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More young Russians going to classical music events, says renowned pianist Matsuev

Piano virtuoso and honored artist of Russia Denis Matsuev says a unique phenomenon in the world of culture is occurring in Russia

NEW-YORK, November 9. /TASS /. A unique phenomenon in the world of culture is occurring in Russia, and a great boost to the classical music audience, piano virtuoso and honored artist of Russia, Denis Matsuev, told TASS ahead of his 12th sole performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall, which is scheduled to take place late on Friday.

"Cultural centers in Russian cities and rural areas are full, people there listen to classical music for two hours and don’t go away. What is now happening in Russia, you won’t find in either the US or in Europe, I mean a complete "youthification" of the audience, which attends classical music events and it is already a common practice." "This is a real breakthrough, which I am talking about, this phenomenon has been occurring over the last 20 years, and it is unique," Matsuev noted.

He added that the so-called virtual, or online philharmonic orchestras, like the Moscow Philharmonic Society project, in which the grand pianist is involved directly, play a significant role in promoting classical music among young audiences. "The Moscow Philharmonic Society broadcasts my performances to a large number of our cities," he explained. "Our country is huge, but it is still possible to stream concerts to the most remote areas and they can display stunning video quality and artistic quality, these experts do it perfectly, namely, they convey the atmosphere of the concert turning it into a real performance."

"It is crucial to make people, who live in places, where classical music events are extremely rare, feel this atmosphere because I cannot go everywhere, although I try my best to do that. Of course, streaming a concert cannot substitute for live music perception - it’s like football, I mean, you can either watch it at a stadium or a recorded game , these are very close things, where football and music overlap," the pianist pointed out. "But the start is great. The figures say a lot. Virtual philharmonic orchestras are attracting new audience, and this is not some copycat or something bogus, or showbiz and pop, it’s not commercial, superficial and unfair, when (performers) lip-synch deceiving the audience, it is absolutely the real thing".