The VIII Arts Festival "Strelka" will take place in Nizhny Novgorod from June 4 to June 21.

      The Nizhny Novgorod Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet named after A.S. Pushkin has presented the poster for the VIII International Arts Festival "Strelka," which will take place in Nizhny Novgorod from June 4 to June 21. This year, the festival program is dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the All-Russian Art and Industrial Exhibition of 1896, which became a turning point in the city's history and a symbol of the creative upsurge at the turn of the century. This was reported by the Ministry of Culture of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. "We have built the festival program around this significant date—the anniversary of the 1896 exhibition, which defined the cultural and architectural appearance of Nizhny Novgorod for decades to come. It is symbolic that in the year of its 130th anniversary, we will present the opera 'La Bohème' by Giacomo Puccini, whose world premiere took place precisely in 1896. The spirit of this era, the atmosphere of search and renewal resonates with the very energy that Nizhny Novgorod lived on at the turn of the 19th century," said the artistic director of the theater and festival, Alexey Trifonov. The festival will open with the premiere of Giacomo Puccini's opera "La Bohème," directed by Ekaterina Odegova, known to Nizhny Novgorod residents for her production of Mozart's opera "Abduction from the Seraglio." Performances of "La Bohème" will take place on the main stage of the Nizhny Novgorod Theater of Opera and Ballet from June 4 to June 7. Additionally, as part of the festival, on June 7, a concert featuring works by Karol Szymanowski and Alexander Scriabin will be held at the concert warehouse, with a concept built around the figure of the outstanding pianist and educator Heinrich Neuhaus. The concert will feature the laureate of the International Tchaikovsky Competition, pianist and composer Valentin Malinin, soloists of the Nizhny Novgorod Theater of Opera and Ballet named after A.S. Pushkin—Honored Artist of Russia Nadezhda Pavlova and Sergey Godin. The concert will be conducted by conductor Fedor Beznosikov. Furthermore, on June 11, Nizhny Novgorod residents and guests of the city can look forward to a concert titled "Music of Eastern Europe at the Beginning of the 20th Century. Janáček. Szymanowski. Mahler." The program will feature the vocal cycle by Czech composer Leoš Janáček "The Diary of One Who Disappeared," vocal cycles by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski, as well as rarely performed works by Gustav Mahler's wife—Alma Mahler-Werfel, whose legacy is returning to the world stage today. The festival will continue on June 13 with a symphonic concert, where under the baton of conductor Fedor Lednev, a two-time laureate of the Golden Mask award, the vocal cycle "The Magic Horn of the Boy" by Gustav Mahler will be performed, along with rarely performed works by Austrian composer Anton Webern and Italian composers Ferruccio Busoni and Gian Francesco Malipiero. A chamber evening titled "Russian Music of the Silver Age: Forgotten Pages" will take place on June 19. Little-known but significant works by Russian composers from the early 20th century will be performed. On June 20, two one-act operas—"Pagliacci" by Ruggero Leoncavallo and "Iolanta" by Pyotr Tchaikovsky—will be performed in concert format on the main stage of the Nizhny Novgorod Theater of Opera and Ballet named after A.S. Pushkin. The music will be performed by the La Voce Strumentale orchestra under the direction of maestro Dmitry Sinkovsky. "Both scores were created less than a year apart. Despite their genre and stylistic differences, they are interesting precisely in the context of their era. For the first time, we are bringing them together in one evening to show how different themes concerned composers at the same time," noted the chief conductor of the theater, Dmitry Sinkovsky. The solemn closing of the VIII International Arts Festival "Strelka" will take place on June 21 at the concert warehouse. Guests of the evening will enjoy a vocal program dedicated to the musical panorama of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The concert will feature soloist of the Nizhny Novgorod Theater of Opera and Ballet, Honored Artist of Russia Nadezhda Pavlova, and pianist, Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Goribol.

      All festival events will take place at two venues: the historical stage of the Nizhny Novgorod Theater of Opera and Ballet and the concert warehouse at Strelka. More information about the festival concerts can be found on the theater's website: https://operann.ru. Changes to the festival program are possible.

      Let us remind you that the International Arts Festival "Strelka" is an annual cultural project that brings together leading academic ensembles, outstanding performers, and vocalists from Russia and abroad. The festival is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, and the Nizhny Novgorod Theater of Opera and Ballet named after A.S. Pushkin. The mission of the project is to preserve classical heritage, uncover forgotten pages of musical history, and create a platform for dialogue among the arts.

      Kristina Koretskaya