Soviets To Perform At Sanders

As part of "the largest American cultural exchange ever to take place with the Soviet Union," musicians from Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre will perform tonight at Sanders Theatre.

The performance is one of 85 different Soviet music and dance exhibitions in the Boston-wide celebration, entitled "Making Music Together," which began last Friday and will continue until April 2.

By the end of the three weeks of productions, 285 Soviet artists will have performed in various Boston arenas including Sanders, the Wang Center, and the New England Conservatory of Music. More than 100 musical and dance pieces will be premiered in the U.S during the festival.

"You couldn't plan an important international look at what's going on in the Soviet Union today without including Harvard as one of the venues," said James Morgan, director of public relations of the Opera Company of Boston, which planned the Sanders concert.

At this Friday's Sanders performance, chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre, Alexander Lazarez, will lead the Instrumental Soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre. Soviet composer, Rodion Shchedrin, will come to the theater for the American premiere of his two pieces, "Geometry of Sound" and "Frescoes of Dyonisios." Shchedrin's presence is the "special highlight" of the performance, Morgan said.

As part of the "educational slant" of the festival. Shchedrin and Soviet music journalist, Lev Ginsburg, will also lead an open discussion of the pieces after the performance. Morgan said.

"Americans [will be] given the opportunity to be exposed to Soviet art," said Lisa C. Stearns. a publicist for the festival. Three of the Soviet companies participating in the festival had never performed in the U.S. before, Stearns said.

After this "Festival of Making Music Together," American artists will go to the Soviet Union next year, Stearns said. The money raised from the March 27th performance of the ballet "Hommage A Plisetskaya," featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov, will be used to fund the trip which is expected to begin in the fall of 1989, Sterns said.