On Friday, the gala concert was performed to honour the great E. V. Obraztsova, and during the weekend Satka residents and guests enjoyed Cinderella, the children’s musical performance, Carmina Burana on-stage cantata, and Carmen opera.  

Boris Dubrovsky, the Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region, took part in the opening ceremony of E. V. Obraztsova’s First Festival. Greeting festival guests and participants, he noted: “It can seem strange to someone that the event of such scale takes place in a town. But actually this is not surprising. Since long ago, Satka has become not only the economic growth point in the map of the Chelyabinsk Region, but also a venue for multiple cultural projects. Here – to a large extent due to support of Magnezit Group – a special social cultural space and view of life have formed. I am sure that this is what a modern town should be – a place where production goes hand in hand with high culture”.

This evening, the best fragments of The Queen of Spades, The Barber of Seville, The Tsar's Bride, Carmen were performed at the stage of Magnezit Cultural Center by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Glinka’s Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre under the direction of Larisa Gabitova, and awardees of international contests, including Elena Makarova, daughter of Elena Obraztsova, head of the International Music Academy. 

March 18, Saturday, Glinka’s Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre performed two stage productions: Cinderella, the children’s musical by Antonio Spadavekkia, Karl Orf’s (German composer of the XX century) Carmina Burana on-stage cantata by Vadim Keish.

Cinderella and the Prince were performed in the famous fairy-tale by awardees of international contests, Ekaterina Burtzeva and Pavel Chikanovsky.

Lovers of classical vocal and instrumental music enjoyed Carmina Burana on-stage cantata by Karl Orf, the German composer of the XX century. From the first sounds, it has fascinated the listeners with extraordinary enchantment.  The work was performed in three parts – Spring, In the Tavern and About Love.

March 19, spectators present in Magnezit Cultural Center enjoyed a great masterpiece — opera of Georges Bizet Carmen performed by actors of Magnitogorsk Opera and Ballet Theatre.

With good reason Carmen is called one of the pinnacles of the entire opera music and the highest point of Bizet creativity. This is the last opera of the composer that went its thorny way to glory and stages of world theatres.

Glorified, passionate, fascinating music — befitting the lead character, a beautiful gipsy that unstintingly loves freedom and got used to dominate everybody. Spectators, together with vigorous Carmen, are virtually immersed in the succession of events. And almost three hours, during which the drama unfolds and passion flares up like a red rose, pass like a minute.

Besides, the festival hosts a range of master classes and auditions based on art schools for children of the Satka Region involving experts of Obraztsova’s International Music Academy.  

The following experts will share experience with creative residents of the Region: Elena Makarova, head and chief of the department of the children’s academic vocal of Obraztsova’s International Music Academy and Deputy Director for development of creative projects and opera class teacher of Obraztsova’s International Music Academy, concertmaster and Larisa Gabitova, couch of the Mariinsky Theatre and symphonic  conductor.

The first day of the classes (March, 18) took place in r.p. Berduyash; March 19, the classes were held in Children's Art School No. 1 in Satka, while today the classes will be held in Magnezit Cultural Center. The invited teachers offer master classes for academic vocalists, concertmaster / piano players of any age, main profession and qualification level, from beginners up to graduates of higher educational establishments, up to acting actors and teachers.

See more details about main events of the festival and photo reports at: http://carmenfest.com.

According to the website of the Local Government of the Satka Region.

Photo by Denis Shakirov.

Elena Vyacheslavovna Makarova is a singer, mezzo soprano. Daughter of Elena Vasilevna Obraztsova. She studied at Maymonid’s State Classical Academy,  and after the third year of studies moved to become an apprentice of Montserrat Cabalier. She has been living in Barcelona since 1996, and came back to Russia with her family in 2011.

She’s actively engaged in giving concerts. She was signing in Spain, Italy, France, inter alia, with Montserrat Cabalier. She repeatedly took part in concert programmes together with Elena Vasilevna Obraztsova; geography of their joint performances covers Russia from Krasnodar to Blagovetshensk, and Europe from Latvia to Spain.

Elena Makarova took part in master classes of Elena Obraztsova, gave lectures and taught foreign languages and stylistics to young vocalists.

The traditional May holidays will come to Satka together with the magic of classical music and opera art. On 6-7 May the city will be the venue of Carmen Fest – the Obraztsova International Classical Music Festival. The membership of the event participants comprises the symphony orchestra of Chelyabinsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre that is already well known to the audience, as well as the internationally renowned musicians and soloists.   

Being the focal place of the Festival, Magnezit Cultural Centre will open doors to visitors to hear Venonika Dzhioeva – the guest soprano soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre, and Vladimir Moroz – the leading baritone soloist of the State Academic Mariinsky Theatre, along with virtuoso performances by Polina Osetinskaya (piano) and Dmitry Makhtin (violin). The winners of Elena Obraztsova International Vocal Contest will also perform on the local stage.  

The musical accompaniment will be provided by Chelyabinsk Opera House that is going to perform for the first time under the lead of two recognized experts – the art director of Armenian Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre Konstantin Orbelyan and the conductor of Mariinsky Theatre Vladislav Karklin.  

Carmen Fest’s activity program will be traditionally full of exhibitions, film shows and special events for children. In particular, the young visitors will have an opportunity to take part in the unique interactive show “Meet The Orchestra” created by Vladislav Karklin.

Carmen Fest first captured the hearts of the audience in spring 2017. The core event that took place in Satka at that time was the gala concert with fragments from Elena Obraztsova’s favourite operas. In addition to that, Magnezit Cultural Centre heard Carmina Burana, the legendary and charming scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff, and Cinderella Musical by Antonio Spadavecchia that impressed even the youngest music lovers. The final accord of the spring-time theatrical episode was Carmen opera by Georges Bizet. The vocal workshops organized by the renowned experts and musical performances by students and teachers of Children’s Art Schools sold out the concert hall. The autumn-time Festival hosted chamber music nights marked with the performances by a French duo and an Italian quintet. Special atmosphere was created by the charitable event with participation of Lyudmila Zhiltsova - the La Scala Opera singer and guest soprano soloist of the Royal Theatre of Turin.

This year, the Obraztsova International Classical Music Festival “Carmen” invites its guests in high summer. July 19 – 22, Satka turned into the space for music, painting, theatre, cinema to merge into harmonious fusion... The debut summer season was full of surprises, and each of them was enthusiastically met by thankful spectators.

Trip to the Backstage

The festival opening started with the photo exhibition "Theatres, Roles, Spectators"..., devoted to the 80th anniversary of E. V. Obraztsova. Interactive exhibition helped festival guests immerse in the world of art that surrounded the great singer. The brilliant career, unexpected world of the backstage, stages of the world leading theatres – all these and many more details were shown in 16 info tablets. The technology flavor could also be sensed: spectators could use smartphones and QR codes to see the fragments of the performances Elena Obraztsova played in and hear her fascinating voice.

– In the interview, one of the Bolshoi Theatre colleagues of Elena Vasilievna Obraztsova rightfully mentioned: “All theatres of the world were not enough to express her creativity”. The theatre was everything for her. Elena Vasilievna used to tell that almost no dreams came true in life, but everything was possible in theatre, – Natalia Vodoleeva, the guide and art expert, told us.

In one of the festival evenings, the spectators could see the Carmen that became Elena Obraztsova’s visit card. The event guests were demonstrated My Carmen opera film (1977) starring Elena Obraztsova and Vladimir Atlantov. Extracts from the original novella by Prosper Merime and the most famous arias from the same-name opera by Georges Bizet were performed in the chamber teledrama.

Melody under the Stars

Another gem of the summer evening of the Obraztsova International Classical Music Festival “Carmen” was the open-air firework concert. And another surprise: the festival providers included not only classical music masterpieces in the “musical menu”. The stage next to Magnezit Cultural Center hosted the melodies from favorite films and even rock compositions loved by everybody.

But unusual neighborhood of Tsoy with Bizet, or Strauss with Piazzolla did not embarrass anybody. Actors of the symphonic orchestra of the Glinka’s Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet conducted by Alexander Matushkin, director, prize Winner of the All-Russian contest, and the solo performers, prize winners of international contests – Elena Rotkina and Pavel Chikanovsky – brilliantly created an amazing musical lorelei. And no doubt the listeners highly appreciated it.

– For us, musicians, such concert is professionally interesting. The sound in the hall is quite different from that outdoors. We have got the most positive impressions, and the audience, as they say now, “went wild”, – director Alexander Matushkin says. – Our solo performers Elena Rotkina and Pavel Chikanovsky really lighted up a stage! Satka people welcomed them with delight, though the concert repertoire was somewhat unusual for us.

Remembering Tchaikovsky

This year, many works of Pyotr Tchaikovsky have been performed in the Obraztsova International Classical Music Festival “Carmen”. And it is not accidentally:  Elena Obraztsova really loved creativity of the great Russian composer. She repeatedly performed his Russian romantic songs, opera arias inevitably causing delight of the Russian and foreign audience.

And in the gala concert of the festival, the listeners immersed in the fascinating world of  Tchaikovsky music again. In the first part of the concert, leading singers Elena Rotkina and Pavel Chikanovsky, and the symphonic orchestra of the Glinka’s Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet performed arias from the operas of Iolanta, Eugene Onegin, The Queen of Spades. Tatyana Bikmuhametova, a Satka resident, student of the Russian University of Theatre Arts, and holder of the Magnezit Group fellowship also sang at the stage of Magnezit Cultural Center. She performed arioso of Natasha from Oprichnik opera and "Whether day dawns" romantic song.

In the second part of the Gala Concert, the guests listened to Piano Concerto No. 1 by maestro Yuri Rozum. The People’s Artist of Russia had already pleased Satka citizens with his performance excellence, but it was the first time he performed at the Obraztsova International Classical Music Festival “Carmen”.

— It’s not without reason that the name of Elena Obraztsova sounds in Satka. It is the town, where people highly appreciate real art, their history, great actors of the country, I’ve got used that Satka presents amazing surprises in all respects: music, nature, architecture. I am glad that the sequence of events drove me to the town I had not suspected of a while back, — Yuri Rozum confessed.

That day, the broadcast of the gala concert could be watched in Magnezit Cultural Center square. In the end of the concert, Sergey Korostelev, president of Magnezit Group, awarded Yuri Rozum and conductor of the symphonic orchestra of the Glinka’s Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet with commemorative tokens of the Obraztsova Third International Classical Music Festival “Carmen”.

Music and…

Love for art is instilled since childhood. And the Obraztsova International Classical Music Festival “Carmen” became an unusual venue, where even the youngest spectators could learn more about music and its peculiar metamorphoses.

Who of us didn’t like to sing melodies from the Soviet and Russian cartoons? In the Obraztsova International Classical Music Festival “Carmen”, Satka dwellers remembered the songs while attending the open-air musical film theatre. But it was just the beginning: it will just suffice to mention the art picnic that invited thousands of families during the last day of the festival!

During the picnic of music and art, adults and children could attend multiple interactive areas. “Music and Technology” site presented a real fruit orchestra. Playtronica, Moscow team, told the children how to listen to rhythm, and the first-time musicians were willing to play their fruit and vegetables in sync with the melody.

Those, who needed more than fruit music experiments, went to the “Music and Rhythm” site. A duet from Yekaterinburg, Guys Sub Spoons, excited the audience by playing wooden spoons and even plastic tubes. It impressed both children and adults.

In the world of art, there is always room for discoveries. To see why, it was enough to visit “Music and Painting” and “Music and Poetry” sites. Here, true-life magic was happening to the strains of songs performed by Yuri Rozum, People’s Artist of Russia, Tatyana Bikmuhametova, a student of the Russian University of Theatre Arts, and solo performers of the best Moscow and European opera theatres. Accompanied by music, one could recite their favorite poems impromptu in the open mike or create a still life under the supervision of the Moscow artist Aleksandr Shilov.

Lovers of active games were especially welcome in the “Music and Sport” site. To play the guitar, synthesizer or drums, for example, children had to spin the pedals! And, of course, the picnic participants paid much attention to the giant floor piano. And the fans of intellectual battles could visit “Music and History” site: it enjoyed more than 700 people!

The festival guests also granted warm welcome to the programme of TenorS of the ХХI Century art project. Soloists of the reputable Moscow and European opera theatres performed children songs that enjoyed everybody’s love.

The bright finale of the third day of the Obraztsova International Classical Music Festival “Carmen” was the brilliant performance of Proletarian Tango retro orchestra. Anna Didenko, a leading performer of the orchestra, the best voice of Obraztsova’s International Music Academy, performed the hits in the modern adaptation well liked by Satka people. The guests gave standing ovation to the performers and were very unwilling to let them leave the stage.

Bright, cheerful, filled with the carefree summer mood – this is what the Obraztsova Third International Classical Music Festival “Carmen” turned out to be. Representatives of the event organizer – Sobranie Fund – confess: debut of the summer seasons of Carmen was a success. And it means that Satka will have another cultural milestone to attract new guests and participants.

E.V. Obraztsova's International Festival of Classical Music “Carmen” returned to Satka after a short break and became an unforgettable festive event.

The beginning of the festival was fabulous in every sense. The program was opened by the South-Ural Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Adik Abdurakhmanov, the artistic director and conductor, Honored Artist of Russia and the Chelyabinsk State Philharmonic Society. The production “Tales of the East” delighted and impressed not only the young audience, but also adults. It was a fascinating journey with the main characters of the musical performance of Professor of Music (Irina Golovina) and Domovoy Filimon Filarmonov (Dmitry Uskov).

The Palace Square was immersed in a magical world, the atmosphere of which was created by the music, the animation and the magical transformations (for example, Adik Abdurakhmanov appeared before everyone not as a conductor, but as Genie). The heroes involved the audience in a search for a disappeared music box. And together they visited the ancient city of Baghdad, the steppes of Central Asia and the Caucasus Mountains. They heard the famous fairy tale-teller Sheherazade and went out into the open sea, where the goldfish were violins and dolphins were cellos. And each new leg of such a journey introduced the children to the compositions of the great composers and the instruments of the symphony orchestra.

“That’s fascinating! We are already familiar with the Chelyabinsk Philharmonic. We used to go to concerts periodically when we lived in Chelyabinsk. We are glad to come to Satka, we are glad to meet you. This is the first festival “Carmen” that we attend. Everything is great, it gives me goosebumps. The recorded studio music can't be compared with the live music. You feel this amazing atmosphere, the waves of music, and really float on its waves... We liked it, everything is just great!” Anna Shadrina and her sons Ilya and Vladimir shared their emotions. By the way, Ilya had a chance to take part in the theatrical performance: to help the Domovoy in the fight against robbers, for which he had to use a large slingshot, proposed as a weapon by Filimon Filarmonov. “It was fun and unexpected,” admitted the young performer of the cameo.

The “Tales of the East” were followed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s overture-fantasy “Romeo and Juliet”, and then Honoured Artist of Russia Yuri Rozum came to the stage under stormy applause. The one of the world's most famous pieces, the Piano Concerto No. 2 composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff, sounded in his performance with the orchestra. Nature helped to feel its scale and power. A downpour scared away most of the audience, but the musicians played the concert in its entirety, because the loyal and steadfast audience, wrapped in raincoats and covered with umbrellas, listened to them until the last chord.

“The impressions are unforgettable! We played together with the Maestro Yuri Rozum, and it was the first time we played together a concert composed by Rachmaninoff, and in such extreme conditions!” Adik Abdurakhmanov says. “I kept one eye on Yuri Alexandrovich and thought to myself: why don't we finish? First during the first part, then the second one. But no! We continued to play in the open area under the downpour, thunders and lightnings. I have musicians from other countries in my orchestra, and they say they've never felt anything like this in their lives! In 10, and in 15 years, we will still remember that day!”

The Piano Concerto No. 2 composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff was the seminal concert for the composer, it firmly rooted in the history of world music and occupied a special place there. Thanks to its unusual beauty, emotionality, artistic concept and embodiment, it remains arguably Sergei Vasilyevich's most popular composition to this day. Researchers have rightly called this concerto a brilliant poem about the Motherland.

“Next year is Rachmaninoff's 150th birthday, and I decided to forestall the event. The festival “Triumph of Rachmaninoff” is being prepared in the Moscow suburbs; Rachmaninoff’s piano and symphonic compositions will be heard, as well as romances, operas and ballets. Rachmaninoff is endless, you can listen to and play his compositions constantly. In completely different and unexpected ways. And today was the first time his composition was played in such incredible gusts of rain. I took it as a blessing from God. Rain is a good omen,” the Maestro Yuri Rozum said.

“When people ask me how to understand the Russian soul, I answer: listen to the music of Rachmaninoff. This is our Russian classic, the Russian soul. “There is no person in the world who has not been touched by his music," Adik Abdurakhmanov continued the topic of choice of repertoire.

The guests of the festival “Carmen” were immersed in a special atmosphere of creative and exciting interactions with art at the “Art Picnic”. Everyone was able to find something for themselves at its numerous bright sites opened in the public gardens of Magnezit Cultural Center and Elena Obraztsova.

Art lovers wrote “musical” still lifes together with teachers and students of Art School No. 1 named after Yu. A. Rozum at the site “Sotvorchestvo”. Chess players fought in a simultaneous session with Pavel Tsvetkov, the Ural Federal District champion under 18, and in problem solving competitions and a checkers and chess blitz tournament at the site “Soobrazhenie” (led by the representatives of the chess school “Vertical”).

The site “Solirovanie” was either attended by many people. Young talents reached out here one after another to learn the skill of improvisation from Anton Bugayev, a teacher of South Ural State Institute of Arts named after P.I. Tchaikovsky And he was happy to help everyone and give advice. Even those who didn't have time to learn solfeggio.

“Well done, do not be afraid to press the keys harder, look what a big keyboard, play on other keys,” the musician encouraged the four-year-old Stepan from Chelyabinsk, who wanted to play three hands together with the professional.

Lovers of philosophy and everyone interested in the lecture hall program gathered at the site “Soznanie”, where they heard a fascinating story of Natalya Vodoleyeva about the world opera theaters where Elena Obraztsova performed. They have learned about the image of Carmen in world art from the moderator of “Art-Satka” Yulia Masolova and talked about the role of art in personal development, interaction of mastery and inspiration in creating masterpieces with Alena Tvorogova, a member of Satka Philosophical Club.

And the young guests of the festival enjoyed playing board games, participated in master classes to create postcards, built castles out of the giant LEGO constructor and created a great portrait of the city on a big coloring book. And they also enthusiastically watched cartoons about Magnik, created in the framework of the competition “Magnik chooses a profession”. Film screening was arranged at the site “Sostyazanie”, the name of which is connected with the final stage of competition: each spectator could vote for his or her favorite work of cartoonists. 

“I saw the poster for the festival “Carmen” a week ago and thought it was a must-see. The cultural level of the program is inspiring and delightful. The “Tales of the East” performed by the Chelyabinsk Symphony Orchestra is wonderful. So many different sites work in the public garden that just eyes run! It is possible to play and to learn something new! There would be a desire. Besides, you can buy interesting handicrafts at the fair. I am glad that my present trip to Satka (I have been living in another town for several years already) coincided with this grand event!” Natalya Shayakhmetova shared her impressions.

We are happy that another site, which worked within the framework of «Art-picnic», became a real point of attraction of kind hearts. A charity fundraising event for the Charity Fund “Together we can do more” was organized here. 

Everyone could make a donation of any size and get a souvenir in gratitude. In a few hours of the event (unfortunately, the work of “Art-Picnic” was interrupted by a downpour), 57,127 rubles were collected. These funds will be used to pay for rehabilitation programs for children with disabilities.

Places of rest were organized for guests of the large-scale event. They were situated in the public garden named after Elena Obraztsova and at the site “Sozertsanie”, where it was also possible by means of QR codes to learn interesting facts about the feathered inhabitants of the region and even to hear their voices.

Due to bad weather, the second half of the evening activities of the festival "Carmen" had to be moved to the center. The second floor foyer became an improvised auditorium. The performers promptly readjusted their programs, and the audience quickly took seats in the “parterre” and on the balcony. There was a pleasant atmosphere of a musical salon, without neither stage, nor borders between performers and listeners. The performance took place in a warm and sincere atmosphere. There were an absolute mutual understanding and boundless love for music.

The participants of the art-project "Tenors of the XXI century" were the first to come to the center of this “new universe”. Dmitry Sibirtsev, the artistic director of the group, noted that the rain washed everything away: “The rain left us without instruments, without a single musical score. There is going to be nothing but improvisation, we will remember our repertoire in motion, we hope that we will warm you with the warmth of our hearts and our voices. It's great that the program will be without rear-fill and microphones, just like in a big theater. I'll be remembering everything I can on the piano, and our wonderful accordionist Alexey Sokolov will be joining me.”

And the tenors sounded. Deep and great voices, solos and duets-quartets, humorous and romantic songs, opera arias and romances... Popular melodies performed by the winners of international competitions Maxim Paster, Alexander Bogdanov, Georgy Faradzhev, Stanislav Mostovoy and Victoria Shevtsova were heard in Italian, French and Russian. And in response, the audience gave applause and numerous “Bravo!”

“This was not our first time in Satka, we had a concert as part of our tour around the Urals. Even then I was amazed at how great the hall was here. And we dreamed of coming here again to perform our program. We performed at the festival “Carmen” three years ago when we did a children's program, also on the street stage. But today was an experiment. We were supposed to play songs from Russian cinema, but the weather made a few changes. We had to quickly switch to a performance in the foyer of the Center. It was a great joy that the soloists of the project had a huge repertoire; we sang over three thousand pieces and managed to bring joy to the people, and they loved it. And the festival “Carmen” has become dear to us, there is a warm audience. I always love the moment when you come back to a place again. This is our second time participating in the festival “Carmen”, and third time is the charm, so we can come a third time. That’s a pleasure! We have a huge number of programs. And we like the way everything is organized here, the way the audience treats us here.” Dmitry Sibirtsev said after the performance.

And then there was a surprise for the audience. The Maestro Yuri Rozum came on stage.

“I want to thank all of you!” he addressed to the audience. “Satka is a special city and this city has been my love for many years. You are the best. Thank you very much, you listened to Rachmaninoff under the rainstorm till the end. You are heroes. Invincible. Steadfast. We're with you, and you're with us! And let's see how sounds like, well, let's say, Tchaikovsky on a dry piano.

And this unscheduled performance was a great gift: Yuri Alexandrovich performed the “Pas de Deux” from the ballet “The Nutcracker”.

After this it was necessary, as they say, come down to earth. The festival presenters Nikita Savrulin and Vitaly Botov helped the the guests of the festival to come to their senses by organizing a fun raffle of prizes. Everyone could win souvenirs for correct answers to the “musical questions”.

And then something amazing happened. The orchestra of Moscow Pipes conquered the heart of every spectator. Satka has not yet heard such classics and such rock! Who would have thought that not only the folk music of Scotland, but also the folklore of our vast homeland, as well as hits of world rock and the soundtracks of cult films can be performed with bagpipes! The band, founded by Artemy Vorobiev in 2004, has proved that it is possible.

“That is our uniqueness. We have learned to combine different styles and genres, to perform and arrange modern music for the bagpipes,” Artemy says. “Although we started out as a classical band, we learned the so-called standards: we played march and dance music, all hymns. We eventually realized we needed to expand our horizons, as there are not so many people in Russia who appreciate bagpipes.

One of the events during the international festival “Carmen” was the awarding ceremony for winners and prize-winners of the media project competition “Magniks chooses a profession”.

During the festival, at the site “Sostyazanie”, there were organized a screening of films created by participants of the competition and the popular vote. After the performance of  "Tenors of the XXI century" at Magnezit Cultural Center, the awarding ceremony for the teams that took 1-3 places was held, as well as the awarding of special prizes established by the partners of the creative project.

The bright chord that closed the festive program of E.V. Obraztsova's International Festival of Classical Music “Carmen” was a special project: a home concert (“Kvartirnik”) with Daria Pitsik and her team. The concert was held in a warm atmosphere of Art-Satka.

That evening there gathered relatives and friends of the young singer, actresses, composers and poetess, as well as fans of her talent and all those who decided to get acquainted with an extraordinary girl and her work in the auditorium of the Creative Public Space.

“Performing in my hometown, singing my songs for you is both a gift and a thrill for me,”  Daria said. “And being a participant of the festival “Carmen” is a pride. Elena Vasilyevna was a great singer and actress. She didn't just perform arias, she lived them. And today these two components are also important for me. I've always loved singing, but now I can't imagine life without acting. Acting helps me interact with the audience. And my dream is to act in big screen films.

No one had any doubts that Daria's dream would come true. At the home concert, her friends, her mother and Marina Kalinina, the head of the model vocal-pop studio group “Baby-Schlager” (Magnezit Cultural Center), who played, according to Daria, a fateful role in her life, told about her purposefulness and ability to work.

“It was Marina Vadimovna who discerned my potential, the seed of talent and advised me to arrive in GITIS,” Daria recalls. By the way, she graduated with the Red Diploma.

The main part of the concert program consisted of songs written by the performer herself in Russian and English.

“I started writing songs when I was about 10 years old. But they weren't songs in their pure form, I just went around purring some of my melodies in "Gibberish", which sounded similar to the English language, as it seemed to me. That's why my first songs, written in the second year of the institute, were in a foreign language. Now I'm starting to write Russian lyrics too. Sometimes I translate my lyrics from English into Russian. I try to fill each one with deep meaning, for example, how important it is for a person to believe in yourself, to go forward to the goal, not to give up,” the author says.

Together her musician friends performed on the same stage with her: Artyom Kim (guitar), Roman Savchenko (guitar), Sergey Afanasenkov (bass guitar), Yuri Bezzemeltsev (drums) and Anastasia Lipyanskaya (backing vocals).

“I've worked with each of them at one time or another, but we've never performed together in this lineup. Everything you see is the result of several rehearsals. I think the guys did a great job, they're great,” Daria said.

The concert was in one breath and gave the audience a lot of positive emotions.

“Today was a day full of festive events, there was a lot of music of all types. The concert of Daria Pitsik and her band was a stunning final chord. I got acquainted with her acting from the TV series “Dyldy” (“The Tall Ones”), but I heard her songs for the first time, I liked them very much, I was very impressed”, Andrey Maltsev shared his emotions.

“The music was great, the artists did a great job. I felt their drive and energy. It was a wonderful evening,” added Kirill Shcherbatykh.

“It's our first time at the festival, so we came specially with friends to see Daria Pitsik's Kvartirnik. We know she's from Satka, we follow her work and acting. We watched the TV series with her participation. The concert was very cool, I did not expect Daria's voice to be so strong, it was the first time I heard her sing, although I knew that she wrote her own songs. I really enjoyed the evening, it was great, I think we'll go to the festival “Carmen” every year now,” Yulia Shutova said.

Source: Magnezitovets. Photo by Vasily Maximov, Denis Shakirov.

The third day of the Elena Obraztsova International Festival of Classical Music “Carmen” gave the audience a meeting with performing artists of the Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after M. I. Glinka. 

Two musical “poles”

On December 2, the first part of the concert on the stage of Magnezit Cultural Center offered the opera Mozart and Salieri.

– “The annual Carmen Festival is always a memorable event. Taking part in it is a delight. A few years ago, Yuri Rozum and us played Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto on the stage of this magnificent venue. The symphonic program of the festival was then received very well, very warmly. This is always a good thing. It makes the performers feel great, so they instantly reveal their talent when they feel a friendly atmosphere,” says Aleksandr Matushkin, the conductor of the symphony orchestra of the Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after M. I. Glinka. – “This year is the 180th anniversary of the birth of our wonderful Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. This is why we included his single-act opera Mozart and Salieri in the program for this year’s festival. This music is rarely performed, which is a big mistake I believe. The opera kind of stands apart from its big “sisters” – the operas Sadko, The Tsar’s Bride, The Snow Maiden and The Tale of Tsar Saltan, but those are very grand operas. However, in the genre of chamber opera, the composer proved to be a fine musical psychologist and artist in the depiction of the two memorable characters. That’s a most laborious and meticulous work. We are happy to present it to Satka residents.

The story of this compact opera by Rimsky-Korsakov is focused on one of the most destructive vices of the human sole – jealousy – through the prism of art. The agonizing jealousy of an artisan towards a true talent ruins the killer as well as his victim. The story has asked the audience the question whether a genius is capable of evil-doing? The famous tragedy is enacted by only two singers, as the composer meant it to be. The audience meets two creators. Two musical “poles”. Two different views on the world, art and success. Two incredible creative forces – the force of Mozart’s extraordinary talent and inexhaustible inspiration and the force of Salieri’s fanatical thirst for recognition and his indefatigable diligence...

Presenting this story on the small stage of the cultural center required some adjustments.

– “Normally, the orchestra is behind the stage. Today, we were sitting behind the singers and the props. This aspect required maximum attention from us. We had to feel the soloists with our backs. But this was an interesting experience, and we didn’t do this for the first time. Back in 2019, we toured French and Dutch cities with The Swan Lake ballet. At some of the venues, we had to place the orchestra behind the ballet, which was difficult because all variations and solo parts have to start with an eye contact with the performer,” Aleksandr Matushkin remarked.

– “To me, Mozart and Salieri is of special significance. I wrote my MA thesis about this piece as an example of a chamber opera. Then I did my own production of Mozart and Salieri at the P.I. Tchaikovsky South-Ural State Arts Institute. I persuaded my teacher to play Salieri while I played Mozart. Just three months later, I was invited to a sing Mozart at a chamber opera festival in Germany. Besides, our theater produced Mozart and Salieri just after my return. This is the work by the stage director Vadim Keish, which we showed you today. However, some minor changes have been made because you don’t have a revolving stage. We filled the static space with movements of the soloists themselves,” added Pavel Chikanovsky, a soloist of the Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after M. I. Glinka.

This was not the first time at the Carmen Festival for Pavel either. He had his debut on a Satka stage as José as part of the company of the Magnitogorsk Opera and Ballet Theater.

– I was amazed at the abundance of fresh flowers then. I hadn’t seen so many fresh flowers before. It’s great that this festival is held in Satka. It has become a major event both for the city and for the region on the whole. I’m pleased to be a part of it. You’ve got an amazing cultural center with excellent acoustics. By the way, just today, my colleagues and I were called it the best of all the cultural centers we’ve been too.” Pavel said.

Singing on the stage is a joy

The second part of the concert included arias from P. Tchaikovsky’s operas Eugene Onegin and Iolanta, I. Kalman’s Silva, J. Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann, G. Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, etc., performed by young soloists of the Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after M. I. Glinka.

– “I’m taking part in this festival for the first time. I like it a lot. It’s beautiful and atmospheric. And the fresh flowers just stole my heart! Elena Obraztsova is a legend of the world opera. She made a tremendous contribution to the Russian culture. It’s Elena Obraztsova’s energy that I personally find amazing. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to attend any of her recitals. I know that she has been here. People say her performance was fire! I find her amazing as a person and as a woman. That’s why today, it’s a double joy to me to take part in the festival dedicated to the memory of the great singer,” said Natalya Goncharova, a soloist of the theater. Tatyana Bogdanyuk, the co-hostess of the night, reminded us about the epigraph to the day – Elena Obraztsova’s quote that “the greatest joy in the world is to sing on the stage, to open your heart to other people.” As continuation of this thought, the program of this festival night touched all the hearts in the audience and filled them with warmth and light, with the joy of experiencing high art, the diversity of its genres and manifestations. All the performers were part of this success: the audience kept exclaiming “Bravo!” and “Encore!”

The final piece was Johann Strauss Sr.’s Radetzky March, played by the symphony orchestra and...the audience which was also “conducted” by Aleksandr Matushkin who invited them to applaud now piano then crescendo to the beat of the stately melody.

– “I don’t always have the chance to travel to Chelyabinsk to go the theater. That’s why I’m grateful to the organizers of the festival for the opportunity to experience the great art by attending such a major event. I’d like to thank all the performers for their wonderful art,” said Anna Filatova.

– I love live music, live performances. Unfortunately, I don’t go to theaters very often. I try to attend events such as this one when they are held in Satka. As for the Carmen Festival, our whole family are looking forward to it every year. Here, we always get quite a lot of impressions and emotions,” added Andrey Svechnikov.