Hibla Gerzmava, Arsen Soghomonyan, Alexander Sladkovsky
Late-night concert featuring People’s Artist of Russia Hibla Gerzmava (soprano), Arsen Soghomonyan (tenor), and conductor Alexander Sladkovsky
On February 9, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory hosted a late-night concert by People’s Artist of Russia, soprano Hibla Gerzmava. She was joined on stage by Arsen Soghomonyan, a guest soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre and tenor.
The performance featured one of Russia’s finest ensembles — the Svetlanov State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia. The orchestra was conducted by Alexander Sladkovsky, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan and People’s Artist of Russia.
The programme featured arias and duets from operas by Giuseppe Verdi, Vincenzo Bellini, Giacomo Puccini and Gaetano Donizetti — music that showcases every facet of the vocal and dramatic artistry of the soloists and has always been beloved by audiences.
Late-night concerts are becoming increasingly popular. For those who live at the pace of a major city, they offer an opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle and immerse themselves in a bohemian atmosphere. Hibla Gerzmava is not only an exceptional singer but also a glamorous woman who captivates audiences with her beauty and stylish outfits. Her concerts always have a festive atmosphere that is shared by the audience, and this late-night performance resembled a sophisticated social gathering: women in evening gowns, men in suits and a sea of flowers for the diva and her brilliant stage partners.
The evening was dedicated to 19th-century Italian opera. This repertoire has been associated with Gerzmava’s greatest triumphs in recent years. A welcome guest at the world’s leading opera houses, she has performed Elisabeth de Valois in Verdi’s Don Carlo at the Bolshoi Theatre and the Paris National Opera, and last year made her debut at the legendary Teatro alla Scala as Anna Bolena in Donizetti’s opera of the same name.
Major excerpts from these operas formed the centrepieces of the programme. In the first half, Gerzmava performed Elisabeth’s scene and aria, revealing herself as a magnificent actress. In the second half, she continued the dramatic journey with the mad scene from Anna Bolena. Without theatrical scenery, relying solely on the power of her voice and dramatic temperament, she made the audience experience the full emotional range of her heroines — from tenderness and resignation to flashes of passion and rage. The hall fell silent, spellbound, following every movement of the singer’s voice and soul.
Arsen Soghomonyan was equally impressive. Possessing a dramatic tenor of exceptional power and beauty, he immediately established an intense dramatic atmosphere, opening with Verdi’s music: Richard’s aria from Un ballo in maschera and Alvaro’s aria from La forza del destino. The first half concluded with the great duet between Don Carlo and Elisabeth.
Soghomonyan began the second half in a tragic vein, delivering Cavaradossi’s poignant final aria from Puccini’s Tosca and demonstrating his powerful dramatic abilities in the death scene of Otello from Verdi’s opera.
Hibla Gerzmava responded with Desdemona’s famous scene, aria and prayer. Her voice conveyed countless shades of lyricism and fragility, while the soft piano in the upper register left the audience trembling. The concert concluded with the famous duet between Otello and Desdemona from Act I. Gerzmava and Soghomonyan had already performed it together in concert, and it was clear how much they enjoyed bringing this great music to life.
One could only hope that Moscow would have the opportunity to hear them in a staged production of Otello — they are so perfectly suited to the leading roles, and their voices sound so magnificent in these parts.
Gerzmava also gave the audience the pleasure of hearing her in the bel canto repertoire. She opened her performance with the great aria “Casta diva” from Bellini’s Norma, confirming from the very first notes that she fully deserves the title of true opera diva. By including arias from operas that are not currently performed in Moscow, the singer gave a magnificent gift to opera lovers.
Under the direction of the energetic Alexander Sladkovsky, the Svetlanov State Symphony Orchestra proved both a sensitive accompanist and a brilliant soloist. Overtures from Un ballo in maschera, Nabucco and La forza del destino were performed flawlessly and with great temperament, adding vivid new colours to the emotionally rich programme.
Despite the late hour, the hall remained as full after the interval as it had been at the beginning. Although the concert ended shortly after 1 a.m., the audience was in no hurry to leave and demanded encores. Completely changing the mood, Arsen Soghomonyan performed the Italian song “Parlami d’amore, Mariù,” made famous by Mario Lanza. Hibla Gerzmava then fluttered onto the stage in the waltz A Bouquet of Flowers from Nice, performing it with such lightness and charm that one could hardly believe she had just completed two hours of some of the most demanding operatic repertoire.
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