The Golden Collection of the St. Andrew's Orchestra

Pskov will once again hear the sound of Russia's oldest band, the St. Andrew's Orchestra. The concert at the Pskov Regional Philharmonic is like a golden casket, which carefully preserves the treasures of Russian and world music. These are works from the golden fund — works by Vasily Andreev, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Anatoly Lyadov, vivid pages of foreign classics and virtuoso pieces by Grigorash Diniku and Mikis Theodorakis, as well as arrangements of Russian folk songs. The program will feature performances by the orchestra's soloists.

Dmitry Khokhlov, Artistic Director, Chief Conductor of the St. Andrew's Orchestra, People's Artist of Russia, is at the conductor's desk.

Soloists: Tatiana Kostyanaya, domra; Natalia Sushkova, balalaika; Dmitry Mironov, xylophone.

The St. Andrew's Orchestra's connection with the ancient Russian city of Pskov dates back to the end of the 19th century. During the lifetime of the band's founder Vasily Andreev, the musicians performed here more than once. The first concert in Pskov took place in 1889, just a year after the founding of the "Balalaika Lovers Circle". Soon the band went on a tour through Pskov, Riga, Vilna and Warsaw, and then became famous at the World Exhibition in Paris.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Great Russian Orchestra came to Pskov again and again, performing on the stage of the Pushkin National House. In 1912, it was Pskov that became the first point of a large tour of thirty cities of Russia — then the musicians traveled in a separate trailer car.

After a long break, the orchestra returned to Pskov land in 2000 and 2009 — it became a participant in the Boris Troyanovsky Folk Music Festival, the legendary balalaika player and soloist of the orchestra, a native of the Pskov region. The last time the band performed in Pskov was in 2010.

Meeting with the orchestra is not just a concert, but a living tradition, a bridge across the centuries. The Golden Collection will be a declaration of love for music, which unites generations and preserves the soul of Russian culture.