The Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre’s seventieth season concluded with a production of Spartacus, with Ivan Vasiliev and Maria Vinogradova dancing the lead roles.
The last performance of the season took place on 22 May. It was the final event in a festival organized to mark the seventieth anniversary of both the end of the Second World War in Europe and the founding of the theatre. Almost all of the theatre’s May productions were part of the festival: operas The Queen of Spades and La traviata; ballets Swan Lake, Giselle, Juno and Avos and La Bayadère; and large-scale opera gala concerts featuring performances by opera stars and the symphony orchestra. There were, of course, particularly special celebrations on 12 May, including open-air festivities in the square in front of the theatre, a parade by the Siberian Cadet Corps, and the Theatre of Victory showcase in honour of the theatre’s seventieth anniversary.
Spartacus featured performances from dancers such as Ivan Vasiliev, acknowledged by critics and audiences alike to be the best Spartacus of the modern era; Bolshoi Theatre soloist Maria Vinogradova, playing Phrygia in Novosibirsk for the first time; Mikhail Lifentsev as Crassus; and Honoured Artist of Russia Anna Odintsova as Aegina — the stars of the ‘Siberian Coliseum’.
Ivan Vasiliev: I’ve been coming to Novosibirsk since 2007, each time for Spartacus, that fabulous ballet. Every visit has been hugely emotional, because the company here is great and it’s simply a pleasure to work with them. I’ve always had a very warm reception from the audience here. I would even say it’s like coming home, since every time I come to Novosibirsk they don’t just say “welcome”, they say “welcome back”. I’ve danced the role of Spartacus many times now, and over many years. It’s a part I never get tired of, despite the fact that it’s a very intense role in an extremely challenging ballet. At this stage in my career I’ve begun to try my hand as a choreographer and put on my own non-narrative ballets, which I would love to be able to present on this stage.
Maria Vinogradova: Spartacus is one of my favourite ballets. Ivan Vasiliev and I came to Novosibirsk together last season when he was dancing in La Bayadère. I watched the performance from the auditorium and was extremely impressed by the theatre, by its scale, and by the work of the dancers. They’re a wonderful team. At that point I was already thinking how much I would like to dance here. The role of Phrygia, which I prepared under my teacher Nina Semizorova, is the second solo role of my career. The Bolshoi Theatre performs a shortened version of the ballet, so to dance Phrygia here I had to learn another large component of the role — Phrygia’s solo in Act 1. I’m delighted that my first appearance in Novosibirsk in this role will be with Ivan.
For the theatre company itself, the year is not over yet. On 26 May, the theatre’s symphony orchestra will perform in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, accompanying a solo recital by Novosibirsk Opera’s leading lady, Veronika Dzhioeva, conducted by Mikhail Simonyan. On 30 May, the symphony orchestra will take part in the graduate performance for students at the Novosibirsk State Choreographic College. The theatre’s ballet company is preparing for its grand tour to the Bangkok International Festival of Dance and Music, scheduled for September 2015.
The Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre will soon be taking stock of last season and laying plans for its upcoming seventy-first season — and the anniversary celebrations will continue, under the banner 70 Years of Grandeur and Victory!