ROME, June 2. /TASS/. The Russian arts festival "Singing May," organized by the Center for Film Festivals and International Programs, came to Italy with high expectations, and it did not disappoint.
This year's festival was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's Victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, the organizers told TASS.
"On the anniversary of the Great Victory, participants in the Cultural Mission to Italy [project] visited memorable heroic sites associated with Soviet partisans in Italy. The traditional music programs included wartime songs and the music of the Great Victory. It is heartening that the multi-genre festival programs continue to spark great interest in residents of various parts of Italy and that the geography of our festival project is expanding," said Honored Artist of Russia Tatyana Shumova, who serves as the president of the Center for Film Festivals and International Programs.
Throughout May, citizens in various cities all across Italy could enjoy performances by Russian artists, film screenings, and exhibitions. Russian opera singers such as Maria Pakhar, soloist at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theater, and Denis Sedov, guest soloist at a number of leading theatres like La Scala in Milan, performed in Genoa. The concert program was dedicated to the 185th anniversary of the birth of renowned Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, who had visited this Italian city.
The Oratory of St. Mary Magdalene in the city of Laigueglia hosted a musical evening that commemorated the 150th anniversary of the birth of legendary Russian artist Nicholas Roerich. The audience was treated to music from Russian impresario Sergey Diaghilev's Russian Seasons, performed by Russia's singers and musicians from Italy. Specially for the concert, Russian artist and set designer Anna Nezhnaya prepared thematic silk panels devoted to Diaghilev's ballet tours in Europe.
A screening of the feature-length documentary film The Ideal Museum: Renaissance Rediscovered (directed by Ivan Bolotnikov and Fyodor Pronko, 2023) took place in Merano with the assistance of the N.I. Borodina Russian Center and on its premises. The film is dedicated to the story of rescuing and restoring the unique art objects that were damaged in the Second World War thanks to joint efforts by museums in Italy, Russia, and Germany.
The festival ended with a screening of the film The Lord of the Wind (directed by Igor Voloshin, 2023), shown in Florence last weekend. Earlier, the Center for Film Festivals and International Programs held a limited run of the film in Rome with the support of the Russian House.
The festival is part of the Cultural Mission in Italy project, which has been carried out since 2004 with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Russia. The festival usually runs throughout the year, and each of its stages is timed to coincide with significant dates and events that unite Italy and Russia. The festival was held with the support of the Russian Embassy in Italy and the participation of Russia's Consulate General in Genoa, the Russian House in Rome, and the Russian Cultural Center in Florence.