December 15, 2024 | St. Petersburg Philharmonia - Grand Hall
24th Arts Square International Winter Festival
Soloist – Hibla Gerzmava, soprano
Conductor – Vladimir Spivakov
Overtures and arias from operas by Bellini, Verdi, Mascagni, Puccini, Cilea
On December 15, 2024, the Grand Hall of the St-Petersburg State Academic Philharmonia will host the only one concert of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia directed by Vladimir Spivakov, within the frames of the 24th edition of the Arts Square International Winter Festival. The maestro and his collective will be joined by Hibla Gerzmava, diva of the Russian opera theater. “The heavenly purity and beauty of her voice, each note at its glory, extremely clear diction, endless breath and – soul, soul, soul!” – as the media puts it.
The appearances of the NPR and Vladimir Spivakov in the main Concert Hall of the Northern capital have been quite frequent. For example, last winter the maestro and his team gave there a concert to the 89th anniversary of the Leningrad liberation from the fascist blockade, playing works by Barber, Shostakovich and Schwartz. Earlier the orchestra had taken part in the Arts Square Winter Festival, played at the International Economic Forum, and performed several programs to the memory of Anatoly Sobchak and on many other occasions. The coming music night will be an opera gala with an exceptional soloist: Hibla Gerzmava accompanied by the NPR will sing arias from Italian operas.
The singer will conquer the audience with her inimitable voice and phenomenal artistic personality presenting most contrasting opera heroines. Among them there are a slandered gentle Desdemona, praying to Madonna (“Otello”), Donna Elvira, desperate in her split with the beloved one and lamenting the future wedding with her hateful uncle (“Ernani”), a pretty Manon dying from thirst and desolation in a desert (“Manon Lescaut”), a defiant singer Floria Tosca (“Tosca”), a humble French actress Adriana Lecouvreur, prey of intrigues (“Adriana Lecouvreur”), a strong-willed recluse Leonora, hiding in a cave and knowing no peace (“La forza del destino”) and her namesake lady-in-waiting from “Il trovatore” with her burning love for a mysterious warrior.
The artistic collaboration of Vladimir Spivakov and Hibla Gerzmava started many years ago: they have brought to life a great number of bright performances in Russia and abroad, on stage and in recording studios. She was the maestro's choice for the part of Tatiana in the acclaimed recording of Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin, thus realizing his dream of many years. The diva reciprocated his feelings: “I am proud of my friendship with Vladimir Spivakov. Each encounter with him makes me happy. I am thankful to the fate that I can perform with him and sing for him.”