The Festival "December Evenings of Svyatoslav Richter"

The 44th International Music Festival "December Evenings of Svyatoslav Richter" will be held in Moscow at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.

Photo by Julia Barrantes from Pexels

For over forty years, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts has hosted the music festival "December Evenings of Svyatoslav Richter" every winter, promoting the idea of ​​a synthesis of the arts: visual art, music, literature, theater, and dance. The festival was founded in 1981 by pianist Svyatoslav Richter and the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts' longtime director, Irina Antonova. Over the past four decades, the festival has become the museum's calling card and an integral part of Moscow's cultural life. The high caliber of its participants is also worth emphasizing. There are outstanding international stars among them: András Schiff, Martha Argerich, Ian Bostridge, Robert Hall, Tõnu Kaljuste with the Estonian Chamber Philharmonic Choir, and others.

Who is Svyatoslav Richter?

Svyatoslav Richter (1915–1997) is rightfully considered as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. He was an extraordinarily gifted man, a true virtuoso. Richter's repertoire was astonishingly broad—from Bach, Haydn, and Beethoven to Schubert, Schumann, Debussy, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and Britten. In 1981, he co-founded the festival that would later bear his name.

"December Evenings of Svyatoslav Richter" 2025

This year’s edition is dedicated to Marc Chagall and coincides with the opening of an exhibition of the same focus at the Pushkin Museum (works by the artist from Russian museums and private collections, including rare pieces from his early period, will be on display). The artist's life was closely connected to music: as a child, he sang well, learned to play the violin, and even considered studying at the conservatory to become a violinist. Music was present in Chagall's life throughout his life: he painted the ceiling of the Paris Opera, murals for the Metropolitan Opera...

Festival Dates:

The XLIV (44th) festival will run from November 30th to December 25th, 2025.

Program:

1. November 30th (opening). "Let the Storm Break Out Louder!" featuring music by Shostakovich, Myaskovsky, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky. The first half will feature poetry by Alexander Blok and Sasha Cherny. Soloists: Dmitry Masleev (piano), Kirill Soldatov (trumpet). The second half will feature a musical and literary performance based on Vladimir Mayakovsky's poem "A Cloud in Trousers," performed by the Moscow Soloists ensemble under the direction of Yuri Bashmet.
2. December 5th. "Dedication to Svyatoslav Richter": a solo concert by Boris Berezovsky dedicated to Rachmaninoff and Medtner.
3. December 7th. "From Vitebsk to Paris": chamber works (Ravel, Copland, Shostakovich) performed by violinist Tatyana Samuil, pianist Itamar Golan, and cellist Mikael Samsonov.
4. December 11th. "At the Turn of Time." Featuring works by Bach, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Glazunov, and Sviridov. Performers: Ksenia Bashmet, Alexandro Ramm, Grant Bashmet, Nikolai Zemlyansky, and the Moscow Soloists ensemble.
5. December 16th. "Evening of Vocal Music": young artists from the Bolshoi Theater Youth Program, conservatory students, and pianist Semyon Skigin will perform music by Mozart, Malea, Ravel, Shostakovich, and others.
6. December 18th. "Evening of Choral Music": Mozart, Pärt, Schnittke, Stravinsky, Poulenc, Tavener, and others performed by the Moscow Jewish Male Chapel and the Ariel Ensemble.
7. December 21st. "Harpsichord +." Featuring music by Dowland, Handel, Rutter, and many others. Performers include harpsichordist Alexandra Koreneva and flutist Malika Mukhitdinova.
8. And finally, the festival closure on December 25th. "The Ceiling of the Paris Opera": Mozart, Gluck, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Sarasate, Ravel, and Schoenberg performed by the Moscow Soloists ensemble, Altro Coro, and guest musicians.

You can find detailed information on the website: https://decemberfest.pushkinmuseum.art/index.php?lang=ru

Yuri Bashmet, the festival's artistic director, wrote about the festival:

I have taken part in almost all of the world’s major festivals. But 'December Evenings' is a special festival. It's not just because of the specially prepared thematic programs, based on the search for consonance between music and painting, a certain polyphony, and, ultimately, the mutual enrichment of the two art forms. The festival is unique, above all, because the spirit of Richter hovers in the hall at every concert. His aura radiates a special energy throughout the festival proceedings. And, of course, this is a 'star' festival—just look through the programs of its concerts over the past years. I'm proud to be a regular participant in the Evenings.

References:

1. https://decemberfest.pushkinmuseum.art/

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Maria Li