An incredible sense of pride in the country: audience members shared their impressions of the "Ahead of Time" concert

---

On Russia Day, the National Centre RUSSIA became a key space for the All-Russian Classical Music Marathon "Cantata. Russia", held as part of the VI Cantata International Classical Music Festival. The central event of the celebration was the "Ahead of Time" gala concert, which brought together masterpieces of Russian classical music, famous ballet pieces and works of painting from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.

Yulia Mullagaliyeva, a participant in the second intake of the "Time of Heroes" programme and a military surgeon, said that during the concert she felt a sense of pride in the country and its cultural legacy.

"It was very powerful. I constantly felt pride in our country, because Russia’s great history has always been reflected in works of art — in music, painting and poetry. It was very moving to come into contact with this legacy today. All the works performed at the concert resonated with me. My emotions are still overwhelming," Yulia Mullagaliyeva shared.

According to her, it is projects like this that help preserve cultural legacy and pass it on to future generations: "This is part of the cultural code of our people, our country. Events like this truly bring people together and help them feel the continuity of generations. I think it is important for everyone, regardless of age, to attend such concerts in order to better understand the history of their country and its path."

Audience member Arina Dementyeva attended the concert with her nine-year-old daughter. She noted that the programme proved interesting for several generations at once.

"The concert was simply wonderful. I am very glad that I came here with my daughter. She is only nine, but in one evening she was able to hear so many famous classical works, see Yuri Bashmet and Grant Bashmet perform, and discover ballet. For a child, this is a unique opportunity to come into contact with different forms of art at the same time. Seeing ballet artists perform to a live rendition of great music is truly beautiful," Arina Dementyeva said.

Tatyana Kharlamova came to the event with friends and said they were all absolutely delighted with the programme: "We are theatre lovers, so we liked literally everything. Our favourite artists performed here, wonderful music was played, and the ballet was especially memorable. It was very beautiful and professional."

According to the spectator, the concert format itself, which brought together different forms of art, was also interesting. Projects like this make it possible to perceive classical art in a new way and bring it closer to audiences.

Yana Filamofitskaya said that she had long been familiar with the work of the Novaya Rossiya orchestra, so she was especially looking forward to this concert: "Each time, both the selection of works and the level of performance are striking. That evening, everything was very organic and made a strong impression. I also looked at the audience from time to time and noticed that there were many children in the hall. And they sat there literally captivated by what was happening on stage. This is very important to me, because children usually find it difficult to perceive classical music for a long time. Here, however, they were fully involved. It seems to me that projects like this help the younger generation discover classical music and make it more accessible."

Indeed, young audience member Eva Alexeyeva admitted that she had been to many concerts, but this one became special for her.

"I really liked the concert. It was large-scale, and everything — the sound, the music, the artists — felt completely special. It made a very strong impression, especially the ballet; the pieces were simply amazing!" she noted.

According to guests of the National Centre RUSSIA, the "Ahead of Time" concert became not only a bright musical event, but also an opportunity to come into contact with the country’s rich cultural legacy in a new way.