[Hanjeongho's Classic Lounge] Colorful! Russian Classics Are Coming

30th Anniversary of Korea-Russia Diplomatic Relations, Continuous Public-Private Cultural Exchanges
Classical Performances Reviving the Shock of Bolshoi Ballet Flood In
Opera Stars Including Anna Netrebko Also Draw Attention

Han Jeong-ho, Guest Reporter · CEO of Etoile Classic & Consulting

The biggest topic in this year’s classical music market is the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s (1770?1827) birth. International festivals and the remaining programs of the 2019/20 season by renowned foreign orchestras, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, generally included major works by Beethoven.

Narrowing down to the domestic market, this year’s issue is the 30th anniversary event commemorating the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Russia. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism officially designated 2020-2021 as the 'Year of Korea-Russia Mutual Cultural Exchange' and signed a business agreement with the Russian Ministry of Culture in 2019.

Russia is a key country in the New Northern Policy diplomatically and a cultural powerhouse that has had a tremendous influence on the world in various art genres. The Russian Ministry of Culture proposed holding a 'Russian Season' in Korea next year. This is an event that carefully selects and showcases the country’s cultural arts.

Until now, the gateways introducing Russian performing arts domestically have been private planning companies, cultural business departments of media companies, and large corporate cultural foundations. Through visits by the Mariinsky Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, and Russian National Orchestra invited by planning companies, audiences could also see master conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Yuri Temirkanov, and Mikhail Pletnev.

The cultural business departments of media companies frequently invited the Bolshoi Ballet and Mariinsky Ballet to Seoul until the late 2000s. The LG Arts Center introduced the Russian Maly Theater and ballet choreographer Boris Eifman. In November this year, a performance by the Novosibirsk Red Torch Theater is also being planned.

Russia geographically connected with the Korean Peninsula along the Tumen River shore through the cession of Primorsky Krai according to the Treaty of Beijing signed in 1860 after the Opium War (1840?1842). Russia rapidly lost its influence over the Korean Peninsula after its defeat in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. However, after the former Soviet Union supported the establishment of the North Korean regime and North Korea during the Korean War, Korea and the former Soviet Union were placed in a typical hostile relationship.

In the 1980s, with the emergence of Mikhail Gorbachev and the former Soviet Union’s participation in the 1988 Seoul Olympics despite North Korea’s opposition, the path to normalization of Korea-Soviet diplomatic relations was opened.

The highlight of the Seoul Olympic cultural festival was the performing arts from the former Soviet Union. The Moscow Philharmonic visited Korea for the first time with conductor Dmitri Kitayenko, who later became the music director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra. Recitals by Nelly Lee (1942?2015), a soprano of Soviet-Korean descent, and mezzo-soprano Ludmila Nam (1947?2007) moved audiences to tears. During the cultural festival, a performance featuring some dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet was also successfully held.

Moscow Bolshoi Opera House, Russia's representative opera-ballet theater (c) Dmitriy Guryanov

Soprano Nelly Lee, a Koryoin who participated in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Cultural Festival (c) Petrovna

The heightened interest surrounding Soviet performing arts focused on the 'authentic' Bolshoi Ballet. In 1990, the Bolshoi Ballet visited Korea with performances of 'Swan Lake' and 'Giselle.' Then in 1992, they returned to Seoul with 'Spartacus.' At that time, not only general enthusiasts but also political and business figures watched the Bolshoi Ballet performances and agreed on the need to raise the underdeveloped domestic level.

In 2010, through mutual exchange performances between the National Ballet of Korea and the Bolshoi Ballet featuring leading roles from each company, the vastly improved level of Korean ballet compared to the past was felt. The reason Korean ballet talents attract attention in international competitions is due to their solid fundamentals. Most domestic educational institutions follow the ballet method of the Vaganova Academy in Saint Petersburg.

The Russian government does not pursue cultural cooperation with just any country even if diplomatic relations exist. They allow their high-level arts to be experienced only when strategic interests align. In 2017?2018, Russia held Russian Seasons in Japan and Russia. At that time, Gergiev and pianist Denis Matsuev toured all over Japan. The entire Russian arts troupe held over 250 events in 42 Japanese cities, with 3.5 million participants.

The certification of 'Russia’s top artists' guaranteed by the Russian government captivated Japanese audiences. This is why the lineup for the Russian Season to be held in Korea next year is highly anticipated.

In 2012, Russian authorities opened the Primorsky Theater in Vladivostok and designated it as a branch of the Mariinsky Theater. This was a clear expression of their intention to take the lead in East Asian performing arts. Valery Gergiev, who has a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, frequently visits Korea, Japan, and China and does not hesitate to meet with political leaders such as Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and former Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo.

The practical agency executing Russia’s foreign cultural policy is the International Science and Culture Exchange Cooperation Center under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since Dmitry Medvedev’s presidency, Russia’s foreign policy, which has strengthened its identity as a 'Euro-Pacific country,' has been concretized in Northeast Asia through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The Russian Seasons in Japan and Korea may also serve as stepping stones for building a Russian-led regional power network.

For classical artists from Russia to gain global fame, they must go to the West. Musicians who succeed in Western Europe are first noticed in the international market. Soprano Anna Netrebko, born in Leningrad, made her name in the music world through the Kirov Theater (the former Soviet name of the Mariinsky Theater) under the theater director Gergiev’s selection.

The world’s top soprano representing Russia, Anna Netrebko (c) Vladimir Shirokov

After moving to Austria in 2006, Netrebko caused a sensation worldwide with her performances at the Salzburg Festival. Although her voice changed from lyric to dramatic due to weight gain, her popularity remains strong.

Soprano Aida Garifullina was born in Kazan, southern Russia. Her parents named her 'Aida,' overlapping with the opera title, hoping she would become a singer in the future. In 2013, she won the Operalia competition hosted by world-renowned tenor Pl?cido Domingo, followed by a contract with the Decca label and joining the Vienna State Opera.

In 2014, Garifullina still had a rookie image appearing in hanbok at performances invited by Korean private opera companies. However, four years later in 2018, she grew into an international star, performing at the opening ceremony of the Russia World Cup. She has secured leading roles in major opera houses and is as meticulous about managing her appearance as her voice.

Soprano Yulia Lezhneva was born in Sakhalin and grew up mingling with Koryo-saram (ethnic Koreans in the former Soviet Union). After choir activities, she received higher education in Moscow and foundational training in early music and Rossini operas. Since studying in the UK, she excelled in trills specialized in early music under the Naive label and gained wings for her career with a contract with the Decca label. She maintains a fresh voice that rarely tires. Whether this blessing will continue as she ages will be judged by her ability to perform full-length roles.

Mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina, born in the Bashkir Republic in the southern Ural region, found her own voice through numerous successes and failures in competitions. She was selected as the Royal Opera Jette Parker Young Musician for the 2017-18 season. Since then, she has captivated London audiences at the Royal Opera stage with a mysterious aura. Audiences felt as if they were seeing Netrebko of the 1990s.

Soprano Aida Garifullina, who sang at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Russia World Cup (c)Decca Simon Fowler

Mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmesina performing in the Royal Opera's La Traviata in the UK (c) Andrey Uspensky

When Akhmetshina expresses the weighty sounds of roles like 'Carmen' and 'Nabucco,' the sense of mystery deepens the more you listen. Thanks to this strength, she has been booked to perform with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, and at the Baden-Baden Festival.

Moscow-born pianist Yuliyana Avdeyeva won the Chopin Competition in 2010. Uniquely, she won playing Yamaha’s ambitious CFX piano instead of a Steinway, breaking another barrier. She did not sign with a prestigious label. However, freed from the jungle where previous winners are compared to the next, she entered a field where music alone decides success.

Avdeyeva can produce thunderous roars but also shows cleverness in biting just the right amount when a roar is needed. Rejecting prejudice and preconceptions, she explores classical works on Steinway pianos instead of the Yamaha she was almost obliged to play.

Guest reporter, CEO of Etoile Classic & Consulting

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.