What will the "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" surprise us with in 2023?

The sale of certificates for "Slavianski Bazaar – 2023" has begun, which is a sure sign that the festival will take place. By the way, in 32 years, it has never been canceled, not even during the pandemic when other international projects were forced to close. The forum in Vitebsk has proven and continues to prove its resilience, and interest in it is constantly growing. What will it be like this year? This is what our conversation with the General Director of the Vitebsk Culture Center, Director of the Slavianski Bazaar International Arts Festival, Gleb Lapitsky, is about.

– Have the dates for the forum been set?

– A proposal has been submitted to the Head of State to hold the festival from July 12 to 17. We will be able to say for sure when the President's decree is issued. The forum's format remains condensed (four days of main events and two days of additional ones), but very intense. The Summer Amphitheater will host joint concerts, and solo concerts will be held at the Vitebsk Concert Hall. Open Air projects will be designed not only for youth but also for different age categories. The venue near the concert hall proved to be very successful last year, and we will continue to actively use it and enrich it with new interesting formats.

"Slavianski Bazaar – 2023" will continue its traditional and audience-favorite projects: "Theater Meetings," "Puppet Quarter," and the festival of spiritual music. The philharmonic program promises to be very interesting, where we will use not only the hall but also the territory adjacent to the philharmonic: the courtyard and the parking lot. The Days of the Union State are planned to be held in an expanded format, presumably over three days. The folk Open Air on Pushkin Square has become established, and we will not change its concept; we will again invite twin cities with Belarusian-Russian farmsteads. People considered it one of the brightest events last year. The festive atmosphere of the festival city will be filled by the Street Art Fest. Branded trade will be presented. Perhaps, by the "Slavianski Bazaar," we will manage to open a merchandise store where products with the festival symbols of Vitebsk can be purchased.

– How has the program been formed so far?

– One hundred percent. But the agreements with the artists are still underway.

– So you can’t name the names. But some are already known – these are the winners of the Art Parade, which is called the winter companion of the "Slavianski Bazaar"?

– Yes, a talented performer from Armenia, Maritsa Tilikyan, and the Minsk collective "Nathnenne" have been invited to the festival. The latter received a voucher for the "Slavianski Bazaar" from the winner in the "Choreography" nomination – the Vitebsk studio of Dina Yurchenko. The capital's dance ensemble will take part in the children's competition. By the way, for the first time, one of the days will be accompanied by an orchestra. This is a very serious undertaking, I think live music will enhance the competition.

– Qualifying rounds are currently underway. Which countries are conducting them? And from where do we expect contestants?

– In Belarus, the final stage will be held on March 18 in Slutsk. It is gratifying that three representatives from the Vitebsk region will participate in it. Qualifying rounds will be held in Kazakhstan, Italy, Russia, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Romania. The interest in "Slavianski Bazaar" is not decreasing, but rather increasing. This includes the professional community. This can be judged by numerous appeals to the directorate and applications. Many understand that the level of participants in the competitions is initially quite high. After all, they must be winners of national and international creative competitions, pass a selection, or secure the support of the Ministry of Culture of their state. We expect that two to three people will initially compete for one spot. We have determined the optimal number of participants – 12-14 people each in the children's and adult competitions. That is, the most worthy will pass, representing different countries. In recent years, "Slavianski Bazaar" has gained a large number of views on television and on the internet, so we must take this into account. Every year after the festival, we receive analytical information from Belteleradiocompany about what we are doing right and wrong. Sometimes the discussion turns into real battles, when one side defends the interests of the viewers who bought tickets to the amphitheater, and the other – the creation of a high-quality television version, as more than 10 million views is a serious argument. We try to find a golden mean.

– Will there be any new projects this year?

– Yes. One of them is the opera laboratory. Last year, the theater laboratory, held for the first time, generated great interest. It will also take place this year, with a Belarusian play as the basis. In addition, this time we will invite not only students from theater universities in Belarus and Russia, but also their teachers. When we discussed cooperation prospects with the rector of GITIS, Grigory Zaslavsky, he proposed an opera laboratory, which will be coordinated and curated by the famous singer, People's Artist of the USSR, Tamara Sinyavskaya. Such names enhance the prestige of the festival.

– Concert venues are being updated for the festival, in particular, the arch of the Summer Amphitheater, the Vitebsk Concert Hall…

– It's time to update the arch. In 2007, it was modern, a breakthrough of sorts, now it looks archaic. The customer for the work is UKS Vitebsk. We are waiting for warm days to start dismantling the arch. Its design will not change. But a modern LED screen will be installed inside. It will allow displaying not only, as before, letters in the Tetris style, but any content that will create a unified picture with the stage.

Thanks to the decree of the head of state, the reconstruction of the Vitebsk Concert Hall is included in the state investment program, designed until 2025. I want to emphasize that the leadership of the republic and the region pays great attention to culture. The concert hall is the main venue in the region. Significant events are held here. It has been maintained at a high level thanks to highly qualified personnel. But its technical equipment has long been outdated. By the current festival, external work will be completed: the roof, stained-glass windows, porch will be replaced, and the facade will be tiled. This year we will purchase lighting and sound equipment. We plan to update the stage mechanics.

– Does the festival directorate, when forming the program for "Slavianski Bazaar," consider audience requests?

– First and foremost. We study preferences using various sources: we cooperate with radio stations, TV channels, receive comments on social media, consider YouTube views. We take into account the requests of different categories of spectators. After all, the festival is made for people.

– In recent years, the festival overture has become one of the most spectacular and creative projects. What are you planning to surprise us with this year?

– It's a surprise for now. But I can say that it will be a worthy, patriotic project, corresponding to the Year of Peace and Accord. I think it will elevate the development of creativity in the Republic of Belarus to a new level.

By "Vitebskiye Vesti", photos by BELTA and from the "VV" archive.