Emir Kusturica and The No Smoking Orchestra

“He ran onto the stage, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, holding a red guitar. ‘Good evening’, he said in Russian. ‘My name is Emir Kusturica. Everybody dance!”.

That was the first time Emir Kusturica met with the guests of Yuri Bashmet’s Sochi Arts Festival back in 2012. Even then, this genius of postmodernism was known and loved in Russia in all his hypostasis. A film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, bassist and composer, he created his world of music and dance at the junction of the Yugoslav tragedy of the turn of the century.

On that memorable evening, Kusturica and his musicians improvised on the theme of “Moscow Nights”, sang with the audience a song about television and, of course, played music from his piercingly funny films. Yuri Bashmet has long admitted that he dreams of inviting Emir Kusturica to Sochi again. What will they bring this time?

The No Smoking Orchestra rarely announces their programme in advance – these minstrels of the XXI century do not play pre-written notes; they “live” their concerts with improvisation, live communication with the audience and eccentricity. This means that on February 23 the audience is in for a bright and unforgettable evening!