Music Festival STARS ON BAIKAL 2014

As always Irkutsk welcomes gathering of classic music stars in September. Denis Matsuev’s festival “Stars on Bailkal” starts these days. This year festival includes performances with the Israel Philharmonic orchestra under baton of Zubin Mehta, this is the first time ISO comes to Irkutsk. Vladimir Spivakov also comes to the festival right after celebrating his jubilee in Moscow. Thanks to eloquence of Denis Matsuev, maestro Spivakov is going to restart his career as a violinist during this Festival, which is for sure very important for world music industry. 

The show takes place at two sites: in Zagursky Musical theatre and in the Concert Hall of the Irkutsk Philharmonic. The opening was made by the young pianist, Okui Shio performed during the Grand opening of the Festival. She is only nine years old and she is familiar to viewers of Kultura channel as a participant of the TV-contest "the Nutcracker". Okui Shio performed Beethoven’s First Concert. Violinist Ivan Pochekin played the Second concerto of Niccolo Paganini. Denis Matsuev was the soloist in "Blue Rhapsody" by Gershwin.

Igor Belza, son of Svyatoslav Belza, world famous TV-anchorman, music critic, music researcher and historian, who passed away just over three months ago, becomes the compere of festivals’ concerts.

As Svyatoslav Belza had been the host of the Festival Stars on Baikal for many years, this year’s Festival Denis Matsuev dedicated to him.

"It was a unique person, a man of unique dignity, a musketeer. In his youth he was keen on fencing. A man of amazing emotional subtlety. And there was something of a Siberian in him, that's for sure. His warmth, his kindness, and simplicity in communication with different people, whether it is high-ranking people or any person that comes to him after the concert," says pianist Denis Matsuev.