“St. Petersburg Palaces” Festival opened with a concert in the Presidential Library

May 25, 2011 in the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library was performed a masterpiece of Italian musical culture - "Requiem" by Giuseppe Verdi. The event opened XIX International Music Festival "Palaces of St. Petersburg".

Festival 2011 is dedicated to the Year of Italy in Russia. Traditionally, a tribute to Italian culture, the festival this year is of particular richness of Italian works and performers.

Giving concerts in historical interiors of our city, the "Palaces of St. Petersburg" Festival performs the task of education, opening to the public new halls of architectural masterpieces of St. Petersburg. The Presidential Library is located in a historic building of the Synod, which was built in 1829-1834 under the project of Carlo Rossi.

“Requiem" in the hall of the Presidential Library was performed by soloists from Italy - soprano Maria Letizia Grosselli and mezzo-soprano Christine Melis, as well as the Russian men's voices - the dramatic tenor Khachatur Badalian and Mariinsky Theatre soloist, bass Alexander Morozov. A young Italian maestro Giacomo Sagripanti conducted the orchestra Konstantinovsky.

The chorus of Verdi's composition was performed by musicians of the Smolny Cathedral and Mikhailovsky Theatre.

Opening music festivals in the walls of the Presidential Library is becoming a tradition.  12 November 2010 a concert by American tenor Michael Spiresa launched the "St. Petersburg Embankments” Festival.

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