On 13 December, the Mikhailovsky Theatre will perform Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Un ballo in maschera in Minsk, at the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus. This is not the first time this production has crossed state borders; last summer Un ballo in maschera was featured on the programme at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, where it enjoyed resounding success.

The winter tour is timed to coincide with the Minsk International Christmas Opera Forum, which has for several years brought the finest performers from different European countries to the Belarusian capital.