The heyday of the empire and the rise of national culture: the music of Nicholas II’s era performed at the Presidential Library

The regular concert of the musical and educational project “Music of the Russian Statehood”, dedicated to the era of the last Russian emperor, took place in the Presidential Library, - “Nicholas II. The Heyday of the Empire”.

The era when Russia entered global stage and bestowed everyone great names was presented by one of the most virtuosic pianists of our time, Polina Osetinskaya, the International Symphony Orchestra of Leningrad Region “Tavrichesky” conducted by Mikhail Golikov and soloists of leading Petersburg theaters, laureates of international contests Angelica Minasova and Vladimir Celebrovsky. Famous musicians performed the most significant works of Russian composers - Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky.

The reign of Nicholas II was marked by an economic expansion and an extraordinary rise in national culture. It was a real boom of Russian art in the world, the peak of the popularity of Russian musicians, artists, ballet groups. One can realize the scale of the epoch simply by listing the names of the creators of that time: Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov, Prokofiev, Chaliapin, Sobinov, Nezhdanov. Stars of the Russian ballet Pavlova, Kshesinskaya, Nijinsky received world recognition ... Artists Vasnetsov, Vrubel, Repin, Serov, Levitan, Kuinji and others also lived and worked with them. By a tradition, this immersion in the designated era that evening was reflected by the historian and writer Alexander Myasnikov

The guests of the concert received a unique opportunity to learn the works of members of the royal family. The Romanovs, famously, were very gifted and left a considerable musical heritage.

Nicholas II himself played the piano. A magnificent symbol of imperial couple’s love for playing the piano was a horizontal piano presented by Nicholas II to Alexandra Feodorovna. New art, the art of cinema, also enjoyed great success. In 1911, in Livadia, the first full-length film in the history of Russian cinema, directed by V. Goncharov, Defence of Sevastopol, was presented to the emperor, for which Nicholas II awarded the director a diamond ring. The emperor himself photographed well, and all members of his family were engaged in photography, they loved to make family photo albums together.

The history of the creative development of Polina Osetinskata is known worldwide, and her autobiography has become a bestseller. She performed in the most prestigious halls of the world, played music with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Merited Collective of Russia Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, E. F. Svatlanova State Academic Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra of the Weimar National Opera, and others. Once music, according to Polina, has become for her a kind of psychotherapy. Today, Osetinskaya is not only the star of the world stage but the promoter of classical music - she is the creator of the center, which helps other artists to cope with specific professional problems.

Sergey Rachmaninoff, the brilliant Russian composer, has encountered a similar problem in his life. After a severe shock from the failure of his First Symphony in 1897, Rachmaninoff got depressed, but hopefully he was cured by the eminent Russian doctor N. Dahl. The crisis passed, energy returned to the composer, and in 1900 he created one of the most life-affirming works, which he dedicated to his savior, the Second Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, the absolute masterpiece of all times, according to public and music critics. Last night it was performed in the white-columned hall of the Presidential Library by Polina Osetinskaya.

“Music of the Russian Statehood” concert cycle was organized by the Foundation for the International Festival of Classical Music “Palaces of St. Petersburg” led by Maria Safaryants and the Presidential Library. The project “Music of the Russian Statehood” has been implemented using a grant from the President of the Russian Federation for the development of civil society provided by the Presidential Grants Foundation.

The event was broadcasted live on the Presidential Library’s portal in “Live Broadcasts” section.