By Irina Savelieva
The Muses of Nesvizh-2013 Chamber Music Festival was hosted on May 17th and 18th, being held for 18th time in the ancient city: known as ‘little Paris’. The event was a combined effort by the National Academic Concert Orchestra of Belarus and the Ministry of Culture, Minsk Regional Executive Committee and the Nesvizh District Executive Committee.
“Eighteen years ago, the Nesvizh festival was the first, becoming a model for another 16 small towns countrywide, including cultural and historical centres of Belarus such as Zaslavl, Turov Mstislavl, Chechersk and Mir. This year, Lyuban and Gorky joined the list. The residents of these festival towns know more about the musical art of Belarus than most of the citizens of Minsk. Those who came to those early Nesvizh concerts now return with their children and grandchildren. Over the years, we’ve studied the history of Belarusian national music, restoring the popularity of composers who lived and worked in the territory of Belarus. They’re known and appreciated all over Europe, so it’s an artistic heritage of which we can be proud,” emphasises the Artistic Director of the National Academic Concert Orchestra, People’s Artist of Belarus Mikhail Finberg.
The famous orchestra takes part in many educational concerts, helped by art historians and musical experts. In fact, the Nesvizh festivals are annually accompanied by conferences, with the participation of leading Belarusian scientists. So far, 17 books on the history of Nesvizh and its artistic heritage have been published. Muses of Nesvizh-2013 kicked off with a conference and book launch: Through Exploration and Discovery. The orchestra then presented five different genres of concert programme: all premieres.
A string quartet played at the district library while the town hall hosted an assembly of wind instruments for the first time. String music opened the festival ancient Belarusian compositions resounded through the Radziwill Castle. The two-day festival ended with a concert of popular songs featuring top pop artists, crowning a wealth of successful events. There were even two art exhibitions and the presentation of a play entitled God is Love, by Alexey Dudarev. Staged by the honoured amateur theatre group named after Ursula Radziwill, from the Nesvizh District Centre of Culture and Leisure, it complemented the other entertainments perfectly.
