On January 7, 2019, the opening ceremony of the international cultural project Russian Seasons took place at the Berliner Philharmonie.
From the Russian side, the project was inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Olga Golodets. Soloists of Mariinsky opera troupe, choir and symphony orchestra under the direction of maestro Valery Gergiev performed Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s opera Iolanta.
The exhibition Tchaikovsky. The Genius of Opera opened in the foyer of Berliner Philharmonie. It was dedicated to the history of the creation of Iolanta and other works of the great Russian composer, and visitors could get acquainted with unique photographic portraits of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his manuscripts, covers of the first and lifetime editions of his works.
By the end of 2019 Germany hosted 437 Russian Seasons events in 90 German cities.
During 2019, Russian leading museums and performing companies were involved in the project, including the Russian Museum, Tretyakov Gallery, Mariinsky Theater, Mossovet Theater, Vakhtangov Theater, Vaganova Ballet Academy, Eifman Ballet St. Petersburg, All-Russian Youth Symphony Orchestra directed by Yuri Bashmet, the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber orchestra, the Helikon-Opera Musical Theater, the Et Cetera Theater, the Trans-Siberian Art Festival, etc. In addition, regional companies of Russia – from Yakutia to Yekaterinburg and from Ryazan to Kaluga – also joined the Russian Seasons project. The total audience reach was 3.5 million people.
On December 7, a concert by the Moscow Soloists ensemble directed by Yury Bashmet at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg opened a series of events dedicated to the closing of the Russian Seasons 2019 project in Germany. The bill of the evening included works by Alfred Schnittke, Kuzma Bodrov and Pyotr Tchaikovsky played on unique instruments of Italian masters of the 17th-18th centuries.
The Orchestra of the Russian-German Music Academy conducted by maestro Valery Gergiev gave a concert in Berlin. Piano solo was performed by Denis Matsuev, who played compositions by Sergei Rachmaninov and Igor Stravinsky.
