Presented in the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic on October 8, 2013.

350 years ago a Scottish woman whose name was Isobel Gowdie told the story of her life. Three hundred years later the Scottish composer James MacMillan borrowed her story to compose the requiem “The Confession of Isobel Gowdie”.

What was the story told by the red-headed beauty during the trial?
“When I was fifteen years old, I saw an elegant gentleman wearing a grey coat. He was standing in the choir gallery in a village church; he was holding a black book in his hands; he ordered me to renounce Jesus Christ. He sucked some of my blood and “re-baptized” me with this blood, giving me the name of Janet; then he placed his mark on my shoulder.”
“Yes, I took part in the witches’ Sabbaths. There were always thirteen of us.”

Isobel Gowdie confessed that she had been a witch for more than 15 years and during the trial she requested that she should be punished. “I do not deserve staying here among you like this unpunished,” she told the judges. “I must be put onto the iron torture bench.”
It is still unclear what made this woman confess after many years of witchcraft and why she confessed. We know nothing about the decision of the Scottish court and what happened to Isobel Gowdie.
However, the name of Isobel has lived through the ages: on pages of books and in musical scores.

“The Confession of Isobel Gowdie” composed by the contemporary composer James MacMillan will be performed on October 8, 2013 at the concert of the Eurasia Festival. The program also includes compositions of British composers Elgar, Ellin and Britten; the compositions will be performed by the Ural Academic Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Ellin.

To the organizers, participants and guests of the Second Eurasia International Music Festival

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Eurasia International Music Festival that offered an opportunity to acclaimed professionals and connoisseurs of musical art to get together in Ekaterinburg – one of the major cultural centers of our country!

The high authority and professional reputation of the organizers of this musical forum – the Sverdlovsk State Academic Philharmonic and the Ural Academic Philharmonic Orchestra – made it possible to introduce the audience to the genuine stars of the world and national performing art, to invite renowned composers and music experts to participate in the festival.

From the bottom of my heart I wish every success and creative achievements, new discoveries and unforgettable impressions to all the participants of the festival and music lovers!

Advisor to the President
of the Russian Federation
V. Tolstoy

Dear Friends,

Dear organizers, participants and guests of the Second Eurasia International Music Festival!

It’s my pleasure to see you in the Sverdlovsk Region and I strongly believe that due to this reputable and prestigious festival, our region and its capital – Ekaterinburg – will gain a firm foothold and recognition in the global musical community.
Being in the world’s limelight is especially important for us today when Ekaterinburg is bidding for the right to host the EXPO-2020 World Universal Exhibition. We are deeply interested in getting as many people as possible to know about the Sverdlovsk Region, its wealth, glorious history and fascinating prospects.

The Sverdlovsk Region is the focal point in the Eurasian space, a multinational territory lying at the borderline between Europe and Asia. On the one side – innumerable riches of India, China and Japan, the Middle and Far East; on the other side – centuries-old musical traditions of Western Europe and Russia. The fusion of Western and Eastern cultures generates a powerful creative energy that makes it possible to implement world-level projects within our territory – and not only in the art of music.

The host of the festival – the Ural Academic Philharmonic Orchestra – ranks among the best orchestras of Russia. Its growing fame is proved by the highest opinion of music reviewers, renowned conductors and soloists as well as by regular participation of the orchestra in prestigious Russian and international festivals, its performances in the best concert venues of the world.

The participation of outstanding musicians, performance of new and well-beloved musical compositions, diversity of genres and performing groups, variety of concerts – all these turn the Eurasia International Music Festival into a remarkable and exciting event.

I wish the participants of the festival every success, inspirational performance and tremendous applause from the audience who, I believe, will be genuinely delighted with magnificent music!

Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region
Yevgeny Kuivashev

Dear Friends!

Welcome to the International Music Festival – Eurasia-2013!
For the second time hospitable Ekaterinburg has been welcoming prominent representatives of the European and Asian cultures. Premieres of symphonic compositions of Russian and foreign authors, interaction with the multinational culture of the East and West, communication with composers and performers add up the popularity of the festival not only among residents of the Ural Region, but also with the professional musical community of Russia and many foreign countries. The research-to-practice conference makes its valuable contribution to preservation and further advancement of the unique multinational musical diversity.
I have no doubt that the program of Eurasia-2013 is interesting to participants and guests of different ages; its implementation will be instrumental in creative communication between Russian and foreign musicians.
I wish successful performances to the festival participants and new impressions and vibrant emotions to our guests!

Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation
V.R. Medinsky

Leonid Desyatnikov finished the work on his new score under the name A Journey of the Fox to the North-West. This piece for soprano and orchestra was composed by the request of the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic to be performed by the Ural Academic Philharmonic Orchestra at the opening of the 2nd Eurasia International Music Festival. The work is based on the poems by Elena Schwartz (1948 – 2010).

Leonid Desyatnikov claims, “Four poems written by the outstanding Russian poet and set by me to music represent different poetic cycles and different periods of time. Undoubtedly, the poet drew her inspiration from the books written by Pu Songling. These collections of novels represent a kind of Chinese Decameron of the 17th century. Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio or Liaozhai Zhiyi by Pu Songling is one of my most favorite books. However, Schwartz, a “cursed poet” of the epoch of everlasting stagnation, redesigned the slightly decorative chinoiserie masque, redoing it willfully and achingly, with cuts and bruises, so that she would fit into it: her Fox is a lyrical hero, an alter ego of the author. The North-West appearing in the title is represented by Saint-Petersburg where Elena Schwarz lived all her life.

It is not easy for me to talk about the music: it has never been played before… I promise a lot of sonorous percussion instruments, harp, grand piano and celesta; a lot of bent pentatonic scale inspired by Oriental compositions by Ravel and Stravinsky.”

On October 4, 2013, at the Festival opening, the world premiere of Desyatnikov’s new work will be held with the participation of the Ural Academic Philharmonic Orchestra, lead by its Chief Conductor Dmitry Liss, and Venera Gimadieva, the Bolshoi Theatre solo soprano.