THE RING CYCLE Begins Tonight at Birmingham Hippodrome

During the first week of November, the Mariinsky Theatre returns to the UK for an operatic showcase of Wagner's Ring in Birmingham at the historic Hippodrome and three operas originally written for the Mariinsky including the most recent Levsha (The Left-hander) by Rodion Shchedrin. With a 300-strong troop of musicians, soloists and chorus starting the tour in Cardiff with Prokofiev's Betrothal in a Monastery, Valery Gergiev proceeds to London to present Russia's national epic Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov followed by the UK premiere of The Lefthander, both in concert versions at the Barbican.

For Birmingham's first fully-staged Ring for several decades, Gergiev has assembled a stellar cast including Willard White, Ekaterina Gubanova, Andreas Schager, Vitaly Kovalyov, Mikahil Petrenko and Mlada Khudoley for the fully staged production. More than 250 artists are travelling from St Petersburg to Birmingham, along with 10 trucks of scenery. To introduce new audiences in Birmingham to Wagner's tour de force, The Birmingham Hippodrome has programmed a range of alternative events -- a real life adventure game, The Fat Lady Sings -- An Opera Cabaret with Kit Hesketh Harvey, Brunch with the Brunnhildes hosted by Radio 4 presenter Matthew d'Ancona with leading Wagnerian sopranos Susan Bullock and Catherine Foster and more.

The November tour presents a snapshot of Russia's lyrical tradition over the past three centuries -- all three Russian operas were written for and premiered by the Mariinsky Theatre, with Shchedrin's most recent addition commissioned for the opening season of the new Mariinsky II Theatre last year. On his travels in 1863, Richard Wagner visited the historic Mariinsky Theatre, conducting the Mariinsky Orchestra in concerts that included extracts from the Ring (St Petersburg was first to hear the Ride of the Valkyries) and Tristan. Shortly after, the first performance of Lohengrin followed in St Petersburg in 1868 and Tannhauser in 1874. The Mariinsky gave the Russian premiere of Die Walküre in 1990, following a travelling German troupe's complete cycle in 1868.

The Mariinsky Opera's Ring Cycle was first seen in the UK at Wales Millennium Centre in 2006, followed by London's Royal Opera House in 2009. Rather than exploring the abstract psychological drama, Gergiev and set designer George Tsypin chose to focus on the mythological elements of the tale to create a production set in a timeless and non-specific place, making this a drama that spoke to all cultures. Tsypin's designs are inspired by Russian, Caucasian, Scythian and Ossetian folk imagery drawn from myths that parallel those that inspired Wagner. First conceived in 2003, the Mariinsky's Ring features four enigmatic giant figures, towering over the action on stage.

Composed by Modest Mussorgsky between 1868 and 1873, Boris Godunov is based on the historical drama by Russia's national poet Alexander Pushkin. The original 1869 version, features motivic organization as subtle and complex as that being developed by Wagner in the same period. It was rejected by the Imperial Theatres' directorate principally because it lacked any leading female role and Mussorgsky accordingly made substantial revisions. However history has judged the original version with its tight juxtaposition between the tortured main character and the oppressed populace to be a truly ground breaking work. Mussorgsky's tormented Tsar, to be sung in London by Mikhail Kazakov, has often been described as the most fully rounded psychological portrait in all opera.

During the horrors of World War II, Prokofiev turned to the escapism of Sheridan's comic play The Duenna for his gloriously lyrical and witty opera buffa Betrothal in a Monastery, complete with lovers in disguise, stern father thwarted, a rich but unappealing suitor, venal monks and a wily matchmaker. Even so, the opera did not completely escape the times of its composition, with the planned 1941 premiere being cancelled due to the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The Russian premiere finally took place at the Kirov (Mariinsky) Theatre in 1946.

Inspired by the novella Levsha by Nikolai Leskov, Shchedrin chose a satirical tale of royal diplomacy for his new opera. The exchange of gifts between Tsar Alexander I and Princess Charlotte becomes a story of one up-man-ship and new technologies. Alexey Stepanyuk's production was premiered in July 2013. Since then, it has been presented regularly, with the next performance scheduled for Saturday 25 October at Mariinsky II prior to the UK tour.

Between opera performances, Andrey Petrenko leads the Mariinsky Chorus in a continuation of the Mariinsky's Barbican residency with a concert of Russian Orthodox sacred choral music and folksong, at Milton Court on 5 November. Among the works being performed is Valery Gavrilin's Perezvony, a large-scale choral work deeply rooted in Russian folklore, and almost never heard in the West. The Mariinsky Chorus will then give two performances of Rachmaninov's Vespers in Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff (6 November) and in Birmingham Town Hall (8 November).

Completing their UK tour, the Mariinsky Stradivarius Ensemble -- comprised of the Mariinsky Theatre's finest string players performing on some of the world's most famous instruments -- will perform at Birmingham Town Hall on 7 November, in a programme of string ensemble works by Elgar, Tchaikovsky and Richard Strauss.

With 11 performances in 3 cities over 8 days and numerous other events, this is a rare chance to explore the Russian lyric and vocal tradition through changing eras performed by the St Petersburg troupe.

CARDIFF

Tonight 5 November 2014 - Milton Court Concert Hall, 7:30pm

Mariinsky Chorus

Andrey Petrenko Conductor

Russian Orthodox Sacred Choral Music and Russian traditional songs

Valery Gavrilin - Perezvony (Chimes)

BIRMINGHAM

Box Office 0844 338 5000 online www.birminghamhippodrome.com

Tonight 5 November 2014 - Birmingham Hippodrome, 7:30pm

Das Rheingold

Sir Willard White Wotan

Nikolay Putilin Alberich

Mikhail Vekua Loge

Zhanna Dombrovskaya Woglinde

Yulia Matochkina Wellgune

Ekaterina Sergeyeva Flosshilde

Andrey Popov Mime

Zlata Bulycheva - Erda

Mikhail Petrenko Fasolt

Ekaterina Gubanova Fricka

Evgeny Ulanov Donner

Alexander Timchenko Froh

Anastasia Kalagina Freia

6 November 2014 - Birmingham Hippodrome, 5pm

Die Walküre

Vitaly Kovalyov Wotan

Olga Savova Brünhilde

Mlada Khudoley Sieglinde

Ekaterina Gubanova Fricka

Mikhail Petrenko Hunding

Elena Vitman Waltraute

Zhanna Dombrovskaya Gerhilde

Irina Vasilieva Ortlinde

Regina Rustamova Schwertleite

Tatiana Kravtsova Helmwige

Ekaterina Sergeyeva Siegrune

Ekaterina Krapivina Grimgerde

Yulia Matochkina Rossweisse

7 November 2014 - Birmingham Town Hall, 7:30pm

Mariinsky Stradivarius Ensemble

Valery Gergiev conductor

Programme to include:

Elgar - Introduction and Allegro for Strings

Strauss - Metamorphosen

Tchaikovsky - Serenade

8 November 2014 - Birmingham Hippodrome, 5pm

Siegfried

Mikhail Vekua Siegfried

Andrey Popov Mime

Edem Umerov Alberich

Mikhail Petrenko Fafner

Zlata Bulcheva Erda

Olga Sergeyeva Brünhilde

Vladimir Feliauer The Wanderer

Anastasia Kalagina The Woodbird

8 November 2014 - The Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome, 11:30am

Brunch with the Brunnhildes

Brunch with the Brünnhildes is a unique and special event with two of the world's leading Wagnerian sopranos Susan Bullock and Catherine Foster.

8 November 2014 - Birmingham Town Hall, 5pm

Mariinsky Chorus

Andrey Petrenko Conductor

Programme to include:

Rachmaninov - Vespers

9 November 2014 - Birmingham Hippodrome, 5pm

Götterdämmerung

Andreas Schager Siegfried

Eduard Tsanga Gunther

Mikhail Petrenko Hagen

Edem Umerov Alberich

Larisa Gogolevskaya Brünhilde

Mlada Khudoley Gutrune

Olga Savova Waltraute

Zhanna Dombrovskaya Woglinde

Irina Vasilieva Wellgunde

Ekaterina Sergeyeva Flosshilde

Elena Vitman First norn

Svetlana Volkova Second norn

Tatiana Kravtsova Third norn

MARIINSKY LABEL - the Ring Cycle - The Ring Cycle coincides with the Mariinsky's biggest and most ambitious recording project to date - recording all four operas on the Mariinsky Label with world-class soloists. The first recording in the series, Die Walküre, featured Jonas Kaufmann, Nina Stemme, Ekaterina Gubanova, Anja Kampe, Mikhail Petrenko and René Pape with the Mariinsky Orchestra, conducted by Gergiev. The second recording, Das Rheingold, featured Nikolay Putilin, René Pape, Yevgeny Nikitin, Mikhail Petrenko, Ekaterina Gubanova, Stephan Rügamer and Andrei Popov. BBC Music Magazine wrote in its review of Die Walküre: "So far this recalls, and must rank with, the great Rings of the 1960s. More, please."

About Valery Gergiev - Valery Gergiev became Music Director of the Mariinsky in 1988, when he was 35 years old. His tenure has brought universal acclaim to the already legendary Mariinsky Theatre by showcasing the talent of the Mariinsky Opera, Orchestra, Ballet and Chorus in more than 45 countries. Maestro Gergiev has worked tirelessly to bring previously neglected parts of the Russian canon to the West, as an ambassador for early- and late-career works by Prokofiev such as The Gambler and War and Peace, which have since been welcomed into the standard repertoire. Throughout his career, Maestro Gergiev has helped young artists and developed rising talents, including world-renowned singers Anna Netrebko, Olga Borodina, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Mikhail Petrenko, instrumentalists Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Repin, Leonidas Kavakos, Evgeny Kissin, Denis Matsuev and Daniil Trifonov and dancers Diana Vishneva, Yekaterina Kondaurova and Ulyana Lopatkina. Most recently he served as President of the 2011 Tchaikovsky Competition, which was lauded internationally for the high level of performance, judging and transparency that it set. Among the milestones of Maestro Gergiev's leadership of the Mariinsky have been the inception of the 'Stars of the White Nights' Festival in 1993, the opening of the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre in 2006, the inauguration of the Mariinsky Label in 2009, and most recently, the opening of the new state-of-the-art opera house Mariinsky II in 2013.

About the Mariinsky Orchestra - The Mariinsky Orchestra enjoys a long and distinguished history as one of the oldest musical institutions in Russia. Founded in the 18th century and housed in St Petersburg's famed Mariinsky Theatre since 1860, the Orchestra entered its "golden age" in the second half of the 19th-century under the musical direction of Eduard Napravnik, whose leadership for more than a half-century (1863-1916) secured its reputation as one of the finest in Europe. Legendary artists who conducted the Mariinsky Orchestra and praised its outstanding musicianship included Berlioz, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Nikisch and Rachmaninov.

About the Mariinsky Opera and Ballet - With a history dating back to 1783, the Mariinsky Opera has performed in the world's most celebrated opera houses and has produced some of opera's most important artists, including Fyodor Chaliapin, Sophia Preobrazhenskaya, Boris Shtokolov and Anna Netrebko. Since its inception, the Mariinsky Opera, formerly known as the Kirov Opera, has placed an emphasis on Russian culture by showcasing works from great Russian composers such as Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich and Prokofiev. Today, the Opera blends the Russian canon with European and Romantic classics and works from vital contemporary composers.

Founded in the 18th century, the Mariinsky Ballet is recognized as one of the world's leading companies. Most commonly known as the Kirov Ballet (its former Soviet name), the company has been home to many of the world's most notable dancers, including Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov. The Mariinsky Ballet performs worldwide under Maestro Gergiev's direction at cultural institutions such as Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts and the Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in the United States, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, the Baltic Festival in Stockholm and the Salzburg Festival in Austria.

About the Mariinsky Label - In February 2013, the Mariinsky label launched one of its most ambitious projects to date: the full cycle of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. Two recordings are already available -- Die Walküre and Das Rheingold -- with Siegfried due to follow in 2014.

The Mariinsky label continues to expand its DVD catalogue with highly anticipated opera productions: Verdi's Attila, starring celebrated Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov in the title role; Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten directed by Jonathan Kent, which the Mariinsky recently brought to the Edinburgh International Festival, and Prokofiev's first opera, The Gambler, with dramatic tenor Vladimir Galuzin.

The Mariinsky label, launched in May 2009, draws on the Mariinsky's rich legacy and historic ties to the great Russian composers. It showcases the extraordinary talent within the Theatre and Orchestra, presenting new recordings of both celebrated works and those that deserve wider recognition. Each performance is recorded with high-definition technology in the new Mariinsky Concert Hall, which has been widely acclaimed for its exceptional acoustics. Recordings began in July 2008 during the annual White Nights Festival and are available from the Mariinsky label website and selected retailers, including iTunes. Notable releases on the Label include performances of Shostakovich's early opera The Nose (which was nominated for two Grammy Awards) and Wagner's Parsifal, named as one of the "CDs of the Year" by the New York Times.

The Mariinsky Theatre Trust (Chairman: Lady Solti) - The Mariinsky Theatre Trust has been ground-breaking in the world of arts support organisations. Created in 1993 by Valery Gergiev, the Trust combines practical assistance for the Mariinsky Theatre's work in Russia with active promotion of its most innovative programming in the UK. Over the last 20 years these performances have given audiences in this country a richer and deeper understanding of Russian culture. The Trust has presented the Mariinsky Opera, Ballet, Orchestra and Chorus in most of London's leading cultural venues including the Royal Opera House, London Coliseum, Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Centre and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane as well as major cultural centres throughout the UK. Current UK events include major Mariinsky projects within the framework of the 2014 Year of UK-Russia cultural collaboration.

About the Barbican - A world-class arts and learning organisation, the Barbican pushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts. Its creative learning programme further underpins everything it does. Over 1.5 million people pass through the Barbican's doors annually, hundreds of artists and performers are featured, and more than 300 staff work onsite. The architecturally renowned centre opened in 1982 and comprises the Barbican Hall, the Barbican Theatre, the Pit, Cinemas One, Two and Three, Barbican Art Gallery, a second gallery The Curve, foyers and public spaces, a library, Lakeside Terrace, a glasshouse conservatory, conference facilities and three restaurants.

Birmingham Hippodrome - Birmingham Hippodrome is an independent, not-for-profit, registered charity. The unsubsidised Hurst Street based venue averages over 500,000 visits annually making it the most popular single auditorium in the UK. With no public revenue funding, it is home to Birmingham Royal Ballet and DanceXchange, presents all of Welsh National Opera's repertoire, welcomes the best in international dance, West End and Broadway musicals and is home to the world's biggest Pantomime.

Birmingham Hippodrome is currently expanding its Creative Programme -- Hippodrome Plus - building on its successful work in schools and in the community, and with free outdoor performances. With partners including Arts Council England, Birmingham City Council and private funders, the Hippodrome has recently enjoyed co-producing and producing new events including Six Summer Saturdays, International Dance Festival Birmingham, The Voyage (for the London 2012 Festival) and Summer in Southside. In 2013 Birmingham Hippodrome produced the 4 Squares Weekender, a weekend of outdoor arts performances in celebration of the opening of the Library of Birmingham on behalf of Birmingham Arts Partnership. Recently the theatre presented Minimum Monument by Brazilian artist Néle Azevedo featuring 5,000ice sculptures as part of the city's World War 1 commemorations.

Wales Millennium Centre - Wales Millennium Centre is an iconic arts venue and a cultural destination, opened by Her Majesty the Queen on November 28, 2004. Its founding mission was to bring the best of the world to Wales and to showcase the best of Wales to the world. Built at a cost of £106m, its construction was funded by Welsh Assembly Government (£37m) and the Millennium Commission (£31m), and is recognised as one of the most successful Lottery funded Millennium projects. It has been described by Lord Lloyd Webber as the best theatre built in the world in the last 50 years. On its 7.5 acre site in Cardiff Bay, the Centre has a 1900-seat lyric theatre, named after its founding patron Sir Donald Gordon, designed for opera, large scale musicals, ballet and contemporary dance.

Other performance spaces include a 250-seat studio theatre, a dance house and 350 seat recital hall, BBC Hoddinott Hall. Wales Millennium Centre is also home to eight other cultural organisations, including Welsh National Opera, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Literature Wales, as well as inclusive arts organisation, Hijinx Theatre and the Touch Trust. For further information about the Centre, visit: www.wmc.org.uk.

Town Hall, Birmingham - Acclaimed at its opening in 1834 as the finest music hall in the country, Birmingham's Town Hall is a Grade 1 listed landmark that has been painstakingly renovated by a dedicated team of conservation and construction professionals. Since that time, its imposing neo-classical design has dominated the City centre's Victoria and Chamberlain Squares. Together with Symphony Hall -- managed jointly by the registered charity Performances Birmingham Limited -- the two renowned venues offer a varied concert and education programme, engaging the wider community.

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