The A. D. Sakharov International Arts Festival is an annual (with some intermissions) classical music festival held in Nizhny Novgorod at the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Philharmonic named after Mstislav Rostropovich. Founded in 1992, it is the only Russian festival accepted into the European Festivals Association under UNESCO. The festival's artistic director and general director is Olga Tomina, who also heads the Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic.[3]

History and Format

The festival is held under the motto "Russian Art and the World."[2] Originally held every two years, its frequency has changed over time. By 2018, fifteen editions had taken place: across the fourteen festivals held between 1992 and 2016, more than 70 creative ensembles and over 200 artists from 22 countries participated, and the festival concerts were attended by approximately 170,000 Nizhny Novgorod residents and visitors.[1] Each festival runs for two to three weeks and includes 12 or more concert programs combining music, literary readings, and art exhibitions.[1] A lasting tradition has been the inclusion of dedicated Days of Culture and Art for individual European countries — the Netherlands, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and others.[3]

Regular and Notable Participants

Mstislav Rostropovich, Galina Vishnevskaya, Yuri Bashmet and his chamber ensemble "Soloists of Moscow," the Borodin Quartet, Dora Schwarzberg, Dmitry Bashkirov, Sergey Yursky, and the American Fine Arts Quartet have all appeared at the festival on multiple occasions.[3] Vladimir Spivakov with the "Virtuosi of Moscow" orchestra, Denis Matsuev, Sergey Krylov, Daniil Trifonov, Lucas Debargue, Fabio Mastrangelo, Alexander Knyazev, and Ignat Solzhenitsyn have also performed at the festival.[3][1] In 1998, the festival was held under the motto "Russian Art and the World," with around 400 performers from Russia, Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Lithuania taking part.[2]

The festival's programs frequently include theatrical and musical performances: in 2018, for example, Yevgeniy Mironov and Yuri Bashmet with the Solisty Moskvy ensemble presented the production "Van Gogh. Letters to His Brother."[4] Dramatic actors have also performed at the concerts: Konstantin Khabensky, Vasily Lanovoy, Aleksandr Filippenko, and Sergey Yursky.[3][1]

Individual editions

The XII festival (2012) was timed to mark the 20th anniversary of the first event: the Virtuozy Moskvy under Spivakov, Solisty Moskvy under Bashmet, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra led by Sergey Krylov, the State Chamber Choir under Vladimir Minin, and pianists Denis Matsuyev and Daniil Trifonov all took to the stage of the Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic — 300 performers in all from six countries.[3] The XIII festival (3–16 June 2014) opened with performances by Sergey Krylov and Denis Matsuyev; the program included the A. A. Yurlov Russian State Chamber Choir, soloists from the Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Center, the Gregory Privat jazz trio, and the National Ballet of Győr (Hungary) directed by János Kiss.

The XV jubilee festival (19 May – 8 June 2018) opened with a performance by Mikhail Pletnev with the Russian National Orchestra and closed with a concert by Denis Matsuyev with the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic conducted by Aleksandr Skulsky; in total, 12 concert programs and more than 300 musicians from Russia, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and the United States.[1] The opening ceremony of the XV festival was attended by Nizhny Novgorod Region Governor Gleb Nikitin.[4]

Sources

  1. KP — Nizhny Novgorod — Full program of the celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod: festivals, concerts, and exhibitions
  2. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — The XV International Sakharov Arts Festival will be held at the Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic on 19 May
  3. Newsroom24 — The Sakharov Festival is a kaleidoscope of many colors — Olga Tomina — Society
  4. radio.orpheus.ru — Sakharov Arts Festival — Radio Orpheus (Moscow 99.2 FM)