Czech Republic To Host Russian Culture Festival

Days of Russian Culture will be held in the Czech region of South Moravia late in February, Denis Grishchenko, Vice Consul of the Russian Consulate General in Brno, announced to reporters. For the first time, a festival of Russian culture will be held not in the capital of the Czech Republic, but in its second largest city, Brno. The Russian Culture Foundation and the Russian Consulate General in Brno have organized the forthcoming forum while the Russian Embassy in Prague and the Czech Embassy in Moscow will be patronizing it. The organizers and sponsors of the Days want them to become a high-profile cultural and political event, said Grishchenko. With this objective in mind, they may invite Russian VIPs to attend. The Russian Culture Days will open in the Brno City Philharmonic. The opening concert will feature pianist Denis Matsuyev, the winner of the 11th Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition's top prize, and violinist Maxim Fedotov, a laureate of many international contests. The Brno festival will also feature works by contemporary artist Vladimir Sokovin. Local movie theaters will screen Russian cartoons. And the renowned actor and director Oleg Yankovsky is going to present to Czech audiences his latest film, "Come See Me." The highlight of the festival's theatrical program is expected to be the production "The Empress" (telling of Empress Catherine II's private life). The Russian Culture Days in South Moravia will close with a Russian ballet gala.