29th Colmar International Festival – Tribute to Michel Plasson

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29th Colmar International Festival
From 5th to 14th July 2017
Tribute to Michel Plasson

In 2017, the Colmar International Festival will be paying tribute to Michel Plasson, one of the most prominent figures on the French and international music scene of the last decades. Keeping with our rich tradition of relations between France and Russia, Vladimir Spivakov, artistic director of the festival, was determined to pay tribute to his famous colleague. They have enjoyed a long relationship, formed by their mutual admiration.

For a long time now, Michel Plasson's name has been particularly associated with work aiming to defend and demonstrate the French repertoire from the 14th and 15th centuries. He said himself that he has devoted his life to finding "rediscovered sound". Born in 1933, he studied at the Paris Conservatory and won first prize for the Besançon competition in 1962. After a trip to the United States, where he was mentored by Leinsdorf, Monteux and Stokowski, he returned to France. In 1968, he became the director of the Capitole de Toulouse. For thirty-five years, he transformed his orchestra and town into a first-class music centre, with a very strong identity. By directing all repertoires, Michel Plasson took on the role of defender of French music, creating and recording benchmark modern interpretations of the pillars of lyrical and symphonic repertoire: Faust, Carmen, Lakmé, Romeo and Juliet, La Vie parisienne, symphonic works by Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Franck, Ravel etc… He also brought some forgotten-about compositions back to life, by Ropartz and Roussel to Chabrier and Magnard…Furthermore, he has collaborated with some composers of his own time, in particular Dutilleux and Landowski. At the same time, Michel Plasson pursued an international career, directing from the biggest stages and with the greatest of artists. He was the director of the Dresden Philharmonic from 1994 to 2001. This work, which may seem natural to some, has set him aside from others and made him into a leading figure. More recently, Michel Plasson founded an academy, where he passes on his knowledge and passion for music. Several of his students now lead an international career.

With Michel Plasson and Vladimir Spivakov, the 2017 edition of the Festival promises to be exceptional. Together they will direct the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, one of the greatest Russian orchestras and guest of honour of the Festival, in one of the largest concert halls. As can be expected, French music will be honoured, from Berlioz to Dutilleux, Saint-Saëns and Ravel. Vladimir Spivakov is eager to inject some Russian and romantic repertoire music, for which he has a particular fondness. As with every year, the Festival will be hosting some of the greatest performers of our time, both singers and instrumentalists, some of whom have followed Michel Plasson's prestigious programme (François-René Duchâble, Sophie Koch). The Festival also aims to let the public discover young contemporary talents and future upcoming soloists. They will be able to listen to a rich series of recitals and chamber music before the evening concerts begin.

The NPR is starting new recording sessions

1 Commnent

On June 17, 2017, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia started a recording session of famous concert masterpieces to be released under the “Spivakov Sound” label. During eight days to follow there will be recorded works of Tchaikovsky (Piano Concerto No. 1), Rachmaninoff (Piano Concerto No. 2, Symphony No. 2), Prokofiev (Piano Concerto No. 3), Wieniawski (Violin Concerto No. 2), Bruch (Violin Concerto No. 1), Saint-Saëns (Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso) and Sarasate (Gypsy Airs), conducted by Vladimir Spivakov. Soloists – Alexander Malofeev (piano) and Clara-Jumi Kang (violin).

In accordance with the established tradition the recording will be done with the participation of German sound engineer and producer Philipp Nedel, a Grammy and ECHO award winner, a constant partner of such recorded music companies as Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Sony Music and Onyx. In 2015-2017 Nedel and his company b-sharp took part in the NPR's release under Sony Music's  label of an album of Edvard Grieg's music “A Wounded Heart” (it can be heard in the “Audio Section), as well as in the recordings of Taneyev's “John of Damascus” Cantata (see “Sacred Russia”), Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony and “Eugene Onegin” and other music.

“Avocations. Private collection of Vladimir Spivakov”

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16 June - 24 September | Museum if Russian Impressionism, Moscow

The latest exhibition at the Museum of Russian Impressionism has been organised together with the world-famous violinist and conductor Vladimir Spivakov and is based on his private collection. Until now, the collection was only known to a close circle of the maestro’s friends. The artworks which he has collected over many years will go on show to the general public for the first time.

Vladimir Spivakov has not simply lent works for the exhibition, but played an active role in creating it. The broad scope of his thinking and his interest in a number of art forms characterise Spivakov the collector. The range of artworks in the collection was the starting point for the exhibition concept, which can be expressed using the phrase “unity in variety”.

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The NPR is Closing its Season in Perm

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The National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia will take part in the VIII All-Russian Festival "Vladimir Spivakov Invites ..." in the Perm Region. The Orchestra's concerts under the baton of Vladimir Spivakov will be held  on May 23-27, 2017,  at the Great Hall of the Perm  Philharmonic Society  and at the Center for Creativity and Leisure in Polazna. The Festival in Perm Krai has been held every year since 2010 with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Youth Policy and Mass Communications of Perm Krai and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation as part of the  "All-Russian Philharmonic Seasons" Project.
Vladimir Spivakov: "Our repeated visits convinced us that Perm is an advanced city that owns a remarkable philharmonic society. Not  every region or oblast centre can boast of such  philharmonic activities.  And the audience there is  grateful, well-prepared and  intelligent, subtly following the nuances of a performance ... ".
The All-Russian Festival "Vladimir Spivakov Invites ..." has become a landmark event in the musical life of the Kama region. Among the participants of this year's Festival  there are titled musicians and rising stars: the violinist from Germany Clara-Jumi Kang, who became a sensation of the 15th Tchaikovsky International  Competition in Moscow; Roman Borisov, a 14-year-old pianist from Novosibirsk, a prize-winner  of the First Vladimir Krainev Moscow International Piano Competition and more than ten other contests, an awardee of Denis Matsuev's scholarship;  Ekaterina Mechetina, a famous Russian pianist; Anna Aglatova, a soloist of the Bolshoi; Ksenia Nesterenko and Tigran Ohanian, the finalists of the "The Grand Opera" TV Project ; and  famous jazz trumpeter Vadim Eilenkrig. All the concerts  of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia will be conducted by its  Artistic Director  Vladimir Spivakov.
In order to make the music culture accessible to  most diverse social strata of the population, the Perm Philharmonic Society organizes online broadcasts of the Festival concerts within the framework of the Virtual Hall Project.

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The NPR’s Russia Tour Continues in Belgorod and Kursk

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The NPR and Vladimir Spivakov will continue their Russia tour in the Belgorod and Kursk regions on May 17-20. The tour is supported by the "ArtOkno" Festival by Alisher Usmanov's "Art, Science and Sport" Charity Foundation . The Festival was established in 2017 in order to organize various cultural events in the Belgorod, Kursk and Orenburg regions and assist the regional cultural centers. The NPR's concerts will take place in Belgorod (May 17), Stary Oskol (May 18), Kursk (May 19) and Zheleznogorsk (May 20). The audiences will be offered a program compiled of popular overtures, arias and duets from Italian and French operas (see below). Marika Machitidze (soprano), the star of the "The Grand Opera" TV Project, and Vasily Laduk (baritone), the soloist of the “Novaya Opera” Teater, will sing in the concerts. Major part of the tickets for the NPR's performances there is free of charge. Vladimir Spivakov: "Thanks to the support of Alisher Usmanov's Charity Foundation, it is not our first visit to the Belgorod and Kursk regions. I am very glad to be able to give concerts in the Russian regions, especially in small towns. I like the idea of the "ArtOkno" Festival which provides a free artistic dialogue between the regions and the main cultural centers of Russia. " Fatima Mukhomejan, Deputy Director of the “Art, Science and Sport” Foundation: "We have been cooperating with Maestro Vladimir Spivakov for many years and are glad that he always supports our projects and responds to our offers to perform in the Russian regions despite his very busy schedule. I am sure that the May concerts will be once again successful events and will be warmly received by all admirers of the musical art. " Read more...

The Open Arts Festival “Chereshnevy Les”

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May 15, 2017 | The Svetlanov Hall of the Moscow International Performing Arts Center
The Svetlanov Hall of the Moscow Performing Arts Center
The Open Arts Festival "Chereshnevy Les"
Soloists: Alexander MALOFEEV, piano
Daniel LOZAKOVITJ, violin
Conductor – Vladimir SPIVAKOV
Rachmaninoff - Respighi. Four Etudes-Tableaux
Rachmaninoff. Concerto No. 2 for piano and orchestra in C minor, Op. 18
Bruch. Concerto No. 1 for violin and orchestra in C minor, Op. 26
Saint-Saëns. Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso for violin and orchestra in A minor, Op. 28

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“All-Russian Philharmonic Seasons” Program continues in Omsk with NPR

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On May 10-11, 2017, the National Philharmoniic Orchestra of Russia will perform at the Concert Hall of the Omsk Philharmonic Society. It will be the 6th Edition of the "Vladimir Spivakov Invites ..." Festival in this town.. Pianists-virtuosi Alexander Malofeev and Andrey Korobeinikov will also take part in the concerts of the Festival whose programs this year are entirely devoted to Sergei Rachmaninoff's works: the Second and Third Piano Concertos, the Second Symphony, the Symphonic Dances and the Etudes-Tableaux orchestrated by Ottorino Respighi.
The "Vladimir Spivakov Invites ..." Festival was first held in 2001 in Moscow. In 2012, Omsk became another city (after Perm), which Maestro Spivakov chose for housing the eponymous regional festival. The National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia invariably participates in all Festival concerts. The concerts are held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation as part of the "All-Russian Philharmonic Seasons" Program. This Program is a singular artistic project, which the Ministry of Culture and the Moscow Philharmonic Society have been successfully implementing since 2003. The Program is aimed at reviving concert activities throughout Russia and ensuring equal access to cultural values for inhabitants of various regions of the country. The top symphonic orchestras of Russia are involved into the Project. Read more...

9th Moscow Music Festival «Vladimir Spivakov Invites…»

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The 9th Moscow Music Festival «Vladimir Spivakov Invites…»

The Svetlanov Hall of the Moscow International Performing Arts Center
October 1 – December 28, 2017

The “Vladimir Spivakov Invites...” Moscow Music Festival was first held in autumn 2001 and immediately manifested its features of a top-quality remarkable project. With his many years' experience of the Colmar Festival (France), Vladimir Spivakov had long cherished the dream of realizing such an enterprise in his homeland. He conceived a festival which does not follow the whole gamut of the largest music forums in Europe, but matches the best of them in terms of performance level and is aimed at an intelligent and demanding audience.

The Ninth "Vladimir Spivakov Invites ..." Festival will open at the Moscow International Performing Arts Center on October 1 and close on December 28, 2017. It promises again to be a memorable event in the cultural life of the Russian capital, a rendezvous with world-class performers, a multi-faceted mirror reflecting the artistic aspirations of Vladimir Spivakov, an outstanding musician and a public figure. "It's not the number of festival concerts, which is important, but the opportunity to show in Moscow what I love myself: something new, diverse in genres and styles, ingenious, talented," says the Maestro.

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