SIRIUS FEDERAL TERRITORY, 5
CHEMPIONOV STR.

The organic nature of the Concert Center’s forms and volumes echoes the eco-friendly landscape of this unique territory. The architecture of the center is a metaphor for the silhouette of mountains and the sea, the high and the deep, a dialogue between art and nature

The tempo and rhythm are expressed not only in the geometry of architectural forms but also in the acoustics. All spaces within the Concert Center are designed to serve a high musical culture.

The main stage, with a hall seating 1,200, features a unique, seamless orchestra shell and a transformable stage, ideal for symphony orchestra performances, festivals, and theatrical productions.

THE CHAMBER HALL, WITH 500 SEATS, IS DESIGNED FOR CONCERTS BY SMALL ENSEMBLES, CHAMBER GROUPS, AND SOLOISTS.

The center was designed and constructed following the recommendations of an international team of acoustical engineers, which includes the legendary Japanese engineer Yasuhisa Toyota, the mastermind behind the acoustic designs of the world’s finest concert venues.

news

Additional information

contacts

THE NATURE
OF ART

Ticketing & Refunds

Group and corporate bookings

9AM – 9PM, Daily

2026 © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Sirius Concert
Center

SIRIUS FEDERAL
TERRITORY, 5
ChEmpionOV Str.

"Educational events"

Discussion Topics

The art of music was born together with humanity and has accompanied it ever since. Together with us, music has moved and continues to move through all stages of development, always speaking of what is essential and important. By listening to music, we can separate the accidental and fleeting from that which defines the face of each era. Classical music, unlike mass-market genres, tells the story of how human beings change from century to century, and how their interests, feelings, behavior, and understanding of life evolve.

In this lecture, we will trace the spiritual path of humanity from the Middle Ages to the present day through the prism of classical musical art. We will explain the changes occurring in music — changes that are sometimes quite radical, and which we all hear and know from our own experience: no one would confuse a sublime Renaissance mass with the dissonances and "cacophony" of the 20th-century avant-garde. The role of popular music — the folklore of the 20th and 21st centuries— will also become clearer as pop, rock, and jazz reveal their secrets and the reasons behind their emergence on the musical stage.

Ultimately, it will be possible to understand and hear how music has foreshadowed the future, given that it is the most sensitive and subconscious form of art. Music as a whole, music as a sonic portrait of our thoughts and feelings across different times and eras — this shifting portrait of human history can be understood and heard through the story of the evolution of musical art.

Age Rating: 6+

About the lecturer

Dina Konstantinovna Kirnarskaya is one of the leading experts in the field of music psychology, with two Doctor of Sciences in Art History, as well as in Psychological Sciences, and later an Academic Professorship title.

Her research lies at the intersection of psychology and musical art, focusing on musical talent, its structure, and learning methods.
Dr. Kirnarskaya is the author of Classical Music for Everyone (featuring a preface by Vladimir Ashkenazy) and The Musical Ability (featuring a preface by Gennady Rozhdestvensky). She has dedicated a number of years to developing scientific and educational projects supported by the Russian Ministries of Culture and Education.

Dina Konstantinovna was also involved in setting up the UNESCO Chair and the Faculty of Production at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, which trains cultural sector specialists.

Chamber Hall

"The Evolution of Music"

October

7:00
pm

1

"Educational events"

Discussion Topics

The creative work of Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich represents a monumental chapter in the history of modern 20th-century Russian music. His introverted mind was capable of encompassing vast expanses, yet Shostakovich’s central theme was about relations of an individual and society — portrayed as an inexhaustible abyss filled with doubts, suffering, and fleeting, luminous memories. His works serves as a sort of the "diary" of the period, as he witnessed many of the terrifying events of the past century’s domestic history: revolutions, world wars, and severe social conflicts. Every single piece by Shostakovich is a "document of the era".

At the twilight of his creative journey, Shostakovich connected with the artistic worlds of Ludwig van Beethoven and Richard Wagner, as if cementing his own place in the "avenue of sphinxes" alongside the world’s greatest composers.

During the lecture, listeners will explore Dmitri Shostakovich’s most iconic works, including the Fourth Symphony, the Fifth Symphony, the famous Seventh "Leningrad" Symphony, the Fifteenth Symphony, the Sonata for Viola and Piano, and other major compositions.

Age Rating: 6+

Chamber Hall

"Dimitri Shostakovich: Witness of the Era"

September

7:00
pm

23

"Educational events"

Discussion Topics

Masterpieces of Giuseppe Verdi are rich with Italian spirit…

Verdi is opera. Opera is Italy. These thoughts inevitably echo in the minds of the great Italian’s admirers all around the world. His music is played somewhere across the globe every single day, possibly even every hour, as he is one of the most frequently performed opera composers. For many music lovers, opera is first and foremost associated with Verdi. He did not become a performing artist as he once dreamed, but has attained genuine fame on a global scale. Generation after generation of musicians return to rediscovering his music anew again and again; herein lies his power and his extraordinary ability to touch even the most hardened of hearts. Verdi was a great humanist. His characters are ordinary people, full of passion and disillusionment, fervor and turmoil. Verdi’s worldview brings to mind the famous line of Alexander Pushkin, "…and calling mercy upon the fallen," for he believed in ultimate justice for everyone. His art is filled with kindness and compassion. During the lecture, listeners will discover Giuseppe Verdi’s most famous operas: Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Un Ballo in Maschera, and Aida.

Age Rating: 6+

Chamber Hall

"Giuseppe Verdi: Calling Mercy Upon the Fallen"

October

5:00
pm

18

"Musical Team of Russia"

The "Musical Team of Russia" cycle introduces a new generation of performers from around the country — brilliant young soloists who are set to shape the future of the Russian school of performing arts. Since 2007, the project’s concerts have featured musicians preparing for major competitions as well as those already returning from them with victories. The stars of the September 16 evening will be violinist Ravil Islyamov and double bassist Arseniy Gazizov.

Ravil Islyamov is one of the most prominent young Russian violinists. A graduate of the Central Music School and the Moscow Conservatory, he is a winner of the All-Russian Music Competition, the Youth Delphic Games of Russia, and the Internationalen Beethoven-Violinwettbewerbs (International Beethoven Violin Competition) in Austria. In 2023, Islyamov was awarded the Second Prize at the 17^th International Tchaikovsky Competition. The musician has been collaborating with the St. Petersburg Music House since 2017 and has performed at Sirius multiple times within its concert cycles.

Arseniy Gazizov is rightfully called one of the most brilliant and promising double bass players of his generation. He graduated from the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory and is continuing his education at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin. He plays in the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Yuri Bashmet and is a member of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. His accolades include the Platinum Prize at the London Young Musicians competition and the Second Prize at the Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf International Double Bass Competition. In 2022 at Sirius, he became the first in the world to perform the highly demanding cello part from Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 on the double bass.

The soloists will showcase their instruments in both signature and unexpected repertoires. Ravil Islyamov will turn to the music of Sergei Slonimsky and virtuosic works by Karol Szymanowski and Henryk Wieniawski, while Arseniy Gazizov will perform César Franck’s famous Violin Sonata arranged for double bass. The piano accompaniment in both parts of the concert will be performed by international competition laureate Timofey Dolya.

Age Rating: 6+

CHAMBER HALL

MUSICAL TEAM OF RUSSIA

PROGRAM

Part 1

César Franck (1822−1890) — Iosif Gertovich (1887−1953)
Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major, FWV 8 (arranged for double bass)
I. Allegretto ben moderato
II. Allegro
III. Recitativo-Fantasia. Ben moderato
IV. Allegretto poco mosso

Performed by the international competitions laureate Arseniy GAZIZOV (double bass)
Piano accompaniment by the international competitions laureate Timofey DOLYA

Part 2

Sergei Slonimsky (1932−2020)
Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 1
I. Andante
II. Scherzo
III. Nocturne
IV. Finale
Concert Waltz for Violin and Piano

Karol Szymanowski (1882−1937)
Nocturne and Tarantella for Violin and Piano, Op. 28

Henryk Wieniawski (1835−1880)
Fantasia on Themes from Gounod’s Faust, Op. 20

Performed by the laureate of the 17^th International Tchaikovsky Competition Ravil Islyamov (violin)
Piano accompaniment by the international competitions laureate Timofey Dolya

The Artistic Director of the St. Petersburg Music House is People’s Artist of Russia, Professor Sergei Roldugin

Program subject to change.

Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes with an intermission.

September

7:00
pm

16

"Educational events"

Discussion Topics

How do you write a beautiful melody? Conservatories teach everything but this. Many composers are actually convinced that a melody cannot be consciously composed — it can only arrive on its own, if it chooses to. In the third lecture of the "Art of Listening" series, Yaroslav Timofeev will explain how the ideals of melodic beauty have changed over time, whether it is possible to write a beautiful melody in the 21st century, how many melodies exist in total, and why we instantly forget one motif while another gets completely stuck in our heads.

Age Rating: 6+

CHAMBER HALL

"The Art of Listening. Melody"

November

5:00
pm

15

"Educational events"

Discussion Topics

Harmony in music is not an exalted epithet, but an exact science that contains both foolproof laws and room for new discoveries. Essentially, a composer’s task is to find the perfect combinations of sounds, and combinations of sounds is precisely the realm of musical harmony. In the fourth lecture of "The Art of Listening" series, Yaroslav Timofeev will explain why a major key shines inside every single sound and why people invented a sad alternative to it, when tonality was established and why composers later tore it apart, how dissonances make music human, and why absolute harmony equals the absence of life.

Age Rating: 6+

CHAMBER HALL

"The Art of Listening. Harmony"

December

7:00
pm

24

"Musical Team of Russia"

"Musical Team of Russia" is one of the leading projects of the Saint Petersburg Music House, created to support young soloists. The cycle debuted in 2007, when future participants of the 13^th International Tchaikovsky Competition performed on St. Petersburg stages. Today, it features Russian musicians who have already made a name for themselves at prestigious competitions and are preparing for the next stage of their major professional careers — stepping onto the world’s leading concert stages.

In the year of Franz Liszt’s 215th anniversary, the "Musical Team of Russia" turns to one of the most brilliant and contradictory figures of Romanticism. A touring virtuoso, an idol of the public, a philosopher, and a man who took holy orders later in life, Liszt embodied the concept of the musician as a ruler of minds and a demiurge during his own lifetime. The program covers a wide range of Liszt’s work: program pieces, brilliant paraphrases on opera themes, chamber works, and the famous "Transcendental Études" — the pinnacle of piano virtuosity.

Six young musicians from the St. Petersburg Music House will take the stage this evening. Four of them are already familiar to the Sirius audience from recent performances.

Liszt holds a special place in the performance biography of Olga Lazarenko: in 2022, the pianist won 1st Prize at the Franz Liszt Center International Piano Competition in Spain. A graduate of the Central Music School — Academy of Performing Art, she currently studies at the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory in the class of Vladimir Ovchinnikov. Her achievements include first prizes at the "Orchestra Soloist" Youth Competition in Vladimir and the "Territory of Creativity" International Competition for Young Performing Musicians in Moscow.

Another representative of the Moscow piano school is Alexander Martyanov, a student at the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory in the classes of Andrey Pisarev and Nikolay Lugansky. The pianist is the winner of the "Maestro" International Competition in Gyumri and the 8^th Vera Lotar-Shevchenko Memorial International Piano Competition in Yekaterinburg, as well as a recipient of the Moscow Mayor’s Grant for Culture and Arts. Alexander regularly participates in concert programs of the Vladimir Spivakov and Oksana Fedorova Foundations.

The youngest participant of the concert, Maria Varakina, was born in 2008. She is currently studying at the Central Music School — Academy of Performing Art under Mira Marchenko. Her competition biography already features several first prizes won at the "Inspiration" Alexei Skavronsky Memorial International Piano Competition, the Heinrich Neuhaus Memorial Moscow International Festival of Young Pianists, and the Vladimir Krainev Memorial Moscow International Piano Competition. Maria has performed with the National Philharmonic Orchestra Of Russia, the St. Petersburg State Academic Capella Symphony Orchestra, and other symphonic ensembles.

Dmitry Fedenko is well known to the Sirius audience: he has repeatedly participated in the Center’s educational programs, and in 2023 he won the Grand Prix of the "Sozvezdie" (Constellation) All-Russian Competition here. His achievements also include 1st Prize at the 12^th Maria Yudina Memorial International Piano Competition in St. Petersburg. Dmitry is studying at the Rimsky-Korsakov Secondary Special Music School of the St. Petersburg Conservatory under Tatyana M. Zagorovskaya, and he actively performs in concerts and appears with leading symphony orchestras.

The four pianists will be joined by cellist Ilya Mikhailov and clarinetist Ivan Glazov. Ilya Mikhailov graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in the class of Alexander Rudin and was named its best graduate of 2024; a year later, he won 1st Prize at the CelloQwest Alexander Buzlov Memorial TVCompetition-Festival. The musician is a recipient of the "New Names" Ivetta Voronova Memorial Foundation Scholarship and, since 2019, a recipient of the Russian Federation Presidential Grant.

For Ivan Glazov, performing at "Sirius" is literally a homecoming: a native of Sochi, he currently studies at the Moscow Jazz Academy under Evgeny Petrov, and since 2024 he has been playing in the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Russia under Yuri Bashmet. Ivan holds first prizes from the "Territory of Creativity" International Competition for Young Performing Musicians, the "Northern Rhapsody" International Competition for Wind and Percussion Instrument Performers, and the Igor Stravinsky Memorial International Youth Music Competition.

Age Rating: 6+

CHAMBER HALL

A TRIBUTE TO LISZT

PROGRAM

Part 1

Franz Liszt (1811−1886)
Spanish Rhapsody, S. 254
Performed by international competitions laureate Olga LAZURENKO (piano)

Élégie No. 1 for cello and piano, S. 130
Performed by international competitions laureate Ilya MIKHAILOV (cello)
Piano accompaniment by international competitions laureate Maria Varakina

Réminiscences de Don Juan (after Mozart’s Don Giovanni), S. 418
Performed by international competitions laureate Alexander Martyanov (piano)

Transcendental Étude No. 10 in F minor, S. 139
Transcendental Étude No. 12 "Chasse-neige" (Snowstorm), S. 139
Performed by international competitions laureate Maria Varakina (piano)

Part 2

Franz Liszt (1811−1886) — Mark Meichik (1880−1950)
Années de pèlerinage: Deuxième année: Italie, S. 161 No. 6, Sonnetto 123del Petrarca (arrangement for clarinet and piano)
Performed by international competitions laureate Ivan Glazov (clarinet)
Piano accompaniment by international competitions laureate Maria Varakina

Franz Liszt (1811−1886)
Paraphrase de concert sur "Rigoletto" de Verdi, S. 434
Performed by international competitions laureate Olga Lazurenko (piano)

Franz Liszt (1811−1886) — Gaspar Cassadó (1897−1966)
Liebesträume (Dreams of Love), Nocturne No. 3, S. 541 (arrangement for cello and piano)
Performed by international competitions laureate Ilya Mikhailov (cello)
Piano accompaniment by international competitions laureate Maria Varakina

Franz Liszt (1811−1886)
Consolations for piano (No. 2), S. 172
I. Andante con moto
II. Un poco più mosso
III. Lento placido
IV. Quasi Adagio
V. Andantino
VI. Allegretto sempre cantabile

Transcendental Étude No. 4 in D minor "Mazeppa", S. 139
Performed by international competitions laureate Dmitry Fedenko (piano)

Artistic Director of Saint Petersburg Music House: People’s Artist of Russia, Professor Sergei Roldugin

Program subject to change.

Concert Duration: 1 hour 47 minutes.

October

7:00
pm

14

"Concerts of the season"

In 2026, the entire world celebrates the 120th anniversary of the birth of Dmitry Shostakovich — one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, whose work became a true musical chronicle of an era that encompassed revolutions, wars, fighting the nazism, Stalinist repressions, and the everyday lives of ordinary people.

The Russian National Orchestra (RNO) will mark this significant date with two concerts to be held on the Main Stage of the Sirius Concert Center. The programs will feature outstanding works the master created across different periods of own life.

On September 25^th, Shostakovich’s actual birthday, the evening will open with the Violin Concerto No. 1, dedicated to the legendary violinist David Oistrakh. The solo part will be performed by Honored Artist of Russia Pavel Milyukov, one of the most brilliant Russian violinists of his generation.

The conceptual centerpiece of the evening will be the Tenth Symphony. "Few contemporary composers have managed to convey the sorrows and hopes of a person of their time so profoundly," wrote composer Václav Dobiáš about it. It was created in 1953 after a prolonged hiatus in the genre. Its predecessor, the Ninth Symphony, had been anticipated as a triumphant apotheosis of victory in the Great Patriotic War, but the public instead heard something strange and ambiguous, leaving critics bewildered and dissatisfied. This was followed by the infamous 1948 Party Decree, which denounced Shostakovich’s music as "formalistic" and harmful. The composer was subjected to "re-education", censured at numerous public assemblies, and dismissed from the conservatory; for several years, he retreated into self-isolation.

The Tenth Symphony stands as one of Shostakovich’s most deeply personal and autobiographical works. Here, the era unfolds through the artist’s acute personal experience, giving rise to its compelling emotional urgency, the tender lyricism of many of its passages, and its tense, introspective concentration.

Alexander Rudin, the Artistic Director of the RNO and People’s Artist of Russia, will take the conductor’s podium for both parts of the performance.

Age Rating: 6+

PROGRAM

Part 1

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906−1975)
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77
I. Nocturne: Moderato
II. Scherzo: Allegro
III. Passacaglia: Andante
IV. Burlesque: Allegro con brio
Soloist: Pavel Milyukov (violin)

Part 2

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906−1975)
Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93
I. Moderato
II. Allegro
III. Allegretto
IV. Andante — Allegro

Program subject to change.

MAIN STAGE

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH. TO THE 120TH ANNIVERSARY

September

7:00
pm

25

"Concerts of the season"

Boris Asafyev once described Shostakovich as "the symphonic composer of our contemporary world most receptive to the tremors of reality." These are highly accurate words: Shostakovich’s music truly responds to the conflicts of life with the sensitivity of a seismograph.

The Russian National Orchestra (RNO) — a flagship of Russian orchestral performance and one of the top twenty orchestras in the world — presents its second program dedicated to the 120th anniversary of Dmitry Shostakovich’s birth.

The first part of the concert will feature the Festive Overture and the Cello Concerto No. 1. Shostakovich composed this innovative piece, sparkling with mischievous energy and boasting an incredibly virtuoso solo part, specifically for Mstislav Rostropovich. The audience will hear it performed by Vasiliy Stepanov, a laureate of international competitions.

The grand finale of this two-day anniversary marathon will be the Fifth Symphony — a tragic opus written by the composer in 1937. It is a towering cultural phenomenon of the 20th century that solidified the global significance of Soviet music. The symphony’s passionate humanism could not go unnoticed in the years leading up to World War II: just a few months after its premiere, the Fifth Symphony was performed abroad in a "Songs of Peace" concert held under the banner of fighting against nazism.

The emotional climate of those years — the complex intertwining of enthusiasm, bitter bewilderment, bright hopes, and heavy forebodings — profoundly shaped the conceptual structure of the music. However, the central dramatic narrative is the development of the human persona: moving through sharp contradictions, struggle, painful reflections, and the deepest despair toward a finale whose interpretation remains a subject of debate to this day. A unique interpretation of Dmitri Shostakovich’s works will be presented by conductor Fedor Beznosikov, Music Director of the Novaya Opera Theatre of Moscow.

Age Rating: 6+

PROGRAM

Part 1

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906−1975)
Festive Overture, Op. 96
Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 107
I. Allegretto
II. Moderato
III. Cadenza
IV. Allegro con moto
Soloist: Vasiliy Stepanov (cello)

Part 2

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906−1975)
Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
I. Moderato
II. Allegretto
III. Largo
IV. Allegro non troppo

Program subject to change.

MAIN STAGE

SHOSTAKOVICH — 120

September

7:00
pm

26

"Educational events"

Discussion Topics

At the turn of the 19th century, a fundamentally new type of musician was emerging in Western Europe: from that moment on, the stage became inseparable from the act of composition. The performing artist stepped onto the historical stage. It was akin to a change of scenery in an opera: a new hero had arrived in a new setting… One of the greatest performing artists of this era was Franz Liszt — a true genius of piano performance. He conquered Europe with his playing; women fainted at his concerts, flowers were thrown to cover the path before his rolling carriage… these were truly royal honors. This was a genuine triumph — the musician-artist was seen as a ruling millions from the stage.
A prominent Italian pianist, composer, and conductor Ferruccio Busoni once wrote: "Bach is the foundation of piano playing, Liszt is the summit…" To this day, Liszt’s works are perceived as a "musical Everest" of sorts, a peak that only a select few are destined to conquer. During the lecture, listeners will explore Franz Liszt’s most famous works, including the Hungarian Rhapsodies, the Rhapsodie espagnole (Spanish Rhapsody), the Piano Sonata in B minor, and Les Préludes symphonic poem.

Age Rating 6+

CHAMBER HALL

"Franz Liszt: Triumph of the Performing Artist"

October

7:00
pm

19

"Masters of Music"

The "Masters of Music" series by the St. Petersburg Music House traditionally gathers the finest representatives of the Russian performing arts school on the Sirius stage. Its playbill features artists with victories at major international competitions, performances from the world’s best concert halls, backed by decades of concert and pedagogical work.

The project launched in the fall of 2025 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Music House and the opening of the world-class Sirius Concert Center. On September 30, its featured artist will be Andrei B. Diev, Honoured Artist of Russia and a Professor at the Moscow Conservatory.

Andrei Diev is one of the most brilliant representatives of the HeinrichNeuhaus & LevNaumov establishedbranch of the 20th-century Russian piano school. The scale of his career is evidenced by a gold medal at the Tokyo International Piano Competition, three "Musician of the Year" awards by the Musical Review newspaper, and a repertoire of over thirty piano concertos. In 1990, Steinway & Sons included him on its list of the world’s most popular pianists.

This is not Andrei Borisovich’s first time at Sirius. Back in August 2015, during the Educational Center’s inaugural year, he conducted classes for young pianists here; he later returned for subsequent sessions in December 2015, and April and August 2016. Among his students at Sirius was Ilya Papoyan, who is today one of the most prominent young Russian pianists.

Critics call Andrei Diev "a vanishing breed of musician for whom the spirit and poetry of music matter above all else." Diev is an intellectual pianist and a subtle interpreter who willingly includes rarely performed works in his repertoire. The September 30 program fully lives up to this reputation, bringing together Bach and the 20th-century French composer Francis Poulenc. The centerpiece of the second half of the concert will be the rarely performed suite Les soirées de Nazelles (Evenings in Nazelles).

The concept of the suite was born from a friendly game. During summer evenings in Touraine, Poulenc would sit at the piano and improvise musical portraits of those gathered around somegeneralised theme. Over six years, these sketches grew into a cycle consisting of a preamble, eight variations, a cadence, and a finale. The composer kept his friends' names a secret, leaving only the characteristics of his subjects in the titles of the variations: Le comble de la distinction (The Pinnacle of Distinction), Le cœur sur la main (Heart on Sleeve), La désinvolture et la discrétion (Ease and Discretion), Le charme enjôleur (CapriciousCharm), and Le goût du malheur (A Taste for Misfortune). The concert will conclude with three improvisations by Poulenc, which include tributes to Schubert and Édith Piaf.

Age Rating: 6+

PROGRAM

Part 1

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685−1750)
English Suite No. 4 in F major, BWV 809
1. Prelude
2. Allemande
3. Courante
4. Sarabande
5. Menuet I
6. Menuet II
7. Gigue

Keyboard Sonata in D minor, BWV 964
1. Adagio
2. Fuga. Allegro
3. Andante
4. Allegro

Part 2

Francis Poulenc (1899−1963)
Les soirées de Nazelles (Evenings in Nazelles), Suite for Piano, FP 84
Préambule. Extrêmement animé et décidé
Variations:
I. Le comble de la distinction. Vif et gai
II. Le cœur sur la main. Modéré
III. La désinvolture et la discrétion. Presto
IV. La suite dans les idées. Très large et pompeux
V. Le charme enjôleur. Très allant
VI. Le contentement de soi. Très vite et très sec
VII. Le goût du malheur. Lent et mélancolique
VIII. L’alerte vieillesse. Très rapide et bien sec
Cadence. Très large et très librement
Final. Follement vite, mais très précis

Fifteen Improvisations for Piano
XII. Improvisation en mi bémol majeur, "Hommage à Schubert" (No. 12 in B-flat major, "Homage to Schubert"), FP 113
XIII. Improvisation en la mineur. Allegretto comodo (No. 13 in A minor. Moderately fast and comfortable), FP 170
XV. Improvisation en ut mineur, "Hommage à Édith Piaf" (No. 15 in C minor, "Homage to Edith Piaf"), FP 176

Performed by the Honoured Artist of Russia Andrei Diev (piano)

Artistic Director of St. Petersburg Music House: People’s Artist of Russia, Professor Sergei Roldugin

Program subject to change.

Concert Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes.

CHAMBER HALL

Andrei Diev. A Solo Concert

September

7:00
pm

30

"Educational events"

Discussion Topics

Carl Maria von Weber was a composer, conductor, and music critic whose work defined the development of 19th-century German opera. In his compositions, he consistently reimagined the principles of musical drama, blending elements of folk song folklore, fairy-tale mystical imagery, and innovative orchestral techniques. Weber rejected traditional Italian and French models in favor of a national, character-driven theater, where the orchestra becomes a full-fledged participant in the action, and leitmotif structures foreshadow the later developments of Wagner. His harmonic language, timbral discoveries, and methods of constructing through-composed symphonic development exerted a direct influence on the next generation of composers, from Mendelssohn to Berlioz.

The lecture will highlight key aspects of Weber’s work: his role in the formation of the Romantic movement in music, his aesthetic principles, and his innovative approaches to orchestral writing. Among the topics discussed are the relationship between musical and dramatic elements in his compositions, his utilization of national folklore and mythology, as well as the defining features of his harmonic language. A comprehensive overview of the composer’s operatic and instrumental legacy will be provided, with an emphasis on the elements that shaped the further evolution of European music.

Age Rating: 6+


⭑ admission to the lecture is free for October 24 evening concert ticket holders

Musical Reception Room

October

7:00
pm

23

"Concerts of the season"

Having celebrated its 80th anniversary last year, the Borodin Quartet has entered its ninth decade of awe-inspiring activity. One of Russia’s oldest chamber ensembles, it continues to triumphantly perform on the world’s largest stages, representing the Russian quartet school. On October 17, the musicians are proposing to enjoy quartets by Beethoven, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, and Borodin in the Chamber Hall of the Sirius Concert Center.

The ensemble has been named after Alexander P. Borodin since 1955, although its history began a decade earlier, in Mikhail Terian’s chamber ensemble class at the Moscow Conservatory. One of its first members was Mstislav Rostropovich; he was soon succeeded by Valentin Berlinsky, who performed with the ensemble for 62 years and became a link between several generations of musicians. The ensemble worked with Dmitri Shostakovich as composer for over thirty years, and with Svyatoslav Richter for over forty. Today, the ensemble features Nikolai Sachenko, Sergei Lomovsky, Igor Naidin, and Vladimir Balshin.

The evening’s program is structured around cross-generational connections as well. It opens with the Fifth Quartet from Beethoven’s first quartet cycle, Op. 18. Here, the young composer still engages in a passionate dialogue with the 18th century, and above all with Mozart:in the Andante cantabile many scholars hear echoes of Tamino’s aria from The Magic Flute. However, behind the gallant topos, one can already discern the composer, who, while acknowledging his kinship with his predecessors, clearly intends to move forward.

Schubert’s famous Quartettsatz (literally, "quartet movement") will be played next. Of the planned cycle, the composer completed only the first movement and about forty bars of the second. However, this proved sufficient for the work to gain an independent concert life. It is often compared to an ancient torso, perfect despite the loss of its entirety. This restless, impetuous, and lyrically inspired music is entirely in keeping with the spirit of the Romantic 19th century.

The intermission will be followed by two quartet pieces from Russia. Seventeen-year-old Rachmaninoff also never completed his First Quartet: only the Romance and Scherzo survive. The influence of Tchaikovsky in the first movement and the composers of the "Mighty Handful" — Borodin and Balakirev — are easily discerned in the second part of this elegant and colourful work.

The finale is befitting an ensemble named after Borodin: the First Quartet by Alexander Porfiryevich will be performed. Borodin begins it with a direct nod to Beethoven: the main theme is inspired by the finale of the Thirteenth Quartet, as the composer frankly noted in the score — "Influenced by Beethoven’s theme". But almost immediately, Beethoven’s order and symmetry give way to fluctuation, languor, and a delightful "irregularity" that lends the theme a distinctly Russian charm.

The Borodin Quartet has been collaborating with Sirius since 2022. During this time, the ensemble has returned to its stage numerous times—on October 17, it will reunite with one of the country’s most renowned chamber ensembles.

Age Rating: 6+

BORODIN STATE QUARTET

Honoured Artist of Russia
Nikolai Sachenko (1^st violin)

Laureate of international competitions
Sergei Lomovsky (2^nd violin)

Honoured Artist of Russia
Igor Naidin (viola)

Honoured Artist of Russia
Vladimir Balshin (cello)


PROGRAM

Part 1

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770−1827)
String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18
I. Allegro
II. Menuetto — Trio
III. Andante cantabile con variazioni
IV. Allegro

Franz Schubert (1797−1828)
String Quartet No. 12 in C minor, "Quartettsatz", D 703
I. Allegro assai

Part 2

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873−1943)
String Quartet No. 1, TH 30 (unfinished)
II. Romance
III. Scherzo

Alexander BORODIN (1833−1887)
String Quartet No. 1 in A major, AB 30
I. Moderato — Allegro
II. Andante con moto
III. Scherzo. Prestissimo
IV. Andante — Allegro risoluto

Program subject to change.

Concert Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes.

CHAMBER HALL

THE EVENING OF QUARTETS

October

6:00
pm

17

"Concerts of the season"

A year ago, a new chapter began in the cultural life of Sirius. Its Concert Center — one of the country’s largest concert complexes, featuring unique, custom-designed, world-class acoustics — opened its doors to audiences on October 3, 2025. Attending the opening ceremony, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that the Center is destined to become a landmark cultural space for the country.

The grand scale of this vision was indeed confirmed by events of the first year. The Main Stage, with its transformable space, hosted major orchestras and theatre companies, while the Chamber Hall introduced audiences to young performers and rare programs.

The festival lineup proved to be particularly vibrant. The three main festivals of Sirius — its Spring, Grand Summer, and New Year ones — grew significantly. In the summer of 2026, the Concert Center became the primary venue for the new "Sirius — Rosa Khutor" International Festival of Arts for Children and Youth. Its participants included creative ensembles and soloists from 25 countries, including Russia, Belarus, Brazil, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, and many others.

The star-studded playbill was equally impressive. During the Concert Center’s inaugural year, its stages shone with performances by Sergei Roldugin, Valery Gergiev, Alexander Sladkovsky, Denis Matsuev, Nikolai Lugansky, Vadim Rudenko, Ildar Abdrazakov, and Igor Butman. Representatives of the younger generation also performed alongside these recognized masters, including, among others, soloists from the St. Petersburg Music House and young finalists of the "Sozvezdie" (Constellation) All-Russian Competition.

The Concert Center will celebrate its first anniversary in the company of those who launched its history a year ago. The Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra is one of the oldest in Russia; its more than two-century history dates back to the first orchestra of the St. Petersburg Imperial Opera. The ensemble has participated in the premieres of masterpieces that define Russian musical culture today — including operas and ballets by Mikhail Glinka, Petr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Modest Mussorgsky, Alexander Borodin, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Sergei Prokofiev.

The artistic career of Valery A. Gergiev has been intertwined with the Mariinsky Theatre for nearly half a century. He joined the theatre in 1978, became its musical director in 1988, and since 1996 has led the Mariinsky as its artistic and general director. Under his leadership, the orchestra has significantly expanded its symphonic repertoire — performing complete symphony cycles by Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Petr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Gustav Mahler, Sergei Prokofiev, and Dmitri Shostakovich — and has firmly established itself among the world’s leading musical ensembles.

On October 3, Valery Abisalovich and the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra will take to the Main Stage of Sirius once again. Their concert will kick off the Concert Center’s second year — one that will undoubtedly be just as bright and rich with new discoveries.

Age Rating: 6+

MAIN STAGE

"The Radiance of Sirius" Festive Concert

October

6:00
pm

3

"Concerts of the season"

Ivan Nikiforchin returns to the Main Stage of Sirius — this time together with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra (MSSO), which he has been leading for three seasons. On October 24, MSSO and its artistic director will present a program dedicated to two key figures of German music at the turn of the 19th century: Weber and Beethoven.

MSSO traces its history back to 1943. Over the years, the orchestra has been led by Lev Steinberg, Nikolai Anosov, Veronika Dudarova, and Pavel Kogan. In 2024, Ivan Nikiforchin became its artistic director; he is a laureate of the Russian Federation Presidential Prize for Young CultureProfessionals for his contribution to the development of domestic musical culture. Russian and Soviet music, as well as large-scale monographic cycles, hold a special place in MSSO’s repertoire. The orchestra’s signature trademark has become the performance of the complete symphonic works of Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Gustav Mahler, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, and other composers.

All three works on the program were written within a thirteen-year span — from 1808 to 1821 — at the crossroads of Classicism and Romanticism.

In December 1808, Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony — the famous "Pastorale" — was premiered. The composer did not merely title the work, but also provided each movement with a programmatic subtitle: "Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande" (Awakening of cheerful feelings on arrival in the countryside), "Szene am Bach" (Scene by the brook), "Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute" (Merry gathering of country folk), "Gewitter, Sturm" (Thunder, Storm), and "Hirtengesang" (Shepherd's song). For Beethoven, this was a rather bold move; programmatic symphonies of that era often leaned toward literal illustration and could hardly serve as a serious artistic guide. He himself warned against a literal reading of the "Pastoral": it is a reflection on the harmony of nature, man, and the Creator, rather than a acoustic "portrait." Yet, the fact remains: narrative and concrete images of nature entered the serious classical symphony, elements that would soon take center stage in Romantic art.

Three years later, Weber wrote his Clarinet Concerto No. 2 — the composer’s meeting the famous virtuoso Heinrich Baermann sparked a whole series of his works for clarinet. And another ten years later, the Berlin premiere of Der Freischütz (The Marksman) brought Weber European fame and became one of the most important events in the history of Romantic opera.

Beethoven also studied the score of Der Freischütz. According to the testimony of the composer’s son, Max Maria von Weber, Beethoven’s review was absolute — in the best sense: "Now Weber must write operas, nothing but operas, one after another, dropping everything else" (Germ. Nun muß der Weber Opern schreiben; gerade Opern; eine über die andere, und ohne viel daran zu knaupeln!)

Weber’s operatic temperament is also audible in the Clarinet Concerto No. 2. The soloist — the main "character" — is clearly the center of attention. The soloist’s part is extremely close to a vocal style of writing: from the soft, lyrical secondary theme of the first movement to the free recitative in the slow movement. The orchestra also sounds operatically vivid, featuring expressive contrasts in dynamics and registers.

For soloist Vazgen Yusupov — one of the most brilliant young clarinetists — the Second Concerto is also tied to his own history at Sirius. In April 2022, the eighteen-year-old musician performed it together with the Sochi Symphony Orchestra at the opening of the 6th concert season. Previously, Yusupov participated in Sirius Educational Programs, and in 2020, he won the 1st prize at the "Sozvezdie" (Constellation) competition. Among the musician’s other achievements are the 1st prize at the 4th "Weber-Clarinet" International Competition (Petrozavodsk, 2021), the 2nd prize at the 13th Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory’s International Competition of Performers on Wind and Percussion Instruments (2022), and the 2nd prize at the 4th All-Russian Music Competition (2024). Since 2021, Yusupov has been actively participating in theSt. Petersburg Music House programs and performing with symphonic ensembles.

Age Rating: 6+

Moscow State Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Ivan Nikiforchin


PROGRAM

Part 1

Carl Maria von Weber (1786−1826)
Overture to the Der Freischütz (The Marksman) opera, Op. 77
Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 74
I. Allegro
II. Romanza. Andante con moto
III. Alla Polacca
Soloist: Laureate of international competitions, Saint Petersburg Music House soloist Vazgen Yusupov (clarinet)

Part 2

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770−1827)
Symphony No. 6 in F major (Pastorale), Op. 68
I. Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande (Awakening of cheerful feelings on arrival in the countryside)
II. Szene am Bach (Scene by the brook)
III. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute (Merry gathering of country folk)
IV. Gewitter, Sturm (Thunder, Storm)
V. Hirtengesang. Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm (Shepherd's song. Cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm)

Program subject to change.

MAIN STAGE

WEBER. BEETHOVEN

October

6:00
pm

24

"Concerts of the season"

Moscow State Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Pietro Mazzetti (Italy)

Vasilisa Berzhanskaya (soprano)


PROGRAM

Part 1

Giuseppe Verdi (1813−1901)
Overture to the opera La forza del destino (The Power of Fate)
Leonora’s aria from the opera La forza del destino (The Power of Fate)

Gioachino Rossini (1792−1868)
Semiramide’s Aria from the opera Semiramide

Gaetano Donizetti (1797−1848)
Anne Boleyn’s Final Scene from the opera Anna Bolena

Giuseppe Verdi (1813−1901)
Prelude to the opera La Traviata
Violetta’s Aria from the opera La Traviata

Part 2

Vincenzo Bellini (1801−1835)
Overture to the opera Norma
Norma’s Cavatina and Cabaletta from the opera Norma
Amina’s Aria from the opera La Sonnambula

Gioachino Rossini (1792−1868)
Overture to the opera Semiramide

Gaetano Donizetti (1797−1848)
Lucia’s Aria from the opera Lucia di Lammermoor

Gioachino Rossini (1792−1868)
Armida’s Final Scene from the opera Armida

Program subject to change.

Concert Duration: 2 hours with an intermission.

The Moscow State Symphony Orchestra (MSSO) continues its October series of performances at Sirius. This evening, they will be joined on stage by Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, one of the most brilliant and sought-after opera singers of our time.

At the heart of the program is Italian opera — a global brand and one of the defining phenomena of European culture. Emerging at the turn of the 17th century, it set the tone for musical theater for centuries, establishing the cult of the human voice and melody. We owe to it the great art of bel canto, with its free-flowing cantilena and breathtaking coloratura acrobatics; we owe to it melodies that have long since left theatre walls and swept across the globe. And finally, we owe to it the ultimate intensity of stage passions, capable of thrilling even today’s sophisticated and seasoned audiences.

The concert program brings together the four greatest names of the golden age of Italian opera — Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi — and a whole gallery of their famous heroines. Notably, almost none of them met a happy fate: Queen Anne Boleyn ascends the scaffold; the Gallic priestess Norma perishes on the pyre; Lucia di Lammermoor loses her mind, bringing about a bloody climax. It is precisely these roles, demanding both virtuosic vocal control and true dramatic temperament, that became the pinnacles of the repertoire for the great 20th-century primadonnas — Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, and Montserrat Caballé.

On October 25, these roles will showcase the brilliance of Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, a singer who has won acclaim on the world’s finest opera stages. Critics have frequently noted the uniqueness of her voice, which effortlessly traverses the repertoire spectrum from virtuosic 18th-century Baroque operatic roles to the raw expression of verismo — even though performing such diverse music sometimes requires seemingly contradictory, mutually exclusive vocal qualities. The singer is capable of everything: last year she triumphed at the "Baroque Days", and now she is set to captivate the audience with her bel canto technique.

The Orchestra will also have its own spotlight moments this evening: the vocal numbers will be complemented by the overtures to La forza del destino (The Power of Fate), Norma, and Semiramide, as well as the prelude to La Traviata. Fittingly, this Italian evening is entrusted to the Italian conductor Pietro Mazzetti. The maestro has already collaborated with the MSSO and Vasilisa Berzhanskaya on an Italian program: in 2024, their joint concert at Moscow’s Zaryadye Center was dedicated to the music of Rossini. We eagerly anticipate this new reunion of their creative alliance — this time on the Main Stage of Sirius.

Age Rating: 6+

MAIN STAGE

THE EVENING OF ITALIAN OPERA

October

6:00
pm

25

"Concerts of the season"

Libretto by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Konstantin Shilovsky, based on the eponymous verse novel by Alexander Pushkin


In the new season, the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre returns to the Main Stage of Sirius. On November 13, the company will present Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin in Vladislavs Nastavševs' version, which premiered in Perm in 2022.

The production’s epigraph is a stanza from Pushkin’s novel about the hero’s return after his duel with Lensky: "How will he appear now? As a Melmoth, / A cosmopolitan, a patriot, / A Harold, a Quaker, a hypocrite, / Or will he sport some other mask, / Or else be simply a good fellow, / Like you and me, like the whole world?" Vladislavs Nastavševs' production offers no definitive answer. It seems that from this entire list, the director chooses precisely "like you and me." His Onegin — who, rather than Tatyana, serves as the main character here — is simultaneously like everyone else and equal to no one.

"Everything feels fragile, strange, and uncertain: this is a production-dream, a production-memory," writes critic Gulyara Sadykh-zade. "Onegin's agonizing reflection on a wasted, squandered life tints the events in nostalgic autumn tones. The worst has already happened; therefore, the performance is structured like a tape of memory, unrolling from end to beginning."

For Vladislavs Nastavševs — a "hyper-romantic" director, a proponent of theatrical asceticism, and someone who focuses closely on the inner world of the character — the Perm Onegin marked his debut on the grand opera stage. And not just for him: it was also the first time the production’s music director, Mikhail Tatarnikov, worked with the Perm Opera. Both debuts were honored by the Golden Mask Awards: Nastavševs won the award for Best Director in Opera, while Tatarnikov was nominated for Best Conductor.

On November 13, the conductor’s podium will be taken by the Perm Theatre’s Chief Conductor, Vladimir Tkachenko, who has held this position since November 2023. Over three seasons, he has served as the music director for a whole series of major productions — ranging from Tchaikovsky’s Pikovaya Dama (The Queen of Spades) and Rimsky-Korsakov's Tsarskaya Nevesta (The Tsar’s Bride) to Stravinsky's Orpheus and the world premiere of La voix humaine (The Human Voice) by Francis Poulenc and Vladimir Gorlinsky. Tkachenko has been conducting Vladislavs Nastavševs' version of Eugene Onegin since 2022 — practically since it first appeared in the Perm Opera repertoire.

Age Rating: 12+

Tchaikovsky Perm State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre
Chief Conductor of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre: Vladimir Tkachenko

Music Director of the Production and Conductor: Mikhail Tatarnikov
Staging Director, Set and Costume Designer: Vladislavs Nastavševs
Lighting Designer: Konstantin Binkin
Chorus Master of the Production: Evgeny Vorobyov
Video Designer: Mikhail Ivanov
Assistant Set Designer: Elizaveta Borisova
Assistant Costume Designer: Maya Mayer


Onegin — Eugene Bovykin
Tatyana — Anna Shcherbakova
Olga — Natalia Lyaskova
Lensky — David Yesayan
Larina — Vera Kravchuk
Nanny — Anastasiya Vyatskina
Gremin — Garry Agadzhanyan
Triquet — Anatoly Schlieman

Running Time: 3 hours 10 minutes with 2 intermissions.

MAIN STAGE

November

7:00
pm

13

"Concerts of the season"

A "sunny" genius of global culture, whose works seamlessly blend the radiant joy of existence with dramatic pathos, wonderfully subtle humor with wise reflections on life, the sublime with the everyday, and the eternal with the fleeting — in the year of the composer’s 270th anniversary, the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre dedicates the grand finale of its November residency at Sirius to Mozart.

Perm Opera shares a unique and remarkably resonant history with Mozart. Many will surely remember the phenomenon of the "Permian Mozart," which grew out of the staged productions of the composer’s three Da Ponte operas: Così fan tutte (Women Are Like That), Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), and Don Giovanni. All three performances were a sensation, earning numerous Golden Mask nominations and rave reviews in the press. Later, the "Permian Mozart" crossed borders to reach the Salzburg Festival: in 2021, Don Giovanni, directed by Romeo Castellucci with Teodor Currentzis at the podium and Nadezhda Pavlova as Donna Anna, became one of the defining events of the festival program. More recently, in September 2025, Nadezhda Pavlova and Vladimir Tkachenko opened the theatre’s concert season with a breathtaking program of rarely performed Mozart concert arias.

It is this Mozartian terra incognita that will take center stage during the first half of the evening. Concert arias represent a vast and, today, lesser-known realm of the composer’s legacy. Emerging alongside opera, this genre followed its own set of rules: these pieces were often custom-tailored for a specific singer, meticulously matching the unique qualities of their voice. Extracted from a grand theatrical narrative, a concert aria had to encapsulate an entire miniature drama while giving the performer the ultimate space to showcase their full vocal mastery. Mozart himself used to say that he liked"an aria to fit a singer as perfectly as a well-made suit of clothes" (die aria einem sänger so accurat angemessen sey, wie ein gutgemachts kleid). Such a "dress" often required artists to perform at the very edge of their abilities, demanding both otherworldly technique and immense dramatic flair.

Interspersed between the arias, pairs of selections from the 6 Deutsche Tänze (Six German Dances), K. 571, will be performed. Mozart composed this cycle in 1789 for Vienna’s court balls during the carnival season. A precursor to the waltz, the German dance maintains its ceremonial grace here, whilst being continuously enlivened by brilliant orchestral inventions. For instance, the cycle’s finale bursts into the exotic à la turque colors popular at the time, complete with cymbals and tambourine.

Following the intermission, rarely performed works of Mozart will give way to the canonical ones: four legendary operas will be brought to life through four overtures and four arias of their heroines. Shining in these masterpieces, just as in the first half, will be the prima donna of the Perm Theatre, Honoured Artist of Russia Nadezhda Pavlova. Mozart has long been a core specialization for the singer, whose repertoire includes nearly all the mature operas from the final decade of the composer’s life, from Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) to Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute). Critics have hailed Pavlova’s interpretations as definitive: her Mozart is equally convincing in its dazzling coloratura, its shimmering pianissimo, and its fierce dramatic temperament — especially in her portrayal of Donna Anna, which earned her a Golden Mask nomination back in 2013.

This "Mozart Gala" will display the full span of Mozart’s soprano repertoire, as well as the immense artistic scope of a singer for whom this music is indeed a perfect fit. And, of course, accompanying Nadezhda Pavlova throughout the evening will be the celebrated Perm Opera Orchestra, led by the theatre’s Principal Conductor, Vladimir Tkachenko.

Age Rating: 6+

Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre

Chief Conductor: Vladimir Tkachenko

Soloist: Honoured Artist of Russia Nadezhda Pavlova (soprano)


PROGRAM

Part 1

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756−1791)
"Mia speranza adorata" (My adored hope), Recitativo and Aria for Soprano and Orchestra, K. 416 (words by Gaetano Sertor)

6 Deutsche Tänze (Six German Dances), K. 571
I. Dance No. 1 in D major
II. Dance No. 2 in A major

Ah, lo previdi! (Ah, I foresaw it!), Recitativo and Aria for Soprano and Orchestra, K. 272 (words by Vittorio Amedeo Cigna-Santi)

6 Deutsche Tänze (Six German Dances), K. 571
III. Dance No. 3 in C major
IV. Dance No. 4 in G major

"Ma che vi fece, o stelle" (But what did poor Dirce do to you) Recitative and Aria for Soprano and Orchestra, K. 368 (words by Pietro Metastasio)

6 Deutsche Tänze (Six German Dances), K. 571
V. Dance No. 5 in B-flat major
VI. Dance No. 6 in D major

"Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio" (Let me explain, oh God), Aria for Soprano and Orchestra, K. 418 (words author unclear)

Part 2

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756−1791)
Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) opera,
Overture
Act III, No. 20: "E Susanna non vien!.. Dove sono…" (Susanna has not come!.. Where are those happy moments…), Recitative and Aria of the Countess

Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) opera, K. 384
Overture
Act I, No. 6 "Ach ich liebte, war so glücklich", Aria of Konstanze (Alas, I loved, I was so happy)

Così fan tutte (Women Are Like That) opera, K. 588
Overture
Act I, No. 14 "Temerari!.. Come scoglio…" (Begone, bold creatures! … Like a rock …), Recitative and Aria of Fiordiligi

Don Giovanni opera, K. 527
Overture
Act II, No. 25/23 /// "Crudele!.. Non mi dir…" (Not love thee? … Tell me not…), Recitative and Aria of Donna Anna

Program subject to change.

Concert Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes with an intermission.

MAIN STAGE

MOZART-GALA. ON THE 270TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

November

6:00
pm

15

"Concerts of the season"

Autumn has its own musical palette ranging from pensive lyricism to rich, dramatic colors. On October 7, these nuances will come to life on the Main Stage of Sirius: "Autumn Classics" will bring together fragments of Russian operas, virtuosic concert pieces, and brilliant orchestral works.

Taking the stage this evening is the Safonov Academic Symphony Orchestra, one of Russia’s oldest symphonic ensembles, founded in 1895 by the outstanding musician and educator Vasily Safonov. Over the years, it was led by such renowned conductors as Alexander Glazunov, Yevgeny Mravinsky, Yuri Simonov, and Valery Gergiev. The orchestra has also performed alongside legends such as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Prokofiev, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Leonid Kogan, David Oistrakh, Leonid Sobinov, Antonina Nezhdanova, Irina Arkhipova, and Elena Obraztsova. Since 2024, the orchestra has been led by Nikolai Tzinman, a silver medalist of the 2025 Rachmaninoff International Competition.

The operatic portion of the program will feature six soloists from the opera company of the Safonov North Caucasus State Philharmonic: sopranos Aishan Mamedova and Natalya Chuvyurova, mezzo-soprano Olga Zakharyeva, baritone Ilya Tochilkin, and basses Alexey Eremin and Danil Litvinov. They will breathe life into a whole gallery of characters by Mikhail Glinka and Petr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, including Iolanta and Robert, Gorislava and Farlaf, Tatyana and Olga, as well as Liza and Polina.
The instrumental line of the program will be presented by soloists from the St. Petersburg Music House. Two of arguably the most famous concert pieces for solo strings and orchestra — Tchaikovsky’s Pezzo capriccioso and Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saëns — will be performed by Polina Tkhai and Sofia Yakovenko, respectively.
The evening will conclude with the famous Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia from the ballet of Aram Khachaturian.

Age Rating: 6+

Safonov Academic Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Nikolai Tzinman

Soloists of the Safonov North Caucasus State Philharmonic:
Aishan Mamedova (soprano)
Olga Zakharyeva (mezzo-soprano)
Alexey Eremin (bass)
Natalya Chuvyurova (soprano)
Danil Litvinov (bass)
Ilya Tochilkin (baritone)

Soloists of the St. Petersburg Music House, laureates of all-Russian and international competitions:
Sofia Yakovenko (violin)
Polina Tkhai (cello)


PROGRAM

Mikhail Glinka (1804−1857)
Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila, Op. 33

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840−1893)
Pezzo capriccioso for cello and orchestra in B minor, Op. 62
Soloist: Polina Tkhai (cello)

Iolanta’s Arioso from Iolanta, Op. 69
Soloist: Aishan Mamedova (soprano)

Robert’s Aria from Iolanta, Op. 69
Soloist: Ilya Tochilkin (baritone)

Duet of Prilepa and Milovzor from Pikovaya Dama (The Queen of Spades), Op. 68
Soloists: Natalya Chuvyurova (soprano), Olga Zakharyeva (mezzo-soprano)

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835−1921)
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
Soloist: Sofia Yakovenko (violin)

Mikhail Glinka (1804−1857)
Gorislava’s Cavatina from Ruslan and Lyudmila
Soloist: Natalya Chuvyurova (soprano)

Farlaf’s Arioso from the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila
Soloist: Danil Litvinov (bass)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840−1893)
Duet of Tatyana and Olga from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24
Soloists: Natalya Chuvyurova (soprano), Olga Zakharyeva (mezzo-soprano)

Igor Frolov (1937−2013)
Concert Fantasy on Themes from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Op. 19
Soloist: Sofia Yakovenko (violin)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840−1893)
Olga’s Aria from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24
Soloist: Olga Zakharyeva (mezzo-soprano)

Gremin’s Aria from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24
Soloist: Alexey Eremin (bass)

Uzh Vecher (It is evening already) duet of Liza and Polina from Pikovaya Dama (The Queen of Spades), Op. 68
Soloists: Ayshan Mamedova (soprano), Olga Zakharyeva (mezzo-soprano)

Aram Khachaturian (1903−1978)
Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia (Suite) from Spartacus, Op. 82

Program subject to change.

Concert Duration: 1 hour and 13 minutes without an intermission.

MAIN STAGE

AUTUMN CLASSICS

October

7:00
pm

7

"Concerts of the season"

Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Arsentiy Tkachenko

Soloist: Fyodor Orlov (piano)


PROGRAM

Part 1

Sergei Prokofiev (1891−1953)
Summer Night Suite from Obrucheniye V Monastyré (Betrothal in a Monastery), Oр. 123
I. Introduction
II. Serenade
V. Dance

Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
I. Andante — Allegro
II. Tema con variazioni
III. Allegro, ma non troppo
Soloist: Fyodor Orlov (piano)

Part 2

Sergei Prokofiev (1891−1953)
Suite from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64
Introduction
The Street Awakens
Morning Dance
Juliet as a Young Girl
Minuet. Arrival of the Guests
Masks
Dance of the Knights
Gavotte. The Departure of the Guests
Balcony Scene
Love Dance
Farewell Before Parting
Juliet Alone. The Poisoning Scene
Romeo at Juliet’s Tomb
The Death of Juliet

Program subject to change.

Concert Duration: 1 hour and 33 minutes with an intermission.

One of the most unique classical masters of the past century, the great composer, conductor, and pianist Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev stands out against the backdrop of the 20th century as an exceptionally bright and cheerful artist. He created his own musical language, free from the influence of new trends: instead of refined impressionistic imagery, he invoked a primal, "barbaric" energy; he countered romantic exaltation with restraint; and he transformed sophisticated psychologism into theatrical conventionality. In the year of Sergei Prokofiev’s 135th anniversary, the evening program on the Main Stage of the Sirius Concert Center will be entirely dedicated to his music.

The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has its own special reasons for celebrating this jubilee. The BSO is one of those ensembles whose biography is inseparable from the history of 20th-century Russian music. Founded in 1930 as the first symphony orchestra of Soviet radio, it premiered works by Nikolai Myaskovsky, Prokofiev, Aram Khachaturian, and Dmitri Shostakovich. Its podium has been graced by Nikolai Golovanov, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, and Yevgeny Mravinsky, and since 1974, its artistic director has been Vladimir Fedoseyev.

The BSO’s connection with Prokofiev began during the composer’s lifetime: he highly valued the orchestra’s craftsmanship and entrusted it with the premieres of his works. In November 1936, it was the BSO that performed the premiere of the First Orchestral Suite from Romeo and Juliet. On October 10, the BSO will once again turn to the composer’s scores, thus continuing a tradition that has accompanied the orchestra since the early years of its existence.

The first half of the concert will open with Summer Night — a late orchestral suite compiled from the music of the Obrucheniye V Monastyré (Betrothal in a Monastery) comic opera. Prokofiev assembled it in 1950, ten years after the opera itself, selecting the most lyrical and lighthearted pages of the score for the suite.

This will be followed by the Piano Concerto No. 3, arguably the most famous of Prokofiev’s five concertos. Indeed, it encapsulates the finest traits of the composer’s genius: rapid-fire motorics, "Scythian" sharpness, mocking wit and a wise balance of broad, deeply soulful lyricism. Prokofiev himself, a magnificent pianist, premiered the concerto in 1921 in Chicago. On October 10, the solo part will be performed by Fyodor Orlov, a student of Vladimir Ovchinnikov at the Moscow Conservatory, a laureate of Russian and international competitions, and a soloist in programs of the Russian Ministry of Culture, as well as annual subscriptions of the Moscow Philharmonic. His artistic portfolio includes performances with the Russian National Orchestra, the Svetlanov State Academic Symphony Orchestra, the London and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra.

After the intermission, the program will turn to one of the pinnacles of Prokofiev’s theatrical music — Romeo and Juliet. The suite from the ballet music was compiled by the BSO’s chief conductor Arsentiy Tkachenko, who will take the podium this evening. Since January 2025, he has led the BSO while concurrently remaining the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, as well as the deputy artistic director of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia.

Tkachenko has already performed this version during the BSO’s anniversary season; on October 10, nearly ninety years after the first performance of the First Suite, the music of Romeo and Juliet will once again be on the BSO’s music stands — this time at Sirius.

Age Rating: 6+

MAIN STAGE

PROKOFIEV — 135

October

6:00
pm

10

"Concerts of the season"

Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Arsentiy Tkachenko

Soloists: People’s Artist of Azerbaijan Dinara Alieva (soprano)
Honoured Artist of Russia Vasily Ladyuk (baritone)


PROGRAM

Part 1

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906−1975)
Prazdnichnaya Uvertyura (Festive Overture)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840−1893)
Robert’s Arioso from Iolanta
Lisa’s Recitative and Arioso from Pikovaya Dama (The Queen of Spades)
Prince Yeletsky’s Aria from the opera Pikovaya Dama

Sergei Prokofiev (1891−1953)
Montagues and Capulets Suite from Romeo and Juliet

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844−1908)
Gryaznoy’s Aria from the opera Tsarskaya Nevesta (The Tsar’s Bride)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840−1893)
Maria’s Lullaby from Mazeppa ("Spi, Mladenets Moy Prekrasny" / "Sleep, my beautiful baby")

Igor Stravinsky (1882−1971)
Excerpts from 1919 Suite to the L’Oiseau de feu (The Firebird / Zhar-ptitsa)
Rondes des princesses
Danse infernale du roi Kachtcheï
Berceuse
Finale

Part 2

Benjamin Britten (1913−1976)
March, Bolero, and Tarantella from the Soirées Musicales (Musical Evenings) suite after Gioachino Rossini

Giuseppe Verdi (1813−1901)
Leonora’s Aria ("Pace, pace, mio Dio") from La forza del destino (The Power of Fate)
Stankar’s Aria from Stiffelio
Duet of Leonora and Count di Luna from Il trovatore (The Troubadour)

Pietro Mascagni (1863−1945)
Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana (Rustic Chivalry)

Francesco Cilea (1866−1950)
Adriana’s Aria from Adriana Lecouvreur

Gioachino ROSSINI (1792−1868)
Figaro’s Cavatina from Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)

Richard STRAUSS (1864−1949)
Final Waltz from the symphonic suite to Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose)

Franz LEHÁR (1870−1948)
Giuditta’s Aria from Giuditta

Umberto GIORDANO (1867−1948)
De Siriex's Aria ("La donna russa") from Fedora

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756−1791)
Duet of Don Giovanni and Zerlina from Don Giovanni

Program subject to change.

Concert Duration: 1 hour and 51 minutes with an intermission.

On October 11, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra (BSO) will be joined on the Main Stage of Sirius by People’s Artist of Azerbaijan Dinara Alieva and Honoured Artist of Russia Vasily Ladyuk. The artists will present a large-scale and uniquely structured program where operatic masterpieces stand alongside iconic 20th-century symphonic scores.

For the BSO, this combination is entirely natural. Over the years, composers like Nikolai Myaskovsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Aram Khachaturian, and Dmitri Shostakovich entrusted the orchestra with the premieres of their works, while its performing partners have included Antonina Nezhdanova, Sergei Lemeshev, Irina Arkhipova, and Luciano Pavarotti. The October 11 program continues two long-standing BSO traditions: collaborating with outstanding vocalists and engaging with 20th-century symphonic music.

The operatic line of the program will feature arias and duets by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Giuseppe Verdi, Gioachino Rossini, Pietro Mascagni, Francesco Cilea, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — gems of the global opera repertoire. They will be performed by two singers whose artistic careers have long been tied to major international opera houses. Dinara Alieva is a Bolshoi Theatre soloist and a laureate of the Maria Callas, Francisco Viñas, and Plácido Domingo’s Operalia singing competitions; Italian opera, especially the works of Verdi and Giacomo Puccini, holds a special place in her repertoire. Vasily Ladyuk, one of Russia’s leading baritones, is a first-prize winner of the Francisco Viñas and Operalia competitions; his stage biography includes performances at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Bolshoi, and the Mariinsky Theatres.

The above will be complemented by the program’s symphonic line, unfolding in parallel. This will spanning from Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Igor Stravinsky to Benjamin Britten and Richard Strauss. The Prazdnichnaya Uvertyura (Festive Overture), Montagues and Capulets from Romeo and Juliet, excerpts from L’Oiseau de feu (The Firebird / Zhar-ptitsa), and the Final Waltz from Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose) will trace nearly an entire century, showcasing vastly different visions of what a large orchestra can be. A special focus in the symphonic portion highlights two milestone anniversaries of 2026: the 135th anniversary of Prokofiev and the 120th anniversary of Shostakovich.

The BSO, conducted by Arsentiy Tkachenko, will appear in two roles: as a dependable foundation for the brilliant soloists in the opera scenes, and as a self-sufficient symphonic powerhouse in diverse orchestral works that enter into a carefully crafted dramatic dialogue with the operatic classics.

Age Rating: 6+

MAIN STAGE

The masterpieces of world opera

October

6:00
pm

11

"Concerts of the season"

The Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre is continuing its November tour series in Sirius with a symphony program. This time, the spotlight is on the theatre’s orchestra.

The Perm Opera Orchestra leads a rich concert life far beyond the theatre pit. Its programs span five centuries of music — from the Baroque era to the works of contemporary composers. The geography of the ensemble’s performances stretches from Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow to Carnegie Hall in New York. Among its partners are new-wave conductors Fedor Lednev, Philipp Chizhevsky, Timur Zangiev, and Fedor Beznosikov, as well as Russia’s most in-demand composers: Vladimir Gorlinsky, Alexey Sysoev, Vladimir Rannev, and Anton Svetlichny. Since November 2023, the ensemble has been led by Vladimir Tkachenko.

The three compositions on the November 14 program span nearly eight decades of the 19th century — from 1814 to 1893. The beginning of this story is Beethoven and his only opera, Fidelio. The enormous labor the composer poured into his passionately loved creation is eloquently evidenced by the existence of three versions and a total of four overtures; the familiar Fidelio Overture, which will be performed in the concert, was written specifically for the final version of the opera. In the story of Leonore, who disguises herself as a man to rescue her husband Florestan from prison, Beethoven pinpoints the high philosophical and ethical temperature of drama that he had long and unsuccessfully sought in the librettos of his contemporaries — and to this day, Fidelio is considered one of the pinnacles of heroic classicism.

With Brahms, we enter the Romantic era, but Beethoven does not disappear from the story. On January 1, 1879, Brahms’s Violin Concerto in D major premiered in Leipzig — and on the premiere program, it shared the bill with Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, written in the same key: the composer himself insisted on the D major rhyme. The finales of Brahms’s concertos generally gravitate toward the Hungarian folk spirit, but this one is perhaps the most fiery. In a work written for the violinist Joseph Joachim — Hungarian by birth and a man of fiery temperament — the music undeniably echoes its addressee. On November 14, an interpretation of the concerto will be offered by Honoured Artist of Russia Pavel Milyukov — the Musical Director of Sirius Educational Programs and a laureate of the 15^th International Tchaikovsky Competition.

The final destination on our itinerary takes us to December 1893 and the brilliant premiere of Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 (From the New World). Its triumph was unprecedented: the audience applauded after every movement, and the composer had to stand and bow several times. The colourful, melodically generous symphony remains one of Dvořák's most popular works today and one of the most famous symphonies in the global repertoire. A year later, the score was published by the major Berlin publishing house Simrock, and the typography proofs were corrected not by Dvořák, who was across the ocean, but by his long-time friend and patron — Brahms, who had once helped the young Czech composer enter the European stage.

On November 14, our story will make a stop on the Main Stage of Sirius — you can join it right there in the hall, together with the Perm Opera Orchestra and Pavel Milyukov.

Age Rating: 6+

Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre

Chief Conductor: Vladimir Tkachenko

Soloist: Honoured Artist of Russia Pavel Milyukov (violin)


PROGRAM

Part 1

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770−1827)
Fidelio Overture

Johannes Brahms (1833−1897)
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Adagio
III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace
Soloist: Honoured Artist of Russia Pavel Milyukov (violin)

Part 2

Antonín Dvořák (1841−1904)
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95
I. Adagio — Allegro molto
II. Largo
III. Molto vivace
IV. Allegro con fuoco

Program subject to change.

Concert Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes with an intermission.

MAIN STAGE

THE FACETS OF ROMANTICISM

November

6:00
pm

14

"Masters of Music"

The "Masters of Music" cycle debuted at Sirius in the fall of 2025—the project’s launch coincided with both the 20th Anniversary of the Music House and the Opening of the new Sirius Concert Center. Its featured artists once started their journeys as young participants in the Music House programs, and today they belong to the ranks of recognized masters.

Nikita Lyutikov’s biography follows this formula precisely. In 2019, he performed at Sirius for the first time—back then on the stage of the "Orange Forum" Hall—as a participant in the "Musical Team of Russia" Young Soloists Project of St. Petersburg Music House. Seven years later, the artist returns as a featured headliner of the "Masters of Music" cycle, bringing his own solo program.

The clarinet came into his life by accident. As a child, Nikita dreamed of playing the saxophone, but his teacher, Isaak Lvovich Tikachinsky, decided the instrument was still a bit too large for the nine-year-old student and suggested starting with the clarinet. A year later came the verdict: "The clarinet is your instrument." As time has shown, the teacher was not mistaken.

Lyutikov’s musical career advanced rapidly. At fourteen, he received the Maestro Temirkanov Foundation Prize and the "Young Talents" scholarship; at fifteen, he won the Evgeny Mravinsky Competition; and at sixteen, the International Wind Instruments Competition in New York. Later came awards in Ghent and Cologne, a performance at Carnegie Hall, and tours across Europe, Asia, and the USA. Since 2014, Lyutikov has been a soloist with Honoured Collective of Russia St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and since 2022, he has been teaching at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and its affiliated music school.

The program spans original clarinet repertoire and virtuosic transcriptions: sonatas by Camille Saint-Saëns and Francis Poulenc, Darius Milhaud’s Scaramouche, and the "Russian Dance" from Lebedinoye Ozero (Swan Lake). A special brilliance will be added by Béla Kovács's witty After You, Mr. Gershwin. Inspired by the mood and energy of Rhapsody in Blue, the piece demands flawless mastery of the entire spectrum of clarinet technique from the performer—ranging from singing cantilena and subtle timbre nuances to breathtaking agility. The piano part will be performed by Andrei Telkov.

Age Rating: 6+

PROGRAM

Part 1

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835−1921)
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E-flat major, Op. 167
I. Allegretto
II. Allegro animato
III. Lento
IV. Molto allegro — Allegretto

Dedicated to the 90th Anniversary of the composer
Béla Kovács (1937−2021)
"After You, Mr. Gershwin"

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840−1893) — Andrey Rubtsov (b. 1982)
Lensky’s Aria from Eugene Onegin (arr. for flute and piano)

Darius Milhaud (1892−1974)
"Scaramouche" Suite for Clarinet and Piano in D major, Op. 165c
I. Vif
II. Modéré
III. Brazileira

Part 2

Francis Poulenc (1899−1963)
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, FP 184
I. Allegro tristamente
II. Romanza
III. Allegro

Dedicated to the 70th Anniversary of the composer
Alexander Rosenblatt (b. 1956)
Fantasy on Themes from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Zolotoy Petushok (The Golden Cockerel) for Clarinet and Piano

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840−1893) — Simeon Bellison (1883−1953)
Russian Dance from Lebedinoye Ozero (Swan Lake), arr. for clarinet and piano

Dedicated to the 120th Anniversary of the composer
Alexander Tsfasman (1906−1971)
Intermezzo for Clarinet and Piano in F minor

Performed by international competitions laureate Nikita Lyutikov (clarinet)
Piano part by international competitions laureate Andrei Telkov

Saint Petersburg Music House Artistic Director: Sergei Roldugin (People's Artist of Russia, Professor)

Program subject to change.

Concert Duration: 1 hour and 35 minutes with an intermission.

CHAMBER HALL

NIKITA LYUTIKOV. Solo Concert

November

7:00
pm

18

"Sirius New Year's
Music Festival"

Festive Concert on the Sirius Federal Territory Day

Saint Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra


Artistic Director and Conductor: Alexander Titov (Honoured Artist of Russia)

Soloist: Sergei Roldugin (cello, People’s Artist of Russia)

Compère: Yaroslav Timofeev


PROGRAM

Part 1

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835−1921)
Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Allegretto con moto
III. Tempo primo
Soloist: Sergei Roldugin (cello, People’s Artist of Russia)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840−1893)
The Year 1812, Solemn Overture, Op. 49
Torzhestvenniy Koronatsionniy Marsh (Festival Coronation March) in D major, TH 50

Part 2

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840−1893)
Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
I. Andante sostenuto — Moderato con anima
II. Andantino in modo di canzona
III. Scherzo. Pizzicato ostinato
IV. Finale. Allegro con fuoco

Program is subject to change.

Concert Duration: 1 hour and 48 minutes with an intermission.

The concert year at Sirius traditionally culminates with the New Year Music Festival. In 2026, it will once again open on December 22 — The Federal Territory Day. A year ago, the Main Stage welcomed the Festival for the very first time, as the Concert Center was just beginning its history. Today, the venue already has a full-fledged season under its belt, having hosted performances by major orchestras, theatrical tours, and festival premieres.

The upcoming winter festival on the Main Stage will open with a festive symphonic concert. Its featured artists will be the St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra, led by Honored Artist of Russia conductor Alexander Titov, and People’s Artist of Russia Sergei Roldugin.

The St. Petersburg ensemble approaches its 60th anniversary with a rich musical history. Established in 1967 as the Orchestra of Ancient and Modern Music, it today performs a repertoire ranging from the Baroque to the latest contemporary scores. Over the years, its partners have included Yuri Temirkanov, Mariss Jansons, Sviatoslav Richter, Elena Obraztsova, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Anna Netrebko. Since 2017, the Orchestra has been led by Alexander Titov — a conductor who has worked at the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theatres, La Scala, Covent Garden, and other major venues.

The evening will open with Camille Saint-Saëns's Cello Concerto No. 1, written in 1872. For its time, it is structured unusually: instead of the conventional three-movement cycle, the composer builds a through-composed form in which three sections follow one another without a break. The soloist’s part here is exceptionally complex and demands the highest level of mastery from the performer — yet this did not prevent the concerto from becoming a favorite work among major cellists. On December 22, the solo part will be performed by the Artistic Director of the St. Petersburg Music House, People’s Artist of Russia Sergei Roldugin.

This will be followed by two grand scores written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for Moscow commissions in the early 1880s. In the 1812 Overture, created for the All-Russian Arts and Industry Exhibition, the composer unfolds a musical tapestry of the Patriotic War: from the invasion of Napoleon's army and popular resistance to the triumphant jubilation of the finale, where bells and cannon volleys join the orchestra. In 1883, another Moscow commission followed — the Festival Coronation March for the celebrations in Sokolniki on the occasion of the coronation of Alexander III. After premiering at the imperial festivities, the march soon transcended the ceremony: on May 5, 1891, Tchaikovsky himself conducted it at the opening of Carnegie Hall in New York.

After the intermission, the Orchestra will perform Symphony No. 4, which marks the beginning of Tchaikovsky's mature symphonic period and the famous triad of his final "fatalist" symphonies. The composer revealed its concept most succinctly in a letter to Sergei Taneyev: "In essence, my symphony is an imitation of [Ludwig van] Beethoven’s Fifth; that is, I imitated not his musical ideas, but the core concept." In other words, at the heart of Symphony No. 4 is the same confrontation between man and fate, which Beethoven heralded with his famous "Thus fate knocks at the door." In Tchaikovsky's work, this image is embodied in a menacing fate motif that dominates the first movement and returns in the finale to disrupt its boisterous revelry. A whole lifetime passes between the appearances of this fatal motif: painful reflections, memories, a whimsical play of images, and an attempt to lose oneself in someone else’s celebration.

Tchaikovsky conducted Symphony No. 4 for the last time in London, where he had traveled to receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Music from the University of Cambridge. "The concert went brilliantly," he wrote to his brother, "according to the unanimous response of everyone, I had a genuine triumph."

Age Rating: 6+

MAIN STAGE

SIRIUS NEW YEAR MUSIC FESTIVAL OPENING

December

7:00
pm

22