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This evening’s program invites the listener on a musical journey between France and Russia – two cultures whose artistic dialogue shaped some of the most beautiful vocal music of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The first half celebrates the elegance, lyricism, and emotional intensity of French opera, featuring the dramatic power of Camille Saint-Saëns, the refined sentiment of Jules Massenet, and the passionate theatricality of Georges Bizet. These works embody the sophistication of the French vocal tradition, with its emphasis on graceful melodic lines, nuanced orchestration, and deeply human characters.

The second half explores how Russian composers absorbed and transformed these influences. Many of Russia’s great masters – including Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Sergei Rachmaninoff – admired French music for its color, elegance, and emotional clarity. They integrated these qualities into their own works, merging them with the rich lyricism, deep introspection, and folk-inspired expressiveness of the Russian soul.

By placing these two repertoires side by side, the program becomes a musical bridge – revealing shared aesthetics, contrasting national voices, and a timeless artistic kinship. It is a celebration of cultural exchange, where French elegance meets Russian depth, and together they speak in the universal language of music.