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The stage appearance of Elena Pankratova is an event that has been long awaited in St. Petersburg. Elena Pankratova has the rare voice of a dramatic soprano. Her musical education began in Yekaterinburg and continued at the St. Petersburg Conservatory; her voice was honed in Italy under the tutelage of Renata Scotto. The winner of several international vocal competitions, her first operatic engagement was at the Nuremberg State Theatre, where she was immediately entrusted with leading roles: Amelia (Un ballo in maschera), Tosca (Tosca) and Ariadne (Ariadne auf Naxos). Elena Pankratova has sung in all the great theatres of Germany, and in Austria, Argentina (Colón Theatre), the Netherlands, Finland, Italy (La Scala), Spain, China, Norway, Mexico, Switzerland, and Japan. Her repertoire includes Norma in Bellini’s opera and leading roles in Verdi’s operas – Leonora (Il trovatore and La forza del destino), Elisabeth (Don Carlos), Odabella (Attila) and Abigail (Nabucco). Her Wagnerian roles include Senta (Der fliegende Holländer), Elisabeth (Tannhäuser) and Sieglinde (Die Walküre). In 2010 maestro Zubin Mehta invited Pankratova to the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino festival to sing the role of Barak’s Wife in Richard Strauss’s opera Die Frau ohne Schatten. This performance marked a turning point in the career of the singer, as she subsequently received invitations to reprise the role at La Scala (2012), the Bavarian State Opera (2013), and Covent Garden (2014). The singer’s future engagements also include Nabucco in New Zealand, Turandot at the Arena di Verona Festival, and Aida in Marseilles. Athens-born Aris Argiris, who was
awarded the prestigious Maria Callas Award while still a student, and was named
Greece’s Best Young Artist in 2007, is making swift progress in his career. He
is gifted with a magnificent voice and a striking demeanour. The singer’s
repertoire includes the key roles for baritones: Don Juan and Count Almaviva in
Mozart’s operas, Figaro in The Barber of
Seville, Giorgio Germont in La
traviata, Rodrigo di Posa in Don
Carlos, Valentin in Faust and
Escamillo in Carmen. Incidentally,
the London Royal Opera’s production of Carmen
featuring Argiris was made into a 3D film, the premiere of which took place at
the Santa Barbara Film Festival last February. This
will be the young Greek singer’s first appearance in Russia.
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1833–2012 Mikhailovsky Theatre St. Petersburg
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Idea Fix