
Acting
Olga Vladimirovna Borodina (born 29 July 1963, in Leningrad) is a leading mezzo-soprano, known for her roles in Russian operas at her home company, the Mariinsky Theatre, and for her international performing and recording career in a varied repertoire. In 1992, Borodina made her debut in Samson and Delilah at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden with Plácido Domingo. She performs frequently at the Metropolitan Opera and the San Francisco Opera and many other opera houses in roles including Cinderella in La Cenerentola, Marguérite in La damnation de Faust, Eboli in Don Carlos, Principessa in Adriana Lecouvreur, Carmen in the opera of the same name, Marfa in Khovanshchina, and Amneris in Aida. Borodina is known for her "plush" voice. She has received recognition as a People's Artist of Russia in 2002, the first prize gold medal of the 1998 Rosa Ponselle Vocal Competition, and also won the Barcelona competition in 1989. She was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation (2006). Borodina is featured in many Russian opera recordings on Philips conducted by Valery Gergiyev with the Mariinsky company. Her Russian heritage is very important to her: "I'm one of the mad people who need their roots. I take nourishment from my native land, my motherland. I want my children to study in Russia, because they are Russian. I think this is tremendously important. But life in St Petersburg is becoming tougher by the day and the Russian spirit, the spirituality that was part and parcel of Russian culture, is almost not there any more." She pulled out of a production of Carmen at La Scala because the recitatives were spoken instead of sung, and left rehearsals at the Royal Opera House for Aida, directed by Robert Wilson, because she found the conductor's (Antonio Pappano) "approach too alien to the opera". Subsequently, critics vindicated Borodina and 2011 she returned to Covent Garden to perform in Aida, also conducted by Pappano. In 2006, the management of the Vienna State Opera "decided to distance itself from an engagement [with Borodina], not just for this production but also for all others" on the night of the première of L'italiana in Algeri. Borodina was scheduled to sing at the Vienna State Opera in Aida in March 2013. In 2014, Borodina performed the role of Amneris in Aida at the Met in New York, much to critical acclaim. Her signature role, over the years, has been that of Dalila in Camille Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila. Notable performances include the acclaimed production at the Metropolitan Opera featuring Placido Domingo in 1998, a recording with Jose Cura and Sir Colin Davis, and, most recently, a highly-praised performance with Dallas Opera opposite of Clifton Forbis in 2017. Source: Article "Olga Borodina" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Elijah Moshinsky's production of Saint-Saëns's "Samson et Dalila", recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera 28 September 1998. Plácido Domingo and Olga Borodina star as Samson and Dalila with Sergei Leiferkus as Grand-prêtre de Dagon, Richard Paul Fink as Abimélech, and René Pape as Un vieillard hébreu. James Levine conducts.

Starring Angela Gheorghiu as the celebrated French actress Adriana Lecouvreur and Jonas Kaufmann as her lover Maurizio, Count of Saxony, Cilea s verismo drama explores celebrity, romance, jealousy, and death. The trio of sublime voices is completed by Russian mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina as Adriana s jealous rival, the Princess de Bouillon. David McVicar s hit production the first performance of the opera at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for more than a century presents the life of the French actress as a blurring of the distinction between fantasy and reality. The action revolves around a life-size Baroque Theatre, taking us from the bustle and colour of the first act backstage at the playhouse, to the bare final scenes as the drama reaches its fatal climax.

The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 (Russian: Пиковая дама, Pikovaya dama, French: Pique Dame) is an opera in 3 acts (7 scenes) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin, but the plot was very changed. The premiere took place in 1890 in St. Petersburg (at the Mariinsky Theatre), Russia.

The love story of young Countess Natasha Rostova and Count Pierre Bezukhov is interwoven with the Great Patriotic War of 1812 against Napoleon's invading army.

The Met’s spectacular production of Verdi’s Egyptian epic captures both the grandeur and the intimacy of this powerful tale of love and politics. Liudmyla Monastyrska is Aida, the Ethiopian princess-turned-slave in love with the Egyptian warrior Radamès, sung by Roberto Alagna. Olga Borodina is her rival, Amneris, daughter of the Pharao, and George Gagnidze sings Aida’s father, Amonasro, the King of Ethiopia. Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium.

This is the Andrei Tarkovsky production of the famous Pushkin/Mussorgsky opera, performed in 1990. Modest Mussorgsky's opera in prologue and four acts is performed by the Kirov Opera with performances from Olga Borodina, Alexei Steblianko and Sergei Leiferkust. Boris Godunov has obtained the throne of Russia by murdering the rightful heir Dmitry. An old monk, Pimen, witnessed this, and convinces his apprentice Grigory to avenge Dmitry's death. In the following years Grigory poses as Dmitry, raising an army against Boris, who is now convinced that he is being punished for the murder. Filmed in Russia during the collapse of the Soviet Union, this particular production of Mussorgsky's 1872 tale of political upheaval is considered a highly unique and historical moment in opera. Robert Lloyd stars in the title role of Boris Godunov.

Celebrating three hundred years of the founding of St. Petersburg by Peter The Great. Dazzling staging and magnificent performances from ballet and opera by the celebrated Artists of The Maryiinky (formerly The Kirov) Theatre Companies and International Guest Artists. A spectacular performance of Saint-Saens "The Dying Swan" choreographed by Michel Fokine for Anna Pavlova is danced with breadth-taking beauty by prima ballerina Uliana Lopatkina. Featured are two ingenious appearances by both Peter and Catherine, The Greats. The celebration is hosted by President Vladimir Putin and attended by an amazing contingent of current World Leaders.

The sweeping saga of Alexander Borodin's "Prince Igor" springs to life with the talents of the Kirov Opera and Ballet in this memorable 1998 staging recorded live at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Nikolai Putilin assumes the role of the titular 12th-century royal, who is captured by the Polovtsian nomad Khan Konchak (Vladimir Vaneev) and later escapes, only to see his son fall in love with Konchak's daughter.

Petrov to Kazarnovskaya
