July 14, Magnezit Cultural Center presented the festival program “A Lifelong Concert. 100th Anniversary of People’s Artist of RSFSR Aleksandr Rozum”, which became a wonderful meeting of the audience with classical art and a musical gift on Metallurgist Day.

Music of Tchaikovsky – the favorite composer of Aleksandr Rozum – dominated the first part of the concert. In honor of the big soviet singer, baritone recognized by almost everyone in the USSR in 1960–70s, the State Symphonic Orchestra of Chelyabinsk Oblast, directed by Distinguished Artist of Russia Adik Abdurakhmanov, performed suites from Swan Lake and Nutcracker.

People’s Artist of Russia Yuri Rozum, a famous pianist and son of the celebrated singer, opened the second part of the concert.

“This year around Easter, on April 16, my wonderful father Aleksandr Rozum would have been 100 years old. We chose this very date to make a festival in his honor, starting from Gnesins’ Academy where father first studied and then performed and taught. I called the festival “A Lifelong Concert” because the whole life of my father was one never-ending, colorful, and bright concert. Daily performances in Moscow and many other cities. He sang in big concert halls, on stadiums, at collective farms, in workshops,” says Yuri Rozum, “When he visited the village in Tver Oblast, where my grandmother is from, he would climb onto the roof of our small bathhouse and sing there. Collective farmers would hear him and say: “Sasha is here!” Everyone would gather and have a folk festival. And at home concerts, the room in our tiny apartment would always be packed, yet you could hear people applaud not only in the room, but from the street too, where almost a hundred of people would gather and clap overpoweringly.”

Yuri Rozum performed one of his father’s favorite pieces – June. Barcarolle from Tchaikovsky’s Seasons. And then continued to perform Tchaikovsky’s concerto No.1 for piano and orchestra with the State Symphonic Orchestra of Chelyabinsk Oblast.

Resuming his speech to the audience, Yuri Rozum noted that the Russian Culture Fund and the pianist’s friends in many towns supported the idea of making this festival.

“I am happy that we are having a concert in Satka too. Thank you all for a warm welcome, for coming here tonight to honor the memory of my father. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to making this concert: the Russian Culture Fund, the town’s administration, Magnezit Group and, especially, my close friend Sergey Korostelev. I know many large companies, but I am yet to know another director who puts so much effort and love into his hometown. I am thankful for the Center’s team and this wonderful hall that has become the place where we meet and perform and that now feels like home. And I am, of course, thankful for the wonderful orchestra and their fantastic art director Adik Abdurakhmanov. Last year together we went through baptism by water, as we performed under pouring rain at Karmen festival, and now we have become very close. I would like to thank every one of you, dear friends, everyone who is here tonight and who is always there to see us perform. I hope that this friendship will continue as not only we need it, but our country needs it to show the entire world that we can love, create, and support each other. Thank you!” the maestro spoke these words, but the night did not end with them as the audience gave him a lengthy standing ovation and he, recalling the 150th Birthday Anniversary of Sergey Rakhmaninov, performed one of the pieces of the great composer as an encore.

“We always go to concerts at Magnezit Cultural Center. Tonight’s performance was simply brilliant. What an unforgettable experience! Live music is beyond comparison! And tonight’s concert was special not only for Yuri Rozum, but to us, the audience, as he shared so much about his father with us. It was a pleasure to listen to him speak. We are glad that he thanked all of us and praised the contribution of Sergey Korostelev. It’s very important. We’ve been living here for four years, came to Satka from Kazakhstan, and we’ve never had such concerts there. Though there also was a huge plant, nobody organized or sponsored such amazing and much needed events. Thanks, everyone!” shared their impression friends Irina Livintskaya and Rimma Mesnyankina.

Source: Magnezitovets. Photo by: Vasily Maksimov