Saint Petersburg is hosting the tenth edition of the «Tchaikovsky. Reboot» festival («Чайковский. Перезагрузка»). Until the end of November the Governor's Symphony Orchestra of Saint Petersburg, led by conductor Anton Lubchenko, plays seven programmes in some of the city's finest halls: the Capella, the Grand Hall of the Philharmonia, two state rooms of the Hermitage, the Maltese Chapel and the «Nevskaya Ratusha» venue.
This year the focus is on rarely performed music. Next to well-known Tchaikovsky, the programmes include pieces by Stravinsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Shostakovich that seldom appear on concert posters, as Governor Alexander Beglov said on 7 October.
Why this year is special
This is the festival's tenth season. It opened on 8 October at the Academic Capella, 20 Moika Embankment, with Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 (soloist Alexander Kashpurin) and Stravinsky's early Symphony in E-flat major. The festival is rated 6+.
Key concerts: dates and venues
- 8 October, Academic Capella — opening night (already over).
- 11 October, Maltese Chapel — pianist Zarina Shimanskaya plays Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1; the orchestra plays a rarely heard suite from Rimsky-Korsakov's opera «Pan Voyevoda».
- 16 October, Grand Hall of the Philharmonia — all-Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4, Variations on a Rococo Theme and the «Slavonic March», with cellist Sergei Roldugin.
- 25 October, St George's Hall, Hermitage — Shostakovich's Symphony No. 12 «The Year 1917», in the year of the composer's 120th anniversary.
- 29 November, Armorial Hall, Hermitage — the finale, an all-Tchaikovsky programme with pianist Pavel Raykerus.
- Nevskaya Ratusha — two more concerts; dates to be announced.
Early announcements in September gave 4 November for the finale; the governor's statement of 7 October names 29 November. Check the date on the ticket page before buying.
