‘STRAUSS IMPERIAL’

The Divas of Bolshoi Opera welcome Roby Lakatos “Prince of gypsy violinists” in STRAUSS IMPERIAL

Now in its twelfth year, the concert “Strauss Impérial” continues to grace the stages of the most beautiful theatres in Belgium each year. In June 2017, it will be taking to the stages of the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and the prestigious Salle Philharmonique in Liège.
The orchestra, the soloists and the ballet all traditionally feature in this concert but this edition will be exceptional in every way.

This is because, for the first time in ten years, the soloists of the Bolshoi of Moscow are returning to Belgium! These are two veritable Divas that we will be discovering alongside Roby Lakatos, “The Prince of Gypsy Violinists” for a unique programme blending great operatic arias, musical comedies and folk music…

As is customary, Strauss Impérial will be an uplifting event, filled with humour, and the presence of Svetlana “Carmen” Shilova and Anna Aglatova, the “stars” of the Moscow opera, will delight the public in their droves.

The Euro Symphonic Orchestra, directed by charismatic pianist Pascal Peiffer, brings together the very best of Belgium’s musicians and is one of the highlights of the spectacle. As talented as he is meticulous, Pascal has lengthy experience of prestigious collaborations. His performance alongside Michel Legrand, at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels last October remains etched on all of our memories.

And the ballet? Here too, originality and quality are the order of the day and this year the prestigious Vienna will be honoured in particular!

THE SOLOISTS OF “STRAUSS IMPERIAL”

SVETLANA SHILOVA, mezzo-soprano, Bolshoi Opera, Moscow
Part of the Bolshoi since 2002, Svetlana has penned her most beautiful pages during this time and her moniker Svetlana ”Carmen” Shilova says much more than any description ever could.
Aside from her roles in the “great theatre” of Moscow, she has appeared on the world’s greatest stages, such as the Mariijnsky in St Petersburg, the Chaliapin Opera Festival in Kazan, the Bonn State Opera, the Festival of Aix en Provence and even the opera of Lyon. Her participation in the cultural part of the opening ceremony in the Beijing Olympic Games was especially memorable.
The Bolshoi’s website describes in detail all of her roles: www.bolshoi.ru

ANNA AGLATOVA, soprano, Bolshoi Opera, Moscow
Following her beginnings in the Bolshoi in 2005, Anna would play all the great roles offered by her magnificent tessitura including  Nannetta (Falstaff), amina and Papagena (Die Zauberfloete), Xenia (Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov), Liu (Turandot), Prilepa (The Queen of Spades), Ninetta (Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges), Tanya (Desyatnikov’s The Children of Rosenthal), Sirin (Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and of the Maiden Fevronia), Musetta (La Boheme), Micaela (Carmen), Adele (Die Fledermaus)
Marfa (The Tsar’s Bride), A widower bat, An owl, A shepherdess (L’enfant et les Sortilèges), Lisa (La sonnambula), Gerda (Banevich’s The Story of Kai and Gerda), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro). Having been awarded some of the most prestigious international honours, Anna has also pursued a global career and we are especially fortunate that she will be performing for us in concert.

ROBY LAKATOS, violinist.
Born in 1965 into a family of famous violinists descending from Janos Bihari, nicknamed the “King of Gypsy Violinists”, Roby Lakatos was immersed from childhood in the musical world and, at the age of nine, he made his debut on the stage as first violin in a gypsy orchestra. Later he would study at the Béla Bartók Conservatory in Budapest, where he was awarded first prize in classical violin in 1984. Between 1986 and 1996, he participated with his ensemble in the "Ateliers de la Grande Ile" in Brussels, their home throughout this period, where he collaborated with Vadim Repin and Stéphane Grappelli. Yehudi Menuhin admired his playing and regularly visited him in his club in Brussels. His career literally exploded in the 2000s, and he became the “star” of the gypsy violin, appearing in Canada, USA and Japan. Carnegie Hall was one of his recent triumphs.
Further details at: www.lakatos.com

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