The international Russian Seasons project, which launched in Thailand in early 2026, continued with two new events. A photo exhibition, Buddhism in Buryatia, dedicated to the traditions and culture of Buddhism in Russia, opened in the city of Ubon Ratchathani as part of the famous Candle Festival. In Bangkok, the Thailand Cultural Center hosted the concert titled Royal Benevolence, dedicated to the 74th birthday of King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), featuring the brilliant flutist Sofia Wieland and the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra was conducted by the talented young Russian conductor Ivan Nikiforchin.
Through a visual dialogue between the past and present, the photo exhibition Buddhism in Buryatia acquainted the Thai audience with the history of Buddhism in Russia, its formation and development. Displayed near the city’s holy pillar in the central square, the exhibition, featuring rare archival photographs from the early 20th century and works by contemporary Buryat photographers Sergei Tarasenko and Anna Arapova, became an integral part of the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival, which is of great religious significance for Buddhists.
The exhibition by the National Museum of the Republic of Buryat was presented at the Festival by the museum’s Deputy Director for Research and Exhibitions Tatyana Bazarova and the Head of the Local History Center Sayana Galsanova. The honorary guests of the event included Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Thailand Yevgeny Tomikhin and the Governor of Ubon Ratchathani Province Mr. Narong Thepsena.
The joint performance of Russian musicians and the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra was warmly received by the audience, among which were many fans of Russian culture. The stars of the evening, conductor Ivan Nikiforchin and flutist Sofia Wieland, were much impressed by their collaboration with the orchestra and the reception of the Thai audience. Sofia Wieland commented on the performance:
“I was absolutely delighted with both the audience and the orchestra—the way they responded to all the changes during rehearsals and the concert. The atmosphere within the orchestra was incredible; they were so energetic, so amazing! They were very sensitive to the music and brought their own energy to the concert—the energy of Thailand, warmth, and summer. Ivan and I thoroughly enjoyed both the audience’s reaction and the atmosphere on stage.”
Ivan Nikiforchin noted that the concert’s vibrant, colorful program, which included the Overture from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 21, and the Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, by Felix Mendelssohn, as well as the symphonic suite Scheherazade, Op. 35, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, was highly appreciated by the Thai audience. The conductor noted the local audience’s particular sensibility and love for Russian music:
“I always feel the attention, the atmosphere, the silence in the auditorium during the pauses. For me as a conductor, this is always very important. The most revealing moment is when a movement ends, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s movements end in different ways: the first – solemnly, the second – swiftly, the third – with a romantic sense of a fairytale-like, and the fourth – the finale. And then, between movements, there’s a moment when I take my hands off the orchestra, the music fades, musicians look at me, and I look at them… During these moments no one from the audience moves, no one coughs, no one’s phone rings, no one applauds – there is magic in such moments. And this feeling brings me to the conclusion that people consciously come to listen to this music. This commands tremendous respect.”
