The concert “From Russia with Love” was held on August 8 on a special stage set up in the heart of Moscow, on Red Square. The event coincided with the end of the summer’s main sporting event, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where Russian athletes who competed in a neutral status were among the biggest winners.
The Russian team took part in the Olympic Games under the national code ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) due to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) sanctions. Russian athletes competed in Tokyo without a flag or anthem. Instead, a fragment from Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 was played when Russian athletes won gold medals. On Sunday, the famous piece was performed near the Kremlin walls by Russia’s virtuoso pianist Denis Matsuev and an orchestra conducted by the People’s Artist of the USSR and Russian Federation, Grammy Award winner, Sochi 2014 Olympic Games ambassador, violist and conductor Yuri Bashmet.
Maria Zakharova, official representative of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Match TV host Andrey Romanov opened the concert.