This evening is based on a rare combination - the sound of historical Italian string instruments and the integrity of ensemble playing. At the center of this concert is the Stradivari Ensemble itself, one of the most unusual groups of the Mariinsky Theatre. Its members play on instruments created by great Italian masters of the 17th and 18th centuries, including Niccolò Amati, Antonio Stradivari, Giuseppe Guarneri, Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, and Matteo Goffriller. For the listener, this means that an essential part of the experience becomes not only the chosen music but also the special quality of timbre - deep, warm, flexible, and instantly recognizable. The ensemble was founded at the initiative of Valery Gergiev and today brings together leading soloists of the theatre's Symphony Orchestra. This is important because it is not a random composition, but a group with a stable performance culture and extensive concert experience. Since 2013, it has been led by Lorenz Nasturica-Gershovich, and this internal cohesion allows the ensemble to convincingly exist both as an independent group and in collaboration with other musicians. We know what to see in St. Petersburg.