The Days of Spiritual Culture of Russia will be held in South Africa from 5 to 8 September 2024. This is a unique multi-genre project of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, aimed at demonstrating the richness and diversity of the country’s spiritual culture in foreign countries. The tour is organized by the ANO Russian Seasons with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russiaт Federation. Since 2008, the Days of Spiritual Culture events have been held in 44 countries around the world.
The Days of Spiritual Culture of Russia will open in Johannesburg on 5 September with a concert by the world-famous Soloists of Moscow Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Yuri Bashmet – famous violist, conductor, People’s Artist of the Soviet Union. The event will take place in the Linder Auditorium, which is located on the territory of the University of the Witwatersrand and is known for its exceptional acoustics.
The playbill will include three important names for Russian music of different epochs: Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Dmitry Shostakovich, Kuzma Bodrov.
The concert program will feature: Chamber Symphony in C minor by Dmitry Shostakovich, Serenade in C major for string orchestra op. 48 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and Reflections of the theme of Paganini’s 24th Caprice by Kuzma Bodrov. Soloists: Yuri Bashmet (viola), Andrey Poskrobko, Arina Shevlyakova, Olga Kolgatina, Kirill Kravtsov, Mikhail Ashurov (violin). The concert will commence at 7.30 PM.
On the same day, the exhibition Novodevichy Convent. Towards the 500th Anniversary of its Foundation will open in the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Johannesburg. The exhibition is dedicated to the anniversary of one of the oldest monasteries and the amazingly beautiful architectural ensemble in Moscow, and its display will feature reproductions of works of art and photographs of the Novodevichy Convent from the collection of the State Historical Museum. The choice of the exhibition location is deeply symbolic. The Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh is the main Orthodox church in South Africa and the only one located south of the Sahara Desert. It is an important spiritual and cultural center in the region.
On 6 September at 2:00 pm in Pretoria, the University of South Africa will host a round table entitled United in Spirit: Cultural Heritage and Traditional Values as the Basis for Humanitarian Cooperation and Mutual Understanding between Russia and South Africa. The main themes for discussion will be:
- spiritual and cultural diversity that ensures national identity; Russia and South Africa: history, culture, biographies of outstanding personalities (Alexander Pushkin, Nelson Mandela)
- the role of libraries and museums as flagships for the preservation and development of spiritual and cultural heritage
- cooperation to strengthen and popularize the values and contents in the national traditions and literature of both countries
- mission of the Russian Orthodox Church in the life of South Africa and strengthening Russian-South African relations
The Russian side will be represented by:
- Miguel Palacio – Doctor of Theology (ThD), Deputy Director General of the M.I. Rudomino All-Russian State Library of Foreign Literature for interregional and international cooperation, member of the Board of the Russian Library Association
- Dmitry Bak – PhD, Director of the V.I. Dahl State Museum of the History of Russian Literature, Co-Chairman of the Association of Literary Museums of Russia
- Natalia Grigorieva – First Deputy Director of the Sergiev Posad State Historical and Art Museum-Reserve
- Hieromonk Kirill (Peregudin) – representative of the Department of the Church External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate
Participation of representatives of the University of South Africa, the National Library of South Africa, the Apartheid Museum, and renowned Russiologists is expected from the South African side.
On 6 September, at 7.00 PM, on the stage of the Playhouse Company in Durban, the Soloists of Moscow Chamber Orchestra conducted by Yuri Bashmet will give another concert within the Days of Russian Spiritual Culture in South Africa.
On 7 September, in Johannesburg, within the walls of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, workshops and cartoons screenings by Soyuzmultfilm – a famous animation studio in Russia, – will be held. The company has a long 88-year history and today is one of the leaders in animation production in the country. The program will last from 1 PM till 5 PM.
On September 8 at 1 PM in the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Johannesburg, the concert of the Moscow Synodal Choir will conclude the program of the Days of Russian Spiritual Culture in South Africa.
The concert program of one of the oldest Russian professional choirs will include clerical works by Russian composers of the past and present times, including: Come, Let Us Worship by Sergei Rachmaninoff, The Only Begotten Son by Nikolai Diletsky, Holy Love by Georgy Sviridov, It is Truly Meet by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Arise, O God by Pavel Chesnokov, The Virgin Mary by Alfred Schnittke, The Beatitudes by Vladimir Martynov.
