Glinka’s Opera ‘Ruslan and Lyudmila’ successfully received its premiere at the Opera Centre on October 25, – on Galina Vishnevskaya’s birthday. That is the same opera which was chosen by the Centre’s founder in year 2003 as the first production; but, according to Olga Rostropovich, the Centre’s Artistic Director, “that time it was a semi-concert version with costumes, and this time, it’s a full-scaled performance.” Mikhail Polischuk, the production director, emphasizes that this new performance is to be both, a ‘game in a fairy tale’ and, at the same time, a training performance, which aims to reveal the talents of each of its characters.
Almost all singers, who take part in the ‘Ruslan and Lyudmila’ production, are young opera singers passing a kind of exam. Svetozar’s part was performed by Yaroslav Evgrafiev, Lyudmila’s – by Elena Bondar, Ruslan – David Tselauri, Ratmir – Natalia Zimina, Falrlaf – Vladislav Popov, Gorislava – Irina Moreva, Finn and Bayan – Dmitriy Mazanskiy. Set and costumes design – Andrey Klimov, lighting design – Konstantin Rozhkov. Conductor – Alexander Soloviev. Artistic director – Olga Rostropovich.
Naina Yeltsina and Russian Federation Government Deputy Chairman Olga Golodets have become the honored guests of the premiere night.