Over sixty recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and PentaTone Classics, a 2004 Grammy award, the first performance at the Vatican by a Russian orchestra, being named as one the 20 best orchestras in the world by Gramophone magazine: these are just a few examples of the great things that the Russian National Orchestra has achieved in just twenty years.  On 5th November 2010, the Russian National Orchestra celebrated its 20th anniversary in a concert in Moscow with conductors Kent Nagano and the orchestra’s founder Mikhail Pletnev. The orchestra will now continue with its celebrations through a large-scale tour of Europe from 15th November, visiting many European cities including Budapest, Baden-Baden, Paris, Essen, Köln and Brussels.

The tour’s programmes will comprise mainly Russian works, by composers such as Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev.  A number of internationally-renowned soloists will appear with the orchestra during the tour: the violinists Gidon Kremer and Veronika Eberle, the pianists Francesco Tristano Schlimé and Nikolai Lugansky, and the 2010 Gramophone Award-winning cellist Sol Gabetta.

Having been described in the past as “a living symbol of the best in Russian art”  by the Miami Herald and “as close to perfect as one could hope for” by the Trinity Mirror, the RNO’s concerts over the next two months promise to enthrall audiences all over Europe.  This tour will mark a milestone in the orchestra’s history, both celebrating its past achievements and anticipating its future successes.

Here are the Russian National Orchestra’s 20th Anniversary celebration tour dates.  For more information or to buy tickets, click on the links:

November 15th   Opera House – Lyon, France
November 16th   Concert Hall – Lyon, France
December 15th   Bartók Béla National Concert Hall – Budapest, Hungary
December 17th   Festspielhaus – Baden-Baden, Germany
December 18th   Salle Pleyel – Paris, France
December 19th   Philharmonie – Essen, Germany
December 20th   Philharmonie – Köln, Germany
December 21st    Palais des Beaux-Arts – Brussels, Belgium