Concert dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty

A unique concert, dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty coming to the Russian throne, was held in the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace at the State Hermitage Museum on 6 March 2013.

The concert was performed by the Imperial Mikhailovsky Theatre’s orchestra and choir conducted by maestro Aleksey Karabanov, artistic director of the project (the head choirmaster and director - Vladimir Stolpovskykh, honoured artist of Russia), solo performer - Gennady Bezzubenkov, lead singer of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, recipient of the State Prize of Russia, recipient of the Golden Mask prize, honoured people’s artist of Russia.

The idea behind such a historical and musical event belongs to Yulia Kantor, Advisor to the General Director of the State Hermitage Museum and Doctor of History, who has initiated and organized historical and musical events devoted to memorable events in Russian history several times. She offered to use the Painting of the Court Orchestra found in the archives and showing an orchestra which performed at the concert in honour of 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty in the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace exactly 100 years ago as the basis for the event. Based on the programme of 1913, maestro Aleksey Karabanov offered to listeners his own modern view of such an event of prime importance in Russian history as choosing a new tsar which marked the beginning of the dynasty that ruled the country for just over 300 years.

“Unlike the concert that took place a century ago, our concert does not contain any anniversary ceremonies, odes or court puffery,” said the maestro, “only music associated with the choosing of a tsar and with other significant events in Russia’s history which took place during the rule of the Romanov dynasty. The first of all these are parts from M.I. Glinka’s opera A Life for the Tsar.”

It is remarkable that the opera dedicated to choosing young Mikhail Feodorovich as the tsar in 1613 also became the first national opera of Russia. The other significant music composition is P.I. Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave dedicated to the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878.

During the concert some pieces of music, chosen by the last emperor himself for the dynasty’s 300th anniversary, were performed. These are Elegia from P.I. Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for String Orchestra, Dawn on the Moscow River from M.P. Mussorgsky’s opera Khovanshchina and A.K. Glazunov’s Concert Waltz.

The head of the project - Yulia Kantor, the Advisor to the General Director of the State Hermitage Museum, and Doctor of History.

The concert producer - OOO Troika Music.