136th season opened on September 12

In keeping with tradition, the company staged Mykola Lysenko’s epic Taras Bulba, starring soloists Valentyn Pivovarov (Taras), Liudmyla Yurchenko (Nastia), Petro Prymak (Ostap), Pavlo Prymak (Andriy), Lidiya Zabiliasta (Maryltsia), the orchestra conducted by Volodymyr Kozhukhar and the choir by Lev Venedyktov.

Last Saturday, it was Kostiantyn Dankevych’s Lileya, choreographed by Valery Kovtun toward the end of the previous season. It was the fifth stage version and Kovtun had substantially revised Vsevolod Chahovets’s libretto (in addition to Taras Shevchenko’s title ballad, it included six other [poetic] works). When staged the first time in 1940 by choreographer Galina Berezova, the ballet was a heroic drama. Kovtun made it a romantic story without any social context. The ballet master says he likes the way it turned out and the opportunity to work at the capital’s opera, for the latter marks a number of eventful pages in his creative biography. He has worked there as a premier danseur and a choreographer. His own ballet style was marked by an academic neatness, lyricism, and a subtle psychological approach to every part. Precisely what he expects from his cast in all his current renditions. That Saturday Lileya starred Natalia Lazebnykova in the title part, Andriy Hura (Stepan), and Yevhen Kaihorodov (the Prince).

After the performance, Valery Kovtun admitted he was very nervous. Following two months of vacation, not all of the dancers were in proper shape technically; some had to spend more time at the barre, practicing in the rehearsal room and on stage. Then everything will be OK. Despite his extremely tight schedule (Kovtun stages ballets in Ukraine, Japan, Spain, and Slovakia), the ballet master closely follows his Lileya’s progress. To date, impresarios from several countries have shown an interest, inviting the troupe on concert tours.

Last Sunday, the Kyiv National Opera audience enjoyed another Ukrainian classic, Hulak-Artemovsky’s opera, A Zaporozhzhian Cossack Beyond the Danube.

What new productions will this season have in store? The first premiere will be Aleksandr Glazunov’s Raymonda. Rehearsals are in progress. The ballet is staged by Viktor Yaremenko, with two Lviv artists T. and M. Ryndzakov as production designers.

Dmytro Hnatiuk, the National Opera’s chief producer, will upgrade Shostakovich’s Katerina Izmailova. In the 1960s, the opera was staged by the brilliant Iryna Molostova and Kyiv saw its second version. The composer attended the premiere and said afterwards that Kyiv had created the best version. Dmytro Hnatiuk, fortunately, does not have to look for a singer for the title part, for he has the prima donna Svitlana Dobronravova. The operatic star has a diversified repertoire and Katerina is one of her most spectacular attainments. She sang it in both Molostova’s and Mstislav Rostropovich’s productions, coached by the former Bolshoi prima donna Galina Vishnevskaya (Rostropovich had written parts specially for her). Incidentally, The Day will soon carry an interview with Svitlana Dobronravova.

Thanks to Italian Ambassador to Ukraine Jolanda Brunetti-Getz, and European Commission official Norbert Justen, both having enlisted support from fellow diplomats in France and Germany, and international project is taking shape, namely Verdi’s famous opera Don Carlos (1867). There are rumors about the Italian producer Mario Corradi being once again invited to Kyiv, as the National Opera’s management was very impressed by his rendition of Turandot.

Meanwhile, a contract is being negotiated with the George Balanchine Foundation, whereby one of the great choreographer’s masterpieces could appear on Kyiv stage.

A soiree commemorating those killed by the Chornobyl nuclear disaster will be held at the station in April marking the eighteenth anniversary of the tragedy. Edward Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem will be performed jointly by the National Opera, Dumka Choir, Kyiv Soloists Ensemble, and Children’s Opera (conducted by Volodymyr Kozhukhar).

Children will be shown the ballet Buratino [Russian version of Pinocchio by Aleksei Tolstoy (1882-1945)] with Yury Shevchenko’s score.

In the new season, National Opera soloists will tour Greece, US, Germany, Denmark, France, Austria, Switzerland, and Japan. The World Fair of Barcelona has invited Ukrainian performers to take part in its cultural program.

The company’s plans include projects aimed at rejuvenating Ukrainian classic operas and ballets, and adding on-the-job-training youth to the cast. Contracts have been signed with leading soloists to appear in performances in and outside Ukraine.