From June 24, the Cultural Capital arts festival begins in Irkutsk, bringing together concerts, exhibitions and performances for three days. A highlight will be the unique and only horn orchestra in the world, performing at the monument to Alexander III with the Irkutsk Symphony Orchestra. The article also tells the history of this unusual ensemble and its return to the capital of the Baikal region.
From June 24, the arts festival “Cultural Capital” opens in the regional center. Over the course of 3 days, concerts, exhibitions, and performances will take place. The program includes a performance by the unique and only horn orchestra in the world, which will be held on the stage by the monument to Alexander III. The musicians will perform accompanied by the Irkutsk Symphony Orchestra.According to Ilmar Lapinsh, chief conductor of the Irkutsk Regional Philharmonic, the horn orchestra musicians have come to the capital of the Baikal region again. Academically trained musicians who can play in an orchestra, on the French horn, and on the trumpet took part in the first “Cultural Capital” festival in 2014.
The founder of the first horn orchestra is considered to be Sergey Polyanchiko, an artist of the Mariinsky Theatre. This happened in 2006. The first ensemble appeared in 1751, when Semyon Naryshkin gathered serfs who played hunting horns. The art of playing these unusual instruments was honed and improved over time.