"Classical music is interesting to young people": main concert of the All-Russian classical music marathon "Cantata. Russia" held at the National Centre RUSSIA
The music of Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky, paintings from the Tretyakov Gallery and performances by leading artists of the country came together on the stage of the National Centre RUSSIA on Russia Day. The gala concert "Ahead of Time", which became the central event of the All-Russian classical music marathon "Cantata. Russia", showed that academic art continues to resonate with viewers of different generations, including young people. The marathon is being held as part of the VI Cantata International Classical Music Festival.
"Young people today are disproving the common view that they are interested only in light or short formats. According to VCIOM, more than 38% of young people attended cultural events, museums, music concerts and libraries last year. The Cantata Festival confirms that young people are interested in academic art, where they can hear the masters of the great legacy of our culture: Glinka, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky. Thanks to the Cantata Festival, young people come to understand that they can become the successors of great people. It is precisely this feeling that makes it possible to strive forward, dream and fulfil oneself in our large and great country. On Youth Day, we will pay special attention to the creative area across the country: at the request of young people, literary evenings and picnics, concerts featuring orchestral choir and performances by folk ensembles will be held in Russian regions, where young people will be able to take part, read their poems and perform their works," said Grigory Gurov, Head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodyozh).
The project "Ahead of Time" featured two ensembles, which united into a single academic "voice" of the whole country: the State Symphony Orchestra "Novaya Rossiya" conducted by People’s Artist of the USSR Yuri Bashmet and the Yurlov State Academic Choir Capella conducted by Gennady Dmitryak. Masterpieces of Russian classical music were performed on the main stage of the National Centre RUSSIA, famous ballet numbers were presented, and paintings from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery came to life.
Singer Elmira Karakhanova, winner of the 14th season of the television show "The Voice", drew a parallel between the work she performed and the cultural memory of the people, and also explained why the connection with real historical events gave the concert programme special depth.
"The work 'The Motherland Hears' is very closely connected with our cultural memory. Even those who did not study music professionally know this song from childhood, learned it and sang it in the school choir. Yuri Gagarin himself hummed this very song during his flight, so it seems to link different eras. At the National Centre RUSSIA, every artist felt part of a major cultural event in which music, painting and history came together. The perception of what was happening was strengthened by the fact that all the works performed at the concert were connected with important historical events. This gave the programme special depth," Elmira Karakhanova said.
One of the most memorable concert numbers was the Grand Adagio from Alexander Glazunov’s ballet "Raymonda", performed by young violinist Grant Bashmet. At that moment, Sapunov’s painting "Masquerade" came to life on the multimedia screen. The performer spoke about how painting influences the perception of music and what it means to him to take part in a large-scale concert dedicated to Russia Day.
"During this concert, the music does not run counter to what is shown on the screen, but exists in fellowship with it, and this is very pleasing. For me, it is a great responsibility to perform on this stage, primarily because it is not every time that you get to perform good music with such mastodons," Grant Bashmet shared.
The project "Ahead of Time" featured artists of the Bolshoi Theatre: prima ballerina and People’s Artist of Russia Anna Nikulina and principal dancer Dmitry Smilevsky. On the stage of the National Centre RUSSIA, they presented the famous adagio from Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s ballet "Swan Lake", accompanied by a symphony orchestra and works of painting that became part of the concert’s unified artistic concept.
"For me, ballet as a whole is a combination of arts. We cannot exist on stage without music, and today art has also been added to this wonderful tandem. And what could be more beautiful than that on such a wonderful holiday and in such a wonderful place," Dmitry Smilevsky said.
Anna Nikulina shared her impressions of taking part in the programme. She noted that Tchaikovsky’s music helped tell a story without words, while the combination of ballet, orchestra and painting made the concert unforgettable for both the artists and the audience.
"We wanted not only to tell our story, but also to make the audience feel it together with us, to become immersed in the characters and their fate. Tchaikovsky’s music is simply irreplaceable in this sense. The concert does not have the scenery we are used to during performances. But we were accompanied by a wonderful orchestra, beautiful paintings were presented on stage, and all of this together created a special atmosphere. I am sure that this combination gave the audience unforgettable emotions and made the holiday truly cultural and significant for all of Russia," Anna Nikulina said.
The Cantata International Classical Music Festival began in Russia in 2021 in the Kaliningrad Region. In 2025, the project reached the federal level: for the first time, the All-Russian classical music marathon "Cantata. Russia" was held as part of the festival, bringing together 12 regions of the country. In 2026, the marathon is being held under the slogan "Ahead of Time" in 15 cities, from Kaliningrad to Khabarovsk. The gala concert in Moscow set the artistic scale for the entire event: it was at the National Centre RUSSIA that the full dramaturgy of the project was presented, implemented in the year of the 120th anniversary of Dmitry Shostakovich’s birth and the 135th anniversary of Sergei Prokofiev’s birth. The festival is implemented with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.
The recording of the broadcast of the gala concert of the All-Russian classical music marathon "Cantata. Russia" is available on the website of the National Centre RUSSIA in the "Livestreams and Videos" section, while the Kultura TV channel will air the programme at 23:30.
The large-scale music marathon brought together 15 cities across the country, from Kaliningrad to Khabarovsk.
