organizers assured, the Bolshoi Ballet has prepared some surprise for the guests. The first such ball took place at the Royal Albert-Hall in December 2013. As Elena Zagorul'ko, the head of the project, explained, this year the venue has been changed because the two buildings have a dif ferent inner layout. She said: "When we are talking about the ball, we are talking about certain conditions for the guests, I mean, how they enter the dance floor. The Royal Albert-Hall is a wonderful venue, but, unfortunately, those guests that took their places in the boxes, did not have enough time to go down to the dance floor while the music was playing. Later we came to the conclusion that all venues should have only one level". She stressed: "That is why Old Billingsgate Hall with its amazing view over the Thames and, most importantly, an ideal entrance to the dance floor, will be a perfect venue for the ball". Speaking about the Russia-UK bilateral culture year and relationships between the two countries, Zagurol'ko said she was sure that the ball would help to improve those relationships. She mentioned: "Let us remember the year of 1814, the Congress of V ienna and the decisions that were the most important for Europe: those are the decisions that we have lived by for the last 200 years, and those decisions were made there as the Congress of Vienna participants danced at the balls. Those decisions were very positive and productive". She also said that this ball was not one of those events that were planned for this year of culture. The head of the project added: "I am absolutely convinced that it is in such informal setting that important issues are solved and rather positive and productive decisions are made". As for the tickets, this year the prices vary from ВЈ390 РґРѕ ВЈ790 ($639-1294); according to Zagorul'ko, about 70% of the tickets have already been sold. A little more than 1 thousand tickets were made available for sale. All funds raised will be given to the Russian foundation "Linia Zhizni" (Lifeline) that saves critically ill children. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the Austrian conductor Alfred Eschwé, the Bolshoi Theatre' prima ballerina Evgenia Obraztsova and the star singers - Vladimir Galuzin, Dmitri Korchak, Daniil Shtod and the Bolshoi Theatre's soloist Denis Medvedev - performed at the first Russian ball that took place last year. The dancing part was organized by Stanislav Popov, the main dance-master and the President of the Russian Dance Union; the dancers were accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Ross Mitchell Jazz Band and Singers. Igor Butman, the jazz legend, played saxophone together with Semyon Milshtein, "Russia's Golden Trumpet". Newsletter

September, 2 4 2014 , 7 An exhibition opened at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts W orks, connected with Aubrey Beardsley and Oscar Wilde, are presented at the exhibition, organized as a part of the UK-Russia bilateral culture year /…/ Original pictures of Aubrey Beardsley and early reprints of his engravings from the collections of London museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum and the Tate Gallery, will be presented at an exhibition at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts for the first time in Russia. Many of those works have not been exhibited in Russia before. The exhibition will feature more than 150 works from British and Russian museums, including those from the National Portrait Gallery in London, the British Library, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, the A.A.Bakhrushin State Central Museum, the Bolshoi Theatre Museum and private collections. /…/ On the Bolshoi Theatre official pages in the social networks we published the information about the IV International Festival "Circle of Light" that will take place in Moscow from October 10 till October 14. This year the Festival's main theme is "The Journey Around the World". The capital's sights will be brought together in the multimedia show. The famous historical building of the Bolshoi Theatre will not be neglected either - during the whole festival guests will be able to watch exciting 3D projections on the Bolshoi's façade. Those projections were created by the lighting designers that pay special attention to the architecture of this unique building. The audience will have a chance to attend all events during the festival free of charge. The Bolshoi Theatre will participate in the Festival "Circle of Light"

Bolshoi Theatre in the Internet For articles published 22 September 2014 ResMusica publishes a large interview with Jean-Christophe Maillot, the director of des Ballets de Monte-Carlo who says he is a free spirit who believes in cultural diversity. He says it was his personal choice to make a ballet for the Bolshoi Ballet instead of the Paris Opera and he says that working on The Taming of the Shrew with the Bolshoi was "four months of magic." He says "I really enjoyed working with the company. I was left speechless before the commitment of the dancers of the Bolshoi: These kids like crazy! It is impossible to find it elsewhere." The Spanish publication Intereconomia in a longer article about ballet in general mentions the World Ballet Day that the Bolshoi Ballet as well as other ballet companies will participate in. The Badische Zeitung reports that Pathe Live will bring to cinemas performances of the Bolshoi Ballet which it describes as spectacular, dynamic and magnificent. Vladivostok mass media: The Vladivostok audience will be presented "Boris Godunov"

On September 24 the Festival "Choir Bridge: Moscow - Vladivostok", marking the 175th anniversary of the Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, takes place in Vladivostok. On the third festival day lovers of the classical opera will be presented with the opera "Boris Godunov". By the way, the Honored Artist of Russia and the Bolshoi Theatre's singer Mikhail Kazakov (bass) will perform the leading male role; Artem Golubev, a new member of the Russian Opera House, will perform the part of the Pretender.
In brief