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Bashmet arts festival opens in Sochi

Yuri Bashmet Winter Arts Festival will open in Sochi this Friday

SOCHI, February 3 (Itar-Tass) —— Yuri Bashmet Winter Arts Festival will open in Sochi this Friday with a concert of the “New Russia” State Symphonic Orchestra.

Together with the maestro, who will perform as an orchestra conductor on Friday evening, soloists Maxim Vengerov, Dinara Aliyeva, Javier Perianes and Radovan Vlatkovic will appear on stage.

The fifth arts festival in Sochi will be similar to the Sochi 2014 Culture Olympics, noted the Russian Concert Agency, the festival organizer.

The programme of the country's major culture forum covers main arts -- music, cinema, animated films, drama art, music theatres, puppet theatres, fine and folk arts, video art, jewelry art and literature, the organizers said.

Charity and special events are also planned within the festival -- a special children's theatre project for low-income families and orphans, children’s animated films, a jewelry exhibition, a series of master classes of leading performers, tele-links of festival participants with several Russian cities, meetings of creative people and discussions and films of noted Finnish film director Aki Kaurismaki.

Festival founder and creative director Bashmet also prepared a surprise for the public. The renowned musician will give a concert in the waiting hall of the Sochi railway station on February 4.

Among the participants this year are the Vakhtangov Theatre, Barbara Fritolli, the Milan Carlo puppet theatre Colla e Figli, noted film director Emir Kusturica and his band No Smoking Orchestra, Andris Liepa's Ballet Theatre will present the XXI Century Russian Seasons. There will be also the XXI Century World Stars programme with the participation of leading young musicians from various countries and a concert of poetess Vera Polozkova.

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