In spring, the tradition of playing sacred music on Easter Eve turns into a big project: a series of concerts called Days of Sacred Music that are free to attend. The cycle culminates with a concert where the musicAeterna orchestra and choir play, conducted by Teodor Currentzis. In 2012, the piece they perform is Mahler’s Symphony No.2 (Resurrection).
May witnesses the first Diaghilev Festival directed by Teodor Currentzis. The festival ends up as an annual event and switches to a residency system. The event’s first curators are director Theodoros Terzopoulos and composer Pascal Dusapin. Over the course of the festival, the audience has a chance to see the world premiere of Vladimir Nikolaev’s Gereven score, as well as the premiere of Dusapin’s Medeamaterial opera (director’s version by Philipp Grigoryan). Conducted by Teodor Currentzis, the Festival orchestra plays music by Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Brahms to conclude the event.
In June, the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre releases two ballets by Igor Stravinsky: Les Noces and Petrushka choreographed by Irji Kilian and Nicolo Fonte. Those are also presented at the Athens festival in July.
In autumn, Teodor Currentzis oversees the second release of an opera by Mozart in Perm: Le nozze di Figaro directed by Philipp Himmelmann.
Closer to the New Year, musicAeterna performs Karl Orff’s Carmina Burana masterpiece and Alfred Schnittke’s Gogol Suite.