Gala Concert "Opera Ball of Elena Obraztsova" in Honour of the 95th Anniversary of Franco Zeffirelli

On March 2, 2018, in the Great Hall of the State Kremlin Palace, the Charitable Foundation of Elena Obraztsova presents, within the framework of the international festival "Saison Russe", the gala concert "Opera Ball of Elena Obraztsova" with the participation of the world opera stars dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the birth of Franco Zeffirelli.

Franco Zeffirelli is an internationally acclaimed film and opera director, scriptwriter and stage designer, who independently creates decorations and costumes to his large-scale projects. His movies are recognized masterpieces. These include the film-opera "Cavalleria Rusticana" with the participation of Elena Obraztsova, Placido Domingo, Renato Bruzon and "Callas Forever" with Fanny Ardant.

The grandiose gala concert will be a journey to the opera world of Franco Zeffirelli. The multimedia show will begin in the halls of Zeffirelli film museum in Florence and continue in fragments from the works of the maestro that will come alive on the stage of the Kremlin Palace performed by stars of the world opera and accompanied by 3D scenery created from the sketches of his legendary productions. An unexpected contingency will become the meeting with friends and colleagues of Franco Zeffirelli: Fanny Ardant, Vladimir Vasilyev, Maria Gulegina, and Ramón Vargas. The author of this show’s idea is Franco Zeffirelli himself, and his former student and assistant, and now a famous Italian director Marco Gandini, who successfully works at the best opera stages in the world, will carry out the concept and production.

As planned, the participants of the forthcoming gala concert should be outstanding Russian singers and stars of the world opera: Maria Gulegina, Ramón Vargas, Lee Yonghoon, Yusif Eyvazov, Veronika Dzhioeva, Olesya Petrova, Ekaterina Sergeeva, Ksenia Dudnikova, Vladislav Sulimsky and others. The concert hosts are a famous French actress, starring in the film of Franco Zeffirelli "Callas Forever" Fanny Ardant and an outstanding dancer and choreographer National Artist of the U.S.S.R Vladimir Vasilyev. The director of the concert is Marco Gandini (Italy), conductor - Oleg Caetani (Italy). The Academic Grand Choir «Masters of Choral Singing» will accompany the concert.

The programme of the gala concert includes fragments from the operas ”Il trovatore”, ”Aida”, ”Un ballo in maschera”, ”Don Carlos”, ”Cavalleria rusticana”, and ”Carmen”.

“Opera is an absolute art form. All the muses are there: drama, voice, beauty, choreography. There is everything there, it is the paradise for muses. For me, to make a film-opera meant to combine the two great loves of my life,” says Franco Zeffirelli.

Elena Obraztsova was a great opera singer. Her unique artistic gift and large creative commitment determined the performing achievements of the singer, earned her a wide reputation and the love of listeners in the entire world.

“Elena Obraztsova is among greatest artists, who made opera so popular and immense a form of art in the history of the contemporary culture”, says Franco Zeffirelli.

With Zeffirelli Obraztsova began working in Milan in the year of the 200th anniversary of the La Scala Theatre (1978) on the set of the film-opera "Un ballo in maschera". Then followed the "Carmen" in the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper) and "Cavalleria rusticana" in La Scala. Unimplemented projects were the production of "Aida" among the Egyptian pyramids and film-opera "Tosca".

Elena Obraztsova: “Zeffirelli is my director, my artist. He sketches roles with fantastic imagination. He creates scenes as an artist: uses light effects, plays with colours and their rhythms.

“Opera Ball of Elena Obraztsova” has already become the salient event and the new wonderful tradition in the musical life of our country and abroad.

”Opera Ball” is one of the most significant cultural phenomena in Russia in recent years.

The first "Opera Ball of Elena Obraztsova" in 2014 in the Bolshoi Theatre gathered in honour of the singer's anniversary the constellation of world-famous singers and musicians and became one of the brightest cultural events of the Year of Culture in Russia. Elena Obraztsova wished to make "Opera Ball" the annual celebration of opera art, every time devoting it to a bright musical event or the commemoration of an outstanding performer.

The “Opera Ball” of 2018 the Charitable Foundation of Elena Obraztsova devotes to Franco Zeffirelli.

Duration: 2 hours 30 min., with intermission of 30 minutes.