WINTER INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL IN SOCHI
“Not many years have passed since the birth of your wonderful creative forum. Despite its youth, it has, however, become a notable and remarkable event in the cultural life of Sochi and the entire Russia.”
Vladimir Putin
Sochi is a southern Russian resort that became widely known for the first Russian Winter Olympics. For more than fifteen years, this city has also been a true winter cultural capital of Russia. The first Winter International Festival of Arts under the direction of Yuri Bashmet took place in 2008. Since then, the festival has become the largest winter arts festival in Eurasia; it can be placed on a par with the world’s most prestigious festivals.
Since 2011, the festival in Sochi has been a member of the European Festivals Association. It has been successful in implementing its long-term goals. The festival is a vivid example of the rapid development of a cultural project of global scale, as the festival won the recognition of the international cultural community in just over fifteen years.
Many performers who have been taking part in concerts in the Winter Theatre and the Organ Hall of the Sochi Philharmonic during the eighteen years of the festival’s existence are major classical, jazz, pop, and ethnic musicians, stars of world ballet, musical, and operetta, famous dance, drama, and experimental theatre companies. From the first years, the Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi has been visualized by Maestro Bashmet as an event beyond conventions that is open to the diversity of styles, genres, and trends.
Valery Gergiev and the Swingle Singers, Teodor Currentzis and Natalia Osipova, Denis Matsuev and Diana Arbenina, Nikolai Lugansky and the Terem Quartet, Vadim Repin and Emir Kusturica, Maxim Vengerov and Jean-Luc Ponty, Khibla Gerzmava and Pelageya, Barbara Frittoli and Nino Katamadze… From celebrated masters and talented representatives of the new generation to young aspiring artists and musicians, all participants contributed to maintaining the high level of the Sochi Festival. The festival prides in its ballet nights with soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre, the Mariinsky Theatre, Covent Garden, and L’Opéra Garnier; ethnic music concerts and dance shows from China, Argentina, Palestine, Thailand, and South Korea; the Piccola Scala performances, plays by the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre, the Vakhtangov Theatre, and Maly Drama Theatre; concerts of the legendary Alexandrov Ensemble and Igor Butman Big Band. The festival also offers an extensive alternative program, including film retrospectives, photo and video art master classes, sports and charity events, poetry tournaments, conferences, music academies, schools for journalists and producers, and much more.
World premieres have become a special trend at the festival over the past few years. It is hard to tell their exact number; at times, the festival featured several premieres in one night. There are not only numerous musical compositions presented at the festival but also musical performances commissioned by the festival to enjoy life later on other world stages.
It was the festival in Sochi that featured the world premieres of “Fantastic Carmen,” ‘Don’t Leave Your Planet,” “Fortunatissimo, or The Hopelessly Happy Man,” ‘The Queen of Spades Passion’, “The Innermost People,” “The Ship of Lovers,” and others. The festival hosted the premieres of “A Gentle Creature,” “The Living and the Dead,” and “The Cathedral Clergy” that are now enjoying success across Russia.
An important aspect of Yuri Bashmet’s work is his educational projects. All Maestro’s festivals include creative meetings and masterclasses, evenings at music schools and colleges, and concerts by young musicians. In this regard, Sochi has become a major educational platform. The annual Youth Music Academy, the International Competition for Young Composers, the School for Young Journalists Writing about Culture, and the Video Art Laboratory are all part of the festival. It was in Sochi that the All-Russian Youth Symphony Orchestra was established. Each Sochi festival also features joint projects with leading European music institutions.
