British arrangements for St. Petersburg’s 300th anniversary

Great Britain was the fourth country (after Poland, France and Finland) that represented its program for St. Petersburg’s 300th anniversary celebration. According to Robert Lain, “the British are not freshmen in this matter for the first representative of the United Kingdom arrived to Russia in 1453 so that in the next year we shall celebrate the 450th anniversary of the Russian-British diplomatic relations”. In different times British architects built houses and bridges in the Northern capital; the Brusses – aristocrats close to British kings by their genealogy tree – were military leaders and general-governors of St. Petersburg in the 18th century.

The arrangements made by the British party will take place in St. Petersburg from March till October of 2003. In March there are plans to hold the week of science, in April – the festival of modern British cinema, in May – a concert of the orchestra under conductorship of Shorn Edvards, graduate of St. Petersburg Conservatory, with the soloist – pianist and Laureate of the Chiakovsky contest in the year of 1986 – Barry Duglas. In the Kalininsky district the British party plans to construct a park for children and youth.

The chairman of the Committee on preparation and holding of St. Petersburg’s 300th anniversary, Natalia Batazhok, thanked the British side for its active participation in preparations due to the city’s jubilee. Natalia Batazhok stated that this program will be represented at the exhibition devoted to St. Petersburg taking place in London from 11th to 14th of November this year. Russian President counselor Sergei Yastrezhembsky will represent the program in the Russian Embassy in London on November 14.

News source: news.webdigest.ru