"This event is very important. We didn't have the American participation in this festival but we do many cultural events here. It is especially important now when the political relations between the countries are in a difficult state. So, these people-to-people contacts are very important for building mutual trust between countries," Leary said.
The US consul general noted that he discussed with the festival organizers the prospects of staging US composer George Gershwin's performance later this year, adding that they were also trying to bring two singers from the United States for that concert.
Within the festival, Leary attended one of the most popular and most frequently performed operas — Georges Bizet's glorious masterpiece — Carmen. The performance brought together one of the best Russian orchestras, choir ensemble from Nice, France, as well as leading Russian and European singers.
The festival was held in St. Petersburg since July 12 and closed on Saturday with Carmen.
Giulio Magnanini, a musical director of guest choir ensemble from Nice, told Sputnik he believed this festival could be a great tool to build bridges between the Baltic and the Mediterranean regions.
"We may as well call this festival 'Music Without Frontiers' because it unites us through the power of love to music and to performing arts. Our countries always had strong cultural ties and this event was a great opportunity to unite the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea regions," Magnanini said.
Nice's Municipal Councillor Andre Chauvet, who came to St. Petersburg for this festival, in his turn, told Sputnik that this year Nice and St. Petersburg were celebrating 20 years of a sister city relations.
"The ties between the two cities are very strong thanks to continuing cultural exchanges. Russian artists are very often performing in Nice and today our choir ensemble took part in this beautiful opera production staged in this historical for Russia place," Chauvet said.
Opera Carmen, for example, was beautifully fitted into the space of the Main Courtyard of the Catherine Palace in the Tsarskoye Selo town, transforming the facade of the palace, a masterpiece by architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, into a Spanish city.
The All Together Opera Festival took place for the sixth time this year. It is one of a few open-air opera productions, which take place in northern cities, where unpredictable weather is often prone to surprises.
However, Musical Director or the festival Fabio Mastrangelo noted that St. Petersburg’s weather was almost always on the opera lovers’ side.
"As of today, the score is in favor of music. Out of 23 productions that were staged for the last six seasons only two had been paused due to the weather conditions," he said.
The unstable weather though also tried to interfere with the festival’s plans. On July 12, by the time when the festival opened with Mikhail Glinka's masterpiece Ruslan and Lyudmila, the golden spire of the oldest church in the very heart of St. Petersburg at the Cathedral Square of the Peter and Paul Fortress was already barely seen in the murk of rain. Nevertheless, a record number of opera fans gathered at the fortress not paying any attention to the wind and the drizzling rain.
On the eve of the festival opening, Mastrangelo, who is also an Artistic Director of the St. Petersburg State Music Hall Theater, recalled that back in 2012 one of the festival’s founders was in doubt that such a complex musical genre would be popular. Yet every year the festival proves the contrary as every performance attracts thousands of residents and tourists.
Mastrangelo, who is commonly referred to as Russia's most famous Italian-born conductor, was born in the city of Bari, where relics of Russia's most beloved Saint Nicholas the Miracle-Worker have been kept for the last 930 years. At the age of five, he became fond of Russian music and got interested in the Russian alphabet learning how to read. Therefore, when arriving to the "northern capital of Russia" at the age of 30, the Italian conductor and pianist did not feel as a stranger in St. Petersburg — the most Italian out of all Russian cities.
After years of dedicated work for his historical and second homeland, he was awarded the Order of the Star of Italy for the preservation and promotion of national prestige and friendly relations between Russia and Italy.
"I am glad that Russia is trying to preserve its national identity. Despite the convergence of cultures and globalization, one should never forget his roots. I want my children and the generations to come to love the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich," Mastrangelo concluded.
Speaking about the festival, Mastrangelo stressed that its main social function is to make the best opera masterpieces performed by best musicians available for everyone.
"It’s impossible to remain indifferent and unmoved by music, when you partake in this festival … We want this festival to serve its social function, so that all residents and St. Petersburg’s guests could listen to the best operas and enjoy high artistic level of performances," Mastrangelo told Sputnik after closing the festival with opera Carmen.
According to the police estimates, about 8,000 came to see Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto staged within the architectural ensemble of Architect Rossi Street and Alexandrinsky Theater on June 15.
Over 100,000 people have already attended festival’s productions since its very first performance in July 2012.
The festival's rising popularity can be explained not only by a high artistic level of international performing arts groups but also by the fact that despite economic difficulties the festival continues to maintain its social character offering free admission for all who love opera.
