It was the first American performance of the Suite from the musical "The Cats Of The Hermitage", reports
TASS. The concert was held at the Russian Embassy in New-York. Famous Russian and American musicians took part in it. Some musicians belonging to the Russian National Orchestra, the author of the musical, an American composer Chris Brubeck and a flutist Diana Schultz were among them. Some young musicians came on stage as well. Local school students were among the audience at the event.
The musical is based on the novelet "Anna and the Hermitage Cats" by an American writer Mary Ann Allen. "The story started about 10 years ago when my granddaughter and I visited Saint-Petersburg," the author said. Allen added that the story of the cats living in the Hermitage since the 18th century prompted her to write some children’s stories. The book deals with a girl who decided to draw one of the museum cats. Director of the Hermitage Museum Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky is one of the leading characters of the book.
Today, the Hermitage is inhabited by tens of cats, both males and females. As Piotrovsky puts it, they just belong in the Museum.
It is to be recalled that, part of the author’s fee went to the needs of the cats that protect the Museum artworks against rodents.
Allen is sure that her book gives children a good example of humanist attitude to animals. "Not only the Hermitage Museum preserves Russian history and culture but it is an example of kind attitude to our relatives as well", Mary Ann Allen said. She supposed that both her book and the musical help cement cultural relations and let people learn more about literature and music.
As the Clearing House of the «Russkyi Mir Foundation
reported the musicians who took part in the concert are performing in the USA at the moment. That is the way the Russian National Orchestra celebrates its 25th jubilee.
