MARIINSKY THEATER TO SHOW ITS PREMIERES IN THE NETHERLANDS

MOSCOW, December 8 (RIA Novosti) - In late December the Mariinsky Theater will open the season of premieres. Among them will be eight new opera performances, The Czar's Bride and The Tale of Czar Saltan by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Carmen by Georges Bizet, Madam Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini, The Voyage to Reims by Gioacchino Rossini, Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi, Tristan and Isolde by Richard Wagner and one more opera, which will be presented in the end of the season during the White Nights Stars festival. The Mariinsky Theater has not given the name of the last opera, reports the web site www.scenaspb.ru.

The Czar's Bride staged by Yuri Aleksandrov and conducted by Valery Gergiyev will be shown in Groningen (the Netherlands) on December 29.

"This opera reveals the problems of Russian people, their unbridles passions and sentimentality, nobility and cruelty, and the distinguishing features of the national character - the beauty and ugliness of the soul," said Yuri Aleksandrov.

Well-known theater artist Zinovy Margolin, who worked on the Nord Ost musical, will design the opera sets.

"This is not a blind attempt to make the performance contemporary, to set The Czar's Bride opera in the 20th or 21st century. But this is not a common Russian picture. Time changes notions of the good and evil. And this story should be psychologically genuine. As a matter of fact, this is an all-time Russian story. Today it is impossible to merely impress by the variety of sets having no sense. Today we should compete for comprehension. From the point of view of the show it is easy to surpass the theater. All depends on the money," said Zinovy Margolin.