Stars of the world opera in live broadcast from the Presidential Library

"Vivat, Russia!" gala concert took place at the Presidential Library June 10, 2013 within the XXI International Festival "The Palaces of St. Petersburg". Stars of the world oper, accompanied by Constantine Orchestra conducted by maestro Fabio Mastrangelo (Italy - Russia), gave a performance for the guests at the grand columned hall and to the general Internet audience. Live broadcast of the musical soiree was available on the library’s website.

The evening was devoted to Augustine Betancourt, researcher, architect, who formed a basis for Higher Engineering Education of Russia. As stressed Maria Safaryants, artistic director of the festival, opening the soiree the bridge between Betancourt and the venue for the concert is obvious. It was him who was the mentor of Carlo Rossi, who made the design for the construction of the Synod - the place occupied today by the Presidential Library. According to her, concerts at the Presidential Library have a special character. Here, the live sound of classical music performed by recognized masters is highlighted by the unique acoustics of the building, while the recreated interiors of the 19th century, combined with the latest technology, are themselves a symbol of the power of our state, underlined the manager of the festival. 

As part of the concert, a book about the activities of the talented engineer was presented. The author, Ph.D. Dmitry Kuznetsov, donated it to the library. As noted the Deputy Director General of the Presidential Library, Pavel Tereshchenko, the subject area of the library’s electronic holdings is related to the theory, history and practice of the Russian statehood. Materials devoted to outstanding personalities, who had largely determined the course of our history, are an important part of the collections of the library. Therefore, the donated edition will take an important place in the collections of the first national digital library of Russia.

The concert featured the "La Scala" star, Daniela Schillaci (soprano, Italy), Honored Artist of Russia, Maria Safaryants (violin) and winner of international competitions, Julia Novikova (soprano). They performed works by Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, Lalo, Bizet, Puccini.

Music nights at the Presidential Library have become a traditional project of the festivals "The Palaces of St. Petersburg" and "Musical Seasons in the Constantine Palace." They take place in the framework of an agreement between the Presidential Library, "Constantine" Foundation and "Palaces of St. Petersburg" Foundation to work together for the development of live performances, signed in 2012.