IRKUTSK, Russia, November 24 (R-Sport) - Award-winning classical pianist Denis Matsuev dropped a hint Sunday that he will star in the opening ceremony for February’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, the details of which are being kept strictly under wraps.
Olympic opening ceremonies are typically lavish and secretive affairs, as with London’s acclaimed “Isles of Wonder” performance last year.
“At the Olympics I’ll be actively participating in various guises,” said Matsuev, who has appeared at the world’s top concert venues, including New York’s Carnegie Hall and London’s Royal Festival Hall.
“I won’t reveal any secrets, but I’ll be taking part both creatively and as a fan. Because of that I’ve specially moved all my concerts. From the opening to the closing, I’ll be at the Olympics.”
Matsuev spoke after lighting a cauldron with the Olympic flame in his Siberian home city of Irkutsk as part of the 65,000-kilometer torch relay, something he said was “like a holiday.”
On Sunday, the flame also visited the Irkut aircraft factory, which produced bombers during World War II.
In recent days it has reached the bottom of Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest freshwater lake, and paid a visit to Russia’s largest Buddhist temple.
