From 29 to 31 July the XIX International Opera Music Festival will be held in Sigulda, which will bring together numerous Europe and worldwide famous opera artists. This is a unique event in the cultural life of Latvia that attracts connoisseurs of opera art from all over the world.
The official partner bank of the festival is Rietumu Bank. With this event Rietumu starts its significant cultural events support program that is dedicated to the Bank’s 20th anniversary it will celebrate in 2012. The Opera Festival traces its history back to 1993, when its irreplaceable organiser - the opera music lover Dr. Dainis Kalns – for the first time invited Latvian singers who performed abroad - Inese Galante, Ingus Pētersons and Egils Siliņš – to Sigulda.
Over subsequent years, the scale and popularity of the event constantly grew, and nowadays the numbers of spectators reaches the thousands. The festival hosted plentiful famous performers from Russia, Mexico, France, the USA, Italy, Germany, Estonia and Lithuania. Among them there was the brilliant singer Anna Netrebko, who In Sigulda performed 4 roles: main arias of the
Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart and
Carmen by Bizet, as well as
L’elisir d’amore by Donizetti and
Il barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini. The roles performed – Rosina, Micaëla, Susanna, Adina. Among the guests of the festival there were also such artists as Roberto Sacca, tenor from Italy, Georgina Lukacs (soprano, Hungary), Ildar Abdrazakov (bass, Russia), Alexander Antonenko (tenor, Latvia). At Sigulda the careers of such artists as Elina Garancha and current opera diva number one Maija Kovalevska took their first steps. Six productions on the Sigulda’s stage were led by great Russian director Yuri Alexandrov.
“I am glad that my devotion to opera music has led to the appearance of such a great event for the fans of this art – people who arrive to Sigulda not only from other Latvian cities, but also from Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Europe and elsewhere in the world. When we hosted the outstanding Russian singer, Irina Arkhipova, she compared this festival to the famous opera event in Savonlinna, Finland, which brings together performers and spectators from all over the world in summer”, – says the founder of the festival Dainis Kalns.
“This unique cultural event brings together outstanding opera artists in an amazing nature surrounded and inspired place – Sigulda Palace ruins. Sigulda region municipality in cooperation with Dr. Kalns continues to work towards making this festival more and more beautiful every year. This year the Opera Festival offers unique and excellent program, therefore we encourage everyone to get musical enjoyment in Sigulda!”, – says Mayor of Sigulda Ugis Mitrevics.
“The festival in Sigulda is a rare event in the cultural life of Latvia which is capable of attracting opera lovers both from our European neighbourhood, mostly from Germany, Italy and Austria, where opera is very much cherished, and from the East, primarily from Russia. This is the festival which is able to promote Latvia’s image in the world, raising its recognition and attractiveness abroad. In this sense, it is a powerful advertising tool which promotes Latvia in the right information field. We are glad to have a chance to support the Sigulda festival and would like to make its name known all over the world,” – notes Vadims Aleksejevs, vice president of Rietumu Bank.
The special charm of the event is created by the fact that opera productions and concerts will be held on the open-air stage that is situated in the middle of the well-preserved medieval architecture monuments and spectacular natural landscape.
As a central event of the festival there will be a production of the opera
Eugene Onegin by P I Tchaikovsky. The spectators will see it on 30 July. The performance is specially designed for the open-air stage in the ruins of an ancient medieval castle by an outstanding Russian opera stage director, Yuri Alexandrov (Mariinsky Theatre), who has been cooperating with the Sigulda festival for more than a decade.
Primary arias from
Eugene Onegin will be performed by a worldwide opera diva Maija Kovaïevska (soprano), one of the leading lyric tenors of the world, Yevgeny Akimov, and the American baritone, Nathan Gunn. The artistic director and set designer is the Honoured Artist of Russia and the chief set designer for the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St Petersburg Vyacheslav Okunev.
The festival will start on 29 July by a concert featuring Latvian pianist Liene Circene, a young popular artist and winner of several international contests. The festival will be closed on 31 July by the gala performance of the world renewed opera stars, among them being the opera world new wave artist Pavol Breslik (Slovakia). The guests of the festival will also be able to attend a concert held by the Sigulda musicians and the one featuring Sacred music in the Evangelical Lutheran church of Sigulda.
XIX International Opera Music Festival
29-31 July, 2011 Sigulda open-air stage ARTISTS
Maija Kovaļevska (Latvia, soprano) with success performs in New York, Europe, Japan and is always surrounded by exited acclaims of worldwide media. Maija Kovalevska has pleased the audience of Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, the USA and praised the name of Latvia. The career of Maija Kovalevska is really astonishing: she sang more than 50 times in Metropolitan Opera, performing four leading roles. Her stage partners and directors are world’s outstanding artists.
Nathan Gunn (USA, baritone) is a great artist with a stunning baritone and a global career, tremendous charisma and attractiveness. He is a singer who often focuses on new projects but always remains faithful to golden classics. Nathan Gunn has performed in Metropolitan Opera, Operas of San Francisco, Seattle and Paris, lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden, Bavarian State Opera, Glyndebourne Opera Festival and The Royal Opera of Brussels. In 2005 has been nominated for the Grammy Award for the recording with London Symphony Orchestra. This season Nathan performs in Los Angeles Opera in
Il barbiere di Siviglia and
L’elisir d’amore.
Maria Gotsevskaya (Russia, mezzo-soprano) is a graduate of the vocal faculty of the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire. Being 19 years old has debuted in St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre. Performs in all the leading opera houses of Europe, i.e. La Scala in Milano. There are numerous brilliant roles in her repertoire, with tremendous success has performed Olga (Eugene Onegin) in Berlin and Glyndebourne Opera Festivals.
Pavol Breslik (Slovakia, tenor) is a charismatic young but already highly popular opera artist. The success of Pavol started in 2005 when he was named as “the most promising soloist of the year” by “Opernwelt” magazine. Has performed in Metropolitan Opera, Saltsburg Festival, Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera and Grand Theatre in Geneva. Pavol has been a glorious opera prima’s Edith Gruberova’s scene partner. He will be the main person of the Sigulda Opera Festival Gala-Concert.
Yevgeny Akimov (Russia, Mariinsky Theatre, tenor) is a graduate of the vocal faculty of the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire. Is a Mariinsky Theatre soloist since 1996, as well as performs in Metropolitan opera, Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden, Milano La Scala, and Moscow Grand Theatre. The repertoire of Eugene consists of more than 30 roles.
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