Bolshoi Theatre • Makvala Kasrashvili

Assistant to Music Director — Chief Conductor, Soprano

Makvala
Kasrashvili

Makvala Kasrashvili

Born in Kutaisi (Georgia). In 1966 graduated from the Tbilisi Conservatory (Vera Davydova) and was invited to the opera troupe of the Bolshoi Theatre.

In 2002—14 was manager of the creative collectives of the opera troupe of the Bolshoi Theatre. She is currently assistant to chief conductor – music director.

Awards

Title of Honoured Artist of the USSR

1986

State Prize of Russia (for her performance of the leading part in the opera Tosca in the Bolshoi Theatre production and in concert programmes)

1998

Order for Merit to the Fatherland, III class

2018

1st award of the Transcaucasian Competition of Musicians and Singers (Tbilisi)

1964

2nd award of the All-World Festival of Students and Youth (Sofia)

1968

2nd award the International Competition of Vocalists (Montreal)

1973

Title of Honoured Artist of RSFSR

1975

Title of People’s Artist of Georgian SSR

1980

Laureate of the Zakhar Paliashvili Georgian SSR State Prize

1983

Order For Merit to the Fatherland, IV class

2001

Order of Friendship

2006

National Opera Award Onegin in the nomination “Legend”

2020

Repertoire

Micaela (Carmen)
Rosina (Le nozze di Figaro)
Tatiana, Larina (Eugene Onegin)
Lyubka (Semyon Kotko)
Marguerite (Faust)
Natasha Rostova (War and Peace)
Olga (The Maid of Pskov)
Floria Tosca (Tosca)
Leonora (Il Trovatore)
Francesca (Francesсa da Rimini)
Polina (The Gambler)
Iolanta (Iolanta)
Tamar (Abduction of the Moon by O. Taktakishvili) — the first performer
Donna Anna (The Stone Guest)
Desdemona (Otello)
Liza (The Queen of Spades)
Amelia (Un Ballo in Maschera)
Fevronia (The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and of the Maiden Fevronia)
Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana)
Voyslava (Mlada)
Joan (The Maid of Orleans)
Aida, Amneris (Aida)
Adrianna (Adrianna Lecouvreur)
Turandot (Turandot)

Also in her repertoire:
Petite messe solemnelle by G. Rossini
Requiem by G. Verdi
Te Deum by A. Bruckner
The War Requiem by B. Britten
Symphony No. 14 by D. Shostakovich, Romances by P. Tchaikovsky, M. Mussorgsky, S. Prokofiev, D. Shostakovich, S. Rachmaninov and M. de Falla.

Tours

As a guest star, Makvala Kasrashvili performed on the greatest opera stages around the globe, amongst which are the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Opera Seattle, Opera New Jersey, Huston Grand Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), the Royal Opera in Covent Garden, the Bavarian State Opera, the Hamburg State Opera, Prague National Opera, the Finnish national Opera, The Grand Theatre in Warsaw, the Hungarian State Opera, Teatro Comunale (Bologna), the Seoul Opera Theatre and the Mariinsky Theatre.

Gave solo concerts at the Newport Festival, the Dmitry Shostakovich Festival in Seattle, participated in the Bard Music Festival (USA), the festival at Arena di Verona (Italy) and the Savonlinna Opera Festival (Finland). Performed at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Performed with leading orchestras, such as Philharmonic Orchestra in London, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Symphonic Orchestra, orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Japan, the Oslo Symphony Orchestra and others.

Collaborated with many outstanding conductors, such as Colin Davis, Nello Santi, Giuseppe Patane, Daniel Oren, Charles Dutoit, Neeme Jarvi, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Michael Tilson Thomas, Evgeny Svetlanov, Yuri Temirkanov, Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Spivakov.

She was partnered by famous singers: Ruggero Raimondi, Nikolai Ghiaurov, Nikolai Gedda, Kiri Te Kanawa, Dolores Zadjik, Thomas Allen and others.

Discography

1977 — Francesсa da Rimini by S. Rachmaninov, the part of Francesca, conducted by M. Ermler, Melodiya

1983 — The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and of the Maiden Fevronia by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, the part of Fevronia, conducted by E. Svetlanov, Melodiya (live recording)

1987 — The Gambler by S. Prokofiev, the part of Polina, conducted by A. Lazarev, Melodiya

1989 — Mlada by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, the part of Voyslava, conducted by A. Lazarev, directed by B. Pokrovsky, the production of the Bolshoi Theatre, VHS

1976 — Opera Arias, conducted by M. Ermler, Melodiya (Bolshoi Theatre 200th Aniversary series)

Six Tchaikovsky’s Duets, Makvala Kasrashvili with Irina Arkhipova (mezzo-soprano), piano part by Natalya Rassudova, Melodiya

1991 — Tchaikovsky Romances, piano part by Liya Mogilevskaya, Melodiya

Symphony No.14 by D. Shostakovich, conducted by G. Rozhdestvensky, Melodiya

2002 — Symphonies. Prokofiev, Debussy, D. Milhaud, D. Shostakovich (Symphony No.14 by D. Shostakovich), conducted by A. Lazarev/ A. Zedda, EMI Classics

Satyrs to poems by Sasha Chyorny by D. Shostakovich, Melodiya

General partner of the Bolshoi Theatre — insurance company «Ingosstrakh»

Privileged sponsor of the Bolshoi Theatre — Tinkoff Bank

Privileged partner of the Bolshoi Theatre — GUM