From 6 to 8 October, Russian Spiritual Culture Days will be held in the Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation: “For nearly 30 years, since diplomatic relations were established between Russia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the local public’s interest in Russian culture has grown year after year. All events of the Russian Spiritual Culture Days will take place in Banja Luka, a city that shares common values and the Orthodox faith with Russia.”
Russian Spiritual Culture Days in Bosnia and Herzegovina will open on 6 October with a concert by the Sretensky Monastery Choir near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the metropolitan church of the Banja Luka Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The program will include iconic works of Russian sacred music (Pavel Chesnokov’s God Is With Us, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Having Seen the Resurrection of Christ from the Vespers, and Alexander Grechaninov’s The Symbol of Faith) as well as music by secular composers (Grape Seed by Bulat Okudzhava, Call Me Quietly by Name by Igor Matvienko, etc.)
The Sretensky Monastery Choir has preserved the traditions of Russian liturgical chant for over six hundred years. Symbolizing conciliarity and unity, embodying the ideals of professional excellence, it has become one of the most famous and internationally recognized symbols of modern Russian spiritual and cantatory culture.
On 7 October, the Museum of the Republic of Srpska will host the grand opening of a photo exhibition Kizhi: A Reborn Masterpiece of Russia by the Kizhi State Historical, Architectural, and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve. The exhibition celebrates the completion of the restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord on Kizhi Island—the largest, most complex, and most harmonious traditional wooden building in the world. The twenty-two-domed Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, built by unknown carpenters in 1714, is the heart of the Kizhi Pogost, which is considered the eighth wonder of the world. In 1990, the Kizhi Pogost became one of the first three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Russia, along with the Moscow Kremlin and the historic center of St. Petersburg. The exhibition presents the monument as it looks today — exactly as it was seen by architects and parishioners over three hundred years ago, as well as in its condition before restoration. The photos were taken by a renowned photographer Igor Georgievskiy.
Russian Spiritual Culture Days in Bosnia and Herzegovina will conclude on 8 October with a joint concert featuring winners of numerous international competitions – soloists of Valentin Berlinsky Quartet Dennis Gasanov (violin) and Mikhail Kalashnikov (cello), and pianist Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev, winner of the A. Scriabin and E. Grieg International Piano Competitions, the Cleveland and Sydney International Piano Competitions, and winner of the First International Rachmaninoff Competition for Pianists, Composers, and Conductors. The concert will take place as part of the VIII Autumn Sonata International Music Festival in Banski Dvor, Banja Luka. The program will include piano music by Sergei Rachmaninoff (Part 1) and Piano Trio by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (Part 2).
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Russian Spiritual Culture Days is a unique multi-genre project of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, aimed at promoting the spiritual and moral values of the Russian people and the treasures of Russian culture and art in foreign countries. The project is implemented by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Russian Orthodox Church. The project organizer is the Autonomous Non-profit Organization “Russian Seasons.”
Since 2008, events of Russian Spiritual Culture Days have been held in nearly 50 countries.
