Event: Russia - St. Petersburg

Stars of the White Nights Festival

When:	11 May - 20 Jul 2008 (annual)
Where:	Mariinsky Theatre
Costs:	Various
Opening Hours:	Eve usually 7.30pm; Mat usually 11.30am

Since 1993, under its indefatigable director, Valery Gergiev, St Petersburg's famous Mariinsky Theatre has hosted the Stars of the White Nights festival during early summer. The 16th festival in 2008 celebrates the 225th anniversary of the Mariinsky Theatre itself.

Although this year the opening offering is Russian - Tchaikovsky's rare opera The Maid of Orleans - and there is a week of more Tchaikovsky (25 May - 2 June), the rest of the festival celebrates Mozart (13-21 May) and Wagner (10-24 June).

The Mozart focus includes performances of Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Coì fan tutte and Die Zauberflötte as well as song recitals and chamber music, while the Wagner fortnight includes performances of Flying Dutchman, Das Rheingold, Die Walküre and the Bill Viola-designed Tristan Project, which Gergiev has conducted in Paris. There are also two Wagner galas to start and end the celebration: the first with Rene Papé, the last with Bryn Terfel.

There is also a focus on France (1-6 June) with Bizet's Carmen, Balanchine's ballet Jewels (with music by Fauré, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky), Berlioz's Damnation of Faust and Uliana Lopatkina dancing Fokine's Dying Swan (to Saint-Saëns) and Bizet's Symphony in C as choreographed by Balanchine.

There are some performances out of the main themes, including Brahms' German Requiem in the resplendent new Mariinsky Concert Hall, Strauss' Elektra and the première of a new production of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, as well as the 225th Mariinsky Anniversary Gala (22 June).

Perhaps most interestingly this year is the final week (10-19 July), dubbed New Horizons, which promises to be an annual contemporary music festival. This year sees the world première of Alexander Smelkov's specially commissioned opera The Brothers Karamazov, based on Dostoyevsky's final, epic novel, as well as the Russian première of Szymanowski's King Roger, in Mariousz Trelinski's acclaimed National Opera Warsaw production.