Renowned conductor talks on long-term collaboration with Tatar Opera and Ballet Theatre [EXCLUSIVE]

The Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre has successfully staged Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Rigoletto" and Pyotr Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake".

The theatre invited the principal conductor and musical director of the Azerbaijani State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, Honoured Artist Ayyub Guliyev, to take part in the productions. In Kazan city, the conductor shared the same stage with well-known opera and ballet artists.

In his interview with Azernews, Honoured Artist Ayyub Guliyev talked about his long-term collaboration with the Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre.

Q: How long have you been collaborating with Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre? What projects have been already implemented over the past two years?

A: Since last year, I have been a guest conductor with the Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre, which is a great honour for me.

I remember my very first appearance at Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre. I was invited to conduct Fikrat Amirov's "One Thousand and One Nights" at the Rudolf Nureyev International Festival of Classical Ballet. The ballet's new version was staged by the chief choreographer of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, Russian Honoured Art Worker Eldar Aliyev.

Since 2021, I have performed within the walls of the theatre in such productions as Fikrat Amirov's ballet "One Thousand and One Nights", Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Nabucco", Gaetano Donizetti's opera "The Elixir of Love", etc.

The theatre's management is very active in expanding international cooperation and constantly enriches its repertoire. Each performance narrates a breathtaking story.

Q: Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Rigoletto" enjoyed a huge success in Kazan. Which theatres' soloists participated in the opera production?

A: For Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Rigoletto", the theatre invited incredibly talented soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, Ural Opera (Ekaterinburg) and Kazan Opera Theatre.

At the end of the opera, the audience gave a standing ovation to the participants of the opera - Alexander Krasnov (baritone), Venera Protasova (soprano), Sergey Osavin (tenor), Mikhail Kolelishvili (bass), Lyubov Dobrynina (mezzo-soprano) and Svetlana Bessonova. The part of Rigoletto was performed by Alexander Krasnov.

Sergey Osavin (tenor) performed the Duke's part, which is quite difficult in technical terms. Not every tenor can handle this operatic part. Mikhail Kolelishvili performed the part of Sparafucile, while Venera Protasova (soprano) played the part of Gilda. It is also worth noting the excellent performance of the choir and orchestra.

Q: How was Pyotr Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake" received by the audience?

A: Two different casts of soloists were selected for the famous ballet by Pyotr Tchaikovsky "Swan Lake". The leading soloists of the Kazan National Opera Theatre, Honoured Artists of Tatarstan Kristina Andreeva-Zakharova (Odette-Odile), Oleg Ivenko (Jester), Ilnur Gaifullin (Prince Siegfried), and Anton Polodyuk (Von Rothbart) presented the choreography of M. Petipa and L. Ivanov. At the next performance, the most difficult leading parts were performed for the first time by talented young soloists of the theatre, Ekaterina Ledachkova and Salavat Bulatov. All performances were sold out. The audience greeted us with a standing ovation.

Q: What other masterpieces do you plan to delight the public with?

A: I have recently met with the Director-General of Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre, Raufal Mukhametzyanov. Under his leadership, the theatre successfully implements various projects. Raufal Mukhametzyanov also actively supports young talents.

During our meeting, a proposal was voiced to get acquainted with compositions written by Tatar composers. I guess I will be able to get acquainted with this Tatar music in the near future.

Q: Are you planning to go on tour with the Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre?

A: In winter, I will go on tour to China with the theatre. Classic ballet masterpieces, including "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker," will be presented to Chinese audiences.

Ballet shows will be held in many cities of China. The ballet "Swan Lake" will be staged by two different teams of the theatre. I would like to note that each theatre shows different versions of the ballet production. For example, Azerbaijan will stage Yuri Grigorovich's version of the ballet. Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre showcases Marius Petipa's version of the ballet, which is considered the most classical one. This ballet version is edited by Lev Ivanov. There are a lot of interesting projects onwards.