The XXXI International Festival of Ancient and Modern Chamber Music will be held in Polotsk from April 5 to May 8, BELTA was informed by Elena Martynova, Head of the Concert Department of St. Sophia Cathedral.
The XXXI International Festival of Ancient and Modern Chamber Music will be held in Polotsk from April 5 to May 8, BELTA was informed by Elena Martynova, Head of the Concert Department of St. Sophia Cathedral.
At the grand opening of the festival today, the Europa-Center Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Rail Sadykov, will perform. Music by the great composers Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonio Vivaldi will be featured.
The forum will be attended by renowned musicians and young talents of world performing arts from Belarus, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Iceland, and Estonia. "The festival is an unforgettable celebration for all music lovers. In the unique atmosphere of St. Sophia Cathedral, masterpieces of ancient chamber music, works by great contemporary composers, and premieres by domestic and foreign authors will be performed. The Polotsk forum is among the landmark events in the musical life of Belarus and is an integral part of it," emphasized Elena Martynova.
The second concert will take place on April 8 – it will be a performance by German organist Christoph Hauser, who, along with classical works, will perform organ improvisations on Easter themes, as well as a suite based on the music of Harald Feller from the film "Star Wars."
"The piano evening on April 12 is dedicated to the memory of the outstanding pianist, talented teacher, Honored Artist of Russia, Professor of the St. Petersburg State Conservatory Nina Nikolaevna Seryogina, who passed away prematurely in 2017. She trained several generations of talented and successful pianists, many of whom became laureates of prestigious international competitions. In memory of their teacher, Jurgis Aleknavičius from Lithuania and Maria Sapargalieva from Russia will perform on the stage of St. Sophia Cathedral," explained the Head of the Concert Department.
Stars of the National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of Belarus will perform in St. Sophia Cathedral on April 18. The concert will feature romances and songs by the renowned 20th-century composer Georgy Sviridov, with lyrics by A. Pushkin, A. Blok, R. Burns, V. Mayakovsky, P. Béranger, as well as a masterpiece of Sviridov's chamber music – the cycle on the words of Sergei Yesenin, "Отчалившая Русь" (Departed Rus').
On April 26, to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the 19th-century Belarusian composer Florian Miladouski, the mass "Spevy da svyatoi Imshy" will be performed for the first time in Polotsk. This work was lost over a century ago and has been revived in our times: the piece was reconstructed from manuscript fragments preserved in the S. Moniuszko Warsaw Music Society. This mass will be performed by a festival debutant – the Belarusian chamber choir Salutaris.
The concluding performance of the festival will be a concert by the Symphony Orchestra of the Belteleradiocompany conducted by Estonian conductor Erki Pehk. For the first time, renowned soloists from Iceland, Kristjana Helgadóttir (flute) and Gunnhildur Einarsdóttir (harp), will perform in the Saint Sophia Cathedral. The programme includes music by Mozart, Debussy, and the Japanese composer Takemitsu.