Publications

On 23 March 2025, on the stage of the Small Hall of the St Petersburg Academic Philharmonia, the Replica Music Theatre presents a premiere: the fairy-tale play The Fairy of Music. A tale of the divine and the human, and of love. Particular attention is given to music, the pure joy it gives, embodied by the Fairy of Music, the muse Euterpe.

Nadezhda Rogozhina, the director of the production, says:

Ancient myths and their heroes inspired the production, above all Euterpe, muse of lyric poetry and music. Her attribute was the syrinx, an end-blown flute, so on stage this character has to unite the art of words and musical playing. Finding a performer for Euterpe was extremely difficult. I once saw such a muse at a concert: Ksenia Kuelyar, the well-known flutist and artist of the Honoured Ensemble of Russia, the Philharmonia's Academic Symphony Orchestra. Ksenia is not only a remarkable performer but also an organiser of music festivals; she has courage and charisma. It is a joy that she agreed to appear in the play both as a flutist and as a dramatic actress of great talent.

The Virtuosi of the Flute festival was held in our city for the first time. The main concerts took place in the intimate Prokofiev Chamber Hall and the Stravinsky Foyer, and the closing concert in the Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall.

There was music for solo flute and for ensembles of many kinds. A true celebration for admirers of this ancient wind instrument was the concert Virtuosi of the Piccolo, which brought together the city's finest players. Created in the eighteenth century, the piccolo was at first used by military bands. It entered the symphony orchestra in the nineteenth century. The programme ranged from classical and romantic works to music that raises a smile, from the baroque to living composers. Piccolo players are cheerful people.

The highlight of the evening was Concerto No. 1 in E major, "Spring", from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. Ksenia Kuelyar, soloist of the Honoured Ensemble of Russia, the Philharmonia's Academic Symphony Orchestra, arranged the concerto for strings and prepared the solo part for piccolo.

The evening closed with Pierre-Max Dubois's Quartet, arranged for piccolo ensemble and played by everyone on stage.

On C. P. E. Bach's Sonata in A minor, at the concert "Bach & Bach":

"Ksenia Kuelyar combined classical severity with elegant sensitivity."

"Ksenia brought out the regal character of the instrument and held the hall in the dialogue of phrases and the movement of the passages."