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Iréne Theorin in Cavalleria Rusticana

February brings another chance to hear the outstanding singer Iréne Theorin at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. The Swedish dramatic soprano, whose voice is known throughout Europe, staggered St. Petersburg theatregoers with her performance in the gala concert A Bridge between Dresden and St. Petersburg at the Mikhailovsky Theatre on 7 July 2011.


That was her first appearance in Russia, and opera lovers can now hear Iréne Theorin again, this time singing the role of Santuzza in Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. This story of all-consuming passion, treachery and repentance, in which the Nordic beauty will be transformed into a passionate Sicilian girl, will be performed twice — on 9 and 10 February.

Possessing an expressive and powerful voice, striking features, and a magnificent figure, Iréne Theorin is the genuine article, an opera icon. Theorin, whose repertoire is rooted in operas of Richard Wagner, has been called the “most striking Brünnhilde of our time”. Yet she also shines in the central roles of operas by Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini, as well as other Italian classics. Iréne Theorin regularly appears at the Royal Opera in Copenhagen and the Royal Opera in Stockholm, in addition to giving successful performances at the major theatres worldwide, including the New National Theatre in Tokyo, the Metropolitan Opera, and Covent Garden. She has appeared at the Bayreuth Festival (Germany) and the Salzburg Festival (Austria).

On 9 and 10 February Mikhailovsky Theatre soloist Fyodor Ataskevich will appear alongside Iréne Theorin as the unfaithful Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana.