From 14 to 26 June, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra kicks off its 2023 China Tour, travelling to five cities - Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhan, Changsha and Shanghai...

From 14 to 26 June, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra kicks off its 2023 China Tour, travelling to five cities - Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhan, Changsha and Shanghai - over the course of nearly 20 days. This time, the "People's Artist of Russia" Nikolay Alexeev, who has a Russian conducting pedigree, will join forces with the "International Tchaikovsky Competition" award-winning Russian pianist Daniel Kharitonov, will present a feast of Russian music: Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 and Symphony No. 2.

With over 140 years of history, the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra has been hailed as "one of the finest orchestras in the world and undoubtedly one of the most important in Russian history". Its long history dates back as far as the 19th century. In 1917 the orchestra was promoted to state orchestra, and in 1921 it was allowed to perform in the hall of the former Noble Assembly , making it the first philharmonic orchestra in Russia.

Conductor Nikolay Alexeev, winner of the Karajan Foundation’s International Competition (1982), V. Talich Competition (Prague, 1985) and Min-On (Tokyo, 1985), has been invited to conduct many of the country's leading orchestras. He has been working closely with the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra since 2000, and in 2022 he succeeded Yuri Temirkanov as its principal conductor.

Daniel Kharitonov made his debut at the age of 14 with the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gergiev, and at the age of 16 he won the third prize at the 15th Tchaikovsky International Music Competition for his outstanding performance.