Festino Chamber Choir, an independent vocal ensemble from Saint Petersburg, the winner of prestigious international competitions, has been performing early and modern music in academic concerts and theatrical productions for almost 20 years, often composed specifically for the choir. At the Diaghilev Festival, Festino will present one of the largest Russian choral works of the late 20th century, The Lamentations of Jeremiah by minimalist composer Vladimir Martynov.

The genre of the composition — a book set to singing — accurately reflects its essence. This is not just an oratorio, it is the text of The Book of Lamentations, traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, from the Old Testament, for the first time in history included in an entire musical composition. Vladimir Martynov wrote this composition for the early Russian music Sirin Ensemble counting on the non-academic voices and the specific sound culture of this legendary ensemble. In the oratorio there is nothing but melodies, the verticals are made up of a combination of melodic lines. The lines, in turn, are composed using the medieval technique of combining 'ready-made' intonation formulas — elements of Byzantine liturgical singing, Ancient Russian singing art, Balkan liturgical singing, and Gregorian chant.

The four chapters and the final prayer of The Lamentations of Jeremiah tell of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. In the 'book set to singing', Jerusalem becomes a multi-level concept, it is the prototype of both the Christian Church and the modern world as a whole. The destruction of the world is the central idea of The Lamentations. The musical unification of various liturgical and singing traditions, symbolizing the stones of the destroyed Jerusalem, gives hope for the restoration of its integrity. ‘Tears are given to a person, as evidence of a fall, but also as a hope to regain the lost integrity someday,’ the composer explained.

The concert of the musicAeterna soloists will feature chamber and instrumental music composed by three resident composers of musicAeterna and Dom Radio prior to their collaboration with musicAeterna.

The author of the idea of the concert, Andreas Moustoukis, decided to present to the public works for academic instrumentation – piano solo, piano trio, and piano quintet. The programme includes three compositions by Cyrille Arkhipov, as well as a piano trio by Alexey Retinsky, and a piano quintet written by Andreas Moustoukis in memory of Alfred Schnittke.

In such a strict field as modern academic music, not only radically different compositional strategies, stylistic and linguistic features of each of the authors become particularly clear, but also what unites them. The title of the programme contains a question that will help the audience to discover the subtle settings that bring the work of the three composers closer together, 'Does music sound when there is no one else in the room?'

SCHNITTKE LIVE (E+U). Loudspeakers Orchestra is an audiovisual journey through the world of film music by Alfred Schnittke, one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, the author of the music for the legendary motion pictures I vsyo-taki ya veryu (And Still I Believe) by Mikhail Romm, Voskhozhdeniye (The Ascent) by Larisa Shepitko, Fantazii Faryateva (Faratyev's Fantasies) by Ilya Averbakh, Steklyannaya Garmonika (The Glass Harmonica) by Andrey Khrzhanovsky, and others. In the concerts, the music of Alfred Schnittke will be performed on the acousmonium — an orchestra of about fifty loudspeakers. Thanks to acousmonium, music begins to live in space — sound moves around listeners, creating a sense of depth and presence. The acousmonium will be conducted by a composer Ilya SymphoCat.

A journey through the world of film music for the audience will begin with a video installation with stills from films containing the music by Alfred Schnittke. The author of the video installation is Dina Karaman, a video artist and director, participant of the Venice Biennale, as well as the MIEFF, Poslaniye k Chelovyeku (The Message to Man) and Zerkalo (The Mirror) festivals.

For Schnittke, film music became a laboratory of style, a testing ground for ideas, 'One of my life's goals is to overcome the gap between 'E' (Ernste Musik, serious music) and 'U' (Unterhaltungsmusik, music for entertainment), even if I break my neck in doing so!' The composer managed to bridge this gap indeed — Schnittke used the most successful finds in film music in his academic works. The project Schnittke Live (E+U). Loudspeakers Orchestra reflects the process of cross-fertilisation between to music spheres.

In his works, Alfred Schnittke often turned to spatial audio, whether it was layered textures or varied echoes. Back in 1970, he spoke about multi-channel sound as the most important discovery that brought the live play of musical space into the sounding matter and thereby freed it from the deadness of a one-dimensional sound track.

SCHNITTKE LIVE (E+U). Loudspeakers Orchestra is the first part of Oleg Nesterov's large research project Three Degrees of Freedom: Music > cinema > USSR, focused on the phenomenon of Soviet film music. The heroes of the project are three composers — Alfred Schnittke, Oleg Karavaychuk, and Alexander Knaifel.

SCHNITTKE LIVE (E+U). Loudspeakers Orchestra is an audiovisual journey through the world of film music by Alfred Schnittke, one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, the author of the music for the legendary motion pictures I vsyo-taki ya veryu (And Still I Believe) by Mikhail Romm, Voskhozhdeniye (The Ascent) by Larisa Shepitko, Fantazii Faryateva (Faratyev's Fantasies) by Ilya Averbakh, Steklyannaya Garmonika (The Glass Harmonica) by Andrey Khrzhanovsky, and others. In the concerts, the music of Alfred Schnittke will be performed on the acousmonium — an orchestra of about fifty loudspeakers. Thanks to acousmonium, music begins to live in space — sound moves around listeners, creating a sense of depth and presence. The acousmonium will be conducted by a composer Ilya SymphoCat.

A journey through the world of film music for the audience will begin with a video installation with stills from films containing the music by Alfred Schnittke. The author of the video installation is Dina Karaman, a video artist and director, participant of the Venice Biennale, as well as the MIEFF, Poslaniye k Chelovyeku (The Message to Man) and Zerkalo (The Mirror) festivals.

For Schnittke, film music became a laboratory of style, a testing ground for ideas, 'One of my life's goals is to overcome the gap between 'E' (Ernste Musik, serious music) and 'U' (Unterhaltungsmusik, music for entertainment), even if I break my neck in doing so!' The composer managed to bridge this gap indeed — Schnittke used the most successful finds in film music in his academic works. The project Schnittke Live (E+U). Loudspeakers Orchestra reflects the process of cross-fertilisation between to music spheres.

In his works, Alfred Schnittke often turned to spatial audio, whether it was layered textures or varied echoes. Back in 1970, he spoke about multi-channel sound as the most important discovery that brought the live play of musical space into the sounding matter and thereby freed it from the deadness of a one-dimensional sound track.

SCHNITTKE LIVE (E+U). Loudspeakers Orchestra is the first part of Oleg Nesterov's large research project Three Degrees of Freedom: Music > cinema > USSR, focused on the phenomenon of Soviet film music. The heroes of the project are three composers — Alfred Schnittke, Oleg Karavaychuk, and Alexander Knaifel.

On the programme:
JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU (1683–1764)

Prelude

Scene of the earthquake and choir of Incas Dans les abîmes
Opera-ballet Les Indes galantes, RCT 44 (1735)
Act II ('Les Incas du Pérou'), Scene 4

Duet of Shepherdess and Mercury Suivez les loi with the choir;
Tambourin en rondeau
Opera-ballet Les Fêtes d'Hébé, ou Les Talents lyriques, RCT 41 (1739)
Act III (La Danse), Scenes 6 and 7
The soloists:
Iveta Simonyan, soprano
Yulia Vakula, mezzo-soprano

A fragment of the overture to a musical comedy
Platée ou Junon Jalouse, RCT 53 (1745)

Air of La Folie Amour, lance tes traits
Comédie lyrique Platée ou Junon Jalouse
Act III, Scene 4
The soloist:
Yulia Vakula, mezzo-soprano

Rigaudons I and II;
contredanse and arietta of Thespis Chantons Bacchus with the choir
Comédie lyrique Platée ou Junon Jalouse
Prologue, Scene 3

Choir of the Spartans Que tout gémisse, que tout s'unisse
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux, RCT 32 (1737)
Act I, Scene 1

Thunderstorm scene; entrance of Mercury
Comédie lyrique Platée ou Junon Jalouse
Act I, Scene 1

Arietta of Cindor Zéphyrs, calmez la terre et l'onde with the choir
Ballet héroïque Zaïs, RCT 60 (1748)
Act II, Scene 4
The soloist:
Jak Martirosyan, baritone

The first gavotte of Graces, Pleasures and Arts; Arietta of Amour Renais plus brillante; The second minuet and tambourine of Graces, Pleasures and Arts
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux, RCT 32 (1737)
Prologue, scene 2
The soloist:
Alexey Kursanov, tenor

Entrance of HébéConnoissez notre puissance;
Scene of the Hébé’s suite, Pollux and Hébé’s Servant
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux
Act II, Scene 5
The soloists:
Tatiana Bikmukhametova, soprano
Jak Martirosyan, baritone

Passepieds of Happy Shadows I-II;
Ariette of The Other Happy Shadow Autant d'amours que de fleurs
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux
Act IV, Scene 2
The soloist:
Ksenia Dorodova, soprano

Arietta of the Castor Séjour de l'éternelle paix
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux
Act IV, Scene 1
The soloist:
Alexey Kursanov, tenor

Recitative and arietta of Phébé Castor revoit le jour, mercure le ramène / Soulevons tous les dieux
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux
Act V, Scene 1
The soloist:
Yulia Vakula, mezzo-soprano

Arietta of Phani Viens, Hymen
Opera-ballet Les Indes galantes
Act II ('Les Incas du Pérou'), Scene 2
The soloist:
Iveta Simonyan, soprano

Duet of Amour and Hébé Traversez les plus vastes mers with the choir
Opera-ballet Les Indes galantes
Prologue, Scene 5
The soloists:
Iveta Simonyan, soprano
Diana Nosyreva, soprano

Arietta of Hébé Musettes, résonnez with the choir; musette
Opera-ballet Les Indes galantes
Prologue, Scene 2
The soloist:
Ksenia Dorodova, soprano

Trio of Phébé, Pollux, and TélaïreSortez, sortez, d'esclavage with the choir; the scene with monsters and demons
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux
Act III, Scene 4
The soloists:
Tatiana Bikmukhametova, soprano
Yulia Vakula, mezzo-soprano
Andrey Nemzer, baritone

The First Gavotte of Graces, Pleasures and Arts;
ariette of Amour Renais plus brillante
Tragédie en musique Castor and Pollux, RCT 32 (1737)
Prologue, Scene 2
The soloist:
Alexey Kursanov, tenor

Minuets I and II; dances of madmen I and II
Comédie lyrique Platée ou Junon Jalouse
Act II, Scene 5

The Chaconne for Planets and Constellations;
the choir of stars Que les Cieux, que la Terre et l'Onde
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux
Act V, Scene 7

ChoirTendre Amour
Opera-ballet Les Indes galantes
Act III. ‘Les Fleurs, Fête persane’. Scene 7

The programme is subject to change.

Naseer Shamma, an outstanding master of playing the classical Arabic oud, returns to the Diaghilev Festival with the ensemble. Together with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds, the musician will present his own compositions, which, like the members of the ensemble, easily cross the borders of countries and styles.

Naseer Shamma is one of the world's most famous solo performers on the al oud, an Arabic lute. He was born and educated in Iraq, but has long been a true citizen of the world. In her compositions, Shamma brings together classical Arabic traditions with the harmonies and rhythms of Spanish folk music and European classical music. His poetic pieces, often inspired by Sufi ideas, are full of thematic contrasts and incredible virtuosity. Expanding the technical possibilities of the oud, Shamma developed a new type of instrument with additional strings.

Together with Naseer Shamma, musicians who are close to him in performing skills and aesthetic beliefs will perform in Perm. Born to musical families with deep national roots – Jordanian singer, and flamenco guitarist Carlos Piñana from Cartagena, Spain – often penetrate into neighbouring musical territories in their own projects, ranging from European classics to Arabic pop music. Kurdish percussionist Hussein Zahawy owns traditional percussion instruments of many nations. He is convinced that the music of Kurdistan is part of a much wider musical world stretching from Southern Spain through North Africa, the Balkans, Greece, Anatolia, the Caucasus, and Iran all the way to India.

The concert programme is to be announced.

On the programme:
JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU (1683–1764)

Prelude

Scene of the earthquake and choir of Incas Dans les abîmes
Opera-ballet Les Indes galantes, RCT 44 (1735)
Act II ('Les Incas du Pérou'), Scene 4

Duet of Shepherdess and Mercury Suivez les loi with the choir;
Tambourin en rondeau
Opera-ballet Les Fêtes d'Hébé, ou Les Talents lyriques, RCT 41 (1739)
Act III (La Danse), Scenes 6 and 7
The soloists:
Iveta Simonyan, soprano
Yulia Vakula, mezzo-soprano

A fragment of the overture to a musical comedy
Platée ou Junon Jalouse, RCT 53 (1745)

Air of La Folie Amour, lance tes traits
Comédie lyrique Platée ou Junon Jalouse
Act III, Scene 4
The soloist:
Yulia Vakula, mezzo-soprano

Rigaudons I and II;
contredanse and arietta of Thespis Chantons Bacchus with the choir
Comédie lyrique Platée ou Junon Jalouse
Prologue, Scene 3

Choir of the Spartans Que tout gémisse, que tout s'unisse
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux, RCT 32 (1737)
Act I, Scene 1

Thunderstorm scene; entrance of Mercury
Comédie lyrique Platée ou Junon Jalouse
Act I, Scene 1

Arietta of Cindor Zéphyrs, calmez la terre et l'onde with the choir
Ballet héroïque Zaïs, RCT 60 (1748)
Act II, Scene 4
The soloist:
Jak Martirosyan, baritone

The first gavotte of Graces, Pleasures and Arts; Arietta of Amour Renais plus brillante; The second minuet and tambourine of Graces, Pleasures and Arts
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux, RCT 32 (1737)
Prologue, scene 2
The soloist:
Alexey Kursanov, tenor

Entrance of HébéConnoissez notre puissance;
Scene of the Hébé’s suite, Pollux and Hébé’s Servant
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux
Act II, Scene 5
The soloists:
Tatiana Bikmukhametova, soprano
Jak Martirosyan, baritone

Passepieds of Happy Shadows I-II;
Ariette of The Other Happy Shadow Autant d'amours que de fleurs
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux
Act IV, Scene 2
The soloist:
Ksenia Dorodova, soprano

Arietta of the Castor Séjour de l'éternelle paix
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux
Act IV, Scene 1
The soloist:
Alexey Kursanov, tenor

Recitative and arietta of Phébé Castor revoit le jour, mercure le ramène / Soulevons tous les dieux
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux
Act V, Scene 1
The soloist:
Yulia Vakula, mezzo-soprano

Arietta of Phani Viens, Hymen
Opera-ballet Les Indes galantes
Act II ('Les Incas du Pérou'), Scene 2
The soloist:
Iveta Simonyan, soprano

Duet of Amour and Hébé Traversez les plus vastes mers with the choir
Opera-ballet Les Indes galantes
Prologue, Scene 5
The soloists:
Iveta Simonyan, soprano
Diana Nosyreva, soprano

Arietta of Hébé Musettes, résonnez with the choir; musette
Opera-ballet Les Indes galantes
Prologue, Scene 2
The soloist:
Ksenia Dorodova, soprano

Trio of Phébé, Pollux, and TélaïreSortez, sortez, d'esclavage with the choir; the scene with monsters and demons
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux
Act III, Scene 4
The soloists:
Tatiana Bikmukhametova, soprano
Yulia Vakula, mezzo-soprano
Andrey Nemzer, baritone

The First Gavotte of Graces, Pleasures and Arts;
ariette of Amour Renais plus brillante
Tragédie en musique Castor and Pollux, RCT 32 (1737)
Prologue, Scene 2
The soloist:
Alexey Kursanov, tenor

Minuets I and II; dances of madmen I and II
Comédie lyrique Platée ou Junon Jalouse
Act II, Scene 5

The Chaconne for Planets and Constellations;
the choir of stars Que les Cieux, que la Terre et l'Onde
Tragédie en musique Castor et Pollux
Act V, Scene 7

ChoirTendre Amour
Opera-ballet Les Indes galantes
Act III. ‘Les Fleurs, Fête persane’. Scene 7

The programme is subject to change.

Dolphin (Andrey Lysikov) has been a prominent figure in Russian music for more than 30 years, maintaining a willingness to constantly change the sound, style, and even the very form of artistic statement. His portfolio lists experiments with sound and words, concept albums, and projects that reveal themselves as sound worlds with their own atmosphere.

One of these parallel worlds is the electronic side project The Mechanical Dog. Here, Andrey Lysikov returned to the rhythms of electro, industrial, and early hip-hop music, to which he performed breakdance on the Arbat in the late 1980s and which was the beginning of his musical career. As part of this project, Dolphin has already released three full-scale albums of action-packed electronics with a cinematic atmosphere and dystopian overtones, and has also repeatedly become a headliner at major Russian electronic music festivals.