Victor and Lilian Hochhauser receive special award from the Russian Government

The Embassy of the Russian Federation

16 November 2006

On 16 November 2006 the UK's foremost arts impresarios, Victor and Lilian Hochhauser, were honoured for their unique role in promoting Russian culture in Britain for over half a century.

On behalf of the Ministry of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation , the Russian Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Mr Yury Fedotov presented this prestigious award to the Hochhausers at the Russian Embassy.

Outstanding, in a career spanning well over half a century, has been their introduction to the West of a stellar array of legendary Russian artists including:

Mstislav Rostropovich
David & Igor Oistrakh
Sviatoslav Richter
Emil Gilels
Leonid Kogan
Galina Vishnevskaya
Viktoria Postnikova
The Borodin Quartet
Aram Khachaturian
Evgeny Mravinsky
Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Kyril Kondrashin
Evgeny Svetlanov
Rudolf Barshai
Maxim Shostakovich
Arvid Jansons
Maya Plisetskaya
Natalia Makarov a
Rudolph Nureyev
Mikhail Baryshnikov

...as well as several famous Russian orchestras including:

The Leningrad Philharmonic
The Moscow Philharmonic
The Russian State Orchestra
The Moscow Chamber Orchestra.

They have also been closely associated with the great composer Dmitri Shostakovich and arranged the first performances in the UK of his:

Symphonies Nos 4,8,13,14 and 15;
the complete cycle of his fifteen quartets;
his two violin and two cello concertos;
and his Seven Romances on verses by Alexander Blok.

In 1972, they organised 32 concerts across the country in a Festival of Russian Music and Musicians, with Dmitri Shostakovich as Guest of Honour.

Victor and Lilian Hochhauser also introduced to the UK many spectacular ethnic dance companies, including:

The Moiseyev Dance Company
The Red Army Ensemble
The Black Sea Navy Ensemble

Since 1991, the Hochhausers have arranged more than 1,500 performances of Moscow City Ballet, Russia's foremost classical ballet touring companies, to theatres all over the British Isles.

In 1961, Victor and Lilian brought the Kirov Ballet to the Royal Opera House for its first tour to the West, followed by the Bolshoi Ballet in 1963.

Since then, there have been regular UK visits by these two magnificent companies arranged by the Hochhausers.

In 1999 and in 2006, they presented the Bolshoi Opera with Mark Ermler and Alexander Vedernikov and, in 2001 and 2005, the Mariinsky Opera with Valery Gergiev.

In 1993, Victor Hochhauser was made a CBE for his contribution to the arts.