On 16 July, the Russian House in Brussels invites you to a piano concert  of one of the most promising young pianists of the new generationen – Alexei Dimitriadis, a winner of numerous international competitions

As has become a cherished tradition,As has become a cherished tradition, we would like to dedicate the evening closing the cultural season  at the Russian House to Belgium’s National Day.

On this evening, music will become a language of emotions and imagery. The programme will bring together two masterpieces of Russian piano classics — Sergei Rachmaninoff’s ‘Musical Moments’ and Modest Mussorgsky’s famous ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’.

Rachmaninoff’s *Musical Moments* is a heartfelt diary of the young composer’s soul. The soulful *Andantino* will resound with quiet nocturnal lyricism, whilst the *Andante cantabile* will unfold as a profound confession, full of pain, hope and the astonishing beauty of Rachmaninoff’s endless melody.

In the second part of the concert, the audience is in for a journey through Mussorgsky’s musical gallery. Composed in memory of the artist Viktor Hartmann, the cycle *Pictures at an Exhibition* will bring to life fantastical and real images: the mysterious Gnomus, Il vecchio castello , the bustling Limoges. Le marché, the gloomy Catacombae (Sepulcrum romanum), The Hut on Hen’s Legs (Baba Yaga) swift flight and other scenes that literally spring to life before our eyes thanks to the power of music.

CONCERT PROGRAMME

S. V. Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)

Six Musical Moments, Op. 16
The Musical Moments are a portrait of the soul. These pieces were written at the height of his youth (aged 23). One can already sense the genius to come: a sea of emotions, passionate climaxes and that distinctive, ‘Rachmaninoffian’ endless melody.
No. 1 Andantino
The breath of the night. The rhythm of a barcarolle (the rocking of a boat) lulls the listener, but from above, like a voice, a sad, drawn-out melody descends. It is a gaze at the starry sky, full of quiet regret for something lost.
No. 3 Andante cantabile
The heart of the programme. It is a lament and a confession. The melody, flowing from the very depths of the soul, pours out freely and expansively. It bears a striking resemblance to ancient Russian chant. Here, hope dies and is reborn.
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M. P. Mussorgsky (1839–1881)

‘Pictures at an Exhibition’
A cycle born of mourning and love. Following the death of his friend, the artist Viktor Hartmann, Mussorgsky visited an exhibition of his works and transcribed ten watercolours for the piano. The thread linking them all — ‘Promenade’ — is our stroll through the gallery’s halls, with the rhythm and mood shifting from painting to painting.
Feel the colour, the flavour and the atmosphere of each painting.
1. The Gnome (Gnomus)
A crooked, gnarled little creature. The music stutters and lurches like a dwarf hopping on one leg. The shrill notes of the upper register cut through the resonant, heavy bass – as if the little creature were trying to escape from a cramped, dark dungeon.
2. The Old Castle (Il vecchio castello)
Medieval Italy under the moonlight. A troubadour’s melancholic, lingering melody drifts through the night. It is as though you can hear the song echoing off the ancient stones, whilst below, at the foot of the walls, a poor wayfarer sighs softly.
3. The Tuileries (Tuileries)
A garden in Paris. Children quarrelling after play. This scherzo is ringing, capricious and restless. You can hear shrill laughter, the patter of little feet and sudden tantrums – just like in a real children’s commotion.
4. Bydlo (Bydlo)
A Polish cart on enormous wooden wheels. It creeps slowly and laboriously along a dusty road. In the depths of the bass we hear the dull thud of hooves and the melancholy wail of a peasant song. The cart passes by and fades into the distance, leaving behind only a sense of longing for the countryside.
5. Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks (Ballet des poussins dans leur coquille)
A fantasy! Delicate, still-fragile chicks are tangled up in their shells. The music is squeaky, fragile, full of mischievous ‘pirouettes’. This intermezzo is a breath of fresh air before the ominous scenes.
6. Samuel Goldenberg and Shmuyle
A Warsaw scene. Two Jews: one rich and haughty (a commanding, deep bass), the other a beggar and pitiable (a thin, trembling squeak). Mussorgsky brilliantly pits them against each other in dialogue: the fat man’s haughty speech is interrupted by the poor man’s fearful excuses.
7. Limoges. Market Square (La place du marché de Limoges)
French gossips! The market is buzzing like an anthill. Chatter, hubbub, endless talk of the latest news. The rapid-fire notes break into a steady strumming, until suddenly it all comes to an abrupt halt…
8. The Catacombs (Catacombes)
Roman underground chambers. Dead silence. The chords ring out like cold stone. And suddenly — an echo of ‘The Walk’, but now it sounds eerie, like the ghost of the composer himself amongst the skulls.
9. Baba Yaga’s Hut on Chicken Legs (Baba-Yaga)
A witch! Baba Yaga hurtles over the forest in her mortar. The rhythm is erratic, wild, demonic. It is a chaos of whistling, screeching and thuds. At the end — a sharp, piercing ascent into the dark sky.
10. The Bogatyr Gate (La porte de Kiev)
Triumph! The ringing of bells echoing across the city. The music features a majestic chorale and the jubilation of the people. This is the ‘bronze and stone’ of Russian architecture, transformed into a hymn to the indomitable strength of the spirit.