Russian orchestra performs in Palmyra, Syria (pics+vid)

The maestro described the concert as a protest against the barbarism and violence exhibited by Islamic State militants

A Russian orchestra conducted a concert, dubbed ‘With a Prayer for Palmyra’, in Syria’s ancient Roman amphitheatre in Palmyra, just a few weeks after it was recaptured from ISIS.

Russian maestro Valery Gergiev led the orchestra through pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Sergei Prokofiev and Rodion Shchedrin, in front of a crowd of Russian soldiers, government ministers and journalists, as BBC reported.

33DF962700000578-3575447-Russian_maestro_Valery_Gergiev_conducted_the_Mariinsky_orchestra-a-13_1462466755306

This was the first performance since the theatre was used by ISIS to hold public executions.

The maestro described the concert as a protest against the barbarism and violence exhibited by Islamic State militants who had used the city’s Roman amphitheatre to execute prisoners, while Russian president Vladimir Putin also addressed the audience, by video link from his Black Sea residence in Sochi.

 


33DF964400000578-3575447-The_city_was_retaken_by_Syrian_government_troops_with_the_help_o-a-20_1462466755795

 

33DF965800000578-3575447-The_ancient_amphitheatre_seats_were_mainly_made_up_of_Russian_se-a-16_1462466755457

33DF967B00000578-3575447-Cellist_Sergei_Roldugin_who_was_named_in_the_Panama_Papers_scand-a-15_1462466755442

33DF963A00000578-3575447-The_concert_dubbed_With_a_Prayer_for_Palmyra_included_Bach_s_Cha-a-21_1462466755796

This week‘s new events