Voices from Russia

Denis Matsuyev (1975- ), pianist, honoured artist of Russia, winner of the 1998 Chaikovsky Competition

The Arts Festival “Baltic Seasons” is one of our favourite times of the year. Most people in Kaliningrad, the westernmost city in Russia, would agree. For the fifth time, this regional arts festival, the largest in the country, is being held, and it shall run through October. Due to its historical connections, this Russian enclave on the Baltic coast centred on the city of Kaliningrad (formerly, the Prussian/German city of Königsberg) has more and durable cultural contacts with Western Europe than it does with metropolitan Russia. This festival, “Baltic Seasons”, helps to fill this cultural gap, presenting to audiences in Kaliningrad oblast the stars of Russian art and music. This year is noted by the presence of many young performers, typified by the pianist Denis Matsuyev. He is a true virtuoso, one of the most acclaimed musicians on the contemporary world stage, and he has gathered about himself a veritable host of the brightest stars of classical music.

Mr Matsuyev asserted, “There are many artists who bring lustre to Russian performing arts throughout the world, but, unfortunately, the Russian public doesn’t always have the chance to hear them. In a very real sense, we fill that niche here. When we started the “Baltic Seasons” festival, we were able to introduce the people here to not only the best musicians, but, also to the best actors. Besides showcasing the leading lights from the finest theatres of Moscow, St Petersburg, and other large Russian cities, by the second season of the festival we were also highlighting the stars of the future, the students from the theatrical institutes throughout Russia”.

This year, the fifth season of the “Baltic Seasons” opened with appearances by renowned musicians, the Virtuosos of Moscow Chamber Orchestra directed by Maestro Vladimir Spivakov and the folk-instrument quarter Terem from St Pertersburg.    

18 July 2008

Yekaterina Andrusenko

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=77477&cid=24&p=18.07.2008 (in Russian)

Griboyedov Festival in Smolensk oblast

Aleksandr Griboyedov (1795-1829), Russian diplomat and playwright

An all-Russian Griboyedov Festival will be held in the Khemelita museum-reserve in Smolensk oblast on Saturday. Among its participants shall be poets, writers, scholars, actors, and admirers of the Great Russian writer and diplomat, Aleksandr Griboyedov, the author of the comedy Woe from Wit. Khemelita is the estate of Griboyedovs. It was built by the grandfather of the playwright, Fyodor Griboyedov in the 18th century.

19 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29895&cid=51&p=19.07.2008 (in English)

“Baltic Seasons” Festival in Kaliningrad

Königsberger Dom

The Russian Academic Symphony Orchestra of St Petersburg, directed by Maestro Yuri Temirkanov, performed in the city of Kaliningrad on Saturday to mark the beginning of the 5th “Baltic Seasons” Festival. The company will give a few more concerts as a part of the festival. The audience will listen to music of Chaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Khachaturyan. The Baltic Seasons Festival in Kaliningrad, which traditionally brings together leading theatre and musical groups from all over Russia, will last until November.

20 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29901&cid=51&p=20.07.2008 (in English)

Renowned Russian film director turns 70

Aleksei German (1938- ), honoured film director

The renowned Russian film director Aleksei German is celebrating his 70th birthday. Each of his films was a major cultural and social event. In Soviet times, German’s films Chekpoint and My Friend Ivan Lapshin were banned as ideologically harmful. At present, he is working on the adaptation of the Strugatskis’ novel It’s Hard to Be a God. The son of a popular Soviet-era writer, German pursues themes explored by his father.

20 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29915&cid=51&p=20.07.2008 (in English)

Moscow Circus in Japan

This “look” translated from “Tiger”: “Hello, Food!”

The Moscow Circus presented a performance of 17 Amur tigers and tightrope-walking bears in Tokyo as a part of the Festival of Russian Culture, which was a joint project of the Russian and Japanese governments. It brought together prominent Russian actors and performers of different genres. 

21 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29926&cid=87&p=21.07.2008 (in Englsh)

Chinese and Russian filmmakers to cooperate on film

Town scene in Yunnan

The local officials of the Chinese city of Xishuangbanna in south-western Yunnan province want to remake the film A Path Through the Jungle, produced by Chinese and Soviet film makers in 1959. Currently, they are negotiating the terms of a contract with Russia. The new film will narrate the history of the Chinese region, located on the Laos-Burma border. 

21 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29926&cid=87&p=21.07.2008 (in English)

Ronnie Wood leaves Russian fiancée to return to wife

Ronnie Wood (1947- ), rock guitarist, member of the Rolling Stones

Ronnie Wood, 61, guitarist of the legendary Rolling Stones rock band, hopes to reconcile with his spouse after a love affair with 19-year-old Russian Katia Ivanova. Currently, Wood is again seeking help for his battle with alcoholism in a rehabilitation centre. 

21 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29926&cid=87&p=21.07.2008 (in English)

Moscow to host Eurovision-2009

Moscow won the right to host the next Eurovision Song Contest in 2009. According to Prime Minister Putin, this was possible after the city radically improved its infrastructure and Russian singer Dima Bilan won the top prize at Eurovision-2008 in Belgrade. An expected 25,000 spectators will watch performers from 43 nations compete in the main arena of the Olympic Stadium in the Russian capital. The international television audience may amount to 100 million. The figures are from Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Zhukov. 

21 July 2008                                                             

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29958&cid=51&p=21.07.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Russian Golden Ring town opens Cucumber Festival

The eighth international Cucumber Festival opened on Saturday in Suzdal, one of the historical Golden Ring towns to the northeast of Moscow. Guests at the festival will be offered a variety of cucumber dishes, and even cucumber jam. The event includes competitions for the best cucumber meal and the best cucumber-style costume. A Scandinavian folk group from Finland will perform on behalf of a similar vegetable-themed event, the Kerava Garlic Festival traditionally held in August. The Finish town near Helsinki has been hosting garlic parties for 20 years. Swedish and Danish visitors, as well as folk groups from throughout Russia are also taking part in the Suzdal festival. The author of Suzdal’s first chronicle described the town, founded 984 years ago, as the most favourable place for planting cucumbers, which were first brought to Russia from India in the 13th century.

19 July 2008

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080719/114420453.html (in English)

Moscow to host next year’s Eurovision song contest

Luzhniki Olympic Stadium, the venue for the next Eurovision Song Competition in 2009

Moscow has been chosen ahead of other Russian cities bidding to host the 2009 Eurovision song context, Prime Minister Putin said on Monday. Mr Putin made the announcement at a meeting of the Russian inner Cabinet. Several Russian cities applied to host the event after Dima Bilan won this year’s contest in Belgrade. Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Zhukov said the strongest rival bid came from St Petersburg. Mr Zhukov, charged with overseeing preparations for the event, said Moscow’s Olimpisky sports complex would be the likely venue. Contestants representing 43 countries will take part in the contest. Its final is scheduled for Saturday, 16 May next year. Dima Bilan won the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest on 24 May, beating 24 contestants to claim his country’s first win in the event with his heartfelt ballad I Believe. Bilan received 272 points from telephone voters for his stage show that also featured Hungarian violinist Edvin Marton and famous Russian Olympic figure skating champion Yevgeny Plyushchenko.

21 July 2008

Monument to spaghetti to go up in Russia

A monument to spaghetti is to be unveiled in a village near Borovsk, a city south-west of Moscow, the project organiser said on Monday. The three-meter (9.8 feet) metallic sculpture portrays two pieces of pasta, one shaped like a smile, the other coloured red. A man and a woman sit on the edge of the “smile” eating pasta. The monument, designed by Ukrainian sculptors, will be unveiled on Saturday. Yevgeny Yegorov, the organiser of the project and also a keen spaghetti eater, said the Italian dish symbolises worldwide unity. The ceremony dedicated to the opening of the monument coincides with the start of a local food festival, “The world of spaghetti”. During the festival, a total of 15,000 visitors will be able to try different kinds of spaghetti.

21 July 2008

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080721/114528168.html (in English)

RIA-Novosti

Boris Gryzlov (1950- ), Speaker of the RF Gosduma

Yekaterinburg in the Urals plays host yet again to the now-traditional “Tsarist Days” Festival of Orthodox Culture from 13 to 18 July. This event is in memory of the tragic end in 1918 of Tsar Nikolai II and the members of the imperial family. “It shall require decades for Russian society to totally realise the scope of this tragedy, one that seems to have occurred in another epoch, the shooting of the entire imperial family”, said Boris Gryzlov, the speaker of the RF Gosduma. “We must learn the lessons of our past so that they may be a solid foundation for unity, not division”, Mr Gryzlov said to the participants at the World Russian People’s Congress session in Yekaterinburg. Over 2,000 clergy, scientists, public figures, and artists of all kinds came from Austria, America, Germany, Russia, Serbia, and other countries. Amongst them were members of the Romanov house, including Princess Olga Kulikovskaya-Romanova.

The main events of the Congress were the première of the film Nikolai II: The Trampled Triumph (Nikolai II: Sorvanny Triumpf), greetings from Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia, and a concert of sacred music in the Memorial Church of the Saviour on-the-Spilled-Blood. The church was built on the very spot where the Ipatiev House stood, the place where the imperial family was killed some 90 years ago on the night of 16/17 July 1918.

Icon of the Mother of God “of Feodorovskaya”

14 pictures, dedicated to the historical events of 90 years ago, shall be shown as part of the international exhibition of documentary films, Lastochki Rossii (The Swallows of Russia). The audience was particularly moved by the film Put na Golgofu (The Way to Golgotha) directed by the brothers Anatoly and Viktor Golovkov from the Siberian city of Tobolsk. This was based on the imprisonment of the imperial family in Tobolsk and Yekaterinburg, as reflected in the last diaries of the tsar. In the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, there was a show of the works of the Moscow iconographer and painter Filipp Moskvitin entitled Diven Bog vo Svyatykh Svoikh (How Wondrous is God in His Saints). A central place in this presentation is taken by the monumental painting Svyatye Tsartvennye Mucheniki (The Holy Royal Martyrs). In it, the imperial family is depicted holding crosses, and the figures are 2 to 2.5 metres (@ 6.6 to 8.2 feet) in height. Pilgrims from around the world, and this year, there were over 10,000 even at this early point, flocked to the museum for the exhibit and to visit a gallery with the ancestral icon of the Romanovs, the icon of the Mother of God “of Feodorovskaya”. This exhibit shall run for the entire period of the “Tsarist Days”.

Exhibits from seven countries were on display at the 4^th International Orthodox Exhibition-Fair From the Repentance to the Resurrection of Russia. For the first time, it was not only possible to buy church goods created at different monasteries, parishes, and podvorie, but, it was also possible to converse with theologians and to listen to spiritual music. Orthodox choral music also resounded at the all-Russian Choral Festival Resounding Angels from the Heavens, where male choruses and boys’ choirs from all over Russia participated.  

Bell-ringing shall peal out during the period of the “Tsarist Days” Festival. The best bell-ringers of Russia gathered for a festival of bell-ringing, Church Bells of the Ural Land. Traditional and special methods of bell-ringing were demonstrated and master-classes in the art of ringing the bells were given. They also performed the 1812 Overture of Pyotr Chaikovsky, a piece in which the composer used the old tsarist anthem, Bozhe, Tsarya Khrani (God, Protect the Tsar).    

15 July 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=77177&cid=24&p=15.07.2008 (in Russian)

Christoph Eschenbach (1940- ), renowned German musician and conductor

“Russian Sounds” is the subtitle of one of the largest European musical festivals this summer; it shall run in the cities of the northern German Länd of Schleswig-Holstein until 21 August. Russian names predominate amongst both the composers and musicians on the posters. Neighbourly relations between Russia and Schleswig-Holstein go back to 1725, when Anna Petrovna, the daughter of Tsar Peter the Great, married Grand Duke Karl-Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp.

The duke presented to is future father-in-law the so-called Gottorp Miracle Globe, an enormous sphere some three metres (@10 feet) in diameter. As he was just as intrigued by science as was the tsar, the duke made a copy of the globe for his court. The prime minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Peter Karstensen, related this shared history and added, “Since then, this masterpiece of the Schleswig craftsmen of that past time symbolises the connection of our peoples, which did not fight one another over influence in Europe, but, shared a common interest in science and culture”.

For some seven weeks, Russian music shall sound in the 50 cities and towns on the itinerary of the festival. The works of Modest Mussorgsky and Igor Stravinsky shall be performed by Cristoph Eschenbach, who started this particular musical festival 23 years ago, and he has been a permanent fixture of the event ever since. The majority of the orchestral programmes shall be played by the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, which recently appeared in St Petersburg at the Stars of the White Nights Festival organised by the famous conductor Valery Gergiev.

Now, Maestro Gergiev is making a reciprocal visit to Schleswig-Holstein, bringing with him the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre. The best operatic soloists and musicians of Russia, the conquerors of stages throughout the world and justly loved by global audiences, shall be prominent figures on the stages of the festival. Amongst them are the pianists Eliso Virsaladze and Denis Matsuev, violoncellists Natalia Gutman and Boris Andrianov, guitarist Dmitri Illarionov, and others as well. Besides academic ensembles and soloists, other Russian musical groups to appear shall be folk-music choirs, church choirs, and folk-instrument orchestras, including the popular folk quartet Terem.     

15 July 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=77176&cid=24&p=15.07.2008 (in Russian)

Lyubov Kazarnovskaya, famous Russian operatic soprano

The British magazine Gramophone bestowed its prestigious Critic’s Award on the well-known Russian opera-singer Lyubov Kazarnovskaya for her CD anthology of romansy (“romances”, sentimental Russian love songs of the 19^th and early-20^th century: editor’s note) by Pyotr Chaikovsky. For the first time in the history of recording, all 103 romansy of Chaikovsky are performed by a single performer in a single multiple-CD album, regardless of the voice for which they were originally written, from bass to soprano! International experts gave a thumbs-up to this project of Ms Kazarnovskaya, one that she considers a highlight of her career. She considers Chaikovsky one of her favourite composers, and after completing work on the romansy project, she is going to record his opera, Pikovaya Dama (Queen of Spades).

Ms Kazarnovskaya is convinced that “there is no limit to the possibilities that we can take as singers, as creative personalities”. She stated this at a recent meeting with young musicians in Moscow. This was a unique master-class, during which she not only gave her audience advice on vocalisation and vocal technique, but, she also attempted to give the entire spectrum of the singer’s art, repeatedly stating that an operatic singer is, first of all, an artist, not merely “a package for a voice”.

“Contemporary operatic performance requires much work. We cannot merely rely on the scenery and set poses, and then just sing. When I prepared for the role of Salome in Richard Strauss’ opera at the Teatro Santa Cecilia in Rome, I worked much on my dramatic presentation, giving particular attention to the choreography, because, in one of the episodes, Salome performs a twelve-minute dance”.

Lyubov Kazarnovskaya is the first, and, thus far, only, Russian singer to portray this most complex role on the world operatic stage. She works with the leading operatic talents of our time, conductors, directors, and singers. She participates in many musical festivals and has initiated many unusual creative projects. This summer, her schedule is crammed with concerts in Italy and Germany, where she shall perform an original programme comprised of the repertoire of the famous French singer of the 19^th century, Pauline García-Viardot, who had a romantic liaison with the famous Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev.  

15 July 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=77175&cid=24&p=15.07.2008 (in Russian)

Maya Plisetskaya (1925- ), perhaps, the greatest ballerina of the 20^th century

Russian opera and ballet stars will support Russian sportsmen at the Olympic Games in Beijing next month. A unique show will be organised in the official residence of the Russian Olympic Committee. The world-famous ballet-dancer Maya Plisetskaya, the prima-ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre Mariya Alexandrova, and the famous opera soprano Lyubov Kazarnovskaya have prepared programmes. The demonstration also includes matches featuring such boxers as Kostyu Tszyu and the Klichko brothers are also on the programme.

18 July 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=77409&cid=13&p=18.07.2008 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

Vladimir (1971- ) and Vitaly Klichko (1976- ), Russian boxing champions

Now, there is something that you do NOT see in America. “Jocks” and “nerds” co-existing in peace. Perhaps, one reason is that, in Russia, they go to separate schools, so, there are no bitter disputes in the high-school years. We could learn from that, could we not? America is a young and immature society, in comparison with other world cultures. We shall be mature when art and athletics are honoured equally… such is not yet the case. 

Irkutsk State Musical Theatre begins tour in Minsk

The Old Town of Irkutsk

The Irkutsk State Musical Theatre began its tour in Minsk, Belarus. On the first day, the troupe will perform a gala-concert “We are from the Baikal shores”. A performance “We part to meet again” will close the programme. Government sources in Irkutsk confirmed information about reciprocal performances by the Belarusian State Musical Theatre in Irkutsk next year. 

16 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29746&cid=87&p=16.07.2008 (in English)

Big Book Prize short-list announced

The Organisation Committee of the Russian National “Big Book” Prize has published the texts by all authors of the 2008 short list on its website so that readers could familiarise themselves with all the runners-up. The laureates will be announced in November. 

16 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29746&cid=87&p=16.07.2008 (in English)

New translation of Solzhenitsyn’s The First Circle to appear in 2009

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918- ), honoured author, Nobel Prize laureate, and Russian patriot

The New-York based Harper Perennial publishing house will release in 2009 a full version of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s The First Circle in English. The translation was made by Harry Willetts, who already translated Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago. 

16 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29746&cid=87&p=16.07.2008 (in English)

Bolshoi Ballet opens Dutch tour

The Amsterdam tour by the Bolshoi ballet opened with Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake on Wednesday. Dutch audiences had been looking forward to welcoming the famous Bolshoi Ballet, whose last visit was 22 years ago. Besides Swan Lake, the Bolshoi ballet is performing Spartak by Aram Khachaturian and The Limpid Stream by Dmitri Shostakovich. All in all, there shall be 13 shows and the tour will end on 27 July.

17 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29794&cid=51&p=17.07.2008 (in English)

World Children’s Theatre Festival in Moscow

The 10th World Festival of Children’s Theatres kicks off in Moscow today. The programme will include bright firework performances and clownery. The “Mister Pageot’s Travelling Puppies” street performance is expected to draw much attention. In all, 54 theatres from 20 countries will perform in Moscow. The audience will also have a chance to enjoy stage productions with teenage actors.

17 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29805&cid=51&p=17.07.2008 (in English)

Yevgeny Yevtushenko turns 75

Yevgeny Yevtushenko (1933- ), Honoured Artist of Russia

One of the best known Russian poets, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, turned 75. A leading member of the post-Stalin generation, he remains a leading author in Russia. Yevtushenko will long be known as a critically-minded political poet. The best members of Russian society have always heeded his voice. He has written 19 epic poems, two novels, and thousands of short poems. He still loves reciting his poetry before all kinds of audiences because, he said, that enables him to feel a part of the life surrounding him. President Dmitri Medvedev said, in his letter of birthday greetings, that Yevtushenko challenges indifference and the humdrum of routine life.

18 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29868&cid=51&p=18.07.2008 (in English)

Russian musicians to play at the BBC Proms

Valery Gergiev (1953- ), Russian conductor and musician

Russian musicians and conductors are to play at the world’s biggest festival of classical music, the London-based BBC Proms, which kicks off today to continue until 13 September. The BBC festival highlights two contributions from the London Symphony Orchestra. Valery Gergiev will lead it in Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty on the 20 August, and listeners will be treated to a concert suite from Rimsky-Korsakov’s rarely-staged Kashchey The Immortal on 3 September. 

18 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29860&cid=87&p=18.07.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Archaeologists find 600-year-old chess-piece in northwest Russia

Archaeologists in northwest Russia discovered a chess-piece dating back to the late-14th century, a spokesman for local archaeologists said on Friday. “The king, around several centimetres tall, is made of solid wood, possibly of juniper”, the spokesman said. The excavations are being carried out at the site of the Palace of Facets, in the Novgorod Kremlin in Veliky Novgorod. The palace is believed to be the oldest in Russia.

According to the city chronicles, chess as a competitive game emerged in Veliky Novgorod, the foremost historic city in northwest Russia, in the 13th century, but, was banned in 1286 by the church. However, besides the king, archaeologists in the region have found a total of 82 chess-pieces dating back to at least the 14th century, showing that the game remained popular among the local population despite the church ban. In late May, archaeologists in the ancient city uncovered a number of medieval baby bottles. Medieval Slavs made feeding bottles by attaching leather bags to the wider part of a cow’s horn. The babies drank milk from holes made in the tip of the horns.

The first historical mention of Veliky Novgorod was in 859 AD. City chronicles say that by 862 AD it was already a stop on the trading route between the Baltics and Byzantium. The city will celebrate its 1150th anniversary in 2009.

18 July 2008

http://en.rian.ru/culture/20080718/114352042.html (in English)

RIA-Novosti

Patriarch Aleksei Rediger of Moscow and all Russia (1929- ) (left) with Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev (1966- )

It has been 90 years since the massacre of the last tsar, Nikolai II, and his family. This horrific occurrence shall be marked in Moscow by a commemorative concert at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour tonight, 16 July. The event was blessed by Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia. The literary and musical presentation includes excerpts from works of Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria, the representative of the MP at the European international institutions. His new composition, Remembrance will receive its première at the Cathedral.

Bishop Hilarion said, “Orthodox believers in Russia pay tribute to all who suffered without cause when we venerate the memory of the imperial martyrs, who showed a true example of Christian humility and steadfastness through their suffering in the last months of their lives right up to the point of their deaths. In addition, the imperial family was a model family. The commitment of the royal couple, their love for their children, and the way they brought them up is an inspiring example. To tell the story of the royal martyrs, I used quotations from the diaries of the tsar and tsaritsa. I wanted to convey the atmosphere of love and accord that prevailed in the royal family”. 

The music of Bishop Hilarion shall be accompanied by clips from newsreels, photos, and other archival documents concerning the imperial family and many of the other Russians who died tragically after the 1917 revolution. In the run up to the première, Aleksei Puzakov, the choirmaster of the Tretyakov Gallery choir, said that all the participants in the project were very impressed by the composition. He hopes that their inner feeling will be conveyed to the audience. The concert has no political undercurrent, he added, for what the musicians want is for this tragic event to find a response in every Christian heart and Christian conscience.

16 July 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29745&cid=59&p=16.07.2008 (in English)

Paintings of Nelson on glass sold in Britain

A Portrait of Vice Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson (1758-1805) (Lemuel Francis Abbott, no date)

A collection of pictures painted on glass dating back to the 18th century telling the life of the legendary British naval commander Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson was sold at auction in Britain for nearly 20,000 pounds (925,091 roubles. 24,974 euros. 39,762 USD) on Wednesday. 

10 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29502&cid=87&p=10.07.2008 (in English)

Harlem Blues and Jazz Band Visits St Petersburg

The Harlem Blues and Jazz Band get the red carpet treatment in Vladivostok! Russians love culture in ALL its forms.

The Harlem Blues and Jazz Band made its second visit to St Petersburg in the past two years. Like its first visit, they played at the Dmitri Shostakovich Philharmonic Hall. Born three and a half decades ago, the band follows classical traditions from the 1920s and 30s, which is seen as a key period in the history of jazz. 

10 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29502&cid=87&p=10.07.2008 (in English)

Children’s Theatre Festival in Moscow

The International Association of Amateur Theatres for Children and Young People of UNESCO will open its tenth festival next Thursday in Moscow. It will run for a full week. Festivals of children’s theatres are noteworthy stage events with international significance. They have been held in Denmark, Turkey, Japan, Germany, and Cuba. 

11 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29555&cid=87&p=11.07.2008 (in English)

Day of the Beatles celebrated in Liverpool

The city of Liverpool, which has been named the cultural capital of Europe for 2008, celebrated its first Day of the Beatles. It seems head over heels in love with the famous foursome. Stage and film actors, choreographers, and musicians have been reconstructing the landmark events on the Beatles’ road to glory. One of the biggest musical shows was staged on the rooftop of the Apple building at 3 Savile Row, where the Beatles gave their final live performance in January 1969. 

11 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29555&cid=87&p=11.07.2008 (in English)

Editor’s Note:

The Beatles are very popular in Russia, and they are viewed as much more of a cultural phenomenon than they are in the West. Indeed, Hegumen Sergei Rybko, one of the most popular preachers in Russia today, credits the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin with starting him on the road to God. Russian Orthodox are less condemnatory of rock music than are some in America (especially converts from Anglicanism and Protestantism).

Sand sculpture contest in Moscow’s Botanical Gardens

Sand sculpture of St Basil Cathedral at a competition in Vienna

Competitors from 11 nations are competing in a sand sculpture contest being held in Moscow’s Botanical Gardens. Some 30 realistic-looking beasts are already on the site, including an elephant, a rhinoceros, and an anaconda. Chemical glue should enable them to survive for two months.

11 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29586&cid=48&p=11.07.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Karlovy Vary opens its umpteenth film festival

Aerial view of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. Once known as a famous spa resort in the 19^th century, it was known as Karlsbad under the Hapsburgs.

The Czech city of Karlovy Vary opened its umpteenth film festival. Film shows began, in defiance of an old tradition, earlier than the formal opening ceremony. The billboard of this year’s festival features more than 200 pictures shot in 2007 and 2008. Fourteen feature films are competing for the festival’s Crystal Globe. Russia is represented by Aleksei Uchitel’s picture The Prisoner, The Flintstone by Aleksei Mizghiryov, The Ravine by Maria Razbezhkina, and The Tulip by Sergei Dvortsevoi. Nikita Mikhalkov has put up his 12 for the festival’s non-competitive show.

4 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29262&cid=51&p=04.07.2008 (in English)

“The Voices of Orthodox Russia” at St Sava Cathedral in Belgrade

St Sava Cathedral in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia

The choruses of the Moscow Spiritual Academy, the Gnessin Musical College, and the International Fund of the Unity of Orthodox Peoples performed a great sell-out concert “The Voices of Orthodox Russia” at St Sava Cathedral in Belgrade, Serbia, on Saturday. The repertoire consisted of spiritual musical pieces, Russia folk songs, romance songs, and some vocal pieces by foreign classical composers. The Russian choruses arrived in Serbia at the invitation of the Serbian Culture Ministry and the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate. The musicians are also expected to perform in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

6 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29293&cid=51&p=06.07.2008 (in English)

Teachers and children make music on the Volga

Mari Ethnographic Museum in Kosmodemyansk, Mari El Republic, Russian Federation

The 2d inter-regional meeting of children Finno-Ugric musical groups took place in the village of Morki, the Mari El republic (Russia’s Volga region). Children and their teachers arrived there from the Komi republic, from Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Nizhniy Novgorod, and many other places. They all received a cordial welcome there.

Anna Morozova, the director of the children folklore ensemble of the Komi republic, said, “We are from the Sysetsky region of the Komi republic. It is the very south of the region. Children aged 6 to 16 find it very exciting to be members of the ensemble. As a professional, I am looking forward to see that our children respect and know the traditions of the Mari people. Here, all people, young and old, can speak their native language. In our republic, we, unfortunately, are forgetting our traditions. Children should see and understand how important it is to preserve traditions and pass them on to future generations”. 

As they are taught to love nature and history, to be open-hearted and hard-working, children will certainly be able to preserve traditions and culture of the Finno-Ugric peoples. 

7 July 2008

Natalia Abrosimova 

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29308&cid=51&p=07.07.2008 (in English)

History buffs reconstruct sailing ships in North Russia

A youth maritime festival called “People of the Wind” was held in Petrozavodsk. Several boats built according to traditional methods were built by international youth teams since the international youth project to revive wooden ship-building was launched in Karelia three years ago. Svetlana Nachinova is the head of the youth department at Petrozavodsk City Hall. “The idea of such a festival was born three years ago, when young people put together small boats. About two hundred young shipbuilders from Karelia and other Russian regions, including Murmansk, Archangel, Yaroslavl, Kaliningrad, and Vologda, participated in the event and they lived in tents”. Part of the varied programme was a parade of vessels, team competitions, boat expeditions to one of the islands of Lake Onega, and ship model contests. The Youth Maritime Festival drew to a close with a gala ball at Petrozavodsk City Hall.

7 July 2008

Viktor Kramskikh 

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29312&cid=51&p=07.07.2008 (in English)

Film director Ryazanov wins Golden Pegasus award

Eldar Ryazanov (1927- ), honoured Russian film director

The prominent Russian film director Eldar Ryazanov received the prestigious international Golden Pegasus award for life-time achievement as a film-director. The awards ceremony took place at the Gabriele D’Annunzio theatre in the Italian city of Pescara on the Adriatic Sea coast, where the 35th Flaiano film festival drew to a close on Sunday. Andersen. Life without Love, one of Ryazanov’s latest films, was screened in the framework of the festival programme. 

7 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29323&cid=51&p=07.07.2008 (in English)

St Petersburg wants to host Eurovision 2009 Music Competition

The St Petersburg government officially applied to play the host to the Eurovision 2009 music competition. This came in a statement by City Governor Valentina Matviyenko. According to Ms Matviyenko, the competition will give a powerful boost to the city. She says the application is already under consideration and that thus far St Petersburg certainly looks better than its competitors. 

8 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29384&cid=87&p=08.07.2008 (in English)

5^th Sayany Ring world ethnic music festival held

I Remember (Albina Tsybikova, 1990). Ms Tsybikova [1951-98] was an Honoured Artist of Russia and Honoured Artist of Buryatia

The fifth Sayany Ring festival of world ethnic music got under way in the picturesque village of Shushenskoye, in the south of Krasnoyarsk oblast. It’s the first time in the festival’s history that several foreign music groups, specifically from Australia, Germany, China, and Poland, are going to take part. In all, the Sayany Ring-2008 festival is due to bring together some 100 folk-song and dance groups boasting outstanding singers and musicians. 

9 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29446&cid=87&p=09.07.2008 (in English)

UNESCO adds new sites to its World Heritage List

The Historic Centre of St Petersburg, UNESCO World Heritage Site 540

This year, UNESCO’s World Heritage List incorporated 27 fresh cultural monuments. UNESCO’s special committee in charge of selecting monuments worthy to be called the patrimony of the entire world, made public its decision during a meeting in Québec City, Canada. Now, UNESCO’s list of cultural heritage sites comprises 878 monuments in 145 countries. 

9 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29446&cid=87&p=09.07.2008 (in English)

Baby mammoth Lyuba will be a hero of a science film

The 37,000-year-old baby mammoth discovered on the Yamal Peninsula in Western Siberia will become a hero of a fiction film. In April and May, a French group of film producers worked in the site where the mammoth was discovered. The site will be studied by an international group of experts headed by Russian scientist Pavel Kosintsev from the Ural Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology in August. Currently Lyuba the baby mammoth is in St Petersburg. The discovery still has many secrets. The scientists have attempted to understand how an animal that died 37,000 years ago was been. The mammoth’s trunk, eyes, and body-hair are well-preserved. The baby mammoth is estimated to have been about a year-old when it died. Its size is 90 cm (35 inches) by 130 cm (51 inches). 

9 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29475&cid=51&p=09.07.2008 (in English)

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