Askold Smirnov

“GRANY” FOUNDATION PRESENTS

Askold Smirnov
"I hear the harp..."[1] The Era of Peter the Great and Its Role in the Evolution of Russian Music

#2 2022 (75)

The young Tsar Peter’s famed Grand Embassy, when the future Russian Emperor and his delegation toured Europe for 18 months, became a crucial factor in the evolution of Peter’s understanding of technology, politics and culture in general. It also broadened the overall education of his court. During this trip, the young sovereign and his companions were introduced to the kind of European music that was played to entertain the public in palaces and theatres, as well as to the traditions and latest trends for using music as part of palace ceremonies.