The International Opera and Ballet Festival will kick off in Tashkent on March 19 and last through April 28. It has been held since 2022 on the initiative of the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan.
Choreographer Edward Clug and the Cluster project (Slovenia)
March 19-20
Edward Clug is one of the most famous and sought-after choreographers in Europe. He has gone from being the premier of the ballet troupe of the Slovenian National Theater in Maribor to its artistic director. Under his leadership, the group, called the Maribor Ballet, gained worldwide fame.
Edward Clug's choreography has the status of one of the most unconventional. It is minimalistic, abstract, often with unexpected musical accompaniment: from compositions by contemporary Slovenian composer Milko Lazar to tracks by Radiohead.
In Tashkent, Klug and his ballet troupe will present the Cluster project. It includes four expressive productions on existential and social themes, created at different times.
Ural Ballet and Perrault's Tales (Russia)
April 12-13
The Yekaterinburg State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater will feature in the Tashkent festival for the second time. In 2024, the troupe opened the program with a gala concert and a production of "Romeo and Juliet" by Vyacheslav Samodurov. A year earlier, the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan invited Ural Ballet artistic director Maxim Petrov to Tashkent to work on an updated version of "The Nutcracker". This spring, the Yekaterinburg troupe will present the critically acclaimed Tales of Perrault at the Bolshoi Theatre.
Boris Eifman Ballet and The Brothers Karamazov (Russia)
April 3-5
It is hard to imagine the program of the International Opera and Ballet Festival without the Boris Eifman troupe (St. Petersburg). This theatrical spring in Tashkent will be the third for the famous company. The audience will be shown Boris Eifman's ballet drama The Brothers Karamazov (another name is On the Other Side of Sin). The production is a new plastic interpretation of the 1995 performance, created based on the novel of the same name by F.M. Dostoevsky. Its premiere took place in 2013.
Carolyn Carlson and The Tree (USA/France)
April 9-10
The name Carolyn Carlson sounds with reverence in the world of European contemporary dance. Her 40-year influence on the development of the art of choreography in European countries has been noted by the French Order of Arts and Letters, as well as the Legion of Honor. In 2006, the choreographer's work was awarded the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale.
Stefano Poda and The Tales of Hoffmann (Italy)
April 25-28
The festival will end with the opera "The Tales of Hoffmann" by Jacques Offenbach in the version of the famous Italian director, artist and set designer Stefano Poda. He already worked with the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan last year - on the opera "Tamerlano" by Handel.
