On October the 7th on stage of the Nizhny Novgorod State Rostropovich Philharmonic was held the final concert of the Volga tour 2017. For the guests of the evening was played music by Rachmaninov: in the first part of the concert David Khrikuli , a young scholarship holder of the Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation performed the Second piano concert, considered one of the most perfect and famous works of the composer; in the second part young opera singers, the students of the Opera Centre, presented a concert version of the opera Aleko. Conductor of the Orchestra of the Opera Centre was student of the Rostropovich Foundation Khetag Tedeev.
In the framework of the Volga tour 2017 soloists of the Opera Centre and the scholarship holders of the Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation visited the main cultural centers of the Volga region – Cherepovets, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ples and Nizhny Novgorod. The musicians performed an extensive and varied vocal and instrumental program and provided the most “fresh” premiere – the Aleko by Rakhmaninov. Musical theatre, “sailing the Volga”, became an unexpected and pleasant event in the cultural life of the region: in all the cities the artists were given the warmest welcome, their performances have found a warm response among music critics and listeners. At a press conference in Nizhny Novgorod Olga Rostropovich said she was pleased with how the tour went, and hoped that later it will be possible to hold such an original tour annually.
Volga tour 2017 is a very important and long-awaited event that holds a special place in a number of other cultural initiatives of the Opera Centre and Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation. It is also a valuable experience for the young musicians.