Concerts to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II Russian-German Music Academy with Valery Gergiev

8 June 2015 saw Berlin’s Konzerthaus host a celebration of a date close to the hearts of Germans and Russians – the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The Russian-German Music Academy’s orchestra performed its debut concert in Berlin to mark the occasion, just days after wowing a traditionally tough audience at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg.

The ensemble brings together outstanding young talents from Germany and Russia – budding musicians and students of renowned music schools and academies. Led by star conductor Valery Gergiev and solo cellist Julian Steckel, the young musicians presented a German-Russian programme of works by Jörg Widmann, Robert Schumann, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

The theme of the two concerts in St Petersburg and Berlin stretched beyond remembrance to focus on the two countries’ common future. Indeed, regular exchange between German and Russian musicians is a priority for the Russian-German Music Academy, which offers joint rehearsals, workshops, and performances. With Valery Gergiev, the music academy has found an artistic director who has long been committed to promoting up-and-coming talent and who feels as strongly about German music as he does about Russian music.

The project was launched by young Germans and Russians during the Russian-German Year of Culture 2012/2013 who were brought together by music and felt connected to a cultural tradition uniting the two nations. The Russian-German Music Academy performed its highly successful debut at the 2014 Festival of White Nights at the renowned Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg.

GAZPROM Germania is the main sponsor of the Russian-Germany Music Academy. With its sponsorship, German-Russian energy company is supporting cultural exchange between Russia and Germany in the interest of nurturing mutual understanding.