28 May 2008. A Day at the Races…

Roland Garros starts today

The season’s second Grand Slam tennis tournament, the French Open, starts at Roland Garros courts on Sunday. The tournament marks its 80th anniversary this year. The best tennis players, including 23 Russians from across the world, will compete for the trophy in the next two weeks. The prize fund is about 15 million euros (553.088 million roubles. 11.861 million UK pounds. 23.375 million USD). Two Russians will play on the first day. Galina Voskoboeva meets with Julia Fedosova, who represents France, and Yekaterina meets Catalina Costano from Colombia.

25 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27489&cid=52&p=25.05.2008 (in English)

Russia to present proposals in Brussels for the city of Kazan to host the Universiada Games in 2013

A Russian delegation leaves for Brussels today to present the bid of the city of Kazan in Tartarstan to host the 27^th Summer Student Sport Games of 2013, the Universiada. Over 100 persons will represent Russia in the Belgian capital, officials, athletes, and students. Besides Kazan, cities in South Korea and Spain are claiming the right to play host to Universiada-13. The site of the student games will be announced on 31 May. The Universiada was held in Russia only once in all of its 85-year history, in Moscow, in the summer of 1973.

28 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27597&cid=52&p=28.05.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Russian Man United fan “stabs Chelsea rival dead”

A Russian fan of Manchester United has been arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing a friend who supported Chelsea after an alcohol-fuelled row, investigators in Nizhniy Novgorod said on Wednesday. The dispute in Russia’s third-largest city took place on 22 May, the day after Manchester United defeated Chelsea on penalties in an all-English Champions League final at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium. Russian business news agency RBC said the 30-year-old Manchester United fan had been drinking vodka at the country house of his 64-year-old friend. When a heated discussion arose over which of the two teams was better, the Red Devils fan stabbed the pensioner in the heart. The victim died on the spot. A spokesman for the investigation department in the city prosecutor’s office told RIA-Novosti that the suspect was arrested two days after the incident, and he faces between six and 15 years in prison.

28 May 2008

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080528/108694526.html (in English)

RIA-Novosti

28 May 2008. A Shot of Culture, if you please…

Russian director wins Prix Un Certain Regard award in Cannes

The film Tulip by Russian director Sergei Dvortsev won the Prix Un Certain Regard award, the second most-significant prize of the Cannes film festival. The closing ceremony of the festival will be on Sunday. The film Tulpan, according to critics, is a bright example of the combination of documentary and feature films. It is a story of a young Kazakh who returned from military service to his native steppe and dreams of marrying to get a flock of sheep to become a real shepherd. The film was also awarded the youth prize. Moreover, a film by fellow-Russian Valeria Gai Germanika, All will die, But I will Remain, which was presented in a parallel programme, won the second prize for youth.

25 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27488&cid=51&p=25.05.2008 (in English)

Valeria Gai Germanika of Russia awarded a special prize in Cannes

Valeria Gai Germanika, contemporary Russian film-maker

Valeria Gai Germanika of Russia was awarded a special prize of the panel of judges of the Golden Film Camera competition in the framework of the 61st Cannes Film Festival for her movie All Will Die, But I Will Remain. The main prize went to the British director Steve McQueen for his movie Hunger. The top prize of the 61st Cannes Festival, which drew to a close on Sunday, the Palme d’Or, went to a movie by a French Director. The movie is The Class and it was shot by Laurent Cantet. It’s the first time since 1987 that a French film has won the Palme d’Or.

26 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27496&cid=51&p=26.05.2008 (in English)

Tallinn played host to a concert by the Voice of Russia’s Pokrov Chamber Choir

On Sunday, Tallinn played host to a concert by the Voice of Russia’s Pokrov Chamber Choir to commemorate Aleksei Lvov, the composer of the first Russian national anthem, Bozhe Tsaryu Khranit (God, Save the Tsar). The concert formed part of the 15th Credo International Festival of Orthodox Sacred Music, which is an annual occurrence in Tallinn and other Estonian cities. 175 years ago, Tsar Nicholas I approved by an Imperial Rescript Maestro Lvov’s composition set to lyrics by Vassily Zhukovsky as the national anthem of the Russian Empire. The anthem was used until the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. Aleksei Lvov was born in the city of Revel, which is currently known as Tallinn, in 1798. He spent the best years of his life at the Imperial Court in St Petersburg. He died at an estate near Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1870.

26 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27497&cid=51&p=26.05.2008 (in English)

Zerkalo International Film Festival gets under way in Ivanovo

Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-86), famous Russian film director

Later today, the Zerkalo (Mirror) International Film Festival to commemorate the prominent Russian film director Andrei Tarkovsky is due to kick off in the city of Ivanovo, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of Moscow. More than 400 prominent Russian and foreign film actors, directors, and film critics are slated to attend. The first item on the festival programme is the screening of the restored full version of Tarkovsky’s movie Andrei Rublyov. The festival is named after Andrei Tarkovsky’s largely autobiographical film Zerkalo. The first festival was held last year, when Mr Tarkovsky would have turned 75. It was then that the decision was taken to hold the film forum every year. 130 films from various countries have been submitted for screening during this year’s festival. 

26 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27509&cid=51&p=26.05.2008 (in English)

Rakhmaninov International Competition to open in Moscow

Sergei Rakhmaninov (1873-1943), famed Russian composer, conductor, and pianist

35 pianists from 13 countries will take part in the First Sergei Rakhmaninov International Competition, which is opening tonight at Moscow’s imposing Dom Muzyka (House of Music) complex. Musicians from Armenia, Belarus, Germany, China, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Poland, the United States, Russia, and other countries will vie for the competition’s top 10,000 dollar (236,160 roubles. 6,390 euros. 5,050 UK pounds) prize. 

27 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27533&cid=51&p=27.05.2008 (in English)

New exposition at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow

The best Russian watercolours of the 17^th through the 20^th centuries are on display at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. The exposition features works by Valentin Serov, Aleksandr Benois, Karl Bryullov, Aleksandr Ivanov, Vasili Surikov, Mikhail Vrubel, and other less-known painters.

27 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27558&cid=51&p=27.05.2008 (in English)

Lithuanian Cultural Festival opens in Novgorod oblast

St Christopher Chamber Orchestra of Vilnius, founded 1994

The Lithuanian Cultural Festival has opened in Novgorod oblast. It is a long-term cultural programme that presents the arts and culture of the Baltic state in various regions throughout Russia. Paintings by painters from Vilnius are on display, the St Christopher Chamber Orchestra shall stage concerts, and Lithuanian documentary films are to be screened in Veliki Novgorod. Lithuanian books translated into Russian will be displayed at the Novgorod Kremlin.

27 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27588&cid=51&p=27.05.2008 (in English)

International Fine Arts Salon opens in Moscow

The International Fine Arts Salon opened in the Manezh exhibition hall in the centre of Moscow. Over 80 galleries from many countries, including the USA, Britain, France, Hungary, Japan, and German are participants in the show. The display includes masterpieces of world art from the 16^th century to the present day. However, an accent has been put on contemporary art. The display includes paintings, furniture, sculpture, icons, chinaware, and jewellery. Among the paintings are works by Russian painters such as Vasili Kandinsky, Ivan Shishkin, Konstantin Korovin, Marc Chagall, and Ivan Aivazovsky.

27 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27589&cid=51&p=27.05.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Second International Summer School for Young Theatre Artists in Russia

Oleg Tabakov (1935- ), honoured Russian actor and theatre producer

The second International Summer School for Young Theatre Artists, organised by the Theatre Union of Russia, will take place at the Zvenigorod Art Centre in the Moscow outskirts, Aleksandr Kalyagin, the Theatre Union Chairman, said at a news conference on Tuesday. The school, an ambitious educational project, is sponsored by the Theatre Union, the Foreign and Culture ministries, and the Moscow regional culture board. This year, the school will attract 120 actors from 29 countries, including from former Soviet republics.

Six productions of various genres will be staged at the school, which also offers elocution, movement, fencing, acrobatics, acting technique, and other classes by leading professors from Moscow and St Petersburg drama schools. “The Russian school of acting is known throughout the world, and we have every reason to be proud of it. Our excellent performers have inherited its glorious traditions, and I am glad that many of them agreed to give master classes at our school”, Mr Kalyagin said.

Master classes will be led by foremost stage directors and performers, in particular, Pyotr Fomenko, Alexander Shirvindt, Oleg Tabakov, Leonid Kheifets, and Aleksandr Kalyagin. “Russia has never seen a stage educational project of such a large scale as this. It matters tremendously, because nothing can substitute schooling, it takes more stage practice than library reading to see what acting is about. The fundamentals of acting are passed from professor to student”, Mr Kalyagin said. “I am sure the school will be of great professional help to all its students. I hope it will become an annual event and so it can start restoring the broken links between generations, without which the theatre will not make any progress”, he added.

21 May 2008

Natalia Kurova

http://en.rian.ru/culture/20080521/107974562.html (in English)

Christie’s to hold unprecedented sale of Orthodox icons in London

Over 230 Orthodox icons and artefacts due to go under the hammer on 9 June are expected to fetch around 5 million pounds (233.905 million roubles. 6.326 million euros. 9.905 USD), a representative from Christie’s of London said on Thursday. The auction, Icons and Artefacts from the Orthodox World will feature over 230 lots of church and religious artefacts, including Greek and Russian icons, dated between the 15^th to the 20^th centuries. “This is the most valuable icon sale ever organised in the international market, and is expected to fetch in the region of five million pounds”, Christie’s said on its website.

A 19^th century Gospel Book, bearing the initials of Grand Duke Aleksandr Romanov, the son-in-law of Tsar Alexander III, is expected to fetch 70,000 to 90,000 USD (1.653 million to 2.125 million roubles. 44,709 to 57, 483 euros. 35,336 to 45,432 UK pounds). A large number of rare Russian narrative icons, depicting a Biblical story or the life of a saint through a sequence of episodes, are due to be sold in the auction. A late 15^th century icon, The Infancy of Christ, is thought to be the most valuable in this category, with a guide price around 160,000 to 240,000 USD (3.778 to 5.667 million roubles. 102,192 to 153,288 euros. 80,768 to 121,152 UK pounds).

The 17^th century The Adoration of the Mother of God commissioned by Maksim Stroganov, the family that was responsible for establishing the Stroganov School of icon-painting in northern Russia in the 16^th century, is expected to fetch 80,000 to 120,000 USD (1.889 to 2.833 million roubles. 51,096 to 76,644 euros. 40,384 to 60,576 UK pounds). The icon can be directly linked to the family of rich Russian merchants and industrialists and was traditionally used during wedding ceremonies. The auction will also feature 19^th century Russian icons, including a large selection in gold and silver okladi (icon-covers), including a rare pair of wedding icons, valued at 80,000 to 120,000 USD (exchange rates as per preceding note), painted by Pavel Ovchinnikov, the main competitor of the Russian Silver Age jeweller, Peter Carl Fabergé.

22 May 2008

http://en.rian.ru/culture/20080522/108121194.html (in English)

RIA-Novosti

Russia Carries Out Large-Scale Humanitarian Aid in Earthquake-Hit Areas in China

Russia is carrying out large-scale humanitarian aid in earthquake-hit areas in China. On Monday, a plane of the Ministry of Emergency Situations delivered another lot of humanitarian cargo to Sichuan. Thus, Russian planes have already made 21 flights to the stricken region. Experts said that it suffered its most devastating earthquake in 30 years. The Russian rescue teams were the first to help China within a world-wide humanitarian programme. Hundreds of tons of cargo have been already transported to the Chinese people, medicines, tents, blankets, clothes, water purifiers, and mobile electric generators. Whilst on an official visit to China on Friday, President Dmitri Medvedev ordered troops to China to help the humanitarian effort. Another 250 tons of cargo have been delivered to the earthquake zones while thousands of quake victims are taking shelter from heavy rains under the tents. 

On Sunday a strong aftershock struck south-western China, killing two and injuring 500 people. However, the Ministry of Emergency Situations did not stop the delivery of cargo to the areas affected by the earthquake. According to Irina Andrianova, a spokesman for the Ministry, a Russian mobile hospital will continue its work as long as it is necessary. Many quake victims have already been treated by a team of Russian doctors. They all receive it on time. All the patients remain under medical supervision for 24 hours. Today the Russian mobile hospital will receive additional lots of cargo, all the medicines and dressings necessary for its work for at least 2 more weeks. Where all transportation systems are destroyed, Russian helicopters deliver up to 20 tons of cargo at a time. Russian rescue teams are also due to eliminate the flood threat in the region. 

26 May 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27520&cid=59&p=26.05.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia Sponsored a Charity Event for Orphaned Children

Let All our Children be Happy! (Soviet-era poster)

An orphanage run by an Orthodox parish in a suburb of Moscow celebrated International Children’s Day, which comes next Sunday, with a charity event, sponsored by the Moscow Patriarchate and the Voice of Russia radio company. The orphanage of the parish of St Nikita the Martyr opened fifteen years ago and has since blessed dozens of hard-pressed children with what makes a family, loving and caring relatives. Although each orphan has a sad story to tell, and no one boasts a happy past, they have little to worry about at present, and can look forward to a happy future.

Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsa and Kolomna is one of those who attended today’s charity event. He feels that “the Church cannot afford to ignore the problems of the upbringing and spiritual education of its congregation. It is a sad thing to happen when parents care nothing about their offspring. There is not too much the Church can do about that, but, it tries, to the best of its abilities, to take care of the children. Here, this wonderful priest, Fr Amvrosy, entered the story with his orphanage in the village of Byvalino, where he takes care of children and educates them on behalf of the Church. The children live the way they would live in a family of Orthodox believers. On the one hand, they receive a taste of Church traditions and Church education; on the other, they feel part of a family”.

Diana Berlin, a deputy to the chief executive officer of Voice of Russia, expects this sort of event to be held on a regular basis. She said, “What children need first of all is a personal example, and confidence in their ability to brave all the hardships on the road to their goals. Kids have to feel part of a nation, part of a loving family. They have to feel that others are not indifferent to them”. In Ms Berlin’s view, “This is essential from the children’s and everyone’s point of view. Interest in their fate holds out to them a ray of hope and allows them to believe they do not stand alone in this enormous world which is so full of very different and occasionally unpleasant happenings and troubles”.

This interest should, of course, be heartfelt, and Ms Berlin hopes the Byvalino orphans have already sensed it comes straight from the heart because it is not the first Voice of Russia visit to their orphanage. Ms Berlin finds these children great, intelligent, and very nice. She dislikes the word “orphanage” because these children have found a real home. She hopes today’s gifts make them happy and are used to their best advantage. She thanks that a candy store and a chain of discount clothing outlets provided the kids with fantastic things, fashionable clothing and candy. “Happy smiles and the shining eyes of young children are the most beautiful things to see”.

The St Nikita Orthodox Orphanage gives its charges a good chance to grow up to be useful to society and prove intelligent and talented people. Loving care and attention are things that a young child needs more than anything else. Lada Korotun of the Voice of Russia hopes that happy smiles keep illuminating the orphans’ faces on special occasions, and on every day of the week.

28 May 2008

Lada Korotun

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27629&cid=59&p=28.05.2008 (in English)

“Russians and Ukrainians are One People Historically”

Sergei Solovyov (1820-79), honoured Russian historian and inspirer of Samuel Huntington’s (1927- ) A Clash of Civilizations (1993, 1996)

The intention of Yushchenko and the Ukrainian leadership to distance the country from Russia causes indignation in Russian politicians, the Moscow Patriarchate, and historians. In an interview with the Voice of Russia, independent historian and journalist Aleksandr Muzafarov said that Russians and Ukrainians were always one people. Mr Yushchenko’s continuous pronouncements that the Ukraine and Ukrainians were always independent, and, therefore, should regain their political and spiritual independence from Russia today, are nothing but an attempt to manipulate the sentiments of the Ukrainian population.

Mr Muzafarov is convinced that the concept of “Kievan Rus”, which is today played up by the Ukrainian political elite, never existed as an historical reality. “If we turn to historical sources, we can see that the name of Kievan Rus did not exist in ancient times. The state was called Rus, or the Russian land. What does the name Kievan Rus stem from? When Russian academic historians tried to divide all of Russian history into periods, the great historian Sergei Solovyov suggested its division into several stages according to what city was the capital at the time, such as Kievan Rus, Vladimir Rus, Moscow Rus, and St Petersburg Rus. From that time on, history used the term Kievan Rus. It was introduced by academicians who were historians of old times, and it never existed in reality. Up to the 19th century, there was no difference between Russians and Ukrainians and they called themselves Russians.

History saw several attempts to divide the Russians and the Ukrainians. In the 13th century, part of the present-day Ukraine was seized by Tartar-Mongols, in the 14th century, Kiev was captured by the Great Lithuanian Kingdom, and in the 19th century, [a small part of] the region was under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Invaders tried to sever time-tested historical links between Russia and the Ukraine and to impose on the Ukrainian population ideas of independence. Those ideas are skilfully used today by the Ukrainian authorities. The two nations were only divided [politically] in 1921, when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was formed”.

According to Mr Muzafarov, the two nations are being distanced on purpose, and this distancing takes place at various levels such as political, economic, social, and even religious. For example, recently the Ukrainian establishment has promoted the idea of creating a Ukrainian Autocephalous Church independent from the Moscow Patriarchate. Mr Muzafarov believes that it is just stupid. “Clearly, a split plays only into the hands of politicians who intend to divide and distance the Ukraine from Russia. They want to prevent any possibility that in future the two countries can again become one state and one people”.

A split can generate greater differences and increase a gap between the two nations. No effort should be spared to avoid this. Mr Muzafarov believes that the split weakens both Russians and Ukrainians and their common faith.

28 May 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27618&cid=59&p=28.05.2008 (in English)