Turkish tenor to perform with opera stars at Bolshoi Theater

Murat Karahan, a Turkish tenor and general manager of the State Opera and Ballet of Turkey, will be performing Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's Tosca at Russia's Bolshoi Theater with opera stars Anna Netrebko and Placido Domingo.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, Karahan said he will be taking the stage with the greatest soprano Netrebko and a legend of world opera would be conducting the show.

"This is my sixth year at the Bolshoi since 2015. I have been performing as a soloist for six seasons. I made many productions there and about 30 representations. I did dozens of representations, even during the (coronavirus) pandemic," he said.

"I performed four different performances in seven days in two separate productions, and it is, perhaps, one of the nights that went down in history at the Bolshoi. So we've had a good relationship with the Bolshoi for a long time. Both the theater and the Russian people loved it and adopted it."

He said a few performances were canceled as the Bolshoi was forced to close for a while due to the pandemic.

"When they were open, they actually worked with artists from the former Soviet republics with limited capacity, since there were travel restrictions, mostly within Russia," he explained.

As things move toward normalcy, they have started inviting performers from abroad, he said, adding that he was one of the singers invited to perform Tosca from Oct. 12-14 and Oct. 16.

"It's something I've performed many times. There was no need for extra preparation. Rehearsals start 10 to 15 days before the performance, depending on the situation. Then the musical rehearsals start a week before," he said.

Karahan said he had previously performed with Domingo at the Arena di Verona...