On March 2, 2018 a traditional gala concert The Elena Obraztsova Opera Ball, dedicated to the 95th anniversary of Franco Zeffirelli, will be held at the State Kremlin Palace.
The monumental gala concert will become a journey to the opera world of Franco Zeffirelli. The multi-media show will begin in the halls of the Zeffirelli museum in Florence and continue in fragments from the maestro’s performances. These performances will come alive on the stage of the Kremlin Palace performed by Stars of the World Opera and accompanied by a 3D stage set, which were created in accordance with design of his legendary productions. A meeting with friends and colleagues of Franco Zeffirelli such as Fanny Ardant, Vladimir Vasilyev, Maria Guleghina and Ramón Vargas will come as a surprise. Franco Zeffirelli himself has become an author of the show’s idea, and the concept development and stage production will be carried out by his apprentice and assistant Marco Gandini, who is a famous Italian stage director now and successfully works at the best opera stages of the world.
It is planned that noted Russian singers and world opera celebrities such as Maria Guleghina, Ramón Vargas, Yonghoon Lee, Veronika Dzhioeva, Olesya Petrova, Ksenia Dudnikova, Vladislav Sulimsky and others will participate in the coming gala concert. The special guests of the concert are Fanny Ardant, a famous French actress, who played the leading role in the Callas Forever film directed by Franco Zeffirelli and outstanding dancer and choreographer, People’s Artist of the USSR Vladimir Vasiliev.
Soloists of the Moscow musical theatre «Helikon-opera» under Dmitry Bertman Dmitri Skorikov, Lidia Svetozarova, Mikhail Guzhov, Maxim Perebeynos; Prize Winners at the international competitions soloist of The Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre Vladimir Dmitruk, soloist of the Astrakhan State Opera and Ballet Theatre Zvetana Omelchuk and student of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory Elmira Karakhanova are among the participants of the concert.
The concert will be accompanied by the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra under Pavel Kogan and Grand Choir “Masters of Choral Singing”. Stage Director – Marco Gandini (Italy), conductor – Oleg Caetani (Italy).
The concert program will comprise excerpts from the productions of Il trovatore, Aida, Un ballo in maschera, Don Carlo, Cavalleria Rusticana and Carmen.
Forthcoming gala-concert featuring prominent Russian singers and world opera stars has every chance to become a cultural event of the year. The specific nature of the concert is emphasized by holding the International Russian Seasons Festival in Italy in 2018.
Go to the ticket offices of the Kremlin Palace