Newspaper “Kultura” (Culture) №22 (7735) dated June 17, 2010.

The Fifth Festival of the world symphony orchestras in the Hall of Columns took place under the motto “This mysterious East”.

In fact, a performance of the Fifth symphony of Alexei Rybnikov “Resurrection” has become the general culmination. A powerful brass theme attached the composer the needed impulse and inspired him for creation of the monumental and impressive fresco, one more symphony of a “thousand of participants” for three soloists, two choirs (The State Choir named after Sveshnikov and the Cappella named after Yurlov have been invited), symphonic orchestra and organ.   

The “Resurrection” was included into the program of the Tchaikovsky Symphony orchestra having rich traditions (we remind that the team celebrated in this season its 80th anniversary). The “Scheherazade” by Rimsky-Korsakov performed in the first part of the concert allowed to evaluate the strong and weak instrumental points of the GSO. An intensive sounding of tutti, virtuous skills of separate soloists (first of all, concertmaster Mikhail Shestakov as well as, for example, remarkably beautiful modulations of the harp may be referred to the first points). At the same time it is impossible not to mark certain imbalance of the orchestra, sometime too resonant and pushing out basses at which Sladkovsky should have paid attention during an acoustic rehearsal in the Hall of Columns. The “Scheherazade” has turned out to be a collection of separate fairy-tales that can be read if you open the book from any spot, so patchy the whole dramaturgy has been looked.  Nevertheless, perhaps, Rybnikov’s symphony took the “lion’s share” of the rehearsal process.