The 2016 Russian Federation National Award in literature and the arts has been awarded to Eduard ARTEMYEV for his contribution to the development of Russian and global music.
Eduard Artemyev, born November 30, 1937 in Novosibirsk, is a composer, President of the Russian Association of Electroacoustic Music, member of the Executive Committee of the International Confederation of Electroacoustic Music (CIME/ICEM), an official partner of UNESCO.
Eduard Artemyev is one of the founders of Russian electronic music, a famous composer and the author of hundreds of chamber, symphonic and electronic music pieces. He was the first composer in the country to use electronic music for film scores, which added depth and expression to over 140 films, including such internationally famous masterpieces of Russian cinema as Solaris, The Mirror and Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky; Siberiade by Andrei Konchalovsky; At Home Among Strangers, A Slave of Love and The Barber of Siberia by Nikita Mikhalkov; and Courier by Karen Shakhnazarov.
Eduard Artemyev holds the honorary title of National Artist of Russia (1999), the Order for Services to the Fatherland IV degree (2013), Russian Federation National Awards in literature and the arts (1993, 1996 and 2000), as well as numerous professional prizes and awards.
The 2016 Russian Federation National Award in literature and the arts has been awarded to Yury GRIGOROVICH for his contribution to the development of Russian and global ballet.
Yury Grigorovich, born January 2, 1927 in Leningrad (now St Petersburg), chief choreographer of the Bolshoi Theatre (1964–1995; appointed choreographer in 2008), the founder and artistic director of the Krasnodar Ballet Theatre (1996), head of the choreography and ballet department at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, President of the International Union of Choreographers, President of the Russian Ballet Foundation, artistic director and chairman of the jury of the Benois de la Danse competition (1992).
Yury Grigorovich is the author of original productions and interpretations of classical ballets at the Leningrad of Opera and Ballet (now Mariinsky Theatre), the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Bolshoi Theatre, the Krasnodar Ballet Theatre and other theatres in Russia and other countries.
For over 60 years, his performances, including The Stone Flower, The Legend of Love, Raymonda, Spartacus, The Nutcracker, Ivan the Terrible and The Golden Age, served as the touchstone for classical ballet performances. They have become part of Russia’s national heritage and a major part of global ballet history.
Yury Grigorovich holds the honorary titles of National Artist of the USSR (1973) and Hero of Socialist Labour (1986), the orders of St Andrew the Apostle the First-Called (2017) and For Services to the Fatherland, III degree (2002), II degree (2007) and I degree (2011), the orders of Lenin and October Revolution and also state decorations of other countries. He was awarded the Lenin Prize (1970), the USSR State Prize (1977 and 1985), the Russian Government Prize in the field of culture (2011), as well as professional awards and prizes.
The 2016 Russian Federation National Award in literature and the arts has been awarded to Mikhail PIOTROVSKY for his contribution to the preservation of the national and world cultural heritage
Mikhail Piotrovsky, born December 9, 1944 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, is General Director of the State Hermitage Museum (St Petersburg), Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of History, Professor of St Petersburg State University, Chairman of the Union of Russian Museums.
Mikhail Piotrovsky has authored more than 250 studies on the history and culture of the Middle East and the history of Islam. He has headed the State Hermitage since 1992. Over that period, the museum underwent a large-scale modernisation: the first stage of the open storage facility in Staraya Derevnya construction was completed; the East wing of the General Staff building was rebuilt and reconstructed and handed over to the museum; a gallery of contemporary art was created, museum branches opened in Russian cities, as well as Hermitage exhibition centres abroad. While efficiently combining the preservation of historical traditions with innovation, Mr Piotrovsky contributed to the transformation of the Hermitage into an up-to-date research, cultural, and educational centre of global significance.
Mikhail Piotrovsky holds the honorary title of Honoured Culture Worker of the Russian Federation (2001), the Order for Services to the Fatherland III degree (2009), IV degree (2004), the Order of Alexander Nevsky (2014), the Order of Honour (1997), the Order of Friendship (2016) and the Pushkin Medal (1999). He is the holder of awards of foreign states, public and religious organisations.