In 2024, the International Platonov Arts Festival will be held in Voronezh from June 1st to June 30th. Its extensive programme will traditionally include drama, choreography and puppet performances, concerts of academic and contemporary music, exhibitions, a book fair, meet-the-artist events and open-air events.
The XIII Platonov Arts Festival will bring together more than 15 collectives, including outstanding artists from Argentina, Mexico, Russia, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Armenia and other countries. The Russian programme will be presented by collectives from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kurgan and beyond.
In 2024, the Platonov Arts Festival will open with one of the largest and most enchanting events of the programme – the Festival of Street Theatres in the park "Alye Parusa". On June 1st and June 2nd, the spectators will experience two days of impressive discoveries and a big bright holiday of unforgettable performances by collectives from all over Russia, representing different genres and forms of street theatre art. Last year, the Festival of Street Theatres was held for the first time; it was presented to 44.5 thousand spectators. Such high interest among Voronezh residents and city guests emphasises the importance of holding events that develop street theatre art. In 2024, the Festival of Street Theatres will be as eventful, colourful and memorable. The list of participants and a detailed programme will be announced later.
The main theatre programme will include performances that explore the work of Andrey Platonov and his contemporaries, productions that explore the versatility of great classical works, and projects dedicated to the cultural heritage of their regions.
The foreign theatre programme will be presented by collectives from Kazakhstan, China, Belarus and Argentina. Musrepov Kazakh State Academic Theatre for Children and Youth from Kazakhstan will show the performance "Kulager", staged by the artistic director of the theatre Farkhad Moldagali on June 1st and June 2nd at the Drama Theatre named after A. Koltsov. The performance in the soundrama genre, based on the poem of the same name by Ilyas Dzhansugurov, will tell the story of the great Kazakh singer Akhan Sere and the tragic death of his beloved horse.
On June 7th and June 8th, at the Opera and Ballet Theatre, spectators of the Platonov Arts Festival will see the performance "From IN" by the Chinese Xiexin Dance Theatre (XDT) staged by the artistic director and choreographer XieXin. This is an exploration of the nature of the human body and the logic of its movement, as well as the opportunity for emotions to resonate with the audience in the most natural way. "From IN" is a performance with unique choreography, where the Chinese ballet tradition and international modern dance style are intertwined.
Voronezh residents and guests of the city will see the performance "Life" by the Brest Puppet Theatre on June 14th and June 15th on the small stage of the Drama Theatre named after A. Koltsov. This is a is a solo performance based on Andrey Platonov’s short story "The Tale of a Dead Old Man". In Denis Kazachuk’s production, the main character is not just a quiet villager, he is an image of an immortal nation who is not afraid of any enemy, and who rises after all the executions and deaths, unbroken and ready to live on.
From June 16th to June 17th, the Opera and Ballet Theatre will host three showings of "Tango After Dark," the dance show from Argentina. Germán Cornejo's Dance Company will combine the enchanting music of the great Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla with breathtaking choreography, fully revealing the elegance and authenticity of this dance. In addition, two vocalists and six musicians will be on stage to accompany the mesmerising performance. The audience of the Platonov Arts Festival are familiar with another performance by Germán Cornejo – "Wild Tango," which became an absolute hit last year.
The Russian theatre programme will be presented by famous and unique collectives from all over the country, whose productions have been highly praised by the professional community and recognised by the public. On June 6th, the performance "Macbeth" by the State Theatre of Nations will be shown on the stage of the Voronezh Concert Hall. One of the most mystical tragedies of William Shakespeare will be turned into a bright artistic statement by the director Elizaveta Bondar, who, in her productions, focuses on the sound of the work.
The Russian theatre programme will be presented by famous and unique collectives from all over the country, whose productions have been highly praised by the professional community and recognised by the public. On June 10th and June 11th, the Voronezh Concert Hall will host the showings of the performance "Zoyka's Apartment" by the Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre. The production of Mikhail Bulgakov's play in the genre of noir-drama will tell us about people who are faced with a difficult choice between dreams and reality. The performance was staged by the artistic director of the Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre – Evgeny Pisarev.
On the small stage of the Chamber Theatre on June 22nd and 23rd there will be showings of the performance "The Cow" by the Gulliver Puppet Theatre from Kurgan. The paths of the characters from two works by Andrey Platonov: "The Cow" and "Ulya" will be intertwined in the production directed by Dmitry Shi. This is a touching story about simple but important human feelings such as love, pity and empathy.
The theatre programme of the XIII Platonov Arts Festival will be completed by the long-awaited performance "Mother's Heart" by the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theatre. Showings of Andrey Moguchy's production will take place on June 27th and June 28th at the Voronezh Concert Hall. The script for the performance included stories by Vasily Shukshin, texts by Nicholas and Helena Roerich and poems by Kozma Prutkov.
The festival's music programme will give you the opportunity to attend concerts of the most famous Russian and foreign performers.
On June 4th, one of the most sought-after opera singers of our time, People’s Artist of Russia and Abkhazia, Hibla Gerzmava, and Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia, Hovhannes Ayvazyan, will perform on the stage of the Opera and Ballet Theatre together with the Symphony Orchestra of the Voronezh Concert Hall and guest conductor Anton Grishanin, Honored Artist of Russia and the conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia.
On June 16th, the Distinguished Orchestra of Russia, St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, will perform on the stage of the Voronezh Concert Hall. This is the oldest symphony orchestra in Russia, which celebrated its 140th anniversary last season. The orchestra will perform under the baton of the Chief Conductor of the St. Petersburg Philharmonia, People's Artist of Russia – Nikolay Alekseev. The first part of the concert will feature musical scenes from Rimsky-Korsakov's opera "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia", a concert for violin and orchestra by Alexander Glazunov. In the second part the audience will hear Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri Shostakovich.
On June 19th and June 20th, the world premiere will take place in Voronezh - the concert "Three degrees of freedom. Music > Cinema > USSR". This is a large multi-platform study dedicated to the phenomenon of the Soviet film music. As part of the project, for the first time the concert will be dedicated to the work of the Soviet and Russian composer Alexander Knaifel. Spectators will be able to visit an audiovisual concert with spatial sound, where the works will be performed on an acousmonium – an orchestra of almost fifty loudspeakers. The author of the project is Oleg Nesterov, known to many as the leader of the "Megapolis" band and the founder of the indie label "Snegiri".
The open-air event will again take place in the park of the Oldenburg Palace. On June 8th, Mexican musicians Leonardo Sánchez and the ensemble Mi México querido will perform in Ramon with a programme that reflects the love for Mexican culture, where the power of music connects the past, the present and the future. Leonardo Sánchez is the youngest tenor to have won first place, The Special Prize and The Youth Revelation Prize at the "Carlo Morelli" national singing competition in Mexico. The musical director of the ensemble Mi México querido is the Grammy Award winner Humberto Flores.
"World Music in the White Well" – one of the largest and most anticipated events of the Platonov Arts Festival will take place on June 29th. The open-air event, set in chalk cliffs with spectacular views of the lake, brings together thousands of spectators enjoying music from different parts of the world. The music reflects the culture of their regions, giving traditional motives a relevant sound. The programme of the concert will be announced later.
In 2024, we will celebrate a particularly important date for us – the 125th anniversary of the birth of Andrey Platonov. Special festival events dedicated to the great writer will reflect the spirit of his work and provide everyone with the opportunity to find a personal connection with Platonov's legacy.
Throughout the forum, Voronezh residents and city guests will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of Andrey Platonov through the audio performance-promenade "They loved one day." The project is based on letters from the writer to his wife, which you can listen to during a leisurely walk. The route of the performance lies in the centre of Voronezh from the monument to Andrey Platonov with an illustrative map-booklet by an artist Marina Demchenko. The author of the project is theatre critic Olga Kovlakova, and Andrey Platonov's letters are read by People's Artist of Russia, actor Pyotr Semak.
Exhibition, literature and educational programmes will be announced later.
Tickets to the performances and concerts will go on sale on March 22nd at 10 a.m. They will be available on the festival website, at the festival ticket offices, on the website of the ticket operator afisha.ru and in the festival’s community VK. Students and pensioners will be given a 20% discount when purchasing tickets at the festival ticket offices. The discount is issued upon presentation of a supporting document and does not apply to tickets of the first two, most expensive, price categories. The dynamic pricing system will operate for the "World Music in the White Well" concert: the earlier the ticket is purchased, the lower its cost will be. Tickets for the events of the Platonov Arts Festival can be purchased with a Pushkin card. Detailed information about tickets can be found on the festival website in the "Tickets" section.