"Classics on the Palace" in honor of City Day on May 27

Each place has its own genius. The history of St. Petersburg, especially in the light of the centenary of the October events marked this year, inevitably testifies: no matter how the fate counter is reset to zero, the true traditions - the geniuses of the place - are stronger than any circumstances. They preserve the appearance of the city, its values and its voice, purified from the noise of history and the echo of world disasters.

From the very moment of its foundation, Petersburg was kept, created and inspired by the muses and geniuses of classical art. And it is quite natural that today, like hundreds of years ago, in the divertissement of the most diverse genres and trends of St. Petersburg culture, the classic plays a solo role.

Large-scale open-air classical art, held on Palace Square in honor of City Day - the Foundation Day of St. Petersburg, over the years has turned into a vibrant cultural brand that attracts the attention of not only Petersburgers, but also Russian and foreign tourists.

The audience of the “Classics on the Palace” show is growing every year, and it is expected that on May 27 a public concert of world opera and choreographic art will again gather more than half a million viewers in rotation.

The program of the show, which has never been repeated in five years, promises to be unique this time: soloists of the leading opera stages of the world - La Scala, Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera, Paris and Vienna Opera, including representatives of the domestic opera school, will perform exquisite classical works, ancient Neapolitan songs, fragments from famous operettas. It is especially valuable that this will not be trivial, but, nevertheless, a popular, light, effective and long-loved classic. Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Puccini, Strauss, Gounod, Saint-Saens, Lehar, Kalman - the works of these and other geniuses of classical art will be accompanied by the Mikhailovsky Theater Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mikhail Tatarnikov, as well as one of the best youth choral groups in the city. The invariable principle of “Classics on the Palace” is only live music and live sound.

The performers included only stars. Happy Birthday Petersburg will be congratulated by the People’s Artist of Russia, unsurpassed Dmitry Hvorostovsky - immortal music hits performed by the headliner of the world opera will again sound in the concert space of Palace Square. Along with him, world-famous performers who had not previously performed in St. Petersburg open-air will enter the stage: one of the leading tenors of our time, the Argentinean Marcelo Alvarez; the singer, demanded by the most status opera sites, the inimitable soprano and the face of popular world brands Sonya Yoncheva; exquisite beauty, owner of the lyrical soprano, American Danielle De Niz. The golden voices of the domestic opera school will be played that evening: the incendiary and vibrant opera diva, Veronika Dzhioeva, the invited soloist of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theaters; Soloist of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, tenor Alexei Tatarintsev, unique in technique and beauty of sound; Mariinsky Theater soloists - melodic, expressive tenor Sergei Skorokhodov and the deep, regal mezzo-soprano Julia Matochkina.

The director of the show, the head of DANCE OPEN, Ekaterina Galanova, emphasized that this year Classics at the Palace will surprise with even greater entertainment. The director’s idea that has been successfully realized over the years to turn each issue into a mini-performance - with luxurious costumes, full-fledged dramaturgy and an artistic atmosphere - will be strengthened thanks to vivid scenographic solutions.

Columns and other elements of stage constructions are covered with LED screens, which, thanks to video content unique to each room, will turn into lively scenery. Flowers will bloom on the stage and dryads will dance, and after a few moments it will be transformed, and the artists will fall on the sunlit square of the ancient Spanish city… Numerous mirrors, erasing the horizons of virtual spaces, will create an effect of infinity of cultural and historical allusions that arise and disappear against the background of architectural dominance - the baroque facade of the Winter Palace.

What is happening on the stage will be clearly visible thanks to five large-sized LED video screens installed on Palace Square.

In general, over 200 square meters of video projection canvas will be used to create visual art effects on the square and on the stage.

As a gift to fans of the ballet brand Dance Open, the program of the classic evening includes fragments from choreographic masterpieces performed by top-level artists.

A special, truly Petersburg atmosphere that carries the imagination into the era of holiday assemblies will be given in the evening by performances by the artists of the Theater Wandering Dolls of Mr. Pejo.

The dance part of the show will be decorated by artists of the St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater named after Leonid Yakobson, master of flamenco dance company Ursula Lopez and the show ballet TODES. It is curious that for the sake of participating in the Classics at the Palace, the dancers of this unique group went on a real creative experiment: the highest plastic and acrobatic skills, which has long become the brand name of TODES, will be included in a new, unusual for the troupe musical content.

The project will take place on the initiative of the Government of St. Petersburg with the support of the Committee on Culture of St. Petersburg.

The concert starts at 21.00.

Free admission.