On December 13, 2019 the European Foundation for Support of Culture and the Ilya Averbukh Production Company with the support of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra will present an exclusive project in Malta - the “Jesters’ Wedding” Ice Show, an adaptation of the Crystal Palace ballet to the music by the contemporary American - Maltese composer Alexey Shor.
The Ilya Averbukh Production Company is an internationally-known Russian company that creates unique, grand ice shows featuring world-class skating stars. These shows combine figure skating, drama theatre, live vocals and music and state-of-the-art stage designs.
The project will be directed by Ilya Averbukh, world-famous figure skater, Olympic silver medalist, World Champion, two-time World Junior Champion, Merited Master of Sports of Russia. Averbukh has also won TEFI, Russia’s national television industry award, as the “BestTV Programme Producer”; the Theatre goer’s Star award for the first musical on ice, and the Oleg Yankovsky Creative Discovery prize for staging a musical of “Carmen” on ice.
The Ice Show and its story are set in 18th century Russia during the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna. Empress Anna was fond of sumptuous celebrations and unusual entertainments and once decided to marry two of her court jesters in a palce of ice built on the Neva river.
The project will feature world acclaimed figure skaters, such as: Tatiana Totmyanina and Maxim Marinin, Olympic champions, two-time world champions, five-time European champions and three-time champions of Russia will perform as Lovers; Alexey Yagudin, Olympic champion, four-time world champion, three-time European champion, two-time winner of the Grand Prix finals will perform as a Jester Balakirev; Dmitry Solovyov and Ekaterina Bobrova, Olympic champions, Olympic Games silver medalists, European champions, three-time European championship silver medalists, seven-time champions of Russia will perform as Empress Anna Ioannovna and her lover Jester Biron; Ivan Righini, four-time Italian champion, multiple international competitions winner will perform as a court gentlemen and many others. Anna Aglatova, leading opera soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia would join the project as the Opera Diva. The event will be held at one of Malta’s most popular venues – Independence Arena Parade Ground, Florianae, Floriana.
“Jesters’ Wedding” Ice Show will be the first Ice Show in Malta ever.