Russian orchestra evacuated from Iran gave a thanksgiving concert in Baku

Musicians of the Tchaikovsky Grand Symphony Orchestra, evacuated from Iran through Azerbaijan, held a concert in Baku as a sign of gratitude. The footage of the event on June 17 is published by Izvestia.

Russian musicians led by conductor Arsen Tkachenko performed on the stage of the Muslim Magomayev State Philharmonic. The concert was organized as a sign of gratitude to the diplomats, the Azerbaijani authorities and the staff of the Russian embassies in Baku and Tehran for their help in evacuating artists from Iran.

"We are very happy to be in Baku, and we would like to thank Azerbaijan for its hospitality," Tkachenko said.

Before the start of the event, Mikhail Evdokimov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Azerbaijan, and Polad Bulbul oglu, Chairman of the Committee on Culture of the Azerbaijani Parliament, delivered welcoming speeches.

"Thank you to sunny Azerbaijan for the support of Russian citizens," Evdokimov stressed.

The audience heard "Polonaise" from the opera "Eugene Onegin" and "Serenade for String Orchestra" by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, "Dance of the Buffoons" from Tchaikovsky's music to Alexander Ostrovsky's play "The Snow Maiden", "Vocalise" by Sergei Rachmaninov and "Hymn to the Great City" from the ballet "The Bronze Horseman" by Reinhold Glier. For an encore, the musicians performed "Aria" from Johann Sebastian Bach's orchestral Suite No. 3 and "Trepak" from Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker.

Eastern rivalries: new countries are involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran

At the same time, prolonging the fighting increases Tehran's chances, experts say.

On the evening of June 15, Izvestia reported on the evacuation of a group of Russian citizens in Iran across the border with Azerbaijan. Comfortable buses were provided for transportation, on which the Russians headed to Baku.

Israel struck Iran on June 13 and declared a state of emergency. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the purpose of the military operation is to strike at Iran's nuclear infrastructure. In response, Iran launched several waves of missile attacks.