"The festival was started in 1992 by Svyatoslav Richter, who lived in Tarusa for a long time. The idea is to create a musical tribute to the province. This year, highly skilled musicians have come to Tarusa. The public will be able to see Mstislav Rostropovich Fund scholars, who have won both Russian and international awards," she said.
The festival opened with a performance by the famous Mark Pekarsky Percussion Ensemble (Pekarsky is an instructor at the Moscow conservatory and the founder of a percussion school). The Hermitage soloist ensemble, the Musika Viva Academy Chamber Orchestra, along with other violinists and pianists, will perform. Culture and Media Minister Alexander Sokolov participated in the opening ceremony.
"After visiting museums and concert halls in Kaluga and Tarusa, we were convinced that it would be possible to continue to develop the idea of musical tours in the provinces. Without this it is impossible to create a unified cultural zone," Sokolov said.
The official closing ceremony of the festival will is scheduled for July 31 at the Kaluga Region Philharmonic Concert Hall and will be led by Misha Rakhlevsky.
This year's festival celebrates Mstislav Rostropovich's 90th birthday.
