1 May 2012, Tuesday

On May 13th, the 11th Music Festival Hibla Gerzmava invites... will kick off in Abkhazia. This year, Hibla brings to the Festival well-known jazz musicians: Andrei Ivanov (double bass), Dmitry Sevastyanov (percussion), Arkady Shilkloper (French and Alpine horn) and, of course, a pianist Denis Matsuev, a great friend of Hibla who comes to the Festival for the second time (he was there last year). The concert will feature a special appearance by Georgy Piliya. On May 16th, Hibla will give a recital accompanied by a pianist Ekaterina Ganelina, Hibla’s long-time music partner. The recital will feature works by Peter Tchaikovsky and Sergei Rachmaninov and a song cycle Madrigal by Nikolai Miaskovsky, as well as a few arias from operas by famous Western European composers performed by a soloist of the Moscow Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre Arsen Sogomonyan (baritone). Both concerts, which will be held at the Abkhazia R. Gumba State Philharmonic Hall in Sukhum, will be narrated by a famous music critic Esma Dzheniya. The Festival runs within the framework of Russia-Abkhazia cultural seasons and supported by the Government of the Republic of Abkhazia, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Ministry of Culture of Russia. For many years, and this year was no exception, the Festival was made possible thanks to continued support of Hibla’s close friends: Andrei Dudko and “New Generation” Charity Foundation, Enver Kuzmin and “Restavratsia N” Ltd.

30 March 2012, Friday

On April 2nd, one of the most luxurious hotels in the world — The Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), will host a unique event, in which Hibla will participate for the second time: a charity evening aimed to raise funds in support of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Fundraising Gala Beloved Friend, organised especially for this occasion, held within the framework of the Abu Dhabi Festival 2012, is dedicated to the great Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and a great admirer of his talent, patroness Nadezhda von Meck. Hibla will sing an aria by Tatiana (the famous «Letter scene») from Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin and the final scene from the opera, together with the baritone Vassily Ladyuk. Last year, Hibla participated in the Beloved Friend Gala at the Buckingham Palace, which was held in the presence of HRH the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker-Bowles and was warmly received by the Royal Family and their guests.

26 March 2012, Monday

On March 29th, at the Orenburg State Philharmonic Hall, the State Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan conducted by Alexander Sladkovsky, Hibla Gerzmava and Alexander Knyazev (cello) will give a concert within the framework of the 2nd All-Russia Music Festival Denis Matsuev’s Orenburg Seasons. Hibla will perform in the second half of the concert and will sing arias from operas by Handel, Puccini and Verdi, as well as Giuditta’s aria from an operetta by Franz Lehar. Following the recent joint performance in Kazan, which was a great success, the musicians look forward to creating yet another wonderful musical miracle for all their fans — this time in Orenburg.