Sunday 26. October
18:00
/
Main Stage
Aigul
Akhmetshina
Aigul Akhmetshina / Photo: Paola Kudacki
An opera sensation against all odds
From a small village in Russia to the world's grandest opera houses: Aigul Akhmetshina is the mezzo-soprano we didn't know we were waiting for.
The world's leading Carmen
Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina is one of our time's most exciting young voices. She made her debut at the Royal Opera House at the age of 21. Stepping in at short notice, she gave a performance that established her as the opera world's undisputed 'go-to Carmen' (The Observer).
Her interpretation of the iconic role has been praised worldwide. When she performed it at The Metropolitan Opera as the youngest ever, the New York Times lauded her ‘molten yet agile tone’—like a thick stream of lava that can also move quickly.
Now she's coming to the Oslo Opera House with a concert that's both grand and intimate.
A Rolls Royce of a mezzo-soprano
Operawire
Meteoric rise through adversity
At the age of 14, Akhmetshina left her childhood home in the small Russian village of Bashkortostan to pursue a singing career, supporting herself with jobs as diverse as waitressing and stilt dancing.
The path to success was anything but easy. After being rejected from a music conservatory and suffering a car accident that robbed her of her voice, she came close to giving up. But relentless training to rebuild her voice would prove to be worth the effort.
When the Royal Opera House invited her to audition for its prestigious talent programme, she spoke no English and knew nothing about the programme. Yet she was awarded one of five places among 365 applicants – as the youngest participant ever.
A free spirit on the main stage
Akhmetshina is signed to Decca Classics as their first mezzo-soprano for decades. In 2023, she won the International Opera Awards' Female Singer of the Year. Her debut album Aigul was awarded Best Solo Album at the OPER! Awards 2025 and received glowing reviews.
For her concert at the Oslo Opera House, she brings a diverse programme that revolves around love itself. Grand emotions of the opera stage, including Habanera and Seguidilla from Carmen, are combined with love songs from Latin American rhythms, jazz and cabaret – the world premiere of Mujer Fatal, a piece written especially for her by Elena Roussanova.
Programme
1. Rossini: ‘Cruda Sorte’ from L'italiana in Algeria
2. Donizetti: ‘Oh, Mio Fernando’ from La Favorita
3. Borodin: ‘Konchakovna's Aria’ from Prince Igor
4. Rimsky-Korsakov: ‘Lubasha's scene’ from The Tsar's Bride
5. Saint-Saens: ‘Mon Coeur S'ouvre a ta Voix’ from Samson and Delilah
6. Massenet: ‘Va! Laisse couler mes Larmes’ from Werther
7. Bizet: ‘Habanera’ from Carmen
8. Bizet: ‘Seguidilla’ from Carmen
Intermission
1. Rossini: ‘Belta Crudele’
2. Verdi: ‘La Seduzione’
3. Balakirev: ‘I loved him’
4. Rimsky-Korsakov: ‘Captivated by the Rose’
5. Guastavino: ‘La Rosa y el Sauce’
6. Elena Roussanova: ‘Mujer Fatal’ (world premier)
7. Gardel: ‘El Dia Que me quieras’
8. Britten: ‘Tell me the truth about love’
9. Gershwin: ‘The man I love’
10. Weill: ‘Speak Low’
Price
150–590 kr
Intermission refreshments
Order pre-show food and drinks or to enjoy during intermission. If you want to pre-order for intermission, we recommend ordering from the bar closest to your seat in the auditorium.
The bars are open before the performance and during intermission. All advance orders are sorted alphabetically by the last name of the person placing the order. You are not permitted to bring any drinks into the auditorium.
Photo: Fursetgruppen