On March 3, 2026, the IX International Lenten Choral Festival was opened in the Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
The uniqueness of the festival lies in the fact that it is designed to revive the ancient Russian tradition of holding concerts of sacred and classical music during Lent. This is a time of intense prayer and looking inside oneself, searching for spiritual and moral guidelines. Until 1917, entertainment events were canceled during Lent, and concert halls were given over to academic and sacred music. The concerts of the International Lenten Choral Festival recreate the ancient performing skills of the best schools and masters of sacred music, and perform outstanding works by Russian and foreign composers.
In the first part of the opening concert of the Lenten Festival, numerous viewers got acquainted with Rodion Shchedrin's composition "The Imprinted Angel", written in the form of a Liturgy based on the short story of the same name by Nikolai Leskov. Using two traditions of Russian church singing in his musical language — the znamenny chant of the Old Believer culture and the chord texture of the liturgical practice of the New Age — the composer rethought the millennial path of our people under the cover of the Orthodox faith. It is characteristic of the composer's own admission that this work was written not by anyone's order, but by "the order of the heart." The composition was performed by the Academic Large Choir "Masters of Choral Singing" of Orpheus Radio under the direction of the chief conductor of the People's Artist of Russia Lev Kontorovich.
In the second part of the musical evening, a rare monument of the Russian musical Art Nouveau requiem "Fraternal Commemoration" by Alexander Kastalsky was presented. The performance is timed to coincide with the 170th anniversary of the composer's birth. This oratorio for soloists, choir and orchestra was written in memory of the victims of the First World War. On the one hand, A.D. Kastalsky conceived his monumental work as an Orthodox memorial service for the soldiers who laid down their heads in the World War. On the other hand, the composer relied on the genre of the Catholic requiem. The work has not lost its relevance in our time, the remarkable skill of Alexander Kastalsky celebrates the idea of eternal life and is perceived as a mystery play with many actors. 
"Fraternal Commemoration" was performed by: the Moscow Conservatory Concert Symphony Orchestra (artistic director and conductor — Professor Anatoly Levin, conductor — Mikhail Kotelnikov); the Moscow Synodal Choir (artistic director and conductor — Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Puzakov); the Artos festive choir of St. Sergius of Radonezh Church in Solntsevo (artistic director and conductor — Varvara Volkova); the Bells of Russia Ensemble (artistic director — Galina Filimonova).
The chief conductor of the second section is Mikhail Kotelnikov. Soloists: Alyona Kuznechikova (soprano), Dmitry Kuzmin (baritone), Lyudmila Fedorova (mezzo-soprano). The piano part is by Andrey Aleynikov.