Gala Concert from St Petersburg – with Netrebko & Hvorostovsky

For over three centuries, St Petersburg has been Russia's window to the West – and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic still stands as the most virtuosic (and admired) of the great Russian orchestras. This gala from 2003, performed on the eve of the city's 300th anniversary, is a showcase for Russian music-making at its cosmopolitan best, with the orchestra conducted by its then-music director Yuri Temirkanov in an irresistible programme. Naturally, it starts with Tchaikovsky: but there are also works by Saint-Saëns, Ravel and Bruch (Mischa Maisky plays Kol Nidrei) plus a generous selection of operatic highlights starring two undisputed giants of Russian opera: soprano Anna Netrebko and the incomparable baritone of the late Dmitri Hvorostovsky.