The season started on August 29 with opera Masquerade by Giuseppe Verdi, head of the information department of Lviv Krushelnytska National Opera and Ballet Theater Nadia Trush told The Day. She also revealed the 115th season’s motto “Shevchenko – Shakespeare – Music: We Stand United by the Great Figures.” “The motto was suggested by anniversaries of two geniuses, Ukrainian and English, as we celebrate 200th birth anniversary of the Bard of Ukraine and 450th birth anniversary of William Shakespeare this year,” Trush told us. “Their immortal literary works inspired Ukrainian composers to create hundreds of pieces of music, in particular, operas and ballets. Our theater’s repertoire includes Kostiantyn Dankevych’s ballet Lily, whose libretto is based on the Bard of Ukraine’s poems, and a great holiday program “We Bow to Thee, Taras,” which consists of a stage composition My Thoughts and Stanislav Liudkevych’s cantata-symphony Caucasus. The theater plans to produce concerts, which will also be included on the list of theatrical Shevchenkiana. These works will be used to complete the celebration of the poet’s 200th birth anniversary, and then will go on, with creative supplements, into the coming years, as music rendition of Shevchenko’s words should be a permanent presence at the Ukrainian scene.”
As for Shakespeare, the theater will commemorate his anniversary with ballets Hamlet by Tchaikovsky and Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev. The anniversary of the brilliant playwright will also see restored performance of Otello by Giuseppe Verdi, directed by People’s Artist of Ukraine Vasyl Vovkun, who recently joined the theater as its artistic director.
On the eve of the opening of the new 115th theatrical season at Lviv Krushelnytska National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, a music performance Keep Fighting – You Are Sure To Win! was held in the square in front of the theater on August 28, involving choir, ballet, and symphony orchestra.
