Un ballo in maschera will close the opera season
The rehearsals of Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera to be premiered on July, 21 and 23 started at the Mikhailovsky Theatre.
    The production crew comes from Riga: the opera is staged by the renowned director Andrejs Žagars, General Director of the Latvian National Opera, the sets are created by legendary Andris Freibergs, the costumes are designed by Kristine Pasternaka, the lighting design is by Kevin W. Jones.

Vladimir Kekhman, General Director of the Mikhailovsky Theatre: “The production is created by the world-famous professionals who are close neighbors. The Latvian Opera House has become a most interesting theatre in the new Europe and it’s unfair that their productions have never been shown in St Petersburg. We’d like to compensate for the unfairness. Moreover, I hope that Un ballo in maschera will be the starting point of our cooperation which is interesting both for the Mikhailovsky Theatre, the Latvian Opera House, and opera fans in Europe and Russia.”

Andrejs Žagars graduated from the Latvian Academy of Music and the Film Actors’ Studio to become a popular actor of the Dailes Theatre and a film star. In 1996 Andrejs headed the Latvian National Opera. Under his direction the annual Riga Opera Festival was founded. Andrejs Žagars made his debut in opera directing with Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer; he has also staged The Queen of Spades, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Nabucco, Don Giovanni. The specialty of Žagars called “a most interesting innovator in stage direction of modern times” as stage director is his original interpretation of classical heritage.”

Tickets for the premier of Un ballo in maschera on July, 21 and 23.