Moscow Easter Festival

The 12th Moscow Easter Festival will be held from 05 to 16 May 2013, and will be devoted to the 70th anniversary of one of the key battles of World War II: The Battle of Kursk (05 July – 23 August 1943). Historians identify three stages of the battle: the Kursk defensive operation, and the Oryol and Belgorod-Kharkov offensive operations. Concerts of the 12th Moscow Easter Festival will be held in these cities, which became the critical areas of the Russian military’s strategic operations.

The Moscow Easter Festival, founded on the initiative of the Artistic and General Director of the Mariinsky Theatre, Maestro Valery Gergiev, and the Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, almost immediately gained a prominent place in the cultural life of Russia. Since receiving a blessing at the Festival’s inception in May 2002 by Alexy II, the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, the Easter Festival has grown into an international event, having earned the reputation of one of the most important and authoritative musical events in Russia and Europe. The Moscow Easter Festival annually attracts the world’s greatest classical music stars, represents a diverse and rich program, and pays special attention to projects in the interest of charity. In 2003 with the support of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir V. Putin, the Festival has become an All-Russia event.

The Moscow Easter Festival is held annually with the support of the Government of Moscow, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Russian Orthodox Church. The Festival’s program in its first year, with a total of 20 concerts, has now reached impressive sizes: between 100 and 150 concerts and premieres are presented annually. The Mariinsky Orchestra, considered among the greatest orchestras in the world, led by Maestro Valery Gergiev, perform concerts in Moscow and throughout the regions of Russia and the CIS.

The fundamental mission of the Festival from its inception was education, enlightenment and charity. Based on this mission, the Festival presents symphonic, choral, chamber and bell-ringing repertoire.

Concerts from the 11 previous Festivals were held in more than 50 cities in Russia, and presented by several thousand performers from Europe, America and Asia.

The Festival has become a significant musical event in the cultural life of Russia, with a program that encompasses various forms of classical music, from symphonic music to art song. In addition, listeners have been introduced to the sounds of ancient Easter bells, performed by the finest bell ringers in Russia. Programs of the Moscow Easter Festival seek to organically combine the spirit of a religious holiday and a grand event for all people. The charitable, educational and enlightened mission of this Festival has made it a uniquely Russian phenomenon.