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Month: August 2011

Sailing on the Moskva River

Sailing on the Moskva River towards the World Trade Centre

Moscow Summer 65, originally uploaded by loscuadernosdejulia.

The navigation on the Moskva River opens around April and continues through the entire summer until October. On this photo our Radisson Cruise yacht was approaching the last stop by the Ukraine Radisson Hotel. River cruising is one of the favourite summer pastimes for Muscovites and city guests alike. Yachts and boats can be hired for functions and business meetings, and is one of the best ways to savour Moscow’s diverse architecture and places. The route of Radisson Cruise yacht goes past the Moscow State University, the Science Academy, a couple of ancient monasteries and the Kremlin, towards an impressive multistorey building in Kotelnicheskaya Embankment, one of 7 in Moscow.

My Saturday Music: Shalom Aleichem – Fiddler on the Roof

Shalom Aleichem
Not far from the synagogue in Bolshaya Bronnaya St. stands a small monument to the great Shalom Aleichem. Immediately as we saw his figure we began to exchange recollections of Fiddler on the Roof, a Tony-winning musical by Norman Jewison after Aleichem’s Tevye the Milkman. My friend watched the musical in one go on a DVD only recently. I watched it on TV back in 1990s and haven’t really tried to watch it again, mostly because the impression was indelible. So, below is an extract from the movie, called ‘Tradition’. Enjoy!

Moscow Churches: The Bolshaya Bronnaya Synagogue

A Synagogue and Jewish Cultural Centre
When I decided to write about Moscow churches, the last thing I wanted was to focus the entire feature on Orthodox churches. After all, there are Old Orthodox churches in Moscow, and that’s somewhat different from the “mainstream” Orthodox tradition. Likewise, there are Catholic and Protestant churches, mosques, synagogues and the churches of other denominations, so it would be unfair on my part to only write about “Russian” churches.
The other day I had a walk in the city centre, and while strolling down Bolshaya Bronnaya St I and my friend-guide came across the building of the oldest synagogue in Moscow. I’ve never been to a synagogue before, so I couldn’t resist walking in.
The current building incorporates the older establishment, which explains why the frontal view looks so contemporary. Because the same building houses a Jewish cultural centre, you have to have your bag scanned. The “chapel” itself is very small, and we were surprised that the air conditioner was working too loudly. This didn’t stop an old Jew from sitting in the chapel, reading his Tora. Tora editions stand everywhere on the shelves, pretty much like the Bibles in Protestant cathedrals. What would be an altar wall in a Christian church and would either be decorated with stained glass or iconostasis appears as a replica of the Wall of Tears in Jerusalem. The inside of the chapel’s dome is decorated with a gigantic David’s Star.
As we went in at the time when there was no service, nobody stopped us, noticed us, paid attention to us. However, the sensation of immersing oneself into a mysterious experience which traces go back to A.D. times is palpable. Later we were studying the book titles in the bookcase in the hall, and one book had this rather lengthy name: “You may put a Jew into a prison and surround him with bricks, but he will never be broken, for his God is always with him“.
A Russian Doll: a Jew

“The Jewish question” has been a cornerstone subject of discussion in Russia for years, if not centuries. I’m writing this post on 19 August, exactly 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. God knows, both the origin and the death of this historic state were credited to the Jews. And even now, when Russia is painstakingly building its democracy, a lot of failures are explained by the “Jewish factor”.

Being Russian, I cannot help but marvel at people’s shortsightedness in such matters. Indeed, the longer we find the Jewish people repulsive and conspiring, the longer we will not be able to get out of our conundrum. Personally, I agree with Maxim Gorky who argued that Russians have a lot to learn from the Jews, including smart work, dedication, and being money-savvy.
In fact, I don’t think it’s just the Russians who can learn this from the Jews. And it’s not only the Jews who display these wonderful skills. Last year I had the pleasure to learn the same things from the Indian and Pakistani guys. Some of these “Eastern” guys, including Jews, seem to have innate “money” and “sales” skills.
By the way, I have learnt recently that someone was looking for a matryoshka painted as a Jew. There were two at the synagogue’s shop, but only one picture came out well.

The Legendary Lenfilm Movie Studio May Give Way To Offices

The crisis that has befallen Russian cinema since the late 1980s is about to get deeper. Certain secret documents have surfaced that indicate that Lenfilm, Russia’s oldest and world-famous film studio, is now fully in private hands. The hands belong to the businessman Vladimir Yevtushenkov who reportedly plans to move the studio grounds to the suburbs and build offices and elite apartments in their place instead.

Although the first Russian movies appeared well before Lenfilm had appeared, they were produced privately and catered primarily to the bourgeois interests. The appearance of Lenfilm was elevating Russian cinema to a totally new level. According to Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Soviet State in its first years, cinema was the most accessible art medium and, as such, it was the medium for the new era – that of Revolution and Communism. The mass popularity of movies only added to Cinema’s now leading position among other forms of art.

Lenfilm Studio was founded in Petrograd in 1918. Among the films known to the Western public that were shot at Lenfilm are Hamlet (1964) and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson (1979). Other classical Russian and Soviet films include numerous adaptations of Lope de Vega, Shakespeare, and Imre Kalman’s operettas.

In 2008 it was agreed to create a consortium of Russian film studios, which was to include Mosfilm, Lenfilm and Gorky Youth Film Studio. However, it was known that Lenfilm’s owners did not fancy the idea of amalgamating with other studios.

It remains to be seen what fate awaits the legendary movie grounds. Two of the leading Petersburg directors, with world-famous names, Alexander Sokurov and Alexei German the Elder have already addressed the Prime-Minister Vladimir Putin to help protect Lenfilm.

 

A Pond Too Small? Will Do For the Emperor – Moscow Authorities on Tsereteli’s Peter the Great

Moscow Summer 26
Zurab Tsereteli, Peter the Great

The Moscow powers assured the citizens and visitors that one of the landmark monuments will remain in its place. The monument commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy was designed by the famous painter and sculptor, Zurab Tsereteli, and was unveiled in 1997.

It it very uncertain if the citizens are happy to hear that: since it was open to the public, the monument has attracted a lot of criticism. It is 94m tall, being the tallest monument in Russia and one of world’s eight tallest monuments. Peter the Great, Russia’s first emperor-cum-reformer, is shown standing at the nose of a vessel, holding a parchment with the Act establishing the Navy. The vessel is elevated on a high pedestal consisting of smaller boats.

The main point of criticism has been that the monument is enormous for the spot where it stands. Indeed, whether you pass it on foot along the embankment or sail past it on the Moskva River, the feeling of being dominated by this massive construction is palpable. As the monument rises well above every other building in its vicinity, the entire spot does look odd.

Manchester Graffiti in Northern Quarter

These pictures of Manchester graffiti were taken in March 2009, on my way back from a one-day trip to Southport. Northern Quarter has long been a favourite among Mancunians for its inimitable combination of boho chic, indie music and fashion, where bohemians from the art and techie scene were mixing with working class folks who gathered closer to the Big Issue North building.
Stevenson Square where these graffiti were adorning facades and subways is a very cinematic place, in my opinion. I could easily shoot a film there, a kind of psychedelic/Surrealist story. My camera would delve deep into lanes and look inquisitively towards Ancoats, while standing at the top of Newton St.
I am sure you can tell where I’d love to have a walk right now…

Samuil Marshak – In the Van (My Children’s Book and Notes on Translation)

The scans in this post are of the book that was published by Progress Publishing House in 1982. That’s how long – as long as I live – I’ve been learning the English language.
In hindsight, this was also my first acquaintance with the art of translation because in the book is the poem by the famous Russian poet and translator, Samuil Marshak. I have previously shared with you his superb rendering of Love and Poverty by Robert Burns. Now, this is another way round: Marshak’s poem, In the Van, translated into English by Margaret Wettlin.
Before you jump to read the original Russian text and to look at the book which leaves I had been turning with my tiny fingers at the age of 2, a few observations on translation, or rather, on what was added and what was lost. In the poem, Marshak didn’t name a street; the street name appears in the translation. And later in the poem, we are told that the lady went to Zhitomir, which is a city in the north-west of Ukraine. However, translation tells us that the city was “in southern Ukraine”. And while the street name hardly matters, the part of Ukraine does. The poem was written in 1926 and evidently tells the story of an affluent woman fleeing Soviet Russia. Marshak most likely was reflecting on an incident that took place in the not too distant past. While the so-called White Emigration was leaving for Sourthen Europe and America via the Crimea (which is, indeed, in the south of Ukraine), a large part was also fleeing to Northern Europe, via northern parts of Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic countries. Thus the fate of the lady may differ, depending on which way she exited the Ukraine.
To use the final two lines of the poem as the pun, in the course of her journey from the Russian language to English, the lady in the van could have changed her opinion, and go to the Crimea instead of Zhitomir.
Самуил Маршак – Багаж (1926)

Дама сдавала в багаж:
Диван,
Чемодан,
Саквояж,
Картину,
Корзину,
Картонку
И маленькую собачонку.

Выдали даме на станции
Четыре зелёных квитанции
О том, что получен багаж:
Диван,
Чемодан,
Саквояж,
Картина,
Корзина,
Картонка
И маленькая собачонка.

Вещи везут на перрон.
Кидают в открытый вагон.
Готово. Уложен багаж:
Диван,
Чемодан,
Саквояж,
Картина,
Корзина,
Картонка
И маленькая собачонка.

Но только раздался звонок,
Удрал из вагона щенок.

Хватились на станции Дно:
Потеряно место одно.
В испуге считают багаж:
Диван,
Чемодан,
Саквояж,
Картина,
Корзина,
Картонка…
– Товарищи!
Где собачонка?

Вдруг видят: стоит у колёс
Огромный взъерошенный пёс.
Поймали его – и в багаж,
Туда, где лежал саквояж,
Картина,
Корзина,
Картонка,
Где прежде была собачонка.

Приехали в город Житомир.
Носильщик пятнадцатый номер
Везёт на тележке багаж:
Диван,
Чемодан,
Саквояж,
Картину,
Корзину,
Картонку,
А сзади ведут собачонку.

Собака-то как зарычит.
А барыня как закричит:
– Разбойники! Воры! Уроды!
Собака – не той породы!

Швырнула она чемодан,
Ногой отпихнула диван,
Картину,
Корзину,
Картонку…
– Отдайте мою собачонку!

– Позвольте, мамаша. На станции,
Согласно багажной квитанции,
От вас получили багаж:
Диван,
Чемодан,
Саквояж,
Картину,
Корзину,
Картонку
И маленькую собачонку.

Однако
За время пути
Собака
Могла подрасти!

To your convenience, here is a full scanned version of the English text (on Scribd) AND ALSO something completely different – a rather irreverent and somewhat provocative 1996 illustrated Russian edition of the same poem. Enjoy and share your thoughts!

http://www.scribd.com/embeds/112006657/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-ers0x51nvdfhbimrcwm

http://www.scribd.com/embeds/136316555/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-2ng9oq4qgyasfa5hrs30

London Riots: Business Sense at Work

While reading my Twitter this morning, astounded by the scale of riots and lootings across the UK, I spotted a link to what turned out to be a London listing on Craiglist. Someone posting from East London was selling 40 Apple iPhone 4’s for £320 each.

The advert reads:

They have not been open from box all are on 02 and come with a years warranty. I can sort out a discount if more than 3 are purchased.

Although it can be a mere coincidence, chances are it is on Craiglist, Gumtree and various other online message boards, forums and classifieds that we will be finding objects that were looted from the shops in London, Manchester, Liverpool and other UK cities ransacked by thugs and yobs.

Also on Twitter, some have appealed to entrepreneurs to acknowledge the importance of getting the young people more involved in doing business. Arguably, it is the level of social exclusion that leads to people not being able to grab their chance in life.

One has to admit that it is not the opportunities for doing business that are particularly needed. Nor it is the business sense as such that should be communicated to youngsters. The London Craiglist posting suggests that business sense is sound, sorted, and actually works. However, every success in business depends on life skills, and it is these skills that are severely denied to the now rioting mob. Until the society and the Government acknowledge this and start promoting team work, discipline, and responsibility among young people, riots and any other form of antisocial behaviour are unlikely to stop.

Top-3 Russian Beauties: A Gymnast, a Minister, and a Spy

Alina Kabaeva, Tatiana Golikova, and Anna Chapman are the most beautiful Russian women, according to a recent poll.

The poll conducted by a group of journalists sought to identify the top 12 most beautiful Russian women today. Although the criteria for qualification are not certain, it is clear that social status and worldly activities have also played their role.

The proverbial “Paris’s Choice” has seen a gymnast Alina Kabaeva taking the top spot. An outstanding sports figure, Kabaeva has subsequently moved on to politics and charity work. The rumours widely circulated in the Russian media about Kabaeva’s romance with Vladimir Putin. The rumours were later dismissed as nonsense.

The second on the list is Tatiana Golikova, the Health Minister and a wife of the Transportation Minister. The third is Anna Chapman, a spy-turned-TV personality, the United Russia party member.

One would agree, it is hard not to suspect that closeness to Mr. Putin has in one way or another influenced the inclusion into the top-3.

Also on the list are three models, a gallery owner (and a tycoon’s girlfriend), a tennis player, three actresses, one singer, and an actress-director. What is nice, is that the poll demonstrates the different facets of the world-known Russian beauty. Not all Russian girls have blond locks and blue eyes, as you can see. The list is also a peculiar insight into the mix of careers, social positions, and even reputation. To have a married minister and distinguised sports personalities jammed into a company of a lesbian film director and girls notorious for photosessions in the nude is a rather outstanding choice.

  1. Alina Kabaeva, a gymnast and the State Duma member.
  2. Tatiana Golikova, a Health Minister.
  3. Anna Chapman, an ex-spy and TV personality.
  4. Natalia Vodianova, a top model and philanthropist.
  5. Irina Shayk, a model and Christiano Ronaldo’s girlfriend.
  6. Maria Sharapova, a tennis player.
  7. Dasha Zhukova, an art gallery owner and Roman Abramovich’s girlfriend.
  8. Oxana Fyodorova, a model and TV personality.
  9. Ekaterina Gusseva, an actress.
  10. Tatiana and Olga Arntgoltz, Russian twin actresses.
  11. Alsou, a singer and daughter of one of LUKoil shareholders.
  12. Renata Litvinova, an actress and film director.

 

error: Sorry, no copying !!