Olga Rostropovich: "Baku is my father's favorite city"

The 10th Mstislav Rostropovich International Festival will be held in Moscow from March 27 to April 3, 2019. The International Music Festival, dedicated to great Baku native Mstislav Rostropovich, has been held in the Azerbaijani capital since 2007. The artistic director of the festival, president of the Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation for Cultural and Humanitarian Programs Olga Rostropovich told Vestnik Kavkaza: "Baku is my father’s favorite city. He was born there and spent three years of a wonderful, happy life there, because my grandfather and grandmother were sent to the Baku Conservatory to teach music. My father loved this city very much, I love it very much either. In 2007, after my father’s gone, we were asked to organize a festival. It was the first festival in Baku. Then it changed. Instead of December, it was held in May, then it was held every two years, now it takes place every two years. Let's see what happens next. There are many friends, hospitable people in Baku. For me it is always a great pleasure to be there."

As for the Moscow festival established by the Moscow government and the Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation for Cultural and Humanitarian Programs in 2010, Olga Rostropovich said that the opening date of the festival remains unchanged - March 27, the maestro’s birthday: "This time the festival will be take place mostly in the Great Hall of the Conservatory. The pre-final concert will take place at the new Zaryadye Concert Hall, and the final one will take place at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall."

On March 27,the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Yuri Temirkanov will perform at the Great Hall of the Conservatory. Shostakovich under the control of Yuri Temirkanov. The evening's program includes the Overture to Euryanthe by Carl Maria von Weber, the Symphony No. 9 'From the New World' by Antonín Dvořák and the Cello Concerto by Robert Schumann, the soloist - winner of the International Mstislav Rostropovich Cello Competition in Paris in 1997, the cellist - virtuoso Enrico Dindo (Italy).

On March 29, Alborada del gracioso by Maurice Ravel, the Firebird suite by Igor Stravinsky, as well as the orchestral version of El amor brujo by Manuel de Falla will be performed by the Teatro Real symphony orchestra - one of the largest opera symphony orchestras. It will be conducted by Gustavo Gimeno, one of the most popular conductors of the younger generation. Violin Concerto No. 1 by Karol Szymanowski, will be performed by young violinist Leticia Moreno (Spain), who has repeatedly performed with leading orchestras in Europe. Leticia Moreno plays the Nicolò Gagliano violin of 1762.

On March 30 and 31, the Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, conducted by Antonio Pappano, will perform the Egmont Overture and Symphony No. 5 by Ludwig van Beethoven on the first night. The young Swiss pianist, winner of many international competitions Francesco Piemontesi will perform Piano Concerto No. 3. On March 31, Symphony No. 9 by Gustav Mahler will be performed.

On April 1, the Yokohama Sinfonietta Orchestra under the direction of Kazuki Yamada will perform Symphony No. 39 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the Classical Symphony by Sergey Prokofievat the new Zaryadye Concert Hall, which has already performed with great success at the Festival. Nobuyuki Tsujii, a Japanese pianist and composer blind from birth, who was awarded gold medal at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Texas, will perform Piano Concerto No. 2 by Beethoven.

On April 3, on the final day of the festival, the Yokohama Sinfonietta Orchestra's second program will be performed for the Moscow audience: Symphony No. 3 (Scottish) by Felix Mendelssohn and Violin Concerto by Beethoven.

The soloist is Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang, one of the leading performers of her generation. She performs on a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin, provided by the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.