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Elena Obraztsova Celebrates her Birthday on Stage
Guests at the gala concert titled A Bridge Between Dresden and St. Petersburg greeted Elena Obraztsova with an ovation. The celebration, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the twin-city relations between Dresden and St. Petersburg, was enriched by a warm personal note: on the day of the gala, the legendary singer celebrated her birthday.



Obraztsova performed an abbreviated concert version of her greatest role — the Countess in The Queen of Spades — without makeup or scenery. But that only made the magic of her transformation that much more incredible. Elena was joined by Neil Shicoff (Herman) and Iréne Theorin (Liza). Much like the characters, the audience seemed to fall under the hypnotic spell of her personality and talent.

At the end of the concert, the great singer received birthday greetings from her artistic colleagues, including René Pape, Sergei Leiferkus, and Vladimir Jurowski. In fact, for Vladimir Jurowski, the 7 July also marked a momentous occasion. This was the first time the world-renowned musician and Russian conductor had performed in St. Petersburg — a city he hadn’t visited since he was a student 22 years ago.

It was then the turn of the distinguished guests to continue the birthday celebrations, including Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister, who presented Elena Obraztsova with an Honorary Diploma of the Government of the Russian Federation and a huge bouquet, and wished the singer continued artistic success.

Elena Obraztsova’s next performance at the Mikhailovsky Theatre will be on 20 July. This will be the last time this season that the distinguished singer transforms into the Countess in The Queen of Spades.