Cultural programme 2017

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31 May – 3 June 2017

18:00—22:00
Petersburg.Live Festival
Dvortsovaya Pl.

A music festival dedicated to the 55th anniversary of Viktor Tsoi’s birth, with performances by popular rock groups such as Piknik, Pilot, Kukryniksy, Northern Fleet, Brigade Contract, and The Hatters, who will perform Kino’s best-known songs. In addition, large festival screens will show rare footage of speeches, an interview with Viktor Tsoi, and previously unseen archive materials from the private collections of family and friends. The audience will also be treated to a few musical surprises.

Premium Package and Standard Package participants may attend the event by invitation. You can find detailed information in your personal web office.

19:00—20:30
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi (laVerdi)
Alexandrinsky Theatre, 6, Pl. Ostrovskogo

The laVerdi orchestra, founded in Milan in 1993, is one of the most successful musical ensembles in Italy, and around the world. The orchestra has been awarded a Grammy, has performed at the BBC Proms, and undertaken numerous world tours. It has a repertoire which includes the best works from a number of centuries, ranging from Bach to the symphonic masterpieces of the nineteenth century and the music of twentieth-century composers. The St. Petersburg concert programme will include works by Tchaikovsky, Respighi, and Brahms.

Premium Package and Standard Package participants may attend the event by invitation. You can find detailed information in your personal web office.

21:50—00:00
First private screening of Dovlatov (working version)
Aurora Cinema 60I, Nevsky Prospekt

The first private screening in Russia of Dovlatov, a film by director Alexey German Jr., a previous winner at the Venice Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival. The film stars Milan Maric, Danila Kozlovsky, Elena Lyadova, and Svetllana Khodchenkova, among others, and recounts several days in the life of writer Sergei Dovlatov in early 1970s Leningrad. It raises the issue of moral choice, an eternal question in Russian and European culture. This is a theme which never loses relevance for gifted young people, who expect their path to self-fulfilment to be a difficult one. It is a story about the importance of holding on to the level of inner freedom necessary for creativity under the pressure of circumstances. The film will be shown with English subtitles to ensure that both Russian and foreign guests can enjoy the screening.

Premium Package and Standard Package participants may attend this event by invitation. Invitations can be obtained from the cultural programme stand at the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre.

08:00—20:00
Zvenigorod Armoury’ exhibition of archaeological discoveries
ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre, 64, Peterburgskoye Shosse

The ‘Zvenigorod Armoury’ exhibition of archaeological discoveries has been curated using items excavated at the Central Ring Road construction site near the town of Zvenigorod, in Moscow Region. Among the exhibits, there are a large number of wonderfully preserved items illustrating religious devotion, daily customs and habits, and armaments. The crowning glory of the collection are the unique military helmets belonging to Ivan the Terrible’s ‘hand-picked thousand’, his corps of elite troops in sixteenth century Russia. Guests and participants of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will be able to see these incredibly rare discoveries during the period May 31 to June 3, 2017.

The exhibition is located in pavilion H, in front of the entrance to the Governors’ Club.

08:00—20:00
Russian Industry 2.0 photo exhibition ‘Investment: Aiming for Results’
ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre, 64, Peterburgskoye Shosse

A major photo exhibition illustrating the activities of Russian and foreign companies which have been successful in Russia and are cooperating with local producers, steelworks, ship- and aircraft-builders, and many other industries. The exhibition beautifully demonstrates the country’s enormous potential and will help to persuade foreign investors of the profitability of investing in the development of various Russian industries.

The exhibition is located in the Governors’ Club, pavilion H

10:00—18:00
‘Handwritten Treasures of the East on the Banks of the Neva’ exhibition
Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace, 18, Dvortsovaya Nab.

The Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences is home to the largest collection of oriental manuscripts in Russia and one of the most valuable such collections in Europe. The exhibition will showcase its exceptional collection of Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, and Indian manuscript treasures, as well as ancient examples of Arabic writing, Persian and Mongolian miniatures, and Sanskrit manuscripts from various eras.

You must have a SPIEF 2017 participant badge or an invitation in order to gain access to the exhibition.

12:00—18:00
‘Silk Labyrinth’ exhibition
KGallery, 24, Nab. Reki Fontanki

The ‘Silk Labyrinth’ exhibition is an artistic and educational event which will provide a glimpse into the wonderful world of twentieth-century fashion design, giving visitors an opportunity to learn the history of sought-after accessories and listen to interesting lectures. Around 50 extremely rare designs have been provided to the exhibition by the Maison Carré Foundation, the largest private collection of Hermès silk scarves. Visitors will be able to trace much of the history of Hermès’ iconic scarves and mark 80 years since they entered mass production. In addition to the scarves themselves, the exhibition will feature some original sketches and the source materials which inspired the artists to create these designs. A multimedia display will give a visual demonstration of how Hermès scarves are made.

Please present your SPIEF 2017 badge to gain access to the exhibition.

12:00—18:00
Exhibition: The Best of Winter Insomnia 2017
St. Petersburg State Capella Choir 20, Naberezhnaya reki Moiki

The works by contemporary artists presented in this exhibition were created in-situ, directly inspired by listening to live music at the St. Petersburg Capella. The pieces were produced during the ‘Petersburg. Winter. Jazz.’ masterclass, held at the Capella in February 2017. Also on display will be new work by artist Ashot Khachatryan, created as part of the ‘Artists Paint Music’ project during a concert given on May 24, 2017 by the St. Petersburg State Capella Symphony Orchestra and conducted by People’s Artist of the USSR Vladislav Chernushenko.

Please present your SPIEF 2017 badge to gain access to the exhibition.

16:00—20:00
Guided tour of Presidential Library: Bringing Together Past and Future
Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library 3, Senatskaya Ploshchad

The Library is located in the heart of St. Petersburg, on Senatskaya Ploshchad, opposite the Bronze Horseman. Visitors will have an opportunity to spend time in the refurbished interiors of the Synod building, built by Carlo Rossi, to take in an exhibition on the history of the building, and to see unique documents from the repositories of the first national electronic library in Russia. Guided tours will take place twice daily, at 16:00 and 19:00. Groups should assemble and participants meet their guides in the main foyer of the Presidential Library.

Please present your SPIEF 2017 participant badge to join the tour.

00:00—00:00
‘So Easy To Be Nearby’ photo exhibition
1–3, Ul. Malaya Konyushennaya (at the corner of Cheboksarsky Pereulok)

The ‘So Easy To Be Nearby’ outdoor photo exhibition is the result of a cooperative project between two charity organizations, the Zvyozdy detyam (Stars for Children) foundation and Down Centre.

The photos depict children with special needs meeting well-known stars. The organizers hope to draw public attention to these children and help them find their place in life.

The exhibition is open around the clock.

07:00—23:00
Catherine and Alexander Parks
7, Sadovaya Ul., Pushkin

The magnificent palace complex at Tsarskoye Selo would not be complete without its parks, the most important of which, Catherine and Alexander, are named after the palaces that grace their grounds.

Catherine Park is divided into two parts – the regular Old Garden and an English landscaped park. Symmetry lies at the heart of the design of the Old Garden, with the palace at its centre, and strictly mapped out avenues, squares, pavilions, and sculptures.

Alexander Park spans around 200 hectares and flanks the courtyard of Catherine Palace. It is also divided into a regular part (the New Garden) and a landscaped park.

Access is available to Premium Package participants upon presentation of a badge.

10:00—17:00
‘Russia in the Great War’ exhibition in the Martial Chamber
5A, Fermskaya Doroga, Pushkin

This is the first museum in modern Russia dedicated to the tragic World War I period (1914–1917). It is located in the Sovereign’s Martial Chamber, conceived by Emperor Nicholas II as a pantheon of military glory.

On display at the exhibition are genuine military and household items belonging to those who took part in the First World War, as well as documentary and photographic materials from the Tsarskoe Selo Museum Reserve collection. In addition, interactive multimedia stands will tell the full story of the events of the war and those who participated in it.

Tickets for entry can be purchased at the museum ticket office.

10:00—17:00
‘The Arsenal of Tsarskoye Selo: The Imperial Arms Collection’ exhibition in the Arsenal building
Alexander Park, Pushkin

The ‘Arsenal of Tsarskoye Selo: The Imperial Arms Collection’ exhibition, curated in conjunction with the State Hermitage Museum, first opened in 2016. The exhibited items include a collection of Eastern bladed weapons, firearms from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and European arms and equipment from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including armour, helmets, halberds, swords, and horse harnesses. The State Hermitage contributed some rare items from its collection for temporary display, including some sixteenth century armour from Nicholas I’s collection.

Tickets for entry can be purchased at the building’s ticket office.

10:00—17:00
‘Agate Rooms: The Way to Revival’ exhibition in the Cold Baths pavilion
Catherine Park, Pushkin

To the wing of the Great Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, whose mezzanine housed Catherine II’s private chambers, is adjoined a complex of buildings created between 1780 and 1794 by architect Charles Cameron. Various structures with different functions make up the ensemble, and are united by a single artistic thread: the Cameron Gallery, the Cold Bath pavilion with the Agate Rooms, the Hanging Gardens, the Flower Gardens and the Ramp. Cameron paid particular attention to the state rooms on the first floor of the Cold Baths: the Agate Rooms are decorated with marble, paintings, gilded bronze, patterned parquets, coloured jasper from the Urals and Altai cut by eighteenth-century Russian craftsmen with exceptional mastery.

Tickets for entry can be purchased at the building’s ticket office.

10:00—20:15
Fabergé Museum
Shuvalov Palace 21, Nab. Reki Fontanki

The Fabergé Museum, in the Shuvalov Palace, houses the world’s largest collection of works by the House of Fabergé. Here you can not only appreciate the exquisite jewellery masterpieces from the Imperial Easter Series commissioned by the two last Russian Emperors, but also cabinet gifts, lapidary art, silver, enamel, and jewelled Russian icons, all crafts in which Fabergé specialized.

Access is available to Premium Package participants upon presentation of a badge.

16:00—18:00
Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall
20, Ul. Pisareva, (entrance from 37, Ul. Dekabristov)

Mozart. Sergei Babayan (piano).

19:00—22:45
Mariinsky II
34, Ul. Dekabristov

Saint-Saëns, Samson and Delilah. Opera.

10:00—17:30
Russian Museum. Michael (Mikhailovsky) Palace
4, Inzhenernaya Ul.

Michael Palace houses the Russian Museum’s main collections. It was built for Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, one of the sons of Emperor Paul I, and designed by Carlo Rossi. The museum is home to works by Ivan Aivazovsky, Karl Bryullov, Ilya Repin, Ivan Shishkin, Vasily Surikov, Léon Bakst, Konstantin Korovin, Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, and other artists.

Access is available to Premium Package participants upon presentation of a badge.

10:00—17:30
Russian Museum. Benois Wing
2, Nab. Kanala Griboedova

The Benois wing was created in 1910–1912 by architects Leon Benois and Sergey Ovsyannikov. It is now home to permanent exhibitions of Russian art from the turn of the twentieth century, and temporary exhibition halls (‘Vasily Vereshchagin: To the 175th Anniversary of the Artist’, ‘The Art of Novgorod the Great in the Time of Prelate Macarius’).

Access is available to Premium Package participants upon presentation of a badge

19:00—21:00
St. Petersburg Chamber Opera
33, Galernaya Ul.

The Familiar Melodies of Italy

Scenes and arias from famous operas by Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and other popular Italian songs.

19:00—20:15
Large Italian Skylight Hall, State Hermitage Museum
34, Dvortsovaya Nab.

Ave Maria The Mikhailovsky Theatre at the Hermitage.

Programme:

Felix Mendelssohn, Three motets for female choir, organ, and soloists: Veni Domine, Laudate pueri, Dominica il post Pascha.

Ave Maria: versions by Giulio Caccini, Johann Sebastian Bach and Charles Gounod, Gaetano Donizetti, Felix Mendelssohn, Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt, Luigi Luzzi, Antonín Dvořák, and Giuseppe Verdi.

20:00—22:55
Mariinsky Theatre
1, Teatralnaya Ploshchad
p>Minkus, Don Quixote Ballet.

20:00—22:00
Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall
20, Ul. Pisareva, (entrance from 37, Ul. Dekabristov)

Butsko, Diary of a Madman, mono-opera.

20:00—22:00
Out-of-town opening of the St. Petersburg Palaces Music Festival
Throne Room, Catherine Palace, Tsarskoe Selo, 7, Sadovaya Ul., Pushkin

David Daniels, a countertenor with a unique tone of voice, will perform arias from the repertoire of the legendary Farinelli, operas by Vivaldi, Handel, Monteverdi, the part of Oscar Wilde from Theodore Morrison’s Oscar and arias from works by Gershwin.