On the eve of opening the new season Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Centre made a tour to Tbilisi and Baku. Capitals of Georgia and Azerbaijan are famous for hospitality and cultural traditions but these are not the only reason why the tour had a great success – mostly the reason was the talent and high professional level of Galina Vishnevskaya’s apprentices.
Opera Centre showed its repertoire performances in Tbilisi – “The Tsar’s Bride” by Rimsky-Korsakov (September 13) and “Rigoletto” by Verdi (September 15). Both evenings the State Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Paliashvili (that was build in royal Russia and has opened its 156 season) was full. Verdi’s masterpiece is well known by Tbilisi audience that cannot be said about “The Tsar’s bride” which truly became a revelation for many and basically when a theatre touring abroad it is preferable to include to repertoire operas of Tchaikovsky. The audience raised in applause to Galina Vishnevskaya and singers both evenings.
The capital of Azerbaijan welcomed Galina Vishnevskaya and Centre’s soloists on September 17. Year 2006 is announced as Year of Russian Culture in Azerbaijan, which has been carried out under patronage of Ministries of Cultures of both countries and Federal Agency of Culture and Cinematography. Baku’s music lovers highly appreciated a specially prepared program from opera scenes performed on the stage of Azerbaijan State Philharmonic.
Visit to Baku hasn’t been limited by one concert. Galina Vishnevskaya auditioned young singers and three of them were invited to study at Opera Centre in Moscow and Government of Azerbaijan offered them its support. Another remarkable result of the tour is invitation of Centre’s soloists by Opera theatres of Tbilisi and Baku. Thus Maria Pahar will take part in opera production “Il Pagliace” by Leoncavallo in December this year in Tbilisi Opera Theatre as well as Yuri Baranov was invited in Baku to perform Rigoletto. To finish year of Russian Culture in Baku Opera Centre will bring there its opera “The Tsar’s bride” and its last production “Iolanta” by Tchaikovsky in December.