Valery Ovsyannikov at the Thailand Tour

    Today our troupe is embarking on a tour to Thailand. The renowned St. Petersburg orchestra conductor, Valery Ovsyannikov, will be our travelling companion. Once we arrive in Bangkok, he will take the helm at the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, which plays under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya.
 
    ‘This will be the very first introduction to Thailand not just for the ballet company, but for myself as well,’ shares this — without exaggeration — world-famous conductor. ‘I have had opportunities to work in China, Korea, and especially in Japan. I can say that Asian musicians are incredibly diligent. The one challenge that I am anticipating is that they are not as willing to give in to emotion, unlike European or even American musicians. But there is zero reason to doubt their professionalism, so I intend to employ usual conducting style, which is fairly reserved; I will not stray from academic tradition, as it were, and follow the teachings of our conservatory and my mentor Viktor Fedotov’.
 
    ‘The Leonid Yacobson Ballet Theatre is very youthful, some of the dancers in particular. So it’s natural for them to feel nervous before this tour,’ Valery Ovsyannikov continues. ‘Yet they do have experience, a wealth of it. They are dancing on the best stages of St. Petersburg, and have already tested their mettle during tours. I am confident that us musicians will turn the score into a source of inspiration for them. And Tchaikovsky himself will be there to help: his music will sustain the troupe, first and foremost’.