The concert of the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra in Smolensk

The charity concert that took place today in the Regional Philharmonic Society opened the Smolensk program of the Moscow Easter Festival. A real treat for classical music fans was the performance of the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of Valery Gergiev.

The Moscow Easter Festival has been held annually since 2002 and it is one of the most important and prestigious music events in Russia. The Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra, one of the best orchestras in the world, and maestro Valery Gergiev give performances in Moscow, the regions of Russia and CIS countries within the concert tour. The festival is held with the support of the Moscow Government, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill. This year more than 90 concerts of symphonic, choral, chamber and bell-ringing programs will be given within 12 days of the tour, which is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Kursk Battle. Smolensk, where the symphonic program was presented, became the first city of the tour.

Smolensk is hosting the Moscow Easter Festival for the second time - two years ago the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra performed for the residents of the regional center as part of its tour. Then the audience listened to Mahler's Fifth Symphony. Today two more charity concerts were given in Smolensk.

The first concert was given in the Regional Philharmonic Society for students of children's art music schools from all the municipal districts of the Smolensk region. The young people could enjoy the excellence of the famous orchestra and also took part in the music festival. Thus, Giovanni Pergolesi's brilliant cantata «Stabat Mater» was performed by the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra together with the consolidated choir of the Smolensk music college, theological college and the children's art school named after Mikhail Glinka. This famous work was performed at the Easter Festival for the first time. Also the overture "Light Festival" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and fragments from the ballet "The Firebird" by Igor Stravinsky were performed for the children.

Later on another concert for the residents of the city and the region was held in the Smolensk Drama Theatre named after Alexander Griboyedov. The Overture "Light Festival" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, symbolic for the Easter week, the fragment of the opera "A Life for the Tsar" by Mikhail Glinka's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" by Sergei Rachmaninoff were performed for the audience. The piano part was played by People's Artist of Russia Denis Matsuev.