Opening Ceremony of the Year of Russian Language and Literature in Germany (2014-2015)
June 6 2014 State Library of Berlin, Germany |
The success of the Cross Cultural Year of Russia and Germany 2012-2013 has inspired both countries for further development of cultural links. As a result, 2014 has become the Year of Russian Language and Literature in Germany and the Year of German Language and Literature in Russia.
Language is the greatest wealth of any nation, it is its history, its guiding thread that allows tracking the development of national cultures. The melody and harmony of a language helps us, as nothing else, get closer to the understanding of the soul of a nation. Language is an exceptional tool that, on the one hand, differentiate one nation from another and, on the other, it is, perhaps, the only means of integration of various nations. In the words of Hans-Georg Gadamer, a prominent German philosopher, “the language is the ambiance that unites “me” with the world”.
A versatile programme of the Cross Cultural Year of Russian Language and Literature in Germany and the Year of German Language and Literature in Russia includes many events that will foster the development and strengthening of the linguistic links between our countries. These are conferences, seminars, master classes for teachers, symposiums for translators, literary readings and other events.
The Opening Ceremony of the Year of Russian Language and Literature in Germany took place in Berlin on June, 6. This date is symbolical as it is the birthday of Alexander Pushkin, a famous Russian poet, who had a key influence on the formation of the modern Russian language and classical literature. The programme of the ceremony in the State Library of Berlin elegantly combined the orchestra music with declamations of Russian and German writers. The works of Bach, Brahms and Chaikovsky performed by the Novosibirsk Philarmonic Chamber Orchestra and the musical poetry of Pushkin, Goethe and Schiller created a very special atmosphere of the sublime spiritual event. The musical content of the ceremony was in the hands of the prominent Russian director, maestro Alim Shakhmametyev, an artistic director of the Big Symphonic Orchestra of the Rimsky-Corsakov St Petersburg State Conservatoire. The ceremony was held in two languages, the Russian poetry was performed by the famous Russian actress Daria Moroz (the Moscow Art Theatre of Chekhov) and the German – by Jens Harzer (Thalia Theatre Hamburg) and Bert Han (the representative of German Pushkin Society).