On 19th of November the Bolshoi Theatre will premiere Dmitry Shostakovich's opera "Lady Macbeth of the Мtsensk".

The opera will be performed on the Main stage. Director of the production is famous Georgian producer Temur Chkheidze, sсenography is by Yury Gegeshidze, Principal Art Director of the Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet Theatre, Conductor is Zoltan Peshko(Germany), one of the world-known conductors. The Assistant Conductor is young Bolshoi Theatre conductor М. Granovsky.

The roles are performed by S. Аnisimova, I. Rubtsova, V. Matorin, A. Naumenko, M. Paster, V. Grivnov, S. Murzaev.

At the end of December, i.e. on 22nd, 24th and 26th, "Summer Night Dream", famous German balletmaster John Neumeiers production, will be premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre. The well-known ballet to music by F. Mendelson and D. Ligetti, first staged in 1977, is going to be the first Bolshoi Ballet s premiere of this season. Stage designer is Urgen Roze.

The ballet is being actively rehearsed. The main roles will be danced by the Company principals: S.Zakharova, M. Allash, A. Uvarov, S.Filin, N. Tsiscaridze, Y. Klevtsov, D. Belogolovtsev, M. Alexandrova, A. Yatsenko and others.

On the 3d of September the Bolshoi Theatre opens its 229-th season with the version of Sergey Prokofiev’s opera "The Fiery Angel ".

For the first time since 1986 the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia will visit the Royal Opera House "Covent Garten" (London) from July 19 to August 7, 2004.

On the 6th of July in his 93d year died Pavel Gerasimovich Lisitsian.

On the 20, 23, 25 and 27th of June the Bolshoi Theatre presents the premiere of R. Wagner's "Der fliegende Hollander" on its New stage.

On the 20, 22 and 25th of May the program of three one-act ballets by young Russian choreographers will be premiered on the New stage of the Bolshoi Theatre.

On the 24, 25, 29 and 30th of April the Bolshoi Theatre will premiere Sergey Prokofiev’s opera " The Fiery Angel " on its Main stage. The producer - Franchesca Zambello (Bolshoi Theatre, "Turandot" , 2002).

On the 30th of January, 1, 3 and 5th of February the first premiere of the season will be performed on the Main stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. The opera by P.I.Tchaikovsky "Маzeppа" is staged by a remarkable drama director Robert Sturua, conductor Alexandr Titov, sets and costumes by George Alexy-Meskhishvily, balletmaster George Alexidze. This work is Robert Sturua’s debut at the Bolshoi Theatre, though not his first opera staging. Producing "Маzeppa" was the idea of the Theatre, and the director agreed to this choice: "I would like to make this performance in the style of strong Shakespearean passions, performance of strong characters. In terms of directing I follow the way of dramatising to the greatest possible extent all the events and characters. I didn’t feel it right to interfere with the plot of this opera, by changing the time and place of action. I shall not violate the Bolshoi Theatre’s unique traditions by means of experimenting, either. What I actually did is making the plot and the action maximum abstract in order not to focus the attention of the spectators on any definite detail. In the sets of the performance by the artist George Meskhishvily, it seems to me, the same concept will be observed, there will be a certain postmodernism, no detailed historism, but the epoch of Puskin’s masterpiece will be clearly seen in the costumes of the period.

The Bolshoi Ballet for the first time in many years will give some guest performances in Paris.

Grigorovich’s version of "Swan Lake" will open the run (from January 7 to January 11), the ballet which has been for a long time considered to be the Bolshoi’s symbol. The ballet "La Fille du Pharaon" mounted by French choreographer Pier Laccote on the motives of the 100-year-old version by Maurice Petipa will be performed from 15 to 18 January. Roland Petit’s ballet of “Queen of Spades” was planned to close the Bolshoi guest season, but because of Nikolay Tsiscaridze’s knee trauma the program was changed and French spectators will see “The Bright Stream” (21 - 24 January), the ballet to Dmitry Shostakovich’s music, last season mounted by the new art director of Bolshoi Ballet Alexei Ratmansky.

On 13, 16, 17 and 23 of December the premier of the ballet "Romeo and Juliet" will be performed on the New stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. The Bolshoi Theatre for the first time in many years invited a drama director to stage a ballet. The piece is expected to be one of the most radical of the current stage works. It’s known that Sergey Prokofiev’s three-act-score will be cut down to two acts, and there won’t be pointe dancing.. This new Bolshoi Theatre’s production is staged by the well-known in Russia British director Declan Donnellan and choreographed by a Moldavian choreographer Radu Poclitaru.

On the 8th of October the Bolshoi Theatre presents its premiere of Guiseppe Verdi’s opera "Macbeth" (the New stage), producer – Aimuntas Nyakroshus.