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Interviews, Music, News, Talks and Events

Alexander Karpeyev and Pushkin House Music Festival

Alexander Karpeyev and Pushkin House Music Festival

BY Matteo Morelli POSTED 21/01/2020 10:05 AM

In the light of the upcoming Pushkin House Music Festival, that will take place in London from 28 January to 2 February, we met with pianist Alexander Karpeyev, Music Curator of Pushkin House. In his role as Festival Director Alexander told us about this first ever week-long showcase of Russian music concerts, recitals, workshops and masterclasses in […] Read More

Art, Art Market, News

Brafa presents Russian art

Brafa presents Russian art

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 20/01/2020 6:50 PM

The Brafa Art Fair opens on 26 January 2020 in Brussels Read More

Art, Art Market, Interviews

Shtager Gallery: Interview with Vitaly Pushnitsky at the London Art Fair

Shtager Gallery: Interview with Vitaly Pushnitsky at the London Art Fair

BY Marina Shtager POSTED 19/01/2020 9:50 PM

Interview with Vitaliy Pushnitskiy whose work is exhibited at the London Art Fair Read More

Music

Noseda conducts Shostakovich London Symphony Orchestra

Noseda conducts Shostakovich London Symphony Orchestra

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 19/01/2020 7:47 PM

Classical and Contemporary music meet as Gianandrea Noseda conducts music by Russian composers Read More

Music

Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms at South Bank Centre

Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms at South Bank Centre

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 19/01/2020 1:01 PM

Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms at the South Bank Centre Read More

Film, Talks and Events

An evening of stories about the communities in South Caucasus

An evening of stories about the communities in South Caucasus

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 17/01/2020 10:35 AM

An evening of short documentary film screenings and discussions Read More

Interviews, Talks and Events

Gift of Life Gala

Gift of Life Gala

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 16/01/2020 9:56 AM

Gift of Life Gala Read More

Interviews, Music

Charles Owen in Russian Music

Charles Owen in Russian Music

BY Yulia Chaplina POSTED 15/01/2020 10:00 AM

Interview with the pianist Charles Owen Read More

Art

PEACE! FRIENDSHIP! DESIGN! The history of Russian industrial design

PEACE! FRIENDSHIP! DESIGN! The history of Russian industrial design

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 14/01/2020 10:00 AM

The debut exhibition of the Moscow Design Museum Read More

Interviews, Music

All the truth about Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

All the truth about Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 13/01/2020 10:00 AM

15 facts about Piotr Tchaikovsky Read More

Talks and Events

THE NEW WAVE OF RUSSIAN CULTURAL PROTEST

THE NEW WAVE OF RUSSIAN CULTURAL PROTEST

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 11/01/2020 2:48 PM

The shape and thrust of cultural protest in Russia Read More

Art

Atomic Alert!: Confronting “The Bomb” in the New Atomic Age

Atomic Alert!: Confronting “The Bomb” in the New Atomic Age

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 10/01/2020 8:22 AM

The upcoming exhibition in The Museum of Russian Icons Read More

Art, Reviews

The Most Sincere Form of Flattery? ‘Amerikanizm’ and Russian Design

The Most Sincere Form of Flattery? ‘Amerikanizm’ and Russian Design

BY Peter Lowe POSTED 09/01/2020 10:01 AM

Americanism in Russian Architecture - exhibition review Read More

Music

Germán Clavijo on Shostakovich

Germán Clavijo on Shostakovich

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 08/01/2020 5:14 PM

Interview with the musician Germán Clavijo Read More

Art, Art Market

Shtager Gallery at London Art Fair

Shtager Gallery at London Art Fair

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 07/01/2020 8:50 PM

Russian presence at the London Art Fair Read More

Music

Evgeny Kissin in recital

Evgeny Kissin in recital

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 06/01/2020 10:00 AM

One of the supreme pianists of our time Read More

Music

Solo concert of VADYM KHOLODENKO

Solo concert of VADYM KHOLODENKO

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 05/01/2020 10:00 AM

Musically dynamic and technically gifted musician Read More

Music

Noseda conducts Shostakovich

Noseda conducts Shostakovich

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 04/01/2020 10:00 AM

Gianandrea Noseda conducts music by Russian composers Read More

Music

RARITIES OF RUSSIAN PIANO MUSIC

RARITIES OF RUSSIAN PIANO MUSIC

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 03/01/2020 10:00 AM

Young pianists from all over the world Read More

Music

Swan Lake from Moscow City Ballet

Swan Lake from Moscow City Ballet

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 02/01/2020 10:00 AM

The stunning Swan Lake Read More

Talks and Events

Boris Akunin: Points of Disagreement

Boris Akunin: Points of Disagreement

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 01/01/2020 10:00 AM

Boris Akunin and Ekaterina Shulman in conversation Read More

Music

Experience Shostakovich’s Symphony No 8

Experience Shostakovich’s Symphony No 8

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 31/12/2019 10:00 AM

The masterpiece of despair and anger Read More

Music

Kobekina & Okros: Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov

Kobekina & Okros: Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 31/12/2019 10:00 AM

The all-Russian evening of chamber music Read More

Music

Britten and Shostakovich by the Youth Orchestra of Great Britain

Britten and Shostakovich by the Youth Orchestra of Great Britain

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 30/12/2019 10:00 AM

The world’s greatest orchestra of teenagers Read More

Music

Armenian State Symphony Orchestra with Maxim Vengerov

Armenian State Symphony Orchestra with Maxim Vengerov

BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 29/12/2019 10:00 AM

The musical programme reflecting on the strength of human spirit Read More

Calendar

January 2020

< December | February >

Instagram

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➡️ London Art Fair – Interview with Vitaly Pushnitsky 🎨

Marina @shtager spoke to Vitaly @pushnitsky in preparation for this year's @londonartfair

Vitaly Pushnitsky is of the one artists who determines new developments in painting according to Phaidon, the Vitamin P2 Publishing. He is also one of the top 100 most important Russian artists. This year Vitaly Pushnitsky will show his works at the Shtager Gallery stand at International London Art Fair for the first time. Marina Shtager is talking to Vitaly a few days before the opening.

Read the full interview and subscribe on our website 🌐

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🎵 Stravinsky's symphony of Psalms at Southbank 🎶

Enjoy your Sunday with Classical Music at the South Bank

Crouch End Festival Chorus sings you through ambitious music of the changing 20th century, from Glass, Stravinsky and Ives.

@londonchamberorchestra
The concert takes place on 2 February 2020 at Queen Elizabeth Hall @southbankcentre

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➡️ The new wave of Russian cultural protest 🇷🇺 From the ’60s to the ’80s samizdat literature, non-conformist visual arts and underground music have all been vital and powerful tools of anti-Soviet and anti-totalitarian resistance. Following the fall of the Communist empire the cultural paradigm drastically changed, but not for long: the 2010s brought new inspiration for cultural protest and many new forms. The turbulent contemporary art scene in Russia presents a mix of traditional dissident forms, including protest songs and theatre, but also a dizzying array of new trends, from actionist artists to radical rappers. Cultural commentator, journalist and enfant terrible of the Russian music scene Artemy Troitsky, will reveal and explain the shape and thrust of cultural protest in Russia today.

The event is on 4 February 2020 at @pushkinhouselondon

For more information visit our website 🌐

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🇷🇺 Russian art at BRAFA ART FAIR 🎨

Galerie W. Apolloni SRL
In the 1980s, during the conservation and restoration work in the State historical museum of Moscow, a valuable collection of sculptures was discovered. Among them were marble busts of Antonio Canova, Joachim Murat and his wife Carolina Bonaparte. According to the museum catalogue, they were able to find out that these portraits were part of the collection of Peter Ivanovich Schukin, who
acquired them from the St. Petersburg antiquarian Mikhail Mikhailovich Savostin. It turned out that the had acquired them from Alexander Yakovlevich Jacobson, and initially the work had come from the collection of Anatoly Nikolaevich Demidov, the husband of the daughter of the brother of Napoleon I. Being a big fan of the Emperor, Demidov acquired the residence of Napoleon on the Elbe and created a museum there.
There are famous plaster casts of these portraits in the workshop of Antonio Canova in Possagno. The works presented at BRAFA come from the Wittelsbach collection.

BRAFA art fair starts on January 26

For more information visit @brafaartfair and follow our posts!

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🎥 An Evening of Stories about the Communities in South Caucasus 🎬

An evening of short documentary film screenings and discussions covering stories about women, rural communities, minorities, and conflict-affected groups in the South Caucasus.

The event is on at @pushkinhouselondon on January 31st at 19.00h

For the full list of shorts visit our website!

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🎶 Gift of Life Gala 💕

On January 13th, 2020, London’s @thesavoylondon hosted the ninth annual @gift_of_life_charity Gala to raise funds to help severely ill children. The evening raised over £720,000 for the purchase of medications and surgeries for children with oncological diseases in Russian hospitals.

The charity auction that traditionally concludes a Gift of Life gala was conducted by @alexey_agranovich. This year, the main lots for guests to compete for were: the premieres of the play “Gorbachev”, starring Yevgeny Mironov and @chulpanofficial, in Moscow and Riga, a week-long course at Nika Belotserkovskaya’s school in Provence, a safari in South Africa organised by Thanda Royal Residence, the opportunity to attend the Wimbledon finals and meet the world’s youngest tennis star, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and an evening of @natalia_osipova_official performing at the @royaloperahouse.

Natalia Osipova: “Dance is an art that can only be comprehended with an open heart. That’s just as true for charity work, which isn’t possible without empathy for those around you. I’d like to thank Podari Zhizn and Gift of Life, which bring together people who know what it means to see and feel.” The gala was made possible by generous support from Roman Abramovich, Kaspersky Lab, and the Blavatnik Family Foundation, who took on all costs of organising the event. The funds raised by the gala will be transferred for treatment of the children in Gift of Life’s care in Russia.

Read the full article on our website!

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🎹 Charles Owen in Russian Music 🎵

In this series of interviews dedicated to the UK – Russia Year of Music Russian award-winning pianist Yulia Chaplina talks to four of her distinguished British colleagues who perform and teach Russian music with great love and passion. Her second interviewee is a British concert pianist, the brilliant Charles Owen.

To continue reading and for further information about Charles Owen and his concerts visit our website!

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☮️ PEACE! FRIENDSHIP! DESIGN! 🎨

The State Tretyakov Gallery and the Moscow Design Museum present the exhibition “PEACE! FRIENDSHIP! DESIGN! The history of Russian industrial design.” This is the debut exhibition of the Moscow Design Museum of in the West wing of the New Tretyakov Gallery. The space of the West Wing has been associated with design and architecture for many years. When the Central House of Artists operated here, there were held exhibitions, competitions and other events related to these types of artistic activities. The Tretyakov Gallery plans to continue the tradition.

The first exhibition of the Moscow Design Museum “WORLD! FRIENDSHIP! DESIGN! The History of Russian Industrial Design” is dedicated to the development of industrial design in Russia in the 1950–2020s. The exposition shows more than 300 design objects and consists of 11 sections: aviation and astronautics, automobiles, bicycles and motorcycles, water transport, heavy equipment, tools and equipment, medical equipment, electronics, optics, sports, and household items.

At the exhibition you will see designs made at Soviet factories and plants: models of airplanes and vehicles, snowmobiles, prototypes of radio equipment, photo and film equipment, household appliances, toys and many other works. The unique showpieces include a model of a small cup of the Olympic flame, designed for the 1980 Olympics by the leading artist of the Tupolev Design Bureau A. Sergeyev – one of the authors of the interior of the TU-144 aircraft; an electric samovar “Sputnik” (designer K. Sobakin); a three-legged chair, which design was based on the same principles as the design of the “Simple Satellite-1”; a vase from a sleeve produced at one of the Ural plants; a PD-47 parachute, used in 1955 by the astronaut Y. Gagarin to jump from a height of 800 meters. Modern Russian design is represented by the latest developments and futuristic projects: mock-ups of airplanes and concept cars, a Kalashnikov motorcycle and four-wheeler, innovative medical equipment and communication tools.

@moscowdesignmuseum

The exhibition is on until 1 March 2020 at the new @tretyakov_gallery

To find out more visit our website!

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🎹 The truth about Tchaikovsky 🎶

Who does not know Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky? How many times have you listened to the tunes from the Nutcracker over the festive period? One of the most known Russian composers remains always topical and loved by all the generations. However, there might be something you did not know about him. Check yourself with our 15 facts about Piotr Tchaikovsky.

Continue reading on our website and let us know how many you knew already! ➡️

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❓ THE MOST SINCERE FORM OF FLATTERY? ‘AMERIKANIZM’ AND RUSSIAN DESIGN 🏢 "The narrative of the Cold War usually works inexorably to position the USA and USSR in complete opposition to each other, each fully intent on their rival’s overthrow or collapse. As visitors to the Canadian Centre for Architecture’s current exhibition realise, however, there is also a significant tale of appreciation and emulation in the Russian view of the United States, and also at times in American recognition of Soviet achievement, which runs through the first half of the twentieth century and finds expression in some surprising ways. Through a wealth of design plans, models, photographs, and film footage, ‘Building a New World’ tells a fascinating story of mutual influence." 'Building a New World: Amerikanizm in Russian Architecture' is at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, Quebec, until 5th April 2020. For more details and to continue reading on our website!

Written by Peter Lowe

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🚨 ATOMIC ALERT!: CONFRONTING “THE BOMB” IN THE NEW ATOMIC AGE ⚠️ The Soviet Union’s detonation of its first atomic bomb on August 29, 1949, thrust the United States into a new and more precarious era. Just four years after celebrating victory in World War II as the only nation with an atomic bomb, Americans now found themselves confronting the probability of an atomic war.

Atomic Alert!: Confronting “The Bomb” in the New Atomic Age, March 20-May 6, explores the government’s Cold War era efforts to educate Americans about what to do before an atomic attack, how to react to a sudden, blinding flash, and what action to take in the aftermath of an atomic blast.

Featuring artifacts and interpretation from Michael Scheibach, Ph.D., independent scholar and author, Atomic Alert! offers a unique opportunity to revisit the early atomic age when the world was divided between two atomic-armed adversaries: the United States and the Soviet Union.

A special feature of the exhibition will be a large interactive element called “When the Bomb Falls,” which allows visitors to explore the impact of a nuclear blast on a geographic area.

The Museum will be partnering with the @clintonhistoricalsociety throughout this exhibition to explore how the Cold War fits into local history, This partnership will include joint programming and an additional exhibition Clinton in the Cold War at the Holder Memorial building at 210 Church Street in Clinton, MA.

The exhibition takes place at the Museum of @russianicons from 20 March 2020 until 6 May 2020

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➡️ Russian Art at BRAFA art fair 🇷🇺 After Wassily Kandinsky (Moscow 1866-1944 Neuilly-sur-Seine)
Horizontalee, 1939

Vivian Endicott Barnett, Kandinsky Watercolors, Catalog Raisonné, Volume Two, 1922-1944,
London, 1994, p. 466, no. 1268, illustration of the original watercolour. The three-way collaboration between the Galerie Denise René, the Tabard workshop in Aubusson and Victor Vasarely began in 1951 and resulted early on in the exhibition '12 Unseen Tapestries Created in the Tabard Workshop in Aubusson ’which was held from June-July 1952 at the Galerie Denise René, the first formal tribute paid to abstraction in tapestry work, uniting pieces by Deyrolle, Herbin, and more historical figures such as Taeuber-Arp and Kandinsky (‘On a black background’). It was the artist’s wife, Nina Kandinsky, who was approached in this regard, and who passed works to be used as designs on to Vasarely, who was in charge of creating the weaving cards. The June 1954 exhibition was a solo show entitled ‘Four Unseen Tapestries by Kandinsky’, and it showcased ‘Horizontalee’ which was made in an edition of four according to the Tabard archives.

@brafaartfair is on 26 Jan - 2 Feb 2020
@dewitfinetapestries

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🎼 Germán Clavijo on Shostakovich 🎶

Born in Argentina, Germán Clavijo trained with Ljerko Spiller in Buenos Aires and subsequently at the @guildhallschool of Music & Drama in London with Jack Glickman and Rachel Podger.

He has recorded for @classicfm and the @bbc in the United Kingdom and for Radio Nacional and TVE in Spain. He has worked with the @rpoonline, the @bbcphilharmonic, @royaloperahouse and the Ensemble Modern. @germanchoargentina was Principal Viola of the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada and Artistic Director of the Ensemble Instrumental de Granada, Spain.

Read the full interview in out website!

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🎨 SHTAGER GALLERY AT LONDON ART FAIR 🇬🇧 @londonartfair is the UK’s oldest established Contemporary art fair. It returns from 22-26 January 2020, bringing museum-quality modern and contemporary art to the capital. The Fair unites the best galleries from around the world with seasoned and aspiring collectors looking to acquire exceptional works, from both internationally renowned artists and emerging artists breaking new ground.

This year @shtagergallery will present the leading contemporary Russian artists. Vitaly Pushnitsky, whose artworks were featured in the influential publication “Vitamin P2” and one of most significant media artist Marina Alexeeva with her new British-themed series of multimedia installations will be on Stand G06 for this event.

A world premiere of a new video installation by Alexander Shishkin-Hokusai, who represented Russia at the 58th Venice Biennale will also be opened.

On at the Business Design Center, 52 Upper Street London N1 0QH, 21 January 2020 - 26 January 2020

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🎨 AMAZONS OF RUSSIAN ALTERNATIVE ART 😎

We all know the Amazons of Russian Avant-Garde. While the majority of radical and innovative artistic movements in Europe were based on the image of a male artist genius (and as Carol Duncan argued their need to assert their domination and virility though their art) Russian example offered something different. The unprecedented number of women artists were actively involved in the movement. As the curators of the iconic exhibition in Guggenheim demonstrated, never before in the history of Western art had women played so vital a role in the formation of a revolutionary cultural enterprise, one that redefined traditional aesthetic values and remapped age-old divisions between art and life. Alexandra Exter, Natalia Goncharova, Liubov Popova, Olga Rozanova, Varvara Stepanova, and Nadezhda Udaltsova were among those whose drive to discover “new bases of artistic creation” was recognised and studied in exhibitions and publications on equal terms with their male colleagues.

To read the full article visit our website!

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🇷🇺 Russian art at BRAFA art fair 🎨

In 2020, at the BRAFA Brussels Fair, @heritagegallerymoscow and @kristinakrasnyanskaya will continue to familiarise the public with the Soviet collection design. In addition to rare pieces of furniture in the style of Art Deco and artefacts of Soviet decorative-applied art such as agitlak, porcelain and glass, the gallery stand will feature architectural fantasies of Jacob Chernikhov. Also, the visitors of the Brussels Fair will see overcoats created by modern artist Dmitry Tsvetkov which serve as an anti-war manifesto. For the first time at the fair, the curator of the stand – Kristina Krasnyanskaya, will show historical objects in dialogue with objects of modern Russian artists who appeal to the Soviet theme. Along with Tsvetkov, the authors featured will be Vitold Gintovt, Sergey Shekhovtsov and Boris Orlov. A significant part of the exposition will be the book by Christina Krasnyanskoy titled “Soviet Design. From Constructivism to Modernism. 1920 – 1980 ”, which contains the first thorough research of Soviet design in English, summarising the research spanning several years. Drawing on previously unexplored archival materials, this book offers a comprehensive review of seven decades of Soviet design (interior and architectural) from constructivism and revolutionary avant-garde to late modernism.

@brafaartfair takes place 26 January - 2 February 2020.

For more information visit our website and subscribe!

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🎶 Evgeny Kissin in Recital 🎵

The brilliant Russian reaffirms his credentials as one of the supreme pianists of our time in a recital that ranges from Schumann to Scriabin, from deep poetry to untrammelled ardour.

Kissin’s a regular at the Barbican, of course, but his appearances here continue to leave critics gasping: ‘A rare and miraculous piano legend’ was how the Daily Telegraph described his 2016 recital here. He’s unrivalled in Chopin, but it’ll be fascinating to hear his way with Debussy’s Preludes. And the prospect of Kissin playing Scriabin is enough to set any lover of great piano-playing on fire.

Catch Kissin on 6 February 2020 at @barbicancentre

For more information visit our website and subscribe!

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➡️ The annual BALLET ICONS GALA, presented by Ensemble Productions, celebrates its 15th anniversary at the Coliseum on January 26th 2020 with a thrilling programme of world class ballet.

The programme, which celebrates the unique style, quality and sheer calibre of the Russian school of ballet training, will present global ballet stars including Natalia Osipova (Royal Ballet), Jason Kittelberger (Stuttgart Ballet), Xander Parish (Mariinsky Theatre), Ludmila Pagliero (Paris Opera Ballet), Maria Alexandrova (Bolshoi Theatre), Jeffrey Cirio (English National Ballet), Ekaterina Krysanova (Bolshoi Theatre), Giuseppe Picone (Teatro di San Carlo) and many more.

BALLET ICONS GALA is an annual highlight in the ballet calendar and an absolute must for ballet fans; the programme will feature classical masterpieces as well as contemporary works created by today’s leading choreographers. Music will be performed by English National Ballet Philharmonic under the direction of Russian conductor, Valery Ovsyanikov, a regular Royal Ballet collaborator and who has conducted every Gala.

VIP tickets available at natasha@russianartandculture.com

@englishnationalopera
@ensembleproductions
@ludmila_pagliero_official
@jeffreycirio
@giuseppepiconeoff
@balletgala2019
@_xander
@natalia_osipova_official
@britishtheatre

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🎶 Solo Concert by Vadym Kholodenko 🎶

Winner of the Van Cliburn (2013), Schubert (2011) and Sendai (2010) competitions, Vadym Kholodenko is fast building a reputation as a musically dynamic and technically gifted musician.

Following a successful solo recital at Wigmore Hall and his residency at the Mariinsky Concert Hall where Valery Gergiev named him “Artist of the Month”, we are delighted to have Vadym Kholodenko appear as part of the London Bechstein Series.

The concert is on at @stjohnssmithsquare 31 December - 31 January 2020

For more information visit the link to our website and subscribe!

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🎼 Noseda conducts Shostakovich 🎶

The past and the contemporary meet, as Gianandrea Noseda conducts music by Russian composers who reached back in history to create something entirely new – and one of their Classical inspirations.

For Noseda, the Ninth is Shostakovich at his most ‘classical’, but a modern statement nonetheless. ‘Stalin wanted a celebration of the victory of Russia, and Shostakovich came out with a sort of opera buffa symphony,’ he says. ‘Short, witty, lots of sarcasm. I can really feel his wish to go against what was expected of him.’ The concert is on 30 January 2020 at the @barbicancentre

For more information visit our website and subscribe!

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Russian Art Week Guide