CARACAS • Venezuela's National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras - known as El Sistema - has set a new Guinness record for the world's largest orchestra, with 8,573 musicians playing together, the country's government said.

A week ago, more than 12,000 musicians played a classical piece together for more than five minutes as they sought to beat a Russian record set two years ago.

Venezuela's Information Minister Freddy Nanez and the Russian ambassador in Caracas, Mr Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov, congratulated the musicians on Saturday in an address broadcast on state TV.

The broadcast included a recording of Guinness World Records expert Susana Reyes announcing the success of the Venezuelan musicians in setting a new record after they played La Marche Slave by Pyotr Tchaikovsky for more than five minutes.

During the broadcast, President Nicolas Maduro showed the certificate from Guinness World Records, which recognised that El Sistema broke the record with 8,573 musicians in the orchestra.

The previous record was for an orchestra of 8,097 musicians who played together in St Petersburg, Russia.

Conditions for setting a record require musicians to be playing simultaneously without people swopping in and out, or lending their instruments to other players.

Guinness did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

El Sistema counts some 350,000 children and youth among its ranks, playing in a network of 180 orchestras.

REUTERS