WNO Presents Olga Borodina and Ildar Abdrazakov at Kennedy Center Opera House, Set To Appear 10/3

Washington National Opera presents a rare concert appearance by husband-and-wife duo Olga Borodina and Ildar Abdrazakov on Saturday, October 3, 7:00 p.m. at the Kennedy Center Opera House. WNO General Director Plácido Domingo conducts the Russian couple in an evening of Italian, French and Russian opera arias.

Mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina and bass Ildar Abdrazakov are fixtures on the stages of the world's leading opera houses, and among the leading Russian singers of their generation. Known for her portrayal of Amneris, Carmen and Dalila, Ms. Borodina has been praised for her deeply moving performances: "To watch Borodina is to see the masterful emergence of a truly human, fully formed character, in all its vicissitudes and foibles, buttressed by some of the most luxurious, thrilling vocalism that one can hope to encounter in an opera house," says Opera News. The Independent (London) hails Mr. Abdrazakov as a sensational bass "who has just about everything - imposing sound, beautiful legato, oodles of finesse."

Ms. Borodina and Mr. Abdrazakov were last seen together in WNO's 2006 production of Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri. Ms. Borodina's complete biography is available here; Mr. Abdrazakov's complete biography is available here. Mr. Domingo's biography is available here.

The concert features arias which showcase Ms. Borodina and Mr. Abdrazakov's powerfully dramatic voices. Reflecting their Russian heritage, the concert features arias by Glinka, Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin and Rachmaninov. Also on the program are works from the French and Italian repertoire including Ponchielli, Verdi, Bizet, Cilea and Rossini.

This one night only concert is presented October 3, 2009, in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets, beginning at $30, are available by calling WNO's Audience Services at 202.295.2400 or 800.USA.OPERA and are available online at www.dc-opera.org.