Ural Federal University: The XIIth Vienna Musical Film Festival Opened

On July 1, the Vienna Festival started on the square in front of the main academic building of Ural Federal University. More than a thousand citizens watched the live Gala concert of opera stars.

Before the start of the long-awaited concert, Maria Zashlyapina, Director of the Vienna Festival, and Fabian Ortner, Attaché of the Austrian Embassy in Russia, addressed the audience.

“I thank everyone who had a hand in making this festival happen. The square of the Ural Federal University is ideally suited to convey the sound of the world’s best houses of music,” Maria Zashlyapina said.

The festival director also thanked the rector of Ural Federal University for the cooperation and provision of the festival grounds.

At the opening of the festival Yulia Matochkina, soloist of Mariinsky Theater and guest soloist of Bolshoi Theater, Maria Motolygina, laureate of international contests and artist of youth opera program of Bolshoi Theater, soloists of “Gelikon Opera” and guest soloists of Bolshoi Theater Ivan Gingazov and Stanislav Shvets performed.

Accompanying the performance was the Ekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theatre Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pavel Klinichev, Honoured Artist of Russia, Bolshoi Theatre conductor and Ural Opera Ballet guest conductor. The opera stars performed works by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Bizet and Rimsky-Korsakov: arias from Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades, Don Giovanni and Tosca, Iolanta and The Barber of Seville, Carmen and The Snow Maiden.The Vienna Musical Film Festival will be held this year from July 1 to 24. The audience will be able to watch performances by Anna Netrebko, Yusif Eyvazov, Evgeny Kissin, Olga Peretyatko, Jonas Kaufmann, and other stars. The festival program includes a concert on Palace Square, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’s New Year Gala Concert, a ballet (Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty) and much more. The festival will conclude with the traditional New Year’s concert of the Vienna Philharmonic.