On December 13, the 25th International Winter Festival "Arts Square" will open in the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic with a concert by the Honored Ensemble of Russia under the baton of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic's Principal Conductor, People's Artist of Russia Nikolai Alexeev. The soloist will be People's Artist of Russia Denis Matsuev, who will perform Beethoven's First Piano Concerto with the orchestra. The program also includes Brahms's Fourth Symphony.

The International Winter Festival "Arts Square"—the largest project of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, founded by maestro Yuri Temirkanov—will bring together classical music stars and leading Russian ensembles from December 13 to 25. Its program traditionally combines various arts, focusing on concerts in the Philharmonic's halls. The festival program also includes performances by the Mikhailovsky Theater and the St. Petersburg Musical Comedy Theater, a choral concert at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, and exhibitions from the State Russian Museum.

One of the highlights of this year's festival program is the music of Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, whose name the Leningrad-St. Petersburg Philharmonic has borne for half a century.

The rich concert program, the organization of international festivals, and large-scale international tours are all made possible by the Philharmonic's official sponsor, VTB Bank. The St. Petersburg Philharmonic is deeply grateful to its long-standing partner for the opportunity to develop contemporary and large-scale projects that enhance the Philharmonic's program and the cultural life of St. Petersburg and throughout Russia.

The 25th International Winter Festival "Arts Square" is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the St. Petersburg Committee for Culture.

Performances by the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestras
The International Winter Festival "Arts Square" will open and close with a performance by the Honored Ensemble of Russia under the baton of Nikolai Alexeev, Principal Conductor of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic.

The Honored Ensemble of Russia will also perform on December 20 under the baton of Alexander Sladkovsky, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan. The soloist will be pianist Angel Wong, winner of the 17th International Tchaikovsky Competition (Second Prize). The program includes the overture to Mozart's Don Giovanni, Britten's Piano Concerto, and Richard Strauss's symphonic poem "A Hero's Life."

The St. Petersburg Philharmonic Academic Symphony Orchestra will perform under the baton of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Dimitris Botinis on December 21st. The orchestra will perform Henri Dutilleux's Cello Concerto "Tout un monde lointain..." (A World Away...), based on the Symbolist poet Charles Baudelaire's collection of poems, "The Flowers of Evil." Alexander Ramm will be the soloist. The program also includes Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 3 for Orchestra.

Festival Vocal Programs
On December 14th, the Academic Symphony Orchestra will also perform with world opera star Aida Garifullina at her debut concert in the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. The singer will perform famous arias from operas by Verdi, Gounod, Puccini, and Bellini, as well as romances by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. Tenor Ivan Gyngazov and baritone Semyon Antakov will perform at the "Opera Gala" concert. Conductor: Alexander Soloviev.

On December 18, the festival will present a concert performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute." The Symphony Orchestra, Choir, and soloists of the Kolobov Novaya Opera Theatre in Moscow will perform in the Great Hall, conducted by Philipp Chizhevsky.

On December 22, world-renowned Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov will perform in the Great Hall of the Philharmonic. Mzia Bakhturidze will perform the piano. The program includes chamber and vocal works by Liszt, Schubert, and Ravel, as well as Dmitri Shostakovich's late work, Suite on Words by Michelangelo Buonarroti.

On December 23, at the Small Hall of the Philharmonic, the winners of the Hibla Gerzmava Vocal Competition—Grand Prix winner mezzo-soprano Polina Sharovarova and finalist baritone Stanislav Li—will perform romances and arias from operas by Russian and foreign composers. Piano part will be performed by Mark Vaza.

Music by Dmitri Shostakovich
December 2 marks the 50th anniversary of the naming of the Leningrad-St. Petersburg Philharmonic after Dmitri Shostakovich. The composer's works will be a key highlight of the festival program.

Along with Ildar Abdrazakov's aforementioned concert, Shostakovich's music will also be performed at the Small Hall of the Philharmonic on December 16 and 17: pianist Pyotr Laul will perform 24 preludes and fugues over two evenings. It was in this hall that the world premiere of the cycle took place in 1952, performed by Tatyana Nikolaeva.

On December 23, Dmitry Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11, "1905," will be performed by the Svetlanov State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia under Alexander Lazarev. This orchestra performed the symphony's world premiere on October 30, 1957, conducted by Nathan Rakhlin. The program also includes Grieg's Piano Concerto, with Nikolai Lugansky as soloist.⁠