HISTORIAN AND PHILOSOPHER LEV GUMILEV
- POET OF HISTORY
(the 90th birth anniversary)
By M. Faustova
October marked the 90th birth anniversary of the Russian geographer,
historian and philosopher Lev Gumilev. The Russian Culture Foundation hosted
the celebratory evening to mark the event bringing together those who were
acquainted with Gumilev as well as admirers of the scientist believed to
have defined his epoch.
Lev Gumilev is a person of a thorny destiny. He was born into the family
of the outstanding Silver Age poets - Anna Akhmatova and Nikolai Gumilev.
His father, Nikolai Gumilev, was executed by shooting in the early 1920s
for his alleged involvement in the anti-governmental plot. Lev Gumilev
is said to inherit discontent from the authorities. Once he joked sadly
that he spent eight years behind bars "for father" and eight
more "for mother". And that was true.
He debuted in science brilliantly after graduating from the Leningrad
University. He thought in a very innovative manner taking as basis historic
and philosophic theories. Lev Gumilev formed his own perception of the
world creating new doctrines rejected by everyone at his time. He was the
father of ethnogenesis theory, under which nations originate from regularity
of the society development, and the "passion" theory - the human
ability to sacrifice for the sake of ideological purposes, as Gumilev stated.
"Passion" is a hereditary biological ability of the man, and
"passion-field" individuals are creators of history, for instance,
Prophet Mohammed, Alexander the Macedonian, Napoleon and Vladimir Lenin.
He proved strong despite almost 16 years he spent in Stalin's camps,
participation in the Second World War and a Nazis concentration camp. Wherever
he was he did not loose the sense of life that he saw in work, research
and creativity. It is generally known that after he was convicted for the
second time in the late 1940s and sentenced to 10 years of camps (GULAG)
for contra-Marks and Lenin ideology activities, he continued researches
in seeking definitions for ethnos and wrote in the camp a large part of
his most renowned book "Ethnogenesis and the Biosphere".
Prominent Russian cultural and art workers who attended the evening
to commemorate Lev Gumilev emphasized that he was surprisingly ordinary
and open-hearted as a person. Famous filmmaker and Culture Foundation President
Nikita Mikhalkov says he was happy to meet several times with Lev Gumilev
and was completely astonished not being prepared to intercourse with such
a distinguished personality. He was the last poet of history, Mr. Mikhalkov
said, and was able to shift rapidly from routine and simple things to the
deepest and incomprehensible for the then history of humankind. Nikita
Mikhalkov says he could never even imagine that ideas of what we are could
be presented with such deepness. Lev Gumilev was the first to say that
the Russian nation was born in 1380 when Tartar-Mongol troops were crashed
during the Battle of Kulikovo. The victory was our predecessors' merit
since by contrast with Tartars they were unified by one language - Russian.
Gumilev was saying simple things, at first sight, not connected with history,
but in general they were clearly related to the man and his history. Nikita
Mikhalkov says Lev Gumilev amazed him as a person who could deeply penetrate
into the very essence of any problem or issue and reveal it basing not
only on knowledge but also his own sense of being a part of the great and
astonishing whole.
Lev Gumilev is called now the Great Eurasian Man. Nikita Mikhalkov
attributes it to the fact that thanks to Gumilev we could sense that Russia
is the world's single "institution" linking Europe and Asia.
Gumilev used to say that both Oriental culture and Western civilization
came through Russia. Civilization and culture, he said, are not the same
thing. Civilization is the use of the results of culture, whereas culture
is a movement through hundreds of centuries and thousands of generations.
On this score Gumilev's researches have specific role for promoting the
national science and spiritual environment of the Russian society. Mr.
Mikhalkov regards Gumilev as a very crucial pendulum counting off time
of our existence and our perception of the past, present and future.
"Khunnu", "Ancient Turki and the Opening of Khazaria",
"In Search For Imaginary Kingdom", "Ancient Russia and Great
Steppe", The Geography of Ethnos in Historical Period", "Nor
the Candle Goes Out" - these are just a few works by the prominent
philosopher Lev Gumilev. He was a man of encyclopedic knowledge who promoted
the Russian science and philosophy, created theories that only now national
specialists come to approve. Lev Gumilev founded the new field of philosophy
- ethnography intervening it with psychology, geography and history. Even
in our time many works by Lev Gumilev are not fully esteemed since being
a prophet he went far away beyond the bounds of the century, in which he
lived and created.
"HAVE NOT I EVEN IMAGINED TO LIVE
SO LONG"
(The 102d birthday of cartoonist Boris Efimov)
E.Andrusenko
In October Russian cartoonist Boris Efimov marked his 102d birthday.
He survived the whole 20th century with its "anxiety and joys, catastrophes
and victories", geniuses and villains. Many famous personalities were
heroes of his caricatures and cartoons as much as daily published in the
Soviet and Russian central newspapers. He was a political satirist who
worked under the government's instructions. Despite a widespread opinion
that a caricature as well as a newspaper lives a single day, pictures by
Efimov have survived years. One can hardly say what is the main thing about
them - artistic skillfulness or the century's historic chronicle. Nevertheless,
the 20th century is over but his pictures keep on living as well as their
author. His memoirs, stories, essays, dozens of satirist albums, research
in history and theory of art of caricature have been published. Recently
Boris Efimov was appointed to head the new department of the caricature
art of the Russian Academy of Art. Efimov says the appointment deserves
a mention in the Guinness World Records Book. The patriarch of the national
satire has met with reporters on the eve of his 102d birthday.
He says the Academy of Arts has put forward an idea of raising ratings
of the caricature art to return its public significance it used to have.
The task is far form simple and perhaps unlikely to be implemented. Boris
Efimov believes the caricature is loosing its original essence and could
be hardly called the socially eloquent and useful art, as Maxim Gorky defined
it.
Answering the question whether this signals that caricature is dying,
Efimov says it feels sick at least. He hopes the political cartoons would
not revive their original fierce appearance if Russia acquired political
enemies. Efimov believes it would be better to have no caricatures than
to have enemies.
The answer has puzzled the newsmen, one of whom wondered whether there
are no similar people or events that could become objects of the political
satire in the world currently fevered by crises and conflicts. In a response
Boris Efimov said now the environment is different and the caricatures
would unlikely insult or frighten anyone. Now we stand for stability and
political correctness, he remarked, and it is senseless to use political
aggression in caricatures for which Hitler put Efimov in a Gestapo list
with the seal "find and hang".
One can even imagine what a "killing power" Efimov's pencil
had, especially during the Second World War when all the country knew Nazis
ideologies by his cartoons rather than photos. Efimov's pictures were distributed
behind the front line urging enemies to surrender. They have tangible influence
on the history. Not surprisingly, the authorities regarded Efimov's skill
as a powerful political weapon. In 1945 he among other Soviet correspondents
participated as a painter in the well-known Nurnberg trial over Nazis where
he saw for himself "heroes" of his satirical pictures whom he
had painted by photographs.
The other side of Boris Efimov's creativity is closer to culture and
esthetic feeling than to politics. For instance, in 1943 British cartoonist
Low wrote after the publication of Efimov's album "Hitler and His
Gang": "Fantasies and the artistic method of Boris Efimov's caricatures
are transparent for the British perception and mentality. Apparently, the
Russian sense of humor is similar to the British one. Perhaps, thanks to
the album this discovery will have even more intense impact on mutual understanding
between the British and Russian people, better that a range of diplomatic
statements". The acute political satire is likely to make way for
a dialogue between painters from various countries who have peculiar ability
of observation and a rare gift of painting funny pictures. The level of
satiric graphics has lowered but "the old vine has not turned sour",
Boris Efimov jokes.
The Russian genuine cartoonist says his life is coming to the end and
he wakes up every morning thanking God for another day he was given to
do something more. He is full of plans and is looking forward to reading
a lot, knowing whether he will have enough time for that or not. He wants
to paint, print and see more things. Preparations are wrapping up for a
set of 100 essays about people with whom Boris Efimov was acquainted during
the 20th century. He says he hopes to have more time for doing everything
he intends.
In one of his poems Boris Efimov wrote: "Have not even I imagine
to live so long". But he goes on living and working. When he is asked
about the cause of his longevity, he responds with the same phrase: "I
don't know, I have no idea…".
"A MUSICIAN IS, ABOVE ALL, A PERSONALITY"
(a talk with Vladimir Krainev)
Vladimir Krainev is one of the most popular Russian musicians and teachers
of world renown. We met on the eve of a "Vladimir Krainev Invites"
concert cycle in the Moscow Conservatory, which has been his starting point
for each new season in the past few years. From Moscow his concert routes
run through other Russian cities and abroad.
"Vladimir Krainev is an exceptionally hardworking and very active
person", says his wife, the well-known figure skating coach Tatiana
Tarasova. He gives about 50 concerts a year, always to packed houses. He
runs a piano class at the Hanover Higher Music School in Germany and a
charity fund sponsoring an international competition for young pianists.
In addition, he is on the jury panels of prestigious music festivals and
contests. An extraordinary personality with a good deal of charm and some
irresistible magnetic power making people feel drawn to him, Krainev was
a favorite disciple of his great teacher Genrikh Neigauz. His early international
success - prizes at piano competitions in Lids (Britain), Lisbon (Portugal)
and the Moscow Tchaikovsky competition - is a recognition of his virtuoso
technique and artistic temperament. Krainev is a rare example of self-sacrifice.
It's this feature that makes him a glaring representative of the national
music school if one may still use this expression.
"Today it's impossible to speak about national music schools",
Krainev believes. "Everything is so interrelated in recent years.
For instance, teaching at the Hanover School are musicians from Norway,
Israel, Russia, France and Britain. Or take Asia: lots of musicians from
America, Europe and Russia currently teach there. There are many Russian
music teachers in Korea and Japan. Starting from the 40 there has been
an unprecedented influx of music students from China to Russia and Europe.
Now take the Russian piano school: Richter, Gilels, Oborin, Zak, Flier,
Ashkenazi, Pletnev … But do they resemble each other? No, they are absolutely
different, each one is a personality! It's not a matter of school, whether
French or Italian… It's a matter of personality".
A musician's personality reveals itself to a considerable extent in
the choice of repertoire. Musicians joke: "Say what you play and I'll
say who you are". Two of Vladimir Krainev's favorite composers - Chopin
and Prokofiev - are far apart on the world musical orbit. Both are fully
represented in Krainev's repertoire. He was always eager to explore the
entire legacy of a composer - for example, all piano concertos by Mozart
and Beethoven (including the Triple Concerto and the rarely performed Fantasy
for piano, orchestra and choir). Alfred Schnitke dedicated one of his concertos
to Vladimir Krainev. "At first Schnitke didn't like this concerto.
He complained that he couldn't write for piano", Krainev said. "But
I adored it from the first bars! And each time I played it, I put all my
love into it, trying to convince Schnitke with my performance that it's
a brilliant concerto. Now it ranks among his 4 best concertos and I pride
myself on that. I will play it this season and also next one when I turn
60, 40 of which I have spent on stage".
"THE LIFE OF AN ARTIST"
(45 years of Vladimir Fedoseyev's musical career)
"The Life of an Artist" - a festival under this title, marking
45 years of Vladimir Fedoseyev's musical career, opened at the Great Hall
of the Moscow Conservatory on October 2. The Tchaikovsky Big Symphony Orchestra
Fedoseyev has been directing for more than a quarter of a century played
a selection of pieces by Johan Strauss, including his famous waltz "The
Life of an Artist". Taking part in the concert were the Italian opera
diva Mirella Freni, the renowned Bulgarian bass Nikolai Gyaurov and the
world-famous contra-tenor Johan Kowalski from Germany. Fedoseyev's path
to big stage wasn't an easy one, especially at the start. "Without
support it's hard for a young musician to carve out a successful career",
the maestro recalls. "There were no musicians in our family, but all
were fond of music - Dad played the bayan and Mom sang. My father kept
telling me: "You must study, you must become a musician".
In 1957 Fedoseyev graduated from the Gnessin musical college (the bayan
class) and then took a post-graduate course in conducting at the Moscow
conservatory. For more than a decade after that Fedoseyev directed a folk
orchestra and, finally, in 1971 met the celebrated conductor of the Leningrad
Philharmonic Orchestra Yevgeny Mravinsky. That meeting marked a turning
point in Fedoseyev's life. In 1974 he became chief conductor of the Big
Symphony Orchestra of Radio and TV, one of Russia's leading orchestras.
The first few years were especially hard - he worked almost 24 hours a
day. His efforts were repaid hundredfold. Today Fedoseyev's orchestra is
one of the best music collectives in the world with numerous awards from
recording companies in Europe and Japan. Its "ripe" sound with
rich overtones is easily recognizable. In his capacity as chief conductor
of the Thaikovsky Big Symphony Orchestra, the post he has been holding
for 28 years, Fedoseyev has premiered many pieces by contemporary Russian
composers, above all Georgy Sviridov. He is planning to record an anthology
of this 20th century classic.
Since 1998 at Fedoseyev's initiative his orchestra has been giving
planned monthly concerts at the Big Hall of the Moscow Conservatory at
prices accessible to all. "The audience has changed and I no longer
feel its sincere and pure-heart response. We have lost students who usually
filled the upper floor, people of older age, the old Russian intelligentsia
- today the can't afford tickets to a concert", Fedoseyev says. "And
to many of them music is the sole consolation at the present difficult
time. That's why I decided to organize such concerts featuring well-known
masterpieces and lesser-known pieces by Russian and foreign classics and
contemporary authors. Playing in our orchestra are both celebrated masters
and young but very talented musicians. Russia is rich in talents".
Fedoseyev works in Germany, France, Italy and Britain, not just with
symphony orchestras but also as an opera and choir conductor. For 5 years
now he has been directing the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and thanks to his
energetic and turbulent nature has managed to build sort of a cultural
bridge between Russia and Austria.
Fedoseyev is a frequent guest in Japan. "The more I visit Japan,
the more I want to come back", he says. "The Japanese public
is very fond of music, very responding. No matter where we perform, we
feel that our concerts bring people closer to each other, stir up the best
sides of their nature. In all times Music with the capital letter was and
will remain the art of melody, thought, harmony and passion…"
OUR CONTEMPORARY
(the 75th birth anniversary of Oleg Yefremov)
"… He was a true Don Quixote of the theatre. One could feel it
in everything he did and the way he did it - that faith of Don Quixote
that he would defeat all the windmills. And indeed, most of them fell"…
On October 1 the outstanding Russian actor and director Oleg Yefremov would
have turned 75. Just two years have passed after his death but it seems
that he belonged to a more distant past - so great is his personality and
his theatrical genius.
The soul and mouthpiece of his generation, Yefremov expressed its loftiest
ideals, hopes and disappointments. In the mid-1950s he united his young
fellow actors into a troupe called Sovremennik (contemporary). Quite soon
Sovremennik became one of the most popular theatres in Moscow. A graduate
of the MKhAT Theatre's school-studio, Yefremov made the famous Stanislavsky
theory his personal motto. As a student, he swore on his blood that he
would remain faithful to it. This proved more than a purely romantic gesture.
Yefremov devoted all his life to upholding and developing Stanislavsky's
teaching. Shortly before his death he said: "It's wrong to consider
Stanislavsky a museum value. His system is alive and constantly evolving…"
He was also one of the best-known movie actors in Russia, sort of a
national hero - half-intellectual, half-commoner… Yet the theatre remained
the main cause of his life. His Sovremennik was conceived as a community
of talented people and a home to all who worked there. When at the age
of 43 Yefremov was invited to take over the MKhAT Theatre, he accepted
the offer, hoping to revive the principles of MKhAT's legendary founders
- Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, a task that best-suited his reformist
nature.
Often, speaking about the deceased, people enumerate what they could
have done. On the contrary, in his last interviews Yefremov kept repeating
that there was nothing he hadn't done, that all his plans had materialized
and that he was happy to see his ideas on stage.
In October the MKhAT Theatre launched an exhibition "Around Oleg
Yefremov". On display are costumes, photographs, paintings and drawings
offering an insight into his life in the theatre and beyond. Visitors are
invited to see video recordings of theatre productions starring Yefremov.
The Sovremennik Theatre will run the film "A Bridge Is Being Built"
released in 1964 and starring nearly all of the Yefremov-led Sovremennik's
troupe.
ENIGMATIC NADYA RUSHEVA
She was just 17 when she died more than 3 decades ago, leaving behind
more than 10 thousand drawings. Impetuous and impulsive, free of all conventions,
they were perceived by her contemporaries as a revelation…
The Concise Literary Encyclopedia places her illustrations to Russian
classics next to acclaimed masters. Nadya Rusheva's drawings were displayed
at numerous exhibits in Russia, Japan, Germany, America, India and Poland.
Another one, commemorating the 50th anniversary of her birth, is under
way at Moscow's Pushkin literary museum.
"We haven't seen such a inrush of visitors", says Yevgenia
Rapoport, an expert with the Pushkin museum. "There must be some enigma
about her. In the 60s-70s her exhibitions drew in crowds of people in Moscow,
Minsk, Kiev and Leningrad (St.-Petersburg). People queued for hours to
see her drawings. Back in those times they were a gulp of fresh air, a
portion of intellectual and spiritual food.
Nadya Rusheva was born in Mongolia where her parents, a scenographer
from Moscow and a ballet dancer from Tuva, had been working for several
years. A local sage and friend of the family suggested a name for the girl
- "Naidan" which means "living eternally".
The outstanding Russian philologist Dmitry Likhachev wrote about Nadya
Rusheva: "she worked hard in a desperate bid to create as much as
possible. Her sharp mind penetrated into the depths of human spirit".
"I live the life of those whom I draw", Nadya once said. This
may be a clue to understanding her unique legacy. Using the "magic
wand" of her fantasy, she could transform into Medea, Jeanne d'Arc,
Natasha Rostova or Anna Karenina. With childish naturalness and the audacity
of a pathfinder, she explored the "golden layers" of world culture.
"There was one exhibition in Japan", says Yevnenia Rapoport.
"Her style, subtle and tender, and simultaneously austere and laconic,
bearing a certain resemblance to refined patterns on Japanese porcelain,
fans and kimonos, evidently appealed to the Japanese public. She illustrated
lots of books by Russian and foreign classics, including Byron and Kipling.
In 1966 her amazing "small sirens" were on show in Poland. In
Nadya's drawings the perfidious mythological women-birds, are sympathetic
and kind creatures".
At the age of 16 Nadya got an offer from the well-known pushkinologist
Alexander Gessen to illustrate his book "The Poet's Life". She
used pictures sketched by Pushkin on the margins of his manuscripts to
create a cycle of drawings in Pushkin style.
"No one ever depicted Pushkin in his family circle, and she did.
In her drawings we see Pushkin feeding his one-year-old daughter Masha,
infant Pushkin in his mother's lap…. Nadya made illustrations to Mikhail
Bulgakov's novel "Master and Margarita" - the novel was banned
but certain chapters were published in a literary magazine in 1968. She
arranged sheets with her drawings so as to form a kind of book on which
Bulgakov's widow, Yelena Bulgakova left a note: "I wish I knew this
amazing and subtle creature, Nadya Rusheva".
Nadya's Margarita bears a striking resemblance to Yelena Bulgakova,
although they never met. It's amazing how the 16-year-old girl penetrated
into "adult" feelings and historical epochs depicted by Bulgakov,
where she got that virtuoso grotesque for scenes from a variety show. How
she could feel so deeply and know so much remains a mystery. She saw what
they eye cannot see.
