Russia forms a BRICS orchestra
NewsAs a sign of their international isolation, the Russian authorities are forming an orchestra of musicians from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The initiator is the St Petersburg conductor Mikhail Golikov (pictured).
Awaiting applications from Iran, North Korea and Hamas, Putin’s new best friends.
Between them, the five countries constituting BRICS contain roughly 40% of the world population, so I am not clear as to how that can be termed “international isolation”.
Apart from Russia as far as I am aware none other country has a single world-class orchestra.
Mr. Lebrecht, you should know that throwing BRICS at Putin only makes him stronger.
Performing arts makes everyone stronger
Is that indeed so or is that a rather high-sounding and unsubstantiated comment to make yourself look wise-sounding?
This is a head-scratching post. Forming an orchestra with musicians of 5 other important countries a sign of international isolation… So, by not forming such an orchestra Russia would then show to be at the front and center of the international scene…
And what makes Iranian, North Korean and Palestinian musicians worthy of such cheap sarcasm? Not that they would care, I imagine. These unfortunate artists live in such less than ideal situations that one can imagine how hearing the words of one of those self-righteous westerners who seem to defend the cause of every other people in the world but theirs would produce nothing more than a tired smirk
It’s just an obvious statement from so-called “west”, that if your country has war you’re not considered a human till the day you change your passport to the right one (western)
Bloody Ridiculous Investment Concept, Sir!
Classical Music’s center is in the West – according to tradition the stages that really matter are in Vienna – Paris – Milan – New York and so on – it’s not a question of quantity but of quality – and Mr. Gergiev was more than eager to be chief conductor of European orchestras and to collect engagements in the West like stamps and to play on stages that are now and will remain closed to him – now of course he’s trying to present a manageable number of tours to “somewhere” as great and the goal he always had – but without being able to move Sankt Florian to Shanghai, for example, or to transform Tianjin into the new Russian city of dreams (which used to be Baden-Baden, where the Russian flag has been removed from the Kurhaus).
Your main mistake – to consider for unknown reason west is better than east in classical music (or in whatever else). Orchestras and ballet of the “west” is filled with Russian, ucrainian (same as Russian) musicians and ballerin(a)s. This Orchestra can be better than most of west orchestras because Chineses are one of the fines musicians in the world. And finally, if you are not yet understand that west sunset, you will be hardly and unpleasant surprised very soon. Center of civilization MOVED.
Your mistake is to fall for Putin’s latest attempt to assert that Russia is not a Western Nation, and try to allow the Tatars to recapture it.
Are you speaking on the behalf of Russia? Maybe try not to. And fyi Tatars are part of Russia’s society.
Xi Jinping’s mom seems nice
I always thought that journalists’ duties were to report the news, not to throw opinionated sarcastic remarks….what a pity
I hear the orchestra is not really good, but they’re just overpaid
I wonder where you heard this. Has the orchestra actually given any concerts yet? The news of its formation by TV BRICS is only a few days old.
Why on earth would they want to play orchestral music, a decadent ‘Western’ invention?