It is known that Catherine the Great was not a great connoisseur of musical art. Concerts tired her, and she quietly asked the courtiers to give her a sign when to applaud. At the same time, brilliant musicians, both Russian and foreign, worked at her court. The ceremonial receptions at the Hermitage were not complete without the performance of the orchestra, and the court string quartet under the direction of violin virtuoso Anton Ferdinand Tietz played at less formal chamber meetings.

In this lecture we will talk about the history of the Hermitage and about the court musicians of Catherine's times: their music has been studied, performed, published and recorded for over 20 years by cellist Pavel Serbin, artistic director of the Pratum Integrum orchestra.