The International Music Festival Český Krumlov 2014 culminated with the closing opera gala concert of the stars of the Grand Theatre in Moscow. Leading soloists of the so-called Bolshoi Theatre performed on Saturday 16^th August with the accompaniment of the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leoš Sváček.

Makvala Kasrashvili and Anna Aglatova, mezzo-soprano Yulia Mazurova, tenor Oleg Kulko and bass Mikhail Kazakov appeared in the Brewery Garden. The audience heard their interpretation of arias by the most famous Russian classics (Glinka, Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky) but also by great Italian and French opera composers (the viewers heard, for example, Canio’s aria from Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci and the Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen). “It was a wonderful experience for us. The audience gave us a warm reception, and although it was so cold tonight, everybody stayed till the end. Český Krumlov is an amazing fairy-tale town, we had no idea it would be so beautiful,” said one of the soloists, Anna Aglatova, after the concert. “We wanted to bring the most beautiful arias of world opera literature to the viewers, we chose the ones which we ourselves like. And of course we also wanted to present Russian authors which are closest to us,” added tenor Oleg Kulko. “I was really nervous, the weather was changing every minute in Český Krumlov today and the idea that it would rain throughout the closing gala concert was not pleasant. But in the end the concert was beautiful and without rain, we had a great audience so I am very satisfied,” said conductor Leoš Svárovský, who came back to the festival after a year – for the third year in a row he conducted the official closing concert. And what was the cooperation with the protagonists of the Grand Theatre like? “I cooperated with the soloists for the first time and I have to say that we got on brilliantly, not only in music but also as humans. I think it was clear at the concert and we managed to communicate our joy to the audience.”