By JESSICA King

On Friday evening, the high society of Ulaanbaatar graced the State Theatre of Opera and Ballet in their finest fur and highest heels for an evening of classical repertoire, led by violinist O.Baigal. The audience quaffed red wine and posed for photographers in the grand entrance hall of the state theatre, whilst the stage was set and the performers prepared for O.Baigal’s one-night-only concert in the capital.
O. Baigal began learning the violin at the age of six and is already hailed as Mongolia’s finest new musical talent. She graduated from the Music and Dance College of Mongolia in 2002 and went on to study violin at the Mongolian University of Arts and Culture. From 2006 – 2008 O.Baigal studied for an MBA in Management of Classical Arts and in 2010 she was awarded the ‘Young Leader of Mongolian Arts’ scholarship by The Arts Council of Mongolia.
The stage was arranged simply, a grand piano gleaming in the centre. After a quick introduction and a nod to the official sponsors, the concert began.

The music got off to a somewhat shaky start. Baigal played Bach’s Sonata No 1 as audience members arrived late and noisily shuffled to their seats. The fact that it was bitterly cold in the theatre must have also been a distraction. However, despite the initial disturbances, she held her nerve and, looking stunning in a floor length fuchsia and diamante gown, continued to play Tchaikovsky and Chopin with confidence and flair followed by the beautiful, quick-tempo ‘Polonaise Brillante’ by Polish composer Henryk Wieniawski. A number of Mongolian classical pieces such as N. Jantsannorov’s ‘Ayz’ also meet with a warm, appreciative response.
The audience was also treated to a wonderful piano recital by pianist Ts. Enkhtur, which he executed with panache. The highlight for me however, was E. Amartuvshin’s rendition of Russian Romantic composer Alexander Borodin’s ‘Prince Igor’. The opera recounts the campaign of the Russian Prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185. E. Amartuvshin sung the piece with wonderful emotion and fervor. The audience were drawn in to his sad tale and hushed by his deep, earthy voice, which reverberated around the theatre.
The real surprise of the evening came when, after a short break, the curtain came up and the stage had been transformed into a serene, villa-esque setting, complete with chandeliers, sparkling candelabras and the full orchestra and choir, conducted by N. Tuulaikhuu.
O. Baigal entered in another show-stopping (this time white and diamante) gown and the whole ensemble wowed the audience with a number of pieces, the best of which was the 2nd and 3rd movements of Brahms’s Violin Concerto in D major, considered one of the four great German violin concerti.
O.Baigal performed wonderfully; her passion for the instrument shining through. Although she may have not reached the international stage just yet, her performance on Friday will ensure she remains one of Mongolia’s brightest musical stars.