From April 26 to 28, the Gnessin Ensemble of Contemporary Choral Music “Altro coro,” conducted by Alexander Ryzhinsky, gave two brilliant concerts in Belgium, presenting the audience with unique programs dedicated to the themes of Homeland and the Great Victory.
The first concert took place on April 26 at the Russian House in Brussels. The program, titled Symphony of Victory, was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and was conceived as a dialogue between the past and the present. The audience heard choral cycles such as Four Choruses on the Verses of Tvardovsky by Rodion Shchedrin and Leningrad Notebook by Alexander Flyarkovsky — powerful musical tributes to the heroism of the Soviet people. The evening culminated in the premiere of Symphony of Victory by contemporary composer Kuzma Bodrov — a work for choir, soloists, and piano, inspired by wartime and victory songs familiar to every Russian since childhood. The concert concluded with thunderous applause as the audience was reluctant to let the performers leave the stage.
On April 28, the “Altro coro” ensemble performed at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Kingdom of Belgium with the program Choral Russia. This evening featured works by Georgy Sviridov, Valery Gavrilin, Alexander Tchaikovsky, Sergey Yekimov, Kuzma Bodrov, and others, along with Russian folk songs. A highlight was Sergey Yekimov’s cycle Three Poems by Sergei Yesenin, created to mark the anniversary of the great Russian poet.
“The concerts by the ‘Altro Coro’ choir of the Gnessin Academy, held at the Russian House and the Russian Embassy in Belgium, became true odes to memory and gratitude. Performed by young, talented voices, patriotic songs sounded especially poignant, filling guests’ hearts with pride for our people’s heroism. These evenings were more than concerts — they were a living connection to history, to courage, to the immortal memory of those who fought for peace, life, and the future. We feel how important it is to preserve and pass this memory to new generations, including through music that unites hearts across nations,” emphasized Vera Bunina, Director of the Russian House in Brussels.
The audience included Belgian guests, diplomats, and compatriots. “This was a wonderful opportunity to present in Belgium two different yet thematically united programs about our Homeland. The first featured compositions by Rodion Shchedrin, Alexander Flyarkovsky, and a suite of our sacred wartime songs skillfully arranged by Kuzma Bodrov. The second included choral works about Russia, both well-known — such as Moscow Nights and I Look into Blue Lakes — and new ones, like Sergey Yekimov’s Three Poems by Sergei Yesenin, written for the poet’s anniversary,” noted Alexander Ryzhinsky, Rector of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music and Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the ensemble. According to him, the title of the second program — Choral Russia — perfectly reflects its essence, evoking the lines of Igor Severyanin:
“To sing of Russia is to forget sorrow,
To love Love, to be immortal.”
The performances by the “Altro coro” ensemble became a notable event in Belgium’s cultural life and yet another testament to the high level of Russian choral art.
