October 7 - the First International Baroque Music Festival at the Bolshoi Theatre opened with the Julia Lezhneva Gala October 8 - a debut in the opera "The Enchantress". Valery Gilmanov makes his debut with the role of Mamyrov Historic Stage - The Enchantress. Opera in four acts Beethoven Hall - Young Artists Opera Program Concert. In honor of the 170-year anniversary of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov New Stage - rehearsal day Mass media about the Theatre Jean-Christophe Maillot, the choreographer and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo artistic director, talks about his work and about himself at the Bolshoi Theatre Green Living Room:
.youtube.com/watch?v=tzL Wm0qnU84&list=UUUimBc08CcsoCvP_WlYJl0Q On October 7th the Julia Lezhneva Gala took place on the Bolshoi Theatre New Stage as a part of the festival "Journey into the World of the Baroque" Newsletter

International reading marathon "Karenina. Live edition" was organized in the Internet on October 3 and 4 More than 700 people read extracts from the novel "Anna Karenina" during the project "Karenina. Live Edition", which was organized on-line on October 3 and 4. Internet users and classical literature fans in Moscow, Yasnaya Polyana, Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, Perm, London, New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Seoul and other cities took part in this project. The event was organized by the L. T olstoy museum-estate "Yasnaya Polyana" together with Google with the support of Samsung Electronices. The on-line service Google Hangouts became the internet- platform for the project. Not only ordinary Tolstoy fans, but also popular Russian c u lt u ra l fig ure s, in clu din g Zakh a r Pril e pin, Egor Konch alo vsky, Eve lin a Khromchenko, Mikhail Kozyrev and Mikhail Shvydkoy took part in the project. Vladimir Matorin, the Bolshoi Theatre's soloist, says: "I am overwhelmed with the fact that I took part in this reading marathon; I would be really happy if such on-line marathons were organized again and again". Vladimir Matorin is reading a fragment of the novel in the director's box of the Bolshoi Theatre Historic Stage. Photo: Damir Yusupov Maya Kucherskaya, a writer, a literary critic and the finalist of the literature award "Y asnaya Polyana"-2013 shares her impressions of this project: "I was reading a piece that can seem boring at the first sight - it was about money and banking institutions - but I have realized once again that each little piece of this text is genius. This fragment had so much irony, mystery, intelligence, understanding of the country's organization and other information, which is important for me at this point of my life". Kim Son Men, the General Director of the "Pushkin House - Seoul" considers: "W orks by Tolstoy are popular all over the world, and Korea is not an exception. The innovative interpretation of the Russian classics allows us to look at the connection of times, cultures and generations from a dif ferent point of view; it also gives people, for example, the Koreans, a new impulse and motivation for reading this great novel. This is especially relevant today, because the first volume of the "Complete Works of L. T olstoy" in 22 volumes in Korean" has been published recently; this project was launched by the "Pushkin House - Seoul". All those, who did not manage to follow this event in real time, will soon be able to watch the recording of the marathon in the Internet.

On October 28 Anna Netrebko will make her debut at the Bolshoi Theatre; the

singer will perform in the "Opera Ball", marking the 75 anniversary of the Russian opera diva Elena Obraztsova. -Good morning! Don't you sleep until noon on the day of the performance? - Oh, what are you talking about! Life is short. I get up at 7.30 a.m, make breakfast, get my child ready for school and take him to school. The performance is in the evening, so it's OK. -Have you got used to jet lag? - Unfortunately, it is impossible to get used to this; on the contrary, it is getting worse with time. But there is nothing I can do. It is more difficult when I come back to Europe; it takes me more time to get used to the time there. I live in Vienna, but because my son is now going to school in New York, I have to fly back and forth from one country to another, from one continent to another. - How is your son Tiago doing? - T iago has started school; he is developing very well, he is good at math and he is doing a good job. Yesterday we acted out a story, where he was an elephant and I was a pig, so his acting genes are working all right. He speaks English most of the time and goes to an American school, but he also understands Russian, he likes to watch cartoons and reads "Uncle Stepa" [Russian Soviet children's poetry book by S. Mikhalkov] and "Moydodyr" [a Russian tale by K. Chukovsky]. - Y ou are also happy with your personal life, aren't you? Congratulations! - As for my personal life, everything is wonderful and everyone is happy. Thank you. T ogether with Yusif (Yusif Eyvazov, an opera tenor from Azerbaijan - editor's note) we will soon perform at the Bolshoi Theatre at the Elena Obraztsova "Opera Ball"; we will perform the duet from the opera "Manon Lescaut" by G.Puccini. - Have you ever performed on the same stage with Elena Obraztsova? - Y es, I have. At the Metropolitan Opera we performed in the opera "War and Peace" by S. Prokofiev: I sang the part of Natasha, and she performed the part of Akhrosimova. For me she is an example of a real opera diva in all meanings of this word: she is a bright actress, singer and woman. God bless her. She is a very since person, and she also is very cheerful; she always tells some funny stories. - At the Metropolitan Opera you sing the most difficult part of Lady Macbeth in Verdi's opera; not every opera diva has dared to perform it. How have you made a decision to start working on this murderous part? - This was a seriously risky undertaking, based on pure intuition. I guess, at the time when I was singing the part of the queen in "Anna Bolena" by Donizetti, I thought: why don't I try the part of Lady Macbeth? I was preparing for two years; I learned this part step by step. Of course, the risk was tremendous. It was especially scary at the Metropolitan Opera, because the audience there is used to certain grand voices performing this part. But everything worked out, the cast was amazing, and so was maestro Fabio Luisi. Why is there a cliché that the part of Lady Macbeth has to be performed by thunderous dramatic sopranos? I tried to prove that it was wrong. Without any doubt, a singer that attempts to perform this part has to have a wide vocal range. My lower chest register, which is absolutely required in order to perform this part, helped me greatly, as well as my experience of using the belcanto technique. - Lady Macbeth was the first villainess in your repertoire after noble maids like Iolanta and Donna Anna, or cheerful Adina and Norina. How did you feel about such a transformation? - Surprising as it might be, but this bad character suited me perfectly; I mean, I finally could be my real self on the stage. I will never forget how much I suf fered when I was working on the part of Tatiana in Tchaikovsk's "Eugene Onegin"; this part did not suit me at all, so I had to act each gesture and each glance. It was much easier with Macbeth. I like music by Verdi, I like the character, because it is almost like you do not have to act anything. It was a very interesting experience. - Do you mean that Verdi is not even trying to find excuses for this villainess who got power thanks to her husband? - I do not think so. According to the music, her greed and anger only increase. In the revenge duet there is something animal-like, something wild; in the production it ends with rude sex. We witness the total moral corruption of this character from the very beginning to the apotheosis, where she is full of ambitions that have grown out of proportions. Perhaps, she was not born angry, but she is vain, like millions of people in this world. The train is speeding and there is no way to stop it. But the crimes do not pass without leaving a trace; she will never get rid of her nightmares. - The part of Lady Macbeth made your repertoire one step closer to the repertoire of the great Maria Callas. Are you flattered when people compare you with her? - Such comparison is a great honor for me. But I am totally different. There were cases when singers tried to copy Maria Callas in terms of both appearance and singing, but, unfortunately, those singers finished their careers quickly. I am amazed with her absolute musicality, precise feeling of rhythm, phrase and style. When you listen to her singing, you understand that this is the way a piece is supposed to sound. October, 8 2014 Newsletter

Anna Netrebko at the press-conference. June 18 2013 - Y ou have reached a certain level. What will be next? Aida? Tosca? - Yes, there will be Aida; there are many plans, connected with this opera. At the moment I am interested in the kind of repertoire that demands energy and technique. There will be "Norma" and "Aida"; those operas demand all one's creative and physical energy. Quite recently I have learned, performed and recorded "Four Last Songs" by Richard Strauss together with Daniel Barenboim in Berlin; it was a very spontaneous project. This was another breakthrough in my repertoire. This is luxurious, very beautiful and light music, which I discovered for myself. I will be happy to bring these songs to Saint Petersburg; perhaps, Valery A. Gergiev will agree to conduct them. - Has your German progressed? - Unfortunately, not my spoken German; I do not have enough time, and, besides, everyone around speaks English. But I do feel ashamed, because I have lived in V ienna for so long; it really feels embarrassing that I cannot speak German. I will soon have to study this language, because I will learn the part of Elsa in Wagner's "Lohengrin". - W ere you invited to Bayreuth? - No, I was not. I will first perform it at the Dresden Opera together with the Polish singer Petr Bechala (tenor) and the conductor Christian Tileman in a year and a half. I am getting invitations to Bayreuth, but at this point I cannot say "yes". I need to try singing this part and to feel how it will suit my voice. To sing Wagner in Bayreuth is a great honor; what can be better than this.

On October 7 the Julia Lezhneva Gala took part on the Bolshoi Theatre New Stage as a part of the festival "Journey into the World of the Baroque". On the Bolshoi Theatre official pages in the social networks we published the link to the YouT ube video:
.youtube.com/watch?v=RhgnO8tvsZ4&list=UUUimBc08CcsoCvP_WlYJl0Q Bolshoi Theatre in the Internet Julia Lezhneva

On October 6 the meeting with the Bolshoi Ballet's prima ballerina Ekaterina Krysanova took place at the A.A.Bakhrushin State Central Museum; it was a part of the cycle "For Terpsichore's Fans". The audience had a unique chance to talk to the ballerina and to ask her any questions.

For articles published 6 October 2014 Over 150 international publications all over the world including Le Figaro, Euronews, etc continue to write about the death of Russian theatre director Yuri Lyumibov. Most reports mention his production of Prince Igor in 2013 at the Bolshoi Theatre as one of his final productions. Luxemburger Wort announces the upcoming season of ballet and opera broadcasts in cinemas including the Bolshoi Ballet's Legend of Love on 26 October. The New Y ork Times also writes about broadcasts of The National Theater, the Royal Opera, the Bolshoi and, most successfully, the Metropolitan Opera in cinemas but says showing Broadway plays in cinemas has been less successful. The Desert News and State College News (USA) report about local girls who have attended the Bolshoi Ballet Academy saying "The official school of the Bolshoi Ballet, the 235-year-old academy has a reputation as one of the most prestigious classical ballet schools in the world". Novosibirsk mass media: A production about the genius dancer Nureyev was performed in Novosibirsk A production dedicated to the famous ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev was performed in Novosibirsk. "A Leap to Freedom" is an attempt to tell the story of the genius dancer's life using body language and dramatic language. The cast stars the actor Sergei Yankovsky and the Bolshoi Theatre's guest soloist Ilze Liepa. The reporter of the newspaper "Novosibirsk News" took a look at the production. While the dancers are warming up and rehearsing pirouettes and lifts, Sergei Y ankovsky is checking the microphones and the light. He is the only person on the stage that is talking: the production is based on Rudolph Nureyev's memoirs. The actor also demonstrated virtuoso performances of several dances, including tap dance and Tatar folk dance.
In brief October, 8 2014 Newsletter October, 8 2014 , 7 In order to perform this part the actor had been going to a classical ballet class for several months. As he worked on this character, he tried to copy Nureyev's gestures, gait and manner of speech. As a result, he now even looks like the genius dancer. All of those who knew Nureyev in person, mentioned that the actor had managed to convey the genius's rebellious spirit. The actor and director Sergei Yankovsky said: "This was the best compliment that I got. They all said: "This is the way it should be. This is what he was like!" When I came home from school, I kept singing and dancing until it was time to go to bed. But I was forbidden to dance at home. My father said: all artists are alcoholics! Dancer numbers are interspersed with the actor's monologues. There is only classical choreography and music in this production. Fokine, Petipa, Tchaikovsky and Saint-SaГ«ns. Fragments from various productions are performed by the Y ekaterinburg Ballet's soloists Margarita Rudina and Alexander and Aleksei Nasadovich. Ilze Lipea chose those parts from her huge repertoire that she considers to be able to tell the audience what the great dancer was like. Ilze Liepa, People's Artist of Russia and a laureate of the National Theatre Award "Golden Mask" says: "Nureyev's personality still excites us and remains interesting for us. I am a muse here. I am a part of the world that this boy was attracted by". The genre of the production is defined as a one-man performance. Sergei Y ankovsky, who performs the main role, creates several images: using unusual plastique, acting and the help of professional classical ballet dancers, he tells the story of a person, who made his dream come true regardless of everyone and everything. Krasnoyarsk mass media: More than 50 people took part in the International Ballet Festival in Krasnoyarsk The International Ballet Competition "Siberia Grand Prix" is organized in Krasnoyarsk as a part of the Third International Forum "21st-Century Ballet". In 2013 this ballet competition was included into the International Federation of Ballet

Competitions and became its 20 member. Earlier this competition was All-Russian:

the first one was organized in 2010 and marked the 100 anniversary of Galina

Ulanova, the second marked the 85 anniversary of Yuri Grigorovich. Sergei Bobrov, the artistic director of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre, mentioned: "Our competition, which has always been a review contest for young ballet artists, has turned into a full-scale international competition; this is a grandiose event for us". Y uri Grigorovich, the People's Artist of the USSR, became the head of the jury. The members of the federation of international ballet competitions will have a meeting in Krasnoyarsk during the forum as well. T wo years ago there were only 17 participants; this time there were 70 applications, and 51 participants were chosen after the preliminary video round. These dancers represent 9 countries, including Italy, Germany, Turkey and Ukraine. Russian participants represent the Bolshoi Theatre, the Mikhailovsky Theatre (Saint Petersburg) and the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre. There also are participants from Perm, Buryatia, Novosibirsk and Y akutia. Earlier the competition was organized for young dancers only; nowadays there are two age groups - the "youth group" (up to 19 years old) and the "adult group" (from 9 to 26 years old). /…/