One of the rare cultural pleasures of an August evening in Moscow is the chance to hear chamber music played in the elegant surroundings of the 18th-century palaces of Kuskovo and Ostankino, both of which were once homes of the aristocratic Sheremetyev family.


The Kuskovo palace dates from 1775 and was built for the fabulously wealthy Count Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetyev. Concerts there take place in the magnificent gilded ballroom known as the White Hall. If a seat can be found near one of the seven large windows, it is possible not only to enjoy the music and the splendors of the room itself, but also to watch evening descend across the estate's formal gardens and the famous Orangery, which now houses the Russian State Ceramics Museum.


The music at Kuskovo, which is performed by a variety of Moscow-based ensembles, was written mostly in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and the White Hall provides just the sort of setting for which much of it was intended.


Apart from the White Hall, the palace itself and the estate are closed to the public at concert time. But ample rewards are still to be found in a pre-concert or intermission stroll through the vast gardens.


The White Hall at Kuskovo holds an audience of about 150. Only half that number can be accommodated in the intimate Italian Pavilion at the palace of Ostankino. Constructed in 1792-93 for Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetyev and only recently restored and reopened, the Italian Pavilion presents a rich and even crowded ensemble of antique statuary, classical and Egyptian wall motifs, Wedgwood medallions and wooden pillars painted to resemble marble.


The music at Ostankino centers on harpsichordist Alexander Maikapar, whose remaining recitals on Aug. 11, 18, 25, and 30 offer an excursion through the keyboard repertory of the 1700s.


This Tuesday's concert at Ostankino features Bach solo suites played by one of Russia's leading cellists, Victor Shpiller, while the concerts scheduled for Aug. 16 and 23 are given over to small-scale ensemble music of the 17th and 18th centuries.


Tickets for the concerts at Kuskovo and Ostankino can usually be obtained at concert time. At Ostankino, this simply means joining the line at the box office inside the palace gates. For last-minute seating at Kuskovo, first make a polite request to the gatekeeper for admission to the grounds. The palace is a short walk from the gate, and tickets for any remaining seats can be obtained at the rear entrance.





Kuskovo Estate Museum, 2 Ulitsa Yunosti. Tel. 299-9851, 299-1192. Metro Ryazansky Prospekt, and then Bus No. 133 or 208 to the entrance. Concerts each Tuesday and Thursday through Aug. 30 at 7 P.M. Admission: 4,000 rubles.


Ostankino Estate Museum, 5 Pervaya Ostankinskaya Ulitsa. Tel. 283-4645. Metro VDNKh, and then Tram No. 7 or 11 to the entrance. Concerts each Tuesday and Thursday through Aug. 30 at 6:30 P.M. Admission: 7,000 rubles.