The programme, presented by Dubai Opera in collaboration with Art Seasons, will feature Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera The Tsar’s Bride, a symphonic concert conducted by Valery Gergiev and Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, performed by the Bolshoi Ballet’s principal dancers.
The engagement brings three major elements of the Moscow institution’s repertoire to Dubai, with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra participating in the performances. Tickets have been released for all three productions, with prices starting at AED350 for the opera and orchestral concert and AED450 for the ballet.
The opening performance on 2 December will feature The Tsar’s Bride, beginning at 7pm. Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera explores jealousy, political intrigue and revenge against the backdrop of the reign of Ivan the Terrible.
The production draws on a play by Russian dramatist Lev Mey, inspired by Marfa Sobakina, the tsar’s third wife, who died shortly after their marriage. Although rooted in historical events, the opera presents a fictionalised account of personal rivalries and their consequences.
Dubai Opera said the staging will retain the monumental scenery associated with Fyodor Fedorovsky, whose designs became closely identified with the Bolshoi’s theatrical tradition. The sets were reconstructed in 2014 under the supervision of Alyona Pikalova, preserving the visual character of the original production.
The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra will perform a standalone symphonic concert on 3 December at 8pm, conducted by Gergiev, who heads the Bolshoi Theatre. The performance marks the orchestra’s first appearance at Dubai Opera as part of the institution’s official UAE tour.
Founded in 1776 alongside the theatrical company that developed into the Bolshoi, the orchestra has a history spanning 250 years. Its musicians perform across opera, ballet and symphonic programmes, with the ensemble numbering more than 300 players.
Gergiev’s participation places one of Russia’s most prominent conductors at the centre of the Dubai engagement. He has led major orchestras and theatrical productions internationally, although his career has also attracted controversy following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and his longstanding association with President Vladimir Putin.
The final three days, from 4 to 6 December, will be devoted to The Nutcracker, featuring choreography by Yuri Grigorovich and music performed by the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra under conductor Pavel Klinichev.
Grigorovich’s interpretation transforms Tchaikovsky’s familiar Christmas ballet into a continuous narrative about childhood, courage and the pursuit of ideal love. The production follows its central characters through a fantastical world of toys, threatening creatures and elaborate theatrical transformations.
Dubai Opera has confirmed that the performances will feature principal dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet, although individual casting arrangements may vary across the scheduled presentations.
The ballet programme includes afternoon and evening performances, with advertised starting times across the engagement including 2pm, 7pm and 8pm. Specific timings depend on the selected performance date.
The tour forms part of Dubai Opera’s 2026–27 season, which coincides with the venue’s tenth anniversary. Opened in August 2016, the Downtown Dubai institution has developed a programme covering opera, ballet, orchestral concerts, theatre and contemporary entertainment.
The Bolshoi engagement represents a substantial addition to that anniversary season, bringing an established opera production, a separate orchestral appearance and a full ballet staging within a single five-day programme.
Dubai Opera and Art Seasons are jointly presenting the performances, with the venue’s main auditorium hosting all three productions. The arrangement allows audiences to attend individual events rather than requiring a booking for the entire programme.
The opera and symphonic concert are each advertised with entry prices of AED350. The dedicated ballet event page lists tickets from AED450, although Dubai Opera’s general events calendar displays a higher starting price of AED495. Available prices may therefore depend on the booking selection.
The venue’s ticketing information identifies the opera as a single evening performance, while The Nutcracker will run across three consecutive dates. The orchestral concert occupies the intervening evening between the opera and ballet programmes.
Dubai Opera’s published booking conditions specify that tickets are non-refundable. Audiences can select available dates, performance times and seating categories through the venue’s official ticketing system, subject to availability and applicable admission conditions for each production.
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