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ITALIAN ARCHITECT OF RUSSIAN BAROQUE (Marking the 300th Birth Anniversary of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli)
 
By M. Faustova
St. Petersburg has launched an exhibition devoted to the 300th birth anniversary of the outstanding 19th-century architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The singer of Russian baroque, Rastrelli lived in Russia for some 50 years and created a style of his own in Russian architecture. He is justly regarded as a Russian architect: no other foreigners who worked in Russia in different years had such a subtle manner of combining the western mentality with Russian traditions.
During his life Rastrelli experienced both the delights of fame and the bitterness of oblivion. Peter the Great and his daughter, Empress Elizabeth, valued the architect's talent. But during the reign of Catherine the Great his name was crossed out of the lists of court architects. But it survived in history.
In his younger days Rastrelli, a descendant of an old Florentine family, did not dream of becoming an architect.
The St. Petersburg-based art critic Olga Fyodorova tells us the story of Rastrelli's life. The prominent Italian architect Carlo Rastrelli brought Bartolomeo, aged 16, to Russia. He was invited by Peter the Great to build the new Russian capital, St. Petersburg. Young Rastrelli found himself in the center of what was in fact a gigantic construction site. Having no training in the science and art of architecture he drew on everything that he saw around. At 20, he launched a project for his own.
The baroque style, which reigned in the Russian architecture of those days, featured a wealth of decorative elements on the buildings, made extensive use of combinations of contrasting colors, employed mosaic finish and a great number of statues.
The architectural "freedom" of this kind attracted Rastrelli all the more because his childhood passed in strict Gothic Paris. A gifted artist and architect, Rastrelli not only developed the traditions of European baroque but combined them with the traditions of early Russian architecture with its belfries and porches, and an abundance of gold decor and floral motifs in interior ornamentation. Such were his Summer Palace in St. Petersburg (which has not survived), the Winter Palace (also known as the Hermitage), the architectural ensemble at Tsarskoye Selo, the summer residence of Russian emperors, and the Vorontsov and Stroganov palaces among the many palaces of St. Petersburg's nobles. But the gem of his work is the Smolny architectural complex, which includes a cathedral, two convents and a girls' educational institution.
"The Smolny ensemble is one of Rastrelli's best works," says Olga Fyodorova. "He began to build it in 1748 but did not live to see it completed. Only a hundred years after the ensemble was completed by architect Vasily Stasov. The exterior is done in the style of Rastrelli's baroque with fanciful stucco work and numerous columns. The interior is austere and solemn with no mural paintings. That was the impact of classicism, which replaced baroque when Rastrelli was still alive.
As times and tastes changed, architecture changed too. But Rastrelli could not put up with an architecture that stopped pleasing the eye. He could not bear to see magnificent baroque decorations thrown out of the Winter Palace right before his eyes. He suffered when his palaces were rebuilt according to the new classical rules. The court architect, Count Rastrelli, was forgotten. He had to apply to Catherine the Great for money allowances for himself and his family. The Empress reluctantly signed his petitions.
Rastrelli lived 50 years of his 71-year life in Russia. He arrived in St. Petersburg as a youngster and a pupil of his father. He gained fame and honors. In his last years he lived in oblivion and in near poverty and died of a stroke. "An architect is valued here only when he is needed," he liked to repeat in the last years of his life. We know neither the exact date of his death, nor the exact place of his grave. But we have the eternal monuments to his talent - palaces in St. Petersburg, the Cathedral of the Resurrection near Moscow, St. Andrew's Church in Kiev.
Photos:
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
The Winter Palace
The Smolny ensemble .

SYMBOLISM OF ANDREI BELY - PROPHESY OR UTOPIA (Marking the writer's 120th birth anniversary)

 
By Ye. Andrusenko
In the early 20th century all sections of Russian society cherished hopes for changes for the better. The outstanding Russian philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev described this period as a cultural renaissance after depression. "At the same time," wrote Berdyaev, "Russian souls were swept with the anticipation of a catastrophes... Symbolist poets saw not only bright prospects but also something horrible advancing on Russia and the whole world..." Indeed, Russia was in for World War I and two revolutions.
Looking at the first airplane taking off, poet Alexander Blok asked with anxiety: "What fiery horizons have opened to us?" As a reply to this question came the words: "The world was blown up in the tests of an atomic bomb". When were these lines written? In August 1945 as a response to the nuclear explosion in Hiroshima? Not at all. The year was 1921. These words come from a poem by Andrei Bely. Was it a poetical fantasy, a prophetic dream or the supersensitive new soul whose appearance was predicted at the turn of the 20th century.
The house in the Arbat Street in Moscow where Andrei Bely lived as a child and a young man is now a museum. "In this house Andrei Bely was born twice," says the researcher Yekaterina Shyolokova, "The first time in 1880 as Boris Bugaev into the family of Professor of mathematics at Moscow University. And the second time when he changed his name and surname to the pseudonym of Andrei Bely. This house remained with Andrei Bely in all his travels through life. Its atmosphere and inhabitants live in all his works."
Here is his father's study. An outstanding scientist, Nikolai Bugaev worked on the junction of mathematics and philosophy and belonged with people who at the beginning of the century changed our ideas of physical laws, of the matter, of the entire picture of the universe. The house was frequented by university professors. The academic environment had a great impact on the individuality of the future writer. His mother, however, resented the prospects of having another mathematician in the family. She was devoted to music, poetry, theater. Boris shared her interests.
"Boris Bugaev felt he was the only link between these two different people, " says Yekaterina Shyolokova. "This tormented him. The notorious complexity of his character, for which he was often criticized in his lifetime, stems from his early years."
Life, however, brought Boris in contact with a man who became his spiritual teacher. Mikhail Soloviev, a brother of the prominent philosopher Vladimir Soloviev, lived next door. To him the young writer brought his first works. It was Soloviev who suggested the pseudonym "Andrei Bely" for the literary debut, the novel "The First Symphony", by the student of the physic-mathematical department of Moscow University. The manuscript was taken to the leader of the Russian symbolism, Valery Bryusov. This brought the young writer into contact with symbolism, the major artistic trend at the turn of the 20th century.
"In the life of a symbolist everything is a symbol," - wrote the Russian poetess Marina Tsvetaeva. The pseudonym of Andrei Bely (which means "white" in Russian) is also symbolic. The white color is a harmonious merge of all the colors, the symbol of the fullness of life. Andrei (Andrew), one of the 12 apostles, was the first to be called by Christ to become his pupil. Andrei Bely entered literature as an apostle of a new teaching and he lived up to his pseudonym. His symbolism is a mixture of science, religion, poetry, mathematics, philosophy, music, physics and esthetics. That's what makes his novels "The Silver Dove", "Kotik Lotaev" and particularly "St. Petersburg" so complicated. In "St. Petersburg", his most serious novel, Bely describes the atmosphere of anxiety, fears and mysteries that reigned in the city on the eve of the first Russian revolution of 1905. The novel, which is in fact a detective story, describes the life of a family and ends as a melodramatic farce.
Andrei Bely described his ideas as "a ball thrown into the hands of the future generations". But his idea of transforming reality and creating a new human being who would unite the features of different cultures - scientific, artistic, national and universal - remains a program of the future.
The most important thing in this program is the writer's faith in the eternal value of the human spirit. As a will left to his descendants are his words written in 1905 on the eve of the first Russian revolution: "I believe in Russia. It will live on. We will live on. We will see new times and new spaces. Russia is a big green meadow bursting into blossom." .

MOSCOW IS HONOURING YEVGENY NESTERENKO

By N. Viktorova
These days the Bolshoi Theatre is the central venue of a two-weeks' music festival (October 31 - November 16) in honour of its veteran soloist Yevgeny Nesterenko marking 40 years since the beginning of his career as an opera singer, 30 of them at the Bolshoi. In an interview on the eve of the festival he said: "There are many jubilees in our life, and we celebrate them in different ways. They make us look back at our past, bring reminiscences of those who steered us to new achievements..."
After graduating from St.-Petersburg's conservatory Nesterenko lived in St.-Petersburg for several years. In 1970 he won the first prize at the international Moscow Tchaikovsky competition and was immediately invited to the Bolshoi.
Nesterenko has performed at the world's major theatres. "My two favourite theatres are the Bolshoi and La Scala. I like them for their acoustics, atmosphere and the public", says the singer.
An exhibition spanning 4 decades of Nesterenko's stage and concert career was mounted at the Bolshoi. Director of the Bolshoi's museum Marina Ursina says: "Here one can see his photos, records, CDs, and also his books. We asked Yevgeny Nesterenko to contribute his portrait showing him as Boris Godunov from Mussorgsky's opera. Also displayed are two costumes from the Bolshoi's collection, one of them is the old costume of Boris Godunov. Nesterenko likes old costumes. Once he put on Shalyapin's costume and it filled him with strength and energy".
Nesterenko was often compared with Shalyapin. His rich voice and amazing performance, the unforgettable images he created on stage, won him international recognition. In 1973 the French press called Nesterenko a new great Boris Godunov. "This is my favourite role", confessed the singer. "Godunov's image is a charisma. The same could be said about Mussorgsky in general. His music is a sacrificial altar, a fathomless treasury of skill, inspiration and discoveries. On of my concert programs featured all chamber pieces by Mussorgsky.
Nesterenko's career boasts 80 operas, 25 of them at the Bolshoi, a concert repertoire of about 500 romances and songs, plus 70 recordings. He is also a professor. Many of his students are among the Bolshoi's soloists. The jubilee program includes performances at the Bolshoi, evenings at the museum of Shalyapin, concerts at the Moscow conservatory and master-classes. Says Yevgeny Nesterenko: "An ideal singer must combine opera, chamber singing and teaching. It would encourage his harmonious development".
Asked whether the festival is a farewell to the Moscow public, the 60-year-old singer said: "Studying the experience of my predecessors, I see that many of the Bolshoi's soloists did wonderfully at my age. Of course, I don't flatter myself with hope that I will repeat the unique record of Mark Reizen who sang at the jubilee concert marking his 90th birthday. But I feel I can still go on". . .

THE LAST MANUSCRIPT (a new novel by Ludmila Ulitskaya)

One of contemporary authors has remarked that that now that they've got computers at their service, writers will no longer use ink to write down their thoughts.
Our correspondent Svetlana Andreyeva visited the presentation of a new novel by Ludmila Ulitskaya, entitled Kazus Kukotskogo (A Funny Thing That Happened To Kukotsky)
It took Ulitskaya several years to write this novel. She wrote it with a pen first, then on a type-writer, and at the final stage - on a computer. The author agrees that the use of technical means does influence the character of the text.
Says Ludmila Ulitskaya: "Poet Iosif Brodsky once said that from the point of view of a mosquito our life doesn't end. In this sense we are all very small mosquitoes. Our life is, in fact, strikingly short compared with the eternity of culture. Today we are witnessing the birth of something new, a new world, new attitude to literature, to the act of creation. At the same time, I feel there's something mystical about a computer."
The latter praise can equally be applied to Ulitskaya's last novel focused on the role of dreams in human life. Kazus Kukotskogo is an attempt to solve the mystery of dreams.
History knows many examples when dreams helped people find a clue to some intricate problem, for instance the famous chemist Dmitry Mendeleyev saw his periodical system of elements in a dream. I asked Ulitskaya if such things had ever happened to her.
"I wouldn't say that there were any particular dreams that changed my life", says Ulitskaya. "But I they give me important information. When we seek answers to questions that worry us, we can get them different ways. Through a book, a meeting with an interesting person, and even through a dream".
Kazus Kukotskogo is a story of a highly intellectual doctor who is unhappy with his wife. The scene is set in the 1940s-1960s, the peak of Stalin's personality cult and a crackdown on genetics. The novel gives an insight into the life of the Russian Bohemia of those years.
Asked whether such a phenomenon as women's literature really existed, Ulitskaya said: "Strictly speaking, I never think about it. The difference between the male and female world is enormous. But on the other hand, educated women appeared mostly in the early 20th century, and in that sense female literature is just making its first steps. I wonder how it will be in future".

THE RUSSIAN MATRYOSHKA'S CENTENARY

By N. Yakhontova
What do foreign tourists usually bring from Russia as a souvenir? A balalaika? Palekh varnished miniature? Painted Zhostov trays? Yes. But the most favourite souvenir is, no doubt, a wooden nest-of-dolls known as matryoshka. The biggest matryoshka consists of 72 dalls hidden inside each other.
Many think that matryoshka is as old as Russia itself. They would probably be disappointed to learn that the first matryoshka appeared just 100 yeas ago.
Moscow's museum of decorative and applied arts has launched an exhibition to mark matryoshka's centenary.
Says the museum's guide Oksana Makovetskaya: "The first wooden nest-of-dolls was carved by Vasily Zvezdochkin and painted by Sergei Malyutin. Both worked in the Children's Education workshops housed in this very building, which is now a museum. The doll represented a peasant girl wearing an apron and a kerchief and holding a black cock under her armpit. Inside there were her smaller sisters put one into each other: one with a sickle, another with a basket, still other with a jar and so on. The last and the smallest one usually depicted a baby wrapped up in a diaper. A brightly painted nest-of-dolls resembled an Easter egg. The technique came from Japan, but the legend has it that the first such doll depicting the Japanese sage Fukuruma was carved by a Russian master".
The exhibit spanning the century-old history of the nest-of-dolls boasts matryoshkas of all sizes, colours and styles, from the earliest ones depicting peasant girls, Gipsies, worshippers to modern specimens representing historic figures, politicians and pop-stars. "Look, here is a wedding couple", says Oksana Makovetskaya. "The bride with all her relatives and the bridegroom with his family and wedding guests".
Looking at you from their glass cases are nest-of-dolls made as Stepan Razin, the leader of a 17th century peasant rebellion, Yermak, the conquerer of Siberia, dolls representing people of various nationalities inhabiting Russia, priests and popular characters of Russian folk tales.
Of special interest is a nest-of-doll featuring all Russian and Soviet rulers in the 20th century, beginning from Emperor Nicholas II and ending with the current president Vladimir Putin.
Modern matryoshka painters express themselves in different ways. To draw the attention foreign tourists, they cover their matryoshkas with Russian landscapes, churches, architectural monuments. But many stick to the traditional matryoshka style - a beautiful Russian woman in national costume.
The characteristic shape of matryoshka reflects the ideal of female beauty predominant in rural Russia: a robust, healthy, hard-working woman capable of having many children. Often peasant girls were given the name of Matryona.
Matryoshkas are made of larch, lime or asp cut in early spring and seasoned for two to three years. A carved and polished doll is painted in bright colours often with the use of bronze and then varnished. A smart and shining matryoshka is a pleasure to the eye.
 
 
 

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