«Maya and Rodion»: Festival in Two Capitals

On November 20, the day marking the 100th anniversary of legendary ballerina Maya Plisetskaya’s birth, the Bolshoi Theatre stage launched a theater and music marathon called "Maya and Rodion" (running until December 16, 2025). The marathon is dedicated to the creative union of two exceptional Russian personalities and world stars—composer Rodion Shchedrin and the brilliant ballet artist Maya Plisetskaya. In distant 1957, during rehearsals for his first ballet "The Little Humpbacked Horse" at the Bolshoi Theatre, the young composer first saw Maya Plisetskaya, who was then a young but already renowned ballerina. Rodion Shchedrin recalled: “The music for the ballet 'The Little Humpbacked Horse' is a very early work of mine. However, it is a milestone, important for my creative self-affirmation, and it defined much of my life. During this work, I ‘caught’ in my musical hands the ethereal Firebird—Maya Plisetskaya. This score is dedicated to her.”

The festival’s artistic director and principal conductor of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theatres, Valery Gergiev, said: “Rodion Shchedrin and Maya Plisetskaya were inseparable; their deep, devoted love, carried through decades, was an example of harmony and mutual understanding. They supported each other in all endeavors, creating a unique symbiosis of art and personal life. Rodion Konstantinovich’s muse, Maya Mikhailovna, constantly attracted his attention, and his admiration for her was boundless. This happy love gifted the world of opera, ballet, and classical music with new and countless treasures,” emphasized Valery Gergiev.

On the same day, November 20, the Mariinsky Theatre stage in St. Petersburg hosted the gala concert "Maya Plisetskaya. Portrait of an Era." The program included signature numbers and fragments of productions essential in Plisetskaya’s creative path.

Among the key festival events is the major revival of the Bolshoi Theatre’s legendary production—Rodion Shchedrin’s opera "Dead Souls" based on the unfinished novel by Nikolai Gogol, staged by famous opera director Boris Pokrovsky and artist Valery Levental. The restoration of the 1977 production was a real feat: only 50 minutes of video recording and photos remained from the original. The team recreated each scene literally “grain by grain,” preserving the spirit of Pokrovsky’s legendary staging.

Musical events in St. Petersburg during the festival include performances of Rodion Shchedrin’s opera "Lefty," written especially for the opening of the Mariinsky Theatre’s new stage. The opera "Lolita," based on the iconic novel by Vladimir Nabokov, will also be staged at the Mariinsky Theatre. On the composer’s birthday, December 16, his greatest scores will be festively performed on all three main Mariinsky stages: the ballets "Carmen Suite" and "The Little Humpbacked Horse," "Dead Souls" directed by Vasily Barkhatov and artist Zinovy Margolin, "Not Only Love" directed by Alexander Kuzin and artist Alexander Orlov.

The theatrical marathon-dedication program "Maya and Rodion," as maestro Valery Gergiev believes, will be complemented by other symphonic and choral works by the composer. “We were closely acquainted, and I am grateful to fate—above all, to Maya Plisetskaya and Rodion Shchedrin—for those happy moments, which were, after all, hundreds, even thousands of hours of communication—creative, human, very happy communication,” said maestro Gergiev.

The commemorative festival will feature live broadcasts of concerts and performances. Residents from all regions of Russia can join in. Broadcasts will also be available in cinemas nationwide with support from KINO.ART.PRO.

The first of these took place on November 20, when the entire Russian theater and music world celebrated Maya Plisetskaya’s 100th birthday.