Bolshoi taps composer Desyatnikov as new music director
Last Updated: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 | 4:04 PM ET
CBC News
A few hours before raising the curtain on its 234th season, Russia's famed Bolshoi Theatre revealed the latest addition to its team: new music director Leonid Desyatnikov.
The 53-year-old Russian, who was presented to reporters in Moscow on Tuesday, is a composer of operas and film scores probably best known for his opera Rosenthal's Children.
The appointment of Desyatnikov comes about two months after the abrupt resignation of Alexander Vedernikov, who quit amid the troupe's summer tour of Italy in mid-July. He blamed the theatre's leadership for putting "bureaucratic interests before artistic ones."
Unlike his predecessor, new director Desyatnikov is not an experienced conductor and will not take the baton for performances of the Bolshoi Ballet and the Bolshoi Opera. Instead, he will preside over several conductors on a rotating schedule.
"My strategy can be summed up as not positioning myself as a real musical director … rather as a link between the previous musical director and the one who will appear, I hope soon," Desyatnikov said in an interview with Reuters.
The Moscow company's leadership has also been dealing with a problem-plagued renovation and restoration of the iconic theatre space. Since the project began in 2005, the budget has reportedly soared past $1 billion US and the completion date has repeatedly been pushed back — with 2011 and 2013 cited as possible dates for the reopening.
Prosecutors opened an investigation this month into spending on the project after allegations of corruption and financial irregularities surfaced.
Founded by Catherine the Great in 1776, the Bolshoi Theatre has been at its current site since 1825.
The Bolshoi's ballet and opera companies have been performing at a nearby modern venue as well as on tour. The new season opened Tuesday with an evening production of 19th century composer Modest Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov.
Share Tools
- Spider-Man trailer: fresh take or more of the same?by Arts Online Feb. 7, 2012 5:15 PM Spider-Man? Yes. Amazing? Maybe. The first full-length trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man -- the reboot of the comic-turned-movie trilogy -- has been released. But considering the previous movie franchise ended a mere five years ago and that we've been bombarded with stories about the troubled Broadway musical adaptation since then, this reboot does beg the question: Do we really need to revisit Spider-Man?
Top News Headlines
- HMCS Corner Brook collision damage extensive
- The damage done to HMCS Corner Brook when it hit the ocean floor off B.C.'s coast last summer was more extensive than first reported, CBC News has learned by obtaining exclusive pictures of the submarine. more »
- Mandatory gun sentence struck down by Ontario judge
- An Ontario Superior Court judge has struck down a mandatory minimum sentence for a first offence of possessing a loaded firearm. more »
- Online surveillance critics siding with child porn: Toews
- Critics of a bill that would give law enforcement new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications are aligning themselves with child pornographers, Canada's public safety minister says. more »
- Low vitamin D in womb tied to poor language skills
- Children born to women who had low levels of vitamin D during their pregnancy are more likely to have language problems, a new study suggests. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Tintin in the Congo ban tossed by Belgian court
- A Belgian court has rejected a claim that Tintin in the Congo is racist and tossed a request to withdraw the controversial comic book. more »
- CBC digital music service launched
- CBC is diving into the world of online music with the goal of providing listeners access to their favourite tunes, and a way to discover new artists and connect with fellow music fans. more »
- Grammy ratings surge on Whitney Houston tributes
- The 54th annual Grammy Awards pulled in its largest audience since 1984 on Sunday night, as the music industry paid tribute to Whitney Houston following her sudden death. more »
- Henry Kissinger in running for Lionel Gelber Prize
- Nobel Prize-winner Henry Kissinger has been nominated for Canada's Lionel Gelber Prize for his book On China. more »
Q Blog
Enter our Six-Word Modern Love Story Contest! Feb. 13, 2012 10:50 AM The goal is simple: tell a full and rich modern love tale in just six words. Funny. Sad. Sexy. Or futuristic sexy, the kind with spaceships. Winners announced on Q's February 14th Modern Love special.
CBC Books
Exploring black Canadian literature Feb. 13, 2012 5:22 PM Throughout February, literary journalist Donna Bailey Nurse will be blogging about black Canadian writers and their important works. In her first post, she explains how she came to love reading and mentions some of the writers who have inspired her most.
- HMCS Corner Brook collision damage extensive
- Online surveillance critics siding with child porn: Toews
- Stanley Cup rioter seen in brick attack on cop
- Mandatory gun sentence struck down by Ontario judge
- Whitney Houston's body headed home to New Jersey
- Man pleads guilty to murder of stepdaughter, 17
- Whitney Houston estate value set to soar
- HIV-positive B.C. man jailed for assault, child porn
- Teen's Facebook post prompts dad to shoot computer
