Stars of White Nights, a traditional music festival held in St. Petersburg every year, opens in the Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre today. The event will bring together well-known musicians and new talents alike. For example, Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk will be conducted by the composer's son Maxim. Peter and Paul Fortress will have the theatre's latest premiere, Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov. Reconstructed La Bayadere will open the festival.

The first such festival took place in 1993 when during one week The Mariinsky tried to stage the best of the plays ever staged at the theatre. This year's festival will last for one month. Yet the ideology of the Stars of White Nights will stay unchanged. The theatre, just like ten years ago, will present to the audience all the variety and richness of the Russian music. Most of the spectators are foreigners who, in Mariinsky's Director's opinion, 'are not at all that well aware of what Russian culture is.' 'They know little about Prokofiev, Shostakovich or Rimsky-Korsakov, and even Tchaikovsky's works might be news to them,' he added.

Photo: Interpress

News source: Rosbalt
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