Concerts of Denis Matsuev became the second event of the festival that promises to make Jurmala the summer cultural capital of the Baltics in the future.
The Baltic Musical Seasons is a long-term project, which is conceived and founded by the Fund especially established for this purpose by the heads of the biggest businesses of Latvia and Russia. Financial support to the festival is provided also by Rietumu Bank.
This year, within the framework of the festival, a series of concerts of world stars of classical music and opera are to be held. And, meanwhile, managers of the Fund think about the programme for the future. According to Member of the Council of Rietumu Bank, Member of the Board of Guardians of the Baltic Musical Seasons Alexander Gafin, “We are pleased to see that concerts of the festival enjoy such a success. We have been working a lot on the programme and now apply serious efforts for organising it on the highest level. I would like to emphasise that all this is possible due to the support rendered to the festival by founders of our fund. The high scenic art can exist only in a tandem with a worthy financial constituent and, in my opinion, we have managed to implement this union in the most successful way.”
Denis Matsuev has treated his Jurmala performance especially reverently. The first evening started with the immortal classics - “Night on Bald Mountain” by M. P. Mussorgsky and the First Concert for Piano with Orchestra by P. I. Tchaikovsky. The People’ Artist of Russia performed it, accompanied by the symphony orchestra of the Baltic Musical Seasons directed by the principal conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan Alexander Sladkovsky.
As acknowledged by this outstanding pianist, he has played this concert a great number of times. "However, the peculiar feature of genius classical works is that every time one discovers a new depth, colours, sense and emotions in them," said Matsuev. In the second part of the concert, the outstanding musician performed the "Polovtsian Dances" by А. P. Borodin and the "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin. The amazing combination of classics with jazz improvisation won the spectators to such an extent that they rose in applause and requested an encore.
This classical work, charged with jazz energy, became a smooth transfer of the programme of the second concert day, when the piano virtuoso presented his new programme to Latvian spectators - Jazz in the Circle of Friends. It was played together with the winners of the TV contest of young talents Blue Bird, as well as with contrabass player Andrey Ivanov, percussionist Alexander Zinger and bayanist Aydar Gaynullin. As Matsuev emphasises himself, he would never dare to call himself a jazzman, as this is a totally different world, with its own laws. “This performance in Jurmala is rather a tribute to jazz, expression of our admiration of this great art,” said the musician.
The performance by Matsuev arouses great interest among the audience. His concerts in Dzintari were complete sell-outs. Among guests, there were different representatives of Latvian culture, as well as Russian stars - director Stanislav Govorukhin, singer and composer Igor Nikolayev, actor Leonid Yarmolnik, and Alla Pugacheva, who is now having rest in Jurmala and rarely attends social events.
Also, well-known VIP persons came to listen to the performance of the outstanding piano virtuoso. Among them, former Prime Minister and entrepreneur Andris Skele, former Prime Minister Valdis Birkavs, Chairman of the Council of Rietumu Bank Leonid Esterkin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Latvia Evgeny Lukyanov, patron of art Boris Teterev, Director of the Latvian National Museum of Art Mara Lace and many others.
Baltic Musical Seasons The Baltic Musical Seasons is one of the biggest projects in the field of classical music and opera in Northern Europe, within which Latvia hosts concerts of stars of the world stage. Among founders of the festival’s fund, there are shareholders of Rietumu Bank Leonid Esterkin and Arkady Suharenko, Member of the Council of Rietumu Bank Alexander Gafin. As well as other Latvian and Russian patrons of art and entrepreneurs, among them Mikhail Fridman, Peter Aven, Yury Shefler, Leon Zilber, Guntis Ravis. The official opening of the Baltic Musical Seasons took place on 3 June, with a performance of the legendary Italian conductor Riccardo Muti with his Luigi Cherubini Orchestra. Within the framework of the summer cycle of Jurmala events, spectators will be able to enjoy concerts of opera stars Elina Garancha, Hibla Gerzmava, Kristine Opolais, Lawrence Brownlee, Sarah Coburn, violinist Joshua Bell and jazz musician and trumpeter Chris Botti. Eleonora Gailisha Mass Media and Public Relations
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