Press releases

MINSK, 21 August (BelTA) - Polish composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki will perform in Minsk on 4 October as part of the 8th International Yuri Bashmet Festival, BelTA learnt from the organizing committee of the festival.

On this day the festival will feature a concert of the best soloists of the Bolshoi Theater from Moscow, Warsaw and Estonian opera theaters conducted by famous composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki and famed conductor Andres Mustonen. They will perform masterpieces of world classics and Penderecki’s Credo, an orchestral piece the performance of which involves more than two hundred people. These include a symphony orchestra, a large chorus, a children's chorus and soloists.

Krzysztof Penderecki is a professor in 17 universities worldwide, a holder of the Grammy Award. Despite the age (the composer will mark his 80th birthday in November), his concert program is very busy. After the concert in Belarus he is expected to tour Asia.

The opening ceremony of the Eighth Annual Yuri Bashmet International Festival will take place at the Big Hall of the Belarusian State Philharmonic Hall on 2 October. First held in 2006, the festival is conducted under the auspices of the Belarusian President and is aimed at combining the creative forces of Belarus, Russia and other countries. The festival brings together outstanding artists of our time. Thanks to the festival young talented musicians have the opportunity to perform together with world famous artists on the same stage.

The author of the idea of the Yuri Bashmet festival and its arts director is the Belarusian pianist, winner of international competitions, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London Rostislav Krimer. People's Artist of Russia, winner of the state prizes of the USSR and Russia Yuri Bashmet is the honorary co-chairman of the organizing committee of the festival.