How much is the fish?
Scooter, Nazareth, and Limp Bizkit will entertain Moscow in the upcoming winter and spring seasons
But these aren’t the only legendary bands coming to the capital. As usual, many opera and pop music stars will pay a visit to Moscow as well.
One of the most anticipated concerts is the Hans Zimmer show, which will take place at the VTB Arena on February 6. Hans Zimmer is an Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe recipient and one of the most influential composers of our time. He writes music for movies, and his soundtracks for an infinite list of blockbusters are easily recognizable and loved. “Gladiator,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “The Da Vinci Code,” “The Dark Knight,” “Inception,” “Interstellar” – that’s just some of the movies his work is featured in. In January 2018, Zimmer received his 11th Oscar nomination for his work in “Dunkirk.” Zimmer became the number one composer in Hollywood with no professional music training. There is only one line in the education section of his resume: a two-week piano course. “The World of Hans Zimmer – A Symphonic Celebration” concert tour is taking place all over the world, and Hans Zimmer is the tour’s curator. However, he isn’t part of the show himself. The composer has invited several famous soloists and musicians to take part in the program: Lisa Gerrard (vocals, known for the film “Gladiator”) and Pedro Eustache (flute, “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Kung Fu Panda”). The program consists of the composer’s pieces, but adapted for a live symphonic orchestra. Footage for the concert will include iconic scenes from Zimmer’s favorite films. He meticulously selected the best shots that convey the mood of his music most accurately.
In the Soviet Union, one of the most popular winter sports was figure skating. From one year to the next, coaches would train champions and created an unmatched school of excellence that is still famous all over the world. There are many figure skating stars in Russia and they are much more popular among the Russian public than hockey or football players. Tatiana Navka and Evgeniy Plyushenko are two of the most prominent skaters. For several years now, both of them have been creating ice shows. Tatiana and Evgeniy are almost competitors, because their show premieres usually take place around the same time of the year – at the end of December, a few days before the New Year. The shows run through January 7, and this will remain the case this year as well.
Tatiana Navka is not only a producer, she plays one of the leading roles on the ice herself. Last year, she based her show one the famous Russian fairytale “Crimson Flower.” This time, the show is called “Sleeping Beauty. A Legend of Two Kingdoms.” It will feature other figure skating stars, and original music has been created for the performance. There will be elaborate decorations, dramatic costumes, and an appearance by five-year-old Nadya, the daughter of Tatiana Navka and Russia’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov. The couple have been married since August 2015.
Evgeniy Plyushenko is getting some help from his wife – the producer Yana Rudkovskaya. Last year they treated the audience to “Swan Lake,” and this year they’re preparing to show “Cinderella.” Once again, the show will not only feature figure skaters, but also ballet dancers. As usual, Evgeniy Plyushenko is playing one of the leading roles. His 6-year old son Alexander Plyushenko will be performing with him. And the lead female roles in “Cinderella” will be played by Sochi’s Olympic champions Adelina Sotnikova and Yulia Lipnitskaya.
Like the opera? Do you want to spend the evening of December 31 at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory? Then you still have a chance to make it to a performance by a world-famous opera singer – the Argentinian tenor Jose Kura will be singing in Moscow just a few hours before the New Year. He will perform famous operas by Puccini, Massenet, Saint-Saens and other composers. By the way, all guests will be treated to champagne for the show.
Just a few days later, the same stage will host one of the most popular American opera singers Joyce DiDonato – a Grammy winner the press calls “the golden voice of the highest caliber.” Along with her vocal skills (Joyce is a lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano), she is a talented actor and has phenomenal technique – something everybody who comes to her show on January 4 will be able to see for themselves. Joyce also has a resilient personality. When she broke her fibula in her right leg while performing in “The Barber of Seville” at the Covent Garden in July 2009, she finished up the first act and came back to sing Rosine’s part on crutches!
On January 6, the brilliant opera diva Hibla Gerzmava is celebrating her 50th birthday. On January 19, the State Kremlin Palace will be holding an anniversary concert in her honor, called “Hibla Gerzmava and Friends.” The list of friends who will celebrate her birthday with her includes opera singers Anna Netrebko and her husband Yusif Eyvazov, virtuoso pianist Denis Matsuev, actresses Inna Churikova, Chulpan Khamatova, and others. Hibla Gerzmava’s divine voice doesn’t need an introduction. She has performed at the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Theater Covent Garden, the Vienna Opera and Carnegie Hall, and the opera houses of Paris, Rome, Munich, Madrid and Barcelona. The most famous directors invite the singer to take part in their productions, and each new role she takes on (the Bolshoi Theater, the Mariinsky Theater, the Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre) is always followed up by a trail of raving reviews.
On January 28, the Zaryadye Concert Hall is hosting a performance for jazz fans – a concert by Igor Butman’s Moscow Jazz Orchestra and American singer Patti Austin. The program is called “Ella Fitzgerald. Present and Past.” Guests will hear the most famous hits of the unforgettable Queen of Jazz. Igor Butman will perform the saxophone solo himself.
The Bolshoi Theatre will be holding two premieres this season. In the fall, it will be presenting Pushkin’s “The Tale of Tsar Saltan,” which was directed by Aleksey Frandetti. In mid-February, there will be a premier of the opera “Sadko” by Dmitry Chernyakov – one of the most famous Russian directors of our time.
The legendary Scottish band Nazareth continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020 with a massive world tour. After a tour of South America and Western Europe, the band will go on tour in Russia, where they will perform on the stage at Crocus City Hall on February 12.
The new metal, rap-rock band Limp Bizkit is performing in 4 Russian cities this winter, and Moscow is on the list. The band, which has sold over 40 million album copies and is famous for its insane energy, will take the stage at the Megasport Sport Palace on February 22. The story of the band’s phenomenal success began in 1994, in Jacksonville, Florida. Vocalist Fred Durst’s aggressive performance style, sound experiments, and frightening stage images of guitarist Wes Borland, as well as spectacular concert performances with scenery in the spirit of science fiction, made the band extremely popular.
On February 14, Moscow will host the concert “Italy vs Russia.” The event is held annually as a musical battle between two great musical cultures, and will take place on the stage of the Diplomatic Hall of the State Kremlin Palace this year. A special, festive program of musicians and singers from the best theaters of Italy and Russia will be presented, featuring the most famous melodies, opera arias, and Neapolitan songs. Italy is represented by Aurora Tirotta (soprano), soloist of the La Scala theater (Milan), Bellini theater (Catania), Chiara Tirotta (mezzo-soprano), soloist of the Milan La Scala theater and the Carlo Felice theater in Genoa, as well as baritone Rafael Facciola, Soloist of the Bellini Theater (Catania). Russia will be represented by Honored Artist of Russia and soloist of the Moscow Helikon Opera theater Alisa Gitsba, as well as musician, singer, and laureate of international and national competitions Maxim Krylov (tenor).
On March 1, fans of Laima Vaikule’s art will be able to see the 65-year-old singer perform with her friends at the State Kremlin Palace. Laima has been at the top of the pop Olympus for many years now, and is a role model for many younger performers. The star has unique taste and constantly surprises the public with new looks and her talent.
On March 7, tenor Alessandro Safina is performing at Crocus City Hall. One could make that claim that he is the record holder in terms of how many concerts he has given in Russia. He was a special guest at the “Novaya Volna” contest in Sochi and on the show “Ballet Stars of the 21st Century,” performed at the Shalyapin Festival gala concert, the “Fair of Millionaires,” winter holiday concerts, and well as at the presidential reception at the Kremlin. All of his concerts were sold out. Alessandro Safina’s idol is the legendary Enrico Caruso. Aside from classical music, he is also a fan of rock. Some of his favorite bands include U2, Depeche Mode, and The Clash. This may be why Safine decided to try a new genre in the 90s that he named “opera rock.” He combines pop, soul, and musical elements with classical vocals.
Have you ever heard one hundred violins at the same time? On March 9, Moscow will be hosting a concert by one of the biggest Romani symphonic orchestras in the world. It was founded in 1985 after the death Sándor Járóka, who was at the time Hungary’s most famous Romani soloist. The best musicians in the country attended his funeral back then. They started playing in honor of Sándor, and this is how the phenomenal collective was born. The orchestra plays without notes or a conductor in the traditional sense of the word – the musicians take turns conducting different pieces. Traditional Hungarian costumes add more color to the performance. Of course, the orchestra includes more than just 50 violin players: there are also 10 violas, 10 cellos, 11 double basses, 6 cymbals, and 10 clarinets.
If anybody asks you “How Much is The Fish?”, what will you say? That’s right, Scooter! This song is the calling card for this German music collective, which is playing a show on March 14 in Moscow, at the Megasport Sport Palace. Scooter is one of the most famous German bands with a lot of fans in Russia and all over the world. They have sold over 30 million records worldwide.
On April 9, a concert by Italian singer and composer Toto Cutugno, one of the most beloved and recognizable foreign artists in Russia, will be held at the State Kremlin Palace. He started as a drummer, then created a band and began to write music himself. At first, he was a ghost writer for Joe Dassin (“Et si tu n`éxistais pas,” “L`été Indien”), Adriano Celentano, Mireille Mathieu, Dalida and many other performers. But then he began to sing himself and became very popular. The concert program will include all of Cutugno’s most famous hits, written by him during different periods of his career.
