The main concert of the All-Russian classical music marathon "Cantata. Russia" performed at the National Centre RUSSIA
On Russia Day, 12 June, the National Centre RUSSIA became the key venue for the All-Russian classical music marathon "Cantata. Russia", which is being held as part of the VI Cantata International Classical Music Festival. The multi-genre gala concert "Ahead of Time" was held here, performed by two ensembles that became a single academic "voice" of the whole country: the State Symphony Orchestra "Novaya Rossiya" ("New Russia") conducted by People’s Artist of the USSR Yuri Bashmet and the Yurlov State Academic Choir Capella conducted by Gennady Dmitryak. The large-scale music marathon brought together 15 cities across the country, from Kaliningrad to Khabarovsk. The gala concert featured masterpieces of Russian classical music and famous ballet numbers, while paintings from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery also came to life.
The evening opened with the Russian national anthem. It was performed against a video sequence featuring panoramas of the cities that hosted the marathon in 2025.
"The secret of Russian music lies in its direct appeal to the human soul. It speaks of birth and death, love and hatred, loyalty and betrayal. These are questions that a person asks themselves <...> The festival lives on, continues to develop and flourish. The very idea of music sounding in a museum space was born at the Pushkin Museum and found a wonderful continuation in other institutions across the country. For me, it has long been a tradition to mark important dates on stage. This is where I celebrate my birthday, New Year, and in recent years Russia Day has also taken a special place in my life. The concert was a success. But even more important than success is a true creative achievement. If the music is accepted by listeners and resonates in their hearts, that is true happiness," said Chief Conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra "Novaya Rossiya" and People’s Artist of the USSR Yuri Bashmet.
The State Symphony Orchestra "Novaya Rossiya", conducted by Yuri Bashmet, became the musical foundation of the entire concert. The conductor "brought together" the whole country in a single score and led the orchestra through eight decades of Russian classical music, from Glinka to Shostakovich. Each number became a continuation of the previous one: from the epic power of the overture to the prayerful silence of a cappella singing, from ballet lyricism to the final whirlwind of the Fifth Symphony.
"Everything connected with our culture — music, fine art, theatre and cinema — is so distinctive that when they come together, new stories, projects and works are born, and over time they become part of our cultural legacy. And, of course, Russian culture cannot be cancelled. It is one of the greatest in the world. The Tretyakov Gallery is one of the country’s most popular museums, bringing together the best-known and most loved works of art. Interactive formats are a good tool for popularising art, a kind of addition to it. But under no circumstances are they a replacement. This is how it should be, because living art remains alive precisely because of the genuine emotions it evokes in people," said Director General of the State Tretyakov Gallery Olga Galaktionova.
The gala concert was structured as a journey through the Russian musical tradition. In one evening, viewers saw four masterpieces of Russian ballet on stage and screen: "Swan Lake" by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, "Raymonda" by Alexander Glazunov, "Romeo and Juliet" and "Spartacus" by Aram Khachaturian. One of the most recognisable duets in the history of world ballet, the White Adagio from "Swan Lake", was performed by soloists Anna Nikulina and Dmitry Smilevsky. Each number was harmoniously connected with a particular painting, from Kuindzhi’s mystical "Darial Gorge" to Tahir Salahov’s nocturnal "Colosseum". Music and dance on the stage of the National Centre RUSSIA became living images, acquiring their mutual "doubles". During the concert, the overture to Mikhail Glinka’s opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" was accompanied by projections of paintings by Viktor Vasnetsov: "Bogatyrs", "Ivan Tsarevich Riding the Grey Wolf", "Alyonushka" and "Song of Joy and Sorrow".
"This year, we decided to take a complex directorial and dramaturgical path, building the concert programme both as a journey through Russian music and as a journey through a museum. The Tretyakov Gallery marks its 170th anniversary, which is why we use paintings from the collection of this legendary museum in the visual sequence. We wanted to show the power of Russian art and its ability to shape an image of our country through music, painting and meaning. It is important for us to show that we still have many achievements ahead. The music programme includes works by Glinka, Sviridov, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. Rare works are performed here, which many viewers may have heard for the first time," said Deputy Artistic Director of the State Symphony Orchestra "Novaya Rossiya" Dmitry Grinchenko.
The solo part in the Grand Adagio from Glazunov’s ballet "Raymonda" was performed by young violinist Grant Bashmet. The slow, drawn-out sounds of the central instrument in the number created the atmosphere of a court ball: smooth, solemn and mysterious at the same time.
The vocal part of the programme brought together different intonations of Russian classical music, from lyricism to spiritual meditation and civic pathos. The colourful bass of Oleg Tsybulko performed Aleko’s arioso from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s opera, conveying the drama and inner tension of the character. Elmira Karakhanova’s crystalline soprano in Dmitry Shostakovich’s "The Motherland Hears" recalled the story of the famous song that Yuri Gagarin hummed in space. At that moment, abstract "cosmic" compositions by Francisco Infante-Arana appeared on the multimedia screen. The Yurlov Choir Capella performed spiritual works by Alexander Gretchaninov and Georgy Sviridov a cappella, creating an atmosphere of quiet prayer and contemplation in the hall.
"Russia Day is a great holiday for our country, one of the main holidays for each of us. We proudly preserve our culture, honour our history and build the future together. This unity is our strength. It is symbolic that today, at the National Centre RUSSIA and across the country, works that unite generations are being performed. This is our cultural code. Today, as we respond to difficult challenges, we defend the truth and the country’s sovereignty, including cultural sovereignty. We are defending our country on the front line today so that our loved ones and our younger generation have a tomorrow, a future. On Russia Day, I would like to wish young people confidence and success in all their endeavours. Conquer new heights and, most importantly, never give up. You are the future of our country, and we are always by your side, always ready to support and help you," said Vladimir Mikhailovsky, holder of three Orders of Courage and participant in the presidential programme "Time of Heroes".
The concert also featured the finale of Dmitry Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony against the backdrop of Wassily Kandinsky’s "Composition VII" and Sergei Prokofiev’s "Dance of the Knights". Here, music and painting appeared as two equal manifestos of the 20th century: swift, at times contradictory and expressive.
The "Russian Tricolour" campaign was also held at the National Centre RUSSIA. Volunteers handed flags to guests and spoke about the meaning of the colours of the state symbol. The campaign will continue until 13 June.
The Cantata International Classical Music Festival began in Russia in 2021 in the Kaliningrad Region. In 2025, the Cantata Festival 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 All-Russian classical music marathon "Cantata. Russia" is being held under the slogan "Ahead of Time" and brings together 15 cities, from Kaliningrad to Khabarovsk. The gala concert in Moscow set the artistic scale for the entire marathon: 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 the birth of Dmitry Shostakovich and the 135th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Prokofiev.
Concerts within the "Cantata. Russia" marathon are being held not only in philharmonic halls, but also in themed public spaces and architectural complexes, from kremlins and historic squares to industrial sites, where academic music enters into dialogue with the modern urban environment. The marathon is aimed at popularising academic art, developing educational programmes and preserving cultural legacy.
The All-Russian classical music marathon "Cantata. Russia" 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 concert programme at 23:30.
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.
