A wonderful concert at the Philharmonic and a walk through the evening city under the flashes of victory fireworks. The Day of the Lifting of the Siege of Leningrad is a holiday for my family and for me personally. One of my great-grandfathers died during the breaking of the siege, another died of hunger in the besieged city, working at a defense plant until his last days. They and hundreds, thousands of Soviet citizens defended Leningrad back then. Their feat gave me the opportunity to be born in one of the most beautiful cities in the world — in St. Petersburg, the hero city of Leningrad, to enjoy life here, admire its beauty, work and create. I feel continuity through the centuries. May this connection never be broken.