On 29 May the Mikhailovsky Theatre will stage a gala concert to mark the fortieth anniversary of Paata Burchuladze’s debut as an artist. International opera stars will congratulate this outstanding singer, who is currently combining his vocal career with his duties as Artistic Director of the Mikhailovsky Opera. Although born in Georgia, he is known throughout the world as an outstanding Russian bass. The great conductor Herbert von Karajan used to compare Burchuladze’s voice to that of Chaliapin.

In the gala concert, Burchuladze will be joined on stage by legendary singers, showcasing some of the best voices of our time: the Russian singer Maria Guleghina (soprano), the enchanting Lana Kos from Croatia, whose heartfelt soprano is enjoyed by opera lovers from Italy to China, Marco Berti, an Italian included by music critics in a list of the world’s four greatest tenors in 2011, Ferruccio Furlanetto, a bass who „embodies the Italian style of Verdi best of all“, and Otar Jorjikia, a young but extremely popular and successful tenor from Georgia. They will sing well-known and rarely performed works from the world operatic repertoire, accompanied by the Mikhailovsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra.

Andrejs Žagars is directing the concert.