the aim of the project, according to organizers, was “a demonstration of our unity and a reflection of our deep understanding of the catastrophic events of the Second world war.” To participate in the project also invited musicians from the USA, France, UK, Japan and Finland – countries involved in world war II.
the Program had to be tailored to the epidemiological situation and choose only the compositions written for small ensembles. In the concert will sound music of Russian and German composers from Bach to Shostakovich, works related to the topic of the Second world war, Olivier Messiaen and Samuel Barber, as well as the poetry of Olga Bergholz, Ingeborg Bachman, Anna Akhmatova, to which he invited the prominent German actor Martin Wuttke and Elizaveta Boyarskaya. In the concert footage included an interview with Daniel Barenboim and Valery Gergiev. The program was recorded in the halls in the absence of the public, in compliance with all epidemiological rules. Today, when Europe celebrates the end of the Second world war, on the portals of the Mariinsky theatre (18 hours), Berlin Konzerthaus, “Russian seasons” on Deutsche Welle TV will be the broadcast of the concert.
Director of the Russian-German musical Academy, created this project in collaboration with the “Russian seasons”, Tatiana Rexort:
– This project emerged in a situation of a pandemic. Before our plan was a performance by the Russian National Youth Symphony orchestra with young musicians from German orchestras in Moscow on may 8 and then on may 13 in Berlin. The project was postponed for obvious reasons. But still wanted to do something, to send a message to each other: from Germany to Russia, from Russia to Germany. We turned to famous musicians of Berlin, was invited to participate in the project of musicians from other countries involved in the Second world war. Responded to all. The foreign Ministers Heiko Maas and Sergey Lavrov supported this project and made a video with words of welcome. Recorded his treatment of Valery Gergiev and Daniel Barenboim. The result was something big. The program of this concert a literary – musical: in the center, of course, the Russian-German music – Bach, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Shostakovich. But the sounds and music of French composer Olivier Messiaen and his Quartet “For the end of time”, written in 1941 in the concentration camp, sounds are also part of the Quartet of American composer Samuel Barber. Execution of works is followed in this concert with interviews, reading poetry, philosophical essays. Read our great Berlin actor Martin Wuttke and Liza Boyarskaya.
In Berlin, this event is a sensation. Konzerthaus was specially opened for the recording of this project. And it was impressive: in an empty room it looked completely different, we even empty the chairs are deliberately removed, when it was recorded. In our concert-the film sounds a lot of interviews in which the musicians Express their attitude to the 75th anniversary, sent from Germany his words to Russia.
In the concert take part pianists Martin Helmchen and Denis Matsuev, violinist Anti Weithaas and Tobias Feldman, jentz Peter Mainz (cello), Timur Martynov (trumpet), brass quintet of the Mariinsky theatre, orchestra of Konzerthaus (Berlin), the musicians of the orchestra of Russian-German music Academy (artistic Director Valery Gergiev).
