The “Stars of the White Nights Music Festival” is being held between May and July. I booked a ticket to see “Pagliacci” at the Mariinsky Theatre.

The history of the Mariinsky Opera Company dates back to 1783 when Empress Catherine II issued a decree on the establishment of a theatre committee “to direct plays and music.” “… A Russian theatre is needed so that it exists not just for comedies and tragedies, but also for operas,” the decree stated.

Since then, the Mariinsky Theatre has presented many great artists to the world:  great singers such as Fyodor Shalyapin and ballet: Anna Pavlova, Vaclav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. 

Alexander Pushkin wrote about the theatre in his poems.

Pagliacci first premiered at this theatre in 1893. Tonight, Gavriel Heine, is the conductor, mostly a youngish Russian cast performing in the major roles and a large ensemble of locals in the crowd scenes. Roman Burdenko in the role of Tonio, an international prize-winning baritone.

I thought I’d revisit the Church of Spilled Blood to see if I could take a pic of the outside with less crowds around, and bingo! def less people. BUT, a lovely yellow crane had also been moved into place that night right in front of the Church – to move a ticket booth into a new location. Grr! But a little walk down the side street to get a view of the Church from the canal was successful.