The tour of the Sevastopol State Opera and Ballet Theatre will take place for the first time on the stage of the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in early September. The youngest federal theatre in Russia, which has vividly declared itself in the musical and theatrical space of our country, will present the world premiere of the ballet The Gambler in the capital of Siberia on September 2 and 3. On September 5, it will show the ballet Wuthering Heights, a landmark performance of the Russian ballet scene, having won the Golden Mask National Award.
Airat Tukhvatullin, General Director of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, said: “It is an honour for our Theatre of Victory to host the Sevastopol Opera and Ballet Theatre, and a special honour to become the venue for the world premiere of The Gambler ballet. I am sure that the opportunity to present the newest production of the team on the stage of the leading Siberian theatre and introduce our sophisticated audience to its work will be valuable for the Sevastopol Opera and Ballet Theatre and will be a successful start to fruitful creative collaboration between our theatres.”
Ildar Abdrazakov, Artistic Director of the Sevastopol State Opera and Ballet Theatre emphasizes: “The first tour of the Sevastopol State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Novosibirsk is an important event for our team. We are pleased to present two landmark productions of the theatre on the stage of the country's largest theatre: ballet Wuthering Heights, winner of the Russian National Theatre Award “Golden Mask”, and the world premiere of the ballet The Gambler. It is a great honour for us to meet with the Siberian audience and become a part of the cultural life of one of the leading theatre centers in Russia!”
The choreographer of the ballets that made up the tour program has been Johnna Paul Cook, a graduate of the Royal Ballet School in London, and a former principal dancer of the Bavarian State Opera. Two of his works at the Sevastopol Theatre ‒ Wuthering Heights based on the novel of the same name by Emily Bronte and Polikushka based on the plot of an early novel by Leo Tolstoy ‒ became a notable phenomenon in the ballet world and were highly appreciated by the audience and experts. In his new production, The Gambler, Johnna Paul Cook refers to the novel of the same name by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and in this work the choreographer once again wraps the ideas and meanings of world literary classics in expressive dance images. A new large-scale creative project of the Sevastopol Opera and Ballet Theatre has been implemented with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. The music director of the production and the conductor is Artem Abashev. The production's set design was created by set designer Olga Skurikhina. The lighting solution belongs to Andrey Kostyuchenkov. The costumes created by the Alena Akhmadullina Fashion House occupy a special place in the production. A contemporary artistic interpretation of the historical era becomes an important part of the performance's visual image, combining 19th-century aesthetics with contemporary theatrical language.
The artistic director of the Ballet Company of the Sevastopol Opera and Ballet Theatre, Ksenia Ryzhkova, noted in the leadup to the Novosibirsk tour: “A new performance is born thanks to the long and difficult work of the entire professional team. But it finally finds life at the moment of meeting with the audience. Ballet is an amazing art form. We have tremendous opportunities to tell a story thanks to body grace, music, acting expressiveness, and rhythm. Choreographer Johnna Cook seems to be building a new world, creating a special atmosphere that he wants to captivate the audience with all his passion. I want to believe that our new ballet The Gambler, based on the novel by the Russian genius Fyodor Dostoevsky, and the ballet Wuthering Heights, based on the novel by the brilliant English writer Emily Bronte, will find a response in the hearts of Novosibirsk audiences, whom we are looking forward to meeting with excitement. I really love this theatre. I am happy that I have the opportunity to return to this magnificent stage once again!”
Sevastopol State Opera and Ballet Theatre's tour on NOVAT's Grand Stage: the world premiere of the ballet The Gambler ‒ September 2 and 3 at 07:00 pm; the ballet Wuthering Heights ‒ September 5 at 07:00 pm.