Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Valery Gergiev Brings Russia to Japan in February

Valery Gergiev will lead artists of the Mariinsky Opera on tour in Japan beginning February 12. They will perform Jonathan Kent's 2009 version of the Richard Strauss 1919 fairy tale opera Die Frau Ohne Schatten and Charles Roubaud's 2002 elegant production of Puccini's Turandot with Odessa-native Maria Guleghina taking on the title role. The company will also present three evenings of classics beginning with Berlioz's epic opera Les Troyens. Then a "Wagner Evening"
featuring excerpts from the composers greatest works including Tannhäuser and Parsifal featuring bass René Pape as Gurnemanz. The third concert will be a "Russian Music Evening" featuring the traditional music of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, "Procession of the Nobles" from Rimsky-Korsakov's Mlada, Boris' Coronation Scene from the Mussorgsky opera of Boris Godunov, Konchak's Aria and Polovtsian Dance from Borodin's Prince Igor, and Shostakovich's stirring Symphony No 5 in D minor, Op 47 of 1937, modelled on Beethoven's music. [Source]