Opera prima Khibla Gerzmava: a singer must love! Golden-eyed hibla with a golden voice

Recently, Khibla Gerzmava performed on the stage of London's Covent Garden Theater - she sang the role of Tatiana from the opera "Eugene Onegin" - and yesterday arias from this opera were performed on the stage of the Omsk Concert Hall.

The Moscow prima had already performed in our city before: Khibla came and was one of the first to take the stage of the organ hall that opened several years ago.

This time the soloist of the Moscow Musical Theater named after. K. S. Stanislavsky and V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko performed in a less intimate setting: her strong and incredibly beautiful voice was played along by the Omsk Academic Symphony Orchestra. Khibla is no stranger to playing with new musicians: concerts and tours are more frequent activities for her than performances in her native theater:

I'm constantly driving around different countries and cities, I perform here and there,” says the singer, “I am very lucky that in my theater they accept this calmly. Not long ago I was offered to move to Grand Theatre, but they needed me entirely without reserve, without combining with other theaters and tours. I thought about it and refused.

IN Soviet time The musical theater in which Khibla Gerzmava sings was a favorite of the Soviet nomenklatura. Modern Russian officials also love him.

At every premiere, our audience includes both Yuri Luzhkov and Vladimir Putin. Only I feel sorry for them,” Gerzmava smiles, “They sit in separate boxes on the side, but it’s completely inconvenient to look from there.”

The singer is famous not only for having one of the most beautiful voice, but also one of the most stylish and elegant women on opera stage. She often chooses her own costumes for performances.

Singing a solo concert is not at all like singing in an opera, where you are surrounded by scenery and bright costumes... - said Khibla Gerzmava, - Here all attention is paid only to you. Fortunately, I have everything - both jewelry and beautiful dresses, many of which I simply accidentally buy for myself in stores in the world's capitals. IN common days I don’t wear diamonds that my husband gives me - why? You need to know moderation in everything, this is true elegance.

Despite the busy touring schedule, Khibla manages to look simply charming at any time. To do this, it is not at all necessary to follow any strict diet or take a personal massage therapist with you.

For me, the most important thing is to get a good night’s sleep,” she shared her beauty secret opera diva, - True, I never sleep on planes and trains - I just really don’t like it. Therefore, you have to carve out separate days for yourself to sleep. On concert days I can’t get enough sleep at all – there’s too much adrenaline after each of my performances!

At home, Khibla also doesn’t get much sleep – her husband and little son They expect attention and something tasty from her. After all, mom isn’t home often!

My son also loves music very much. He himself wanted to study jazz, and I, of course, support him in this. Really, I can say that all my dreams have come true... - the singer smiles. - Although not! When I give birth to another daughter and raise her, then I’ll definitely be able to say so!

Khibla Levarsovna Gerzmava(abh. Hybla Leuarsa-iqa Gyyrzmaa; genus. January 6, Pitsunda) - Russian opera singer (soprano) of Abkhaz origin. Soloist of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Musical Theater since 1995.

World fame Gerzmava brought performances at the Mariinsky Theatre, London's Royal Opera Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Rome Opera, the Paris Grand Opera and other major stage venues.

Biography [ | ]

Early, at the age of 16 and 18, she was left without parents, which influenced her worldview and choice of singing profession. Studied at music school in Gagra. Graduated from Sukhumi School of Music in piano, she dreamed of becoming an organist. Her teachers in Sukhum were Karlen Yavryan and Josephine Bumburidi.

After the birth of her son in 1999, Gerzmava’s voice became even softer and more lyrical, its sound became less flattened, and the slightest tremolation, which sometimes interfered with the singer, disappeared. The voice of Khibla, who paid tribute to romanticism in her work, was finally formed as a lyric-coloratura soprano, with an increasing emphasis on “lyrics”.

In 2001, she organized an annual music Festival“Khibla Gerzmava invites...” The host of the festival for many years was musicologist Svyatoslav Belza. In 2014, the festival moved to Moscow.

In 2008, Gerzmava received an invitation to the Bolshoi Theater, but refused due to frequent tours around the world.

She has repeatedly performed at concerts in front of official delegations and distinguished guests in the Kremlin at the personal invitation of Vladimir Putin.

In 2016 she gave a series charity concerts in Germany, dedicated to the victims of terrorist attacks.

Creation [ | ]

Performs leading roles in productions of the Moscow Musical Theater named after K. S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko. Among them:

• Lyudmila (“Ruslan and Lyudmila” by Glinka)
• The Swan Princess (The Tale of Tsar Saltan by Rimsky-Korsakov)
• Queen of Shemakha (The Golden Cockerel by Rimsky-Korsakov)
• Louise (Betrothal in a Monastery by Prokofiev)
• Rosina (The Barber of Seville by Rossini)
• Adina (Elisir of Love by Donizetti)
• Violetta Valerie (La Traviata by Verdi)
• Mimi and Musetta (La Bohème by Puccini)
• Nymph (“Daphne” by M. da Galliano)
• Adele (Die Fledermaus by J. Strauss)
• Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti)
• Donna Anna (Don Giovanni, Mozart)
• Olympia, Antonia, Juliet (The Tales of Hoffmann, Offenbach)
• Vitellia (La Clemenza di Titus, Mozart)
• Liu (Turandot, Puccini)
• Amelia Grimaldi (Simon Boccanegra, Verdi)
• Medea (Medea, Cherubini)

During her career, Gerzmava performed on the stages of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, the Teatro Commune in Florence, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Covent Garden in London, and the Vienna State Opera, Grand Teatro de Liceu in Barcelona, ​​Sofia National Opera in Bulgaria, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Palau de les Art Reina Sofía in Valencia and other venues. Participated in tours of the Musical Theater named after. K. S. Stanislavsky and V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko in South Korea and the USA. She performed at the Ludwigsburg Festival in Germany. Toured with concert programs in Sweden, France, Holland, Great Britain, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Greece, USA, Japan, Turkey.

In 2012, the singer appeared on the stage of Covent Garden with a new role: Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. In the fall, Khibla returned to the Metropolitan Opera to perform the role of Liu in Puccini's Turandot, with which she made her tour debut Mariinsky Theater at Tokyo's NHK Hall in 2011, and first appeared on the stage of the Vienna State Opera in Mozart's La Clemenza di Titus. Khibla also performed the very complex role of Vitelia in this work by Mozart with its inherent recitatives, long arias, and large vocal range at the Grand Opera in France.

In 2013, Khibla’s repertoire was replenished with another part. Gerzmava took the stage at the Royal opera house Covent Garden as Amelia Grimaldi from G. Verdi's opera Simon Boccanegra. Khibla's partners were Thomas Hampson and Ferruccio Furlanetto, the performance was conducted under the direction of the theater's chief conductor Antonio Pappano. In April 2013 in Great hall At the Moscow Conservatory, in a solo concert, Gerzmava performed romances by P. I. Tchaikovsky, accompanied by an orchestra under the direction of a conductor, people's artist USSR Yuri Simonov.

The singer worked fruitfully with director Alexander Titel for many years. Collaborates with Vladimir Spivakov, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia and the Moscow Virtuosi, Denis Matsuev, Nikolai Lugansky, A. Rudin and the Musica Viva orchestra, V. Gergiev, V. Fedoseev, A. Lazarev, M. Pletnev, V. Sinaisky, Yu .Bashmet, L.Maazel.

She has recorded a number of CDs: Ave Maria, “Khibla Gerzmava Performs Russian Romances”, “Oriental Romances of Khibla Gerzmava”. For the Japanese company, Gerzmava recorded several Russian programs, cycles of romances by N. Myaskovsky, M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. All chamber music recordings were made together with Khibla's longtime accompanist, pianist Ekaterina Ganelina. On October 14, 2013, in the Svetlanov Hall of the Moscow International House of Music, she recorded (with the participation of baritone Arsen Soghomonyan) a concert of works by Mozart, Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Richard Strauss together with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia conducted by Vladimir Spivakov.

Gerzmava participates not only in classical, but also in modern performances, but only in those “where there is taste, and on stage they do not cross the line of theatrical convention.” Abkhazian songs are performed abroad in encore concerts. The most demanding, opera-competent audience, according to Gerzmava, gathers at her performances in Moscow and New York.

Criticism [ | ]

Sergei Korobkov in the St. Petersburg Theater Journal (No. 2 - 2013) noted that Gerzmava’s coloratura is “a kind of theatrical experience, poetic rhyme, emotional “edge” of the dramatic development of the image,” and her bel canto, fascinating shades and strokes, today makes the singer in demand in all over the world. Anastasia Arkhipova (OperaNews.Ru) draws attention to the lyricism, prayerful tonality and enchanting nightingale trepidation of Gerzmava’s coloratura, which seeks to push the lower limits own voice, saturate it with dramatic color. Pyotr Pospelov in Vedomosti notes the captivating sincerity, feeling and vocal brilliance of Khibla in Offenbach's opera The Tales of Hoffmann. Vogue magazine names Gerzmava opera singer a new type, “when not only the voice is important, but also the show, the shine of diamonds, the grace of movement on stage, actor play". Director of the Metropolitan Opera Music Department Craig Rutenberg notes the intelligence and theatricality of Gerzmava and her extraordinary voice, enveloping the listener " like blue velvet» .

The singer became involved in an unpleasant incident on December 16, 2016, when before the second round match of the Channel One Hockey Cup between the national teams of Russia and the Czech Republic, she forgot the words of the Russian anthem, made several mistakes and asked to perform the anthem from the beginning, but the organizers did not give this opportunity to the artist. The next day, the Russian Hockey Federation and its president Vladislav Tretyak apologized to Gerzmava for technical problems that occurred during the performance of the Russian anthem and subsequent “unfair assessments in the press.” According to Tretyak, a technical glitch occurred: the anthem music was launched late, then there were problems with the microphone.

Jazz [ | ]

Image [ | ]

Gerzmava has a reputation as one of the most stylish and elegant women on the Russian opera stage. Often the singer chooses her own costumes for performances, believing that the artist should appear before the audience in the most expensive, sophisticated outfit. Khibla prefers concert dresses with a slightly high waist. IN student years, in preparation for a professional career, by her own admission, she lost 25 kg. Nowadays, a team of stylists constantly works with Khibla, who do costume, hair, and makeup.

Family [ | ]

Khibla Gerzmava is divorced, she has a son, Sandro (born in March 1999), sang in the Moscow children's choir musical theater named after Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko.

Khibla has a younger brother, Loretz, and has two nephews. My brother graduated from MGIMO and the Sorbonne University, married a French pianist, and plays jazz on the piano. Lives in Paris and Abkhazia.

Gerzmava's family estate is located in the village of Duripsh, Gudauta region of Abkhazia, where her parents are buried and where in big house In the summer her large family gathers.

Friends [ | ]

For many years Gerzmava was friends with the writer Fazil Iskander, her favorite novel is “Sandro from Chegem”. She is friends with colleagues on stage (for example, with Vladimir Spivakov), and was friends with the deceased Zurab Sotkilava, Elena Obraztsova, Galina Vishnevskaya, Svyatoslav Belza. The technical organizer and sponsor of the festival in Pitsunda was the singer’s friend and fellow countryman, the general director management company"FUND SOUTH" Andrey Dudko; In the organisation concert activities she is helped by philanthropists, entrepreneur Rashid Sardarov and winemaker Nikolai Achba. With the participation of friends, patrons and colleagues, Khibla organizes charity events in Abkhazia - he financially supports an orchestra, a music school, an orphanage, a boarding school and museums, and helps young gifted performers.

Public position[ | ]

Despite the fact that Khibla always shunned politics, she once said about her homeland, which gained independence: “ Abkhazia is tired of being afraid and courageously threw off the shackles of fear" Gerzmava had warm friendly relations with three Abkhaz presidents - Vladislav Ardzinba, Sergei Bagapsh, Alexander Ankvab.

On March 1, 2014, she signed an appeal from Russian cultural figures in support of the policies of Russian President V.V. Putin in Ukraine and Crimea.

Titles and awards [ | ]

Notes [ | ]

1. Khibla Levarsovna Gerzmava | Belcanto.ru (undefined) .
2. Khibla Gerzmava - ten years later | OperaNews.ru (undefined) (unavailable link). Archived from the original on January 9, 2014.
3. Khodnev, Sergei. The Citizen Sings // Vogue. - 2012. - No. April 16. (Accessed October 1, 2016)
4. “Golden-eyed wolf” Khibla Gerzmava - Kazanskie Vedomosti (undefined) .

Khibla Gerzmava was born in 1970 in Pitsunda. In 1989 she graduated from the Sukhumi Music College in piano, in 1994 - from the Moscow Conservatory in piano. solo singing(with Professor I. Maslennikova and Professor E. Arefieva), in 1996 - graduate school with I. Maslennikova. She also took an optional organ class for three years.

During her studies, she won a number of prizes at prestigious international competitions: “Verdi Voices” in Busseto (III prize), named after. N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov in St. Petersburg (II prize), named after. F. Vinyasa in Spain (II prize). Best of luck the singer achieved at the X International Competition. P.I. Tchaikovsky in Moscow in 1994, winning the Grand Prix - the only one in the entire more than half-century history of this competition.

Since 1995, Khibla Gerzmava has been a soloist of the Moscow Academic Musical Theater named after. K.S. Stanislavsky and Vl.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko (she made her debut as Musetta in Puccini’s opera “La Bohème”). The singer's repertoire includes parts in the operas "Ruslan and Lyudmila" by Glinka, "The Tale of Tsar Saltan", "The Snow Maiden", "The Golden Cockerel" and "The Tsar's Bride" by Rimsky-Korsakov, "Eugene Onegin" by Tchaikovsky, "The Moor" by Stravinsky, "Betrothal" in the monastery" by Prokofiev, "The Marriage of Figaro" and "Don Giovanni" by Mozart, " Barber of Seville"Rossini, "Lucia di Lammermoor", "Elisir of Love" and "Don Pasquale" by Donizetti, "Rigoletto", "La Traviata", "Un ballo in maschera" and "Falstaff" by Verdi and a number of others, in the operetta by J. Strauss " Bat».

With the theater Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, the singer toured in Korea, the USA and other countries. She has sung on the stages of the Mariinsky Theatre, Teatro Comunale in Florence, Grand Teatro de Liceu in Barcelona, ​​Sofia National Opera in Bulgaria, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Covent Garden Theater in London, Palau des Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Japan and others.

Khibla Gerzmava constantly performs concert programs. IN concert repertoire singers - Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Requiems by Mozart and Verdi, oratorios by Handel ("Judas Maccabee") and Haydn ("Creation of the World", "Seasons"), "Coffee Cantata" by Bach; vocal cycles of Schumann (“Love and Life of a Woman”), R. Strauss (“Four Last Songs”), Ravel (“Scheherazade”); romances by Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Myaskovsky, Ippolitov-Ivanov.

The singer was applauded by the halls of Russia, Sweden, France, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Greece, Turkey, the USA, and Japan. Collaborates with V. Spivakov and the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia and the Moscow Virtuosi, A. Rudin and the Musica Viva orchestra, V. Gergiev, V. Fedoseev, A. Lazarev, M. Pletnev, V. Sinaisky, Yu. Bashmet, L. Maazel. Participant of festivals in Ludwigsburg (Germany; performed the role of Eve in “The Creation of the World” by J. Haydn and the role of the Guardian Angel in the opera “Imagination of Soul and Body” by E. de Cavalieri), in Colmar (France), “Vladimir Spivakov Invites...” , “Dedication...” in the State Tretyakov Gallery, ArsLonga and others. She has recorded several CDs: Ave Maria, “Khibla Gerzmava Performs Russian Romances”, “Oriental Romances of Khibla Gerzmava” and others.

The singer is one of the organizers of the Festival classical music“Khibla Gerzmava invites”, which has been held in Abkhazia since 2001. She was a member of the jury of the Valeria Barsova Competition in Sochi and the “Competition of Competitions” at the Sobinovsky Festival in Saratov.

The art of Khibla Gerzmav has received many awards. She is a laureate of the Moscow Theater Prize opera festival(2000) in the category " Best Singer", winner of the Golden Orpheus theater award (2001) in the category "Best Singer of the Year". In 2006 she was awarded the titles of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation and People's Artist of the Republic of Abkhazia.

She was awarded the Russian Opera Casta Diva Award and the National Theater Award " Golden Mask"for performing the role of Lucia in the performance of the theater. K.S. Stanislavsky and V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko “Lucia di Lammermoor”, Moscow City Prize for the performance of leading roles in the operas “La Traviata”, “Lucia di Lammermoor” and in the concert performance “An Evening of Classical Operetta”. In September and October, Khibla Gerzmava made a brilliant debut on the stage of the New York Metropolitan Opera in Offenbach's opera The Tales of Hoffmann (Antonia/Stella).

The singer constantly performs concert programs. The singer's concert and chamber repertoire includes Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Requiems by Mozart and Verdi, oratorios by Handel ("Judas Maccabeus") and Haydn ("Creation of the World", The Seasons), "Coffee Cantata" by Bach; vocal cycles of Schumann (“Love and Life of a Woman”), R. Strauss (“Four Last Songs”), Ravel (“Scheherazade”); romances by Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Myaskovsky, Ippollitov-Ivanov.

Khibla Gerzmav was applauded by the halls of Russia, Sweden, France, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Greece, Turkey, the USA, and Japan. She collaborates with V. Spivakov and his orchestras “Moscow Virtuosi” and the National Philharmonic, A. Rudin and the Musica viva orchestra, V. Gergiev, V. Fedoseev, A. Lazarev, M. Pletnev, V. Sinaisky, Yu. Bashmet, L .Maazel. Participant of festivals in Ludwigsburg (Germany; performed the role of Eve in “The Creation of the World” by J. Haydn and the role of the Guardian Angel in the opera “Imagination of Soul and Body” by E. de Cavalieri), in Colmar (France), “Vladimir Spivakov Invites...” , “Dedication...” in the State Tretyakov Gallery, ArsLonga, etc. She has recorded several CDs: Ave Maria, “Khibla Gerzmava performs Russian romances,” “Oriental romances of Khibla Gerzmava,” etc.

The singer is one of the organizers of the Classical Music Festival “Khibla Gerzmava Invites”, which has been held in Abkhazia since 2001. Takes part in the work of the jury of international competitions: them. Barsova in Sochi, the “Competition of Competitions” at the Sobinovsky Festival in Saratov, etc.

The art of Khibla Gerzmav has received many awards. She is a laureate of the Moscow Opera Festival theater prize (2000) in the category “Best Singer”; laureate of the Golden Orpheus 2001 theater award in the category “Best Singer of the Year”. In 2006 she was awarded the titles of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation and People's Artist of Abkhazia.

The year 2010 was especially generous with memorable events in the singer’s biography.

She was awarded the Russian Opera Award Casta Diva and the National Theater Award "Golden Mask" for her performance of the role of Lucia in the performance of the Theater. K.S. Stanislavsky and Vl.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko “Lucia di Lammermoor”, Moscow City Prize for the performance of leading roles in the operas “La Traviata”, “Lucia di Lammermoor” and in the concert performance “An Evening of Classical Operetta”. In September-October, Khibla Gerzmava made a brilliant debut on the stage of the New York Metropolitan Opera in Offenbach's opera The Tales of Hoffmann (Antonia/Stella, 7 performances).

Khibla Gerzmava: Not a single significant theater in the world can still do without Russian singers. We open seasons, we close seasons.

Every time I sing abroad, I feel a huge responsibility, because I represent my country and defend its honor. On the posters of the Metropolitan Opera and Covent Garden it is always written that I am from Russia, but was born in Abkhazia - this is also very important. Still, you need to remember your roots. When a singer doesn’t remember her roots, it’s sad and wrong.

They are wary of Russia, you say? This is politics. But we, artists, are peacemakers. We make politics - kind, friendly.

Olga Shablinskaya, “AiF”: I have heard from the audience more than once: after Khibla Gerzmava’s performances, their souls are light. Where is she? opera star finds joy?

Firstly, the singer must be in love and must be loved. For her voice to sound, a woman must be happy. Without falling in love, it is impossible to caress with sound.

Secondly, home is very important to me. This is my fortress. It’s great when your family and your child make you happy, it gives you an incredibly good energy boost. I have a son, he is 17 years old, I am very proud of him...

I'm generally such a joyful person. Although I also like to be sad. Sometimes I like loneliness, I like to watch beautiful pictures silently somewhere in a museum, read interesting book in a beautiful binding. I love heaven, I can happily stand at the temple where the bell is ringing and pray, read the “Our Father” several times... This gives cleansing.

I love to smell lilacs or an armful of peonies that a loved one sent me. In general, there are many little things that give life light energy. And, of course, music. Music is prayer, it is higher mathematics.

It’s also important to try something new. We recently shot a mini-film based on Sergei Prokofiev’s romance “The Gray-Eyed King” from the series “Five Poems by Anna Akhmatova,” dedicated to the composer’s 125th anniversary.

I suddenly realized that the camera loved me, and now I want to act in films.

Be strong

Are there any roles that scare you? Prima Svetlana Zakharova told me: when she danced the ballet “Young Man and Death,” she then had the feeling that she had really killed someone.

After one opera, it takes me a week to come to my senses. When I was preparing this role, it was impossible to communicate with me. I was nervous, irritated, somehow angry, vulnerable. I'm talking about the opera Medea by Cherubini - Callas sang it brilliantly, amazingly. Medea’s fate is so incredible... I still don’t understand how a woman could, out of love for a man, kill her brother, dismember his body, scatter it along the shore and sail away with her loved one, and then kill her children in order to take revenge on your loved one for your pain.

By the way, it is “Medea” that we will take to Abkhazia this year. The festival “Khibla Gerzmava invites...” is 15 years old - I can’t even believe it!

Khibla Gerzmava. Photo by Vlad Loktev.

- By the way, what field do you see your son in?

We tried to put everything good into Sandro. He is a great student, plays the piano and guitar beautifully. He has an excellent mathematical head. I thought he would go to the Financial Academy or MGIMO. But he theater child, grew up with us in the theater, sang in a children's choir, of course, he gravitates toward acting. But the most important thing is that he is growing up to be a real man, well-mannered and beautiful both internally and externally. Sandro knows well that a man must be the leader and stronger than others.

- And you too strong man? And does a woman need to hide her strength from the man she loves?

I am Capricorn, I have such a Capricorn character. A singer must be strong; the weak do not survive in our world. To be first, you need will.

And at home I am a very, very soft, “pajama”, fluffy person. I have gone through a lot in my life in order to stop being weak. I'm not talking about theatrical intrigues - they have always been, are and will be. I'm talking about early death parents... Almost 29 years since my mother has been gone. And I can still sometimes cry like a girl at 46 years old; I really miss my mother. Mom and dad are buried on our estate in Abkhazia. I visit their graves. These are my wings, which, if something happens, will cover me.

Russian and Abkhaz opera singer (soprano), People's Artist of Russia (2012).

Khibla Gerzmava- soloist of the Moscow Musical Theater named after Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, Honored Artist of Russia (2006), People's Artist of the Republic of Abkhazia (2006).

February 23, 2014 Khibla Gerzmava took part in the Closing Ceremony of the winter Olympic Games in Sochi: she performed the Olympic Waltz, moving through the ocean of air in the ship “Herald of Spring”.

Khibla Gerzmava. Biography

Khibla Gerzmava was born on Christmas Eve, January 6, 1970, in the Abkhaz resort town of Pitsunda in the family of a translator from German, an Intourist guide, and a senior administrator of the Pitsunda boarding house.

In Abkhazian, the name Khibla means “golden-eyed”, the surname Gerzmava means “wolf”, “she-wolf”.

Early, at 17 and 19 years old, Khibla I was left without parents, which influenced my worldview and choice of singing profession.

Khibla Gerzmava: “This happened after my mother died, my life changed a lot. Yes, I wanted to be an organist, it seemed logical to me, because I grew up near the Pitsunda temple, grew up listening to this music. It seemed to me that, having graduated from the piano department of the Moscow Conservatory, I would continue to study as an organist. And then... somehow it happened, in 1987, after my mother died, I began to sing... Basically, I always sang, played all sorts of jazz things on the piano and sang. But I never thought that I would study opera singing. Somehow something suddenly opened up..."

She studied at a music school in Gagra. She graduated from the Sukhumi Music College, majoring in piano, and dreamed of becoming an organist. In 1994 Khibla Gerzmava graduated from the Moscow Conservatory (vocal department, teachers - Professor I.I. Maslennikova, Professor E.M. Arefieva), in 1996 - postgraduate study at the Moscow Conservatory in the class of Professor Maslennikova. She also studied in the organ class. Since 1995 Khibla is a soloist of the Musical Theater named after. K. S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko.

During her career, Khibla Gerzmava performed on the stages of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg ( at the invitation of Valery Gergiev), Teatro Comunale in Florence, Grand Teatro de Liceu in Barcelona, ​​Sofia National Opera in Bulgaria, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, Palau de les Art Reina Sofia in Valencia, etc.

Khibla Gerzmava is called the Golden Soprano of Russia in the press.

In 2001 Khibla Gerzmava organized the annual music festival “Khibla Gerzmava invites...” in Abkhazia. For the last few years, the festival has been held in three parts: “Concert of Young Musicians”, “ Jazz improvisations" and "Evening of classical music". The festival was attended by Vladimir Spivakov and “ Virtuosos of Moscow" And Daniil Kramer with his trio.

In 2015 Khibla Gerzmava became members of the jury project " One to one!”, season 3 on channel "Russia 1"- an analogue of the Your Face Sounds Familiar program. Together with the outstanding opera singer, the performances of the participants were assessed by actress Lyudmila Artemyeva, artists Maxim Galkin and Yuri Stoyanov.

Khibla Gerzmava. Titles and awards

1993 - Competition “Voci Verdiani” (Italy), 3rd prize.

1994 - international competition Vocalists named after Francisco Viñas (Barcelona), 2nd prize

1994 - International Vocal Competition named after N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov (St. Petersburg), 2nd prize.

1994 - X International Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow), Grand Prix.

2001 - Golden Orpheus Theater Award in the category “Best Singer”.

2006 - Honored Artist of Russia.

2006 - People's Artist of the Republic of Abkhazia.

2010 - National Theater Award “Golden Mask” in the category “Best Actress”.

2010 - Casta Diva Award in the category “Best Opera Singer”.

2010 - Triumph Award.

2012 - People's Artist of the Russian Federation.

Khibla Gerzmava. Personal life

Khibla Gerzmava divorced, she has a son, Sandro (born 1998). The boy sang in the children's choir of the Moscow Musical Theater named after Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, and sometimes took part in performances with his mother.

Khibla has a younger brother and two nephews. My brother graduated from MGIMO and the Sorbonne University, married a French pianist, and plays jazz on the piano. Lives in Moscow.

Gerzmava's family estate is located in the village of Duripsh, Gudauta region of Abkhazia, where her parents are buried, and where a large family clan gathers in a large house in the summer.