Press releases

VITEBSK, 5 April (BelTA) - The 31^st international festival of old and modern chamber music will be held in Polotsk from 5 April to 8 May, BelTA learned from head of the concert department at St Sophia Cathedral Elena Martynova.

The forum will open on 5 April by the Chamber Orchestra “Europe Center” under the baton of Rail Sadykov. The orchestra will play the works of great composers Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonio Vivaldi.

Taking part in this year’s festival will be prominent musicians and young talents from Belarus, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Iceland and Estonia. “The festival is an unforgettable event for all music fans who are invited to explore the profound repertoire of old music masterpieces and works of great contemporary composers within magnificent St Sophia Cathedral. The Polotsk forum is among the greatest music events held in Belarus,” Elena Martynova said.

The concert on 8 April will feature German organist Christoph Hauser who, alongside with classical masterpieces, will offer Easter improvisations and Star Wars Suite (arr. Harald Feller).

“The piano evening on 12 April will commemorate outstanding pianist, talented teacher and Honored Artist of Russia, professor of the St Petersburg State Conservatory Nina Seregina, who untimely passed away in 2017. She raised several generations of talented and successful pianists many of who have become prizewinners of prestigious international competitions. The concert will feature her students - pianists Jurgis Aleknavicius of Latvia and Maria Sapargalieva of Russia,” Elena Martynova said.

The stars of the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of Belarus will perform at St Sophia Cathedral on 18 April. The concert will include songs of the famous composer of the 20^th century Georgy Sviridov.

On 26 April, Polotsk will mark the 200^th birthday of the Belarusian composer of the 19^th century, Florian Miladovsky, with the mass that was lost more than a century ago and restored from fragments of manuscripts kept in the Stanislaw Moniuszko Warsaw Music Society. The mass will be performed by the debutant of the festival - the Belarusian Chamber Choir Salutaris.

The festival will be wrapped up by a concert of the Symphony Orchestra of the Belteleradiocompany under the baton of Erki Pehk (Estonia). St Sophia Cathedral will host for the first time well-known soloists from Iceland Kristjana Helgadottir (flute) and Gunnhildur Einarsdottir (harp). The program will include compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Achille-Claude Debussy and Toru Takemitsu.