Nova Opera & Mriya Orchestra | Maxim Shalygin's Opera 'Amandante' in Berlin

𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐠𝐢𝐧 — Great.

𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐮̈𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐨: 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐫 Author:
NOVA OPERA (Ukraine)
MRIYA Ensemble
Antonii Baryshevskyi – piano
Mikheil Menabde – Conductor 𝐊𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐭, 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐞

The Dutch newspaper NRC celebrated the premiere of Amandante with a ★★★★★ review as “an emotional rollercoaster and a triumph of musical imagination” and chose the opera as one of the 10 best musical productions of the year 2024.

Inspired by Plato's Symposium, a polyphonic portrait of Eros unfolds - from sensual to spiritual love. Paul van der Woerd's libretto, inspired by Percy Bysshe Shelley's romantic translation, reinforces the emotional contrasts of the original.
Maxim Shalygin has created from it colorful, passionate and virtuoso through-composed music - fully sung, rich in melodic development and dramatic tension.
The composer says: “I want the audience to be immersed in the "In addition to well-known voices such as Socrates and Aristophanes, those who were ignored at Agathon's famous banquet also have their say in Amandante: Diotima, Agathon's wife, a flautist, a winemaker. In text and music, a fine tension arises between inside and outside - a driving force of the opera.


𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐝:
Amandante is the first opera by the Dutch-Ukrainian composer Maxim Shalygin - a work that combines philosophy, poetry and musical theater in a new way connects. The premiere, originally planned for 2022 in Kyiv, had to be canceled due to the war. After more than two years of intensive artistic work, the work was successfully premiered in 2024 at the Muziekgebouw Amsterdam.


𝐌𝐢𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐊𝐮̈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐫:𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐧:
Soprano
Anna Kirsh – Soprano
Andrii Koshman – Baritone
Ruslan Kirsh – Baritone


𝐌𝐑𝐈𝐘𝐀 𝐎𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚
Olena Tsurkan – Violin
Hanna Tsurkan – Violin
Kateryna Suprun – viola
Mariia Mohylevska – cello
Kostiantyn Kruhliak – Double bass

Antonii Baryshevskyi – piano
Mikheil Menabde – Conductor
one of the most distinctive composers of his generation. His music combines spiritual depth, sonic individuality and uncompromising expressiveness. He composes across genres - from chamber and vocal music to electro-acoustic works and opera.
His works have been performed, among others. in the Carnegie Hall, at the Klarafestival, in the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ and in De Doelen Rotterdam. His current projects include commissioned works by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orkest as well as a large-scale work for the Dutch Radio Choir, the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest and AVROTROS. In 2025 he is the city composer of The Hague.

𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐚 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚
Nova Opera is an experimental musical theater collective from Kyiv. Despite the ongoing war, the ensemble creates courageous, internationally acclaimed productions that fuse influences from baroque, avant-garde, trip-hop, folk music and new music. Nova Opera stands for musical theater that knows no boundaries - neither stylistic nor geographical.


𝐌𝐑𝐈𝐘𝐀 𝐎𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚
“Mriya” means dream – the dream of freedom, culture and peace. The orchestra was founded in 2022 by refugee Ukrainian musicians and is under the artistic direction of violist Kateryna Suprun.
Shortly after its founding, MRIYA became a cultural ambassador for Ukraine: with celebrated performances in the Berlin Philharmonic, Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle Hamburg. Press and audience alike praise the artistic excellence, emotional power and social relevance of this ensemble.

𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐢 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐯𝐬𝐤𝐲𝐢
The Ukrainian pianist Antonii Baryshevskyi is the 1st prize winner at the prestigious Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv.
He is considered one of the most fascinating pianist of his generation - celebrated for his tonal depth, technical mastery and artistic independence. He received other awards including: at the Premio Jaén and at the Ferruccio Busoni Competition.
Martha Argerich said about him: “Baryshevskyi has something special, a special talent.”
Gramophone Magazine also praised: “Baryshevskyi dares to be different.”

𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐝𝐞
Georgian conductor Mikheil Menabde graduated from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw), after previously studying at the National Academy of Music of Ukraine with Roman Kofman.
He is a permanent guest conductor of the Kyiv Philharmonic and the Georgian National Symphony Orchestra and regularly conducts contemporary works at leading European festivals. His work is characterized by structural clarity, artistic precision and emotional depth. Menabde is also the artistic director and vice president of the CosmoKultur association. Ammodo, Greek National Opera, Letterenfonds, Eleonora van Heusden Fonds, Anna H. Toonen Fund via Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Orchestra, MUZIEKGEBOUW PRODUCTION HOUSE, Stichting Shapeshift