Entertainment

The Donostia-San Sebastián Musical Fortnight is the longest standing classical music festival in Spain and one of the most time-honoured in Europe. It began in 1939 as fruits of the entrepreneurship and zest of the city innkeepers and merchants - in the same way that the International Film Festival was to be launched some years later - willing to enrich the tourism offer over the summer season.

71st edition

Russia is the main player in this edition of Donostia-San Sebastian''s Musical Fortnight. According to the organizers, the programme focuses on "one of the most prolific and interesting schools of the world".

On this year''s programme: the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra and after a year of absence, Boris Godunov returns to San Sebastian.

Not only Russian conductors and soloists will perform, also musical groups from other countries attend Fortnight, but they will keep the Russian theme alive. The Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi dedicates the performance to Rachmaninov and the show of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse (France) is based on Tchaikovsky.

For one extra year, the Kursaal Auditorium will be the main stage of Fortnight.

Homage

The San Sebastian festival will also not forget the anniversaries of several composers, and pay homage to Frederic Chopin and Schumann on the bicentennial of their births, as well as Hugo Wolf and Gustav Mahler, born 150 years ago.