Music for Aleksandr Sokurov’s Russian Ark Presented

On 29 March, 2003, in the Hermitage Pavilion Hall was officially presented music for Aleksandr Sokurov’s film Russian Ark. The event organized by the State Hermitage Museum, Radio Hermitage and Hermitage Bridge Studio inaugurated the beginning of the film’s showing in Russia.

Welcoming address was delivered by Mikhail B. Piotrovsky. Program included concert of the chamber orchestra St. Petersburg Camerata, photo show, sound trek and documentary about the shooting of Russian Ark. Actors and some of the guests wore historical costume of the time of Alexander III which were used in the film.

Russian Ark, the full-length film of the renowned director Aleksandr Sokurov, shot on 23 December, 2001, in the State Hermitage Museum, has no analogies in the world’s cinema industry. State-of-the-art technologies were used in its production. The one-and-a-half-hours film was shot in one sequence. Camera proceeded through 35 rooms of the Hermitage without any stops or montage. Music was written by composer Sergey Yevtushenko, Director of the State Hermitage Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Hermitage Music Academy Program.

Russian Ark won acclaim first at the festival of Cannes and then in Vyborg last summer.

Mikhail B. Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum

Composer Sergey Yevtushenko

During the performance