Get in the mood for the holiday season Wednesday with "Joy to the World — A Christmas Concert" at the Scriabin Museum.
The idea behind the concert, said concert coordinator Vitaly Matveyev, is "to remind people that Christmas is a time of love, forgiveness and goodwill. What better way to share this Christmas spirit than through music?"
The first part will be dedicated to European classical music, including composer Henry Purcell's birthday ode for Queen Mary, which is also known as "Come, Ye Sons of Art," Johann Sebastian Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" and George Frideric Handel's "Messiah."
The second half is made up of famous arias, with singers like Yelena Lopukhina performing, and Christmas carols such as "Joy to the World," and "Silent Night."
Matveyev said he hopes that the audience will sing along to the carols.
"I hope to instill Russians with an appreciation for European music," he said. "With everything that's gone on in the past year, Russians are turning away from the West. I want to remind people of our roots and connections with mainland Europe."
"Joy to the World" will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Scriabin Museum. 11 Bolshoi Nikolopeskovsky Pereulok. Metro Smolenskaya, Arbatskaya.
