The year of Rachmaninov: promising ideas of musical enlightenment in shaping the culture of the city

The aim of the study is to identify resources for holding events in Krasnodar (Krasnodar Territory, Russian Federation) dedicated to the anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninov (Rachmaninoff) and other outstanding figures of Russian musical culture. The author turns to cultural and musicological research, as well as to memories of Rachmaninov’s life and work. The study employed systemic-historical and diachronic methods, as well as a number of methods used in musicological research. The author reveals the distinctive features of Rachmaninov’s creative method and the characteristics of his compositional style and notes the success of the composer’s performing career. She pays special attention to the concert tour of 1913, during which the pianist gave a concert in Yekaterinodar (Krasnodar until 1920). The author describes the circumstances surrounding the concert and its place among other important events for the history of the city that took place at that time, analyzes the program of Rachmaninov’s concert in Yekaterinodar and evaluates the works performed at the concert in terms of pianistic complexity, circumstances of creation, significance for the composer’s work, musicological characteristics. The author believes that at present this program is worthy of perpetuation as a memorial concert intended for repeated performance. She emphasizes that most of the concert pieces can be performed by students; this idea is confirmed by the successful experience of holding the Rachmaninoff Days music festival dedicated to the composer’s 150th anniversary (2023) in Krasnodar. The author analyzes the festival program in detail, including the variety of works performed. In anticipation of the upcoming anniversaries of Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Mikhail Glinka, the author proposes to create a system of musical projects dedicated to them that will serve the targeted training at the level of performing schools. The projects can be implemented since the following resources are available: (1) the ability of the Russian state to support gifted children; (2) the activity of young Krasnodar performers who are able to master complex musical works; (3) the actualization of the key event, which is the source of transformations in cultural life carried out within the framework of the anniversary project (such an event is Rachmaninov’s concert on November 3, 1913); (4) potential interest in the project from true music lovers. The author identifies the set of goals to be reached by the implementation of the proposed project.