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80th BIRTHDAY OF DIRECTOR PETR TODOROVSKII

L.Lobanova

On August 26th the celebrated Russian film director Petr Todorovskii is marking his 80th birthday.
Paradoxically, but the Russian 20th century art produced a generation that regardless of the privations and horrors of the Second World War developed into unusually wholesome personalities with a rarely humanistic vision of man and love of man and life. Petr Todorovskii is a glamorous representative of this generation. The war rushed into his life when he was 16 and left a deep imprint on his heart and soul leaving him in no doubt as to the direction of his work. Todorovskii found himself on the front in 1944. A graduate of a military school he went with battles to the Elba. There he learned of the Victory and Victory Day has been the holiest of holidays for him ever since.
-For us, who fought in the war, these years fell on the days of our youth and the recollections of those times will never go, we'll always remember the day peace came at last and never will we forget our beloved ones, - Petr Todorovskii says. - Every soldier and officer has a victory day of his own. There came a moment of stillness when on May 8th 1945 we reached the Elba and the Americans stood on the other side of it. It was a stillness we had been longing for so much, so we shuffled off our boots and went to catch up on our sleep to the chirping of grasshoppers and the sounds of accordion.
In one of his recent interviews Petr Todorovskii says the war continues to hold him in its grip and that's why he is looking back on it over and over again. "I've seen so much blood, so many deaths and so much injustice, but the horror of it never took over me". Indeed, Petr Todorovskii's films on the war have no battle scenes or trench routines. The author is more concerned with the feelings and relationships between people, whose lives were so affected by the war. Todorovskii is sure that the most fascinating thing about art is the human being with his experiences, joys and fantasies. His debut picture "Loyalty" (1965) absorbed the author's personal impressions from an officer crash course he took before he was dispatched to the front. The film is about the teenage boys who will soon become officers and go through the trial of war. For both the director and the scriptwriter, Bulat Okudzhava, a prominent Russian poet who fought in the war too, it was important to get across the idea of purity and gentleness of feeling in the conditions so harsh and tragic. The film won the best directing debut prize at a Venice festival in 1965. The sincerity, warmth and psychological accuracy in "Loyalty" would soon become Petr Todorovskii's brand mark as a director.
The debut production came out rather late. Before taking up film direction Todorovskii worked as a camera man for ten years. The idea of mastering the profession of film director occurred to him in the war, when he first saw a man with a camera filming. Later on he was lucky to cooperate with top Russian directors and take part in the production of films that make up the gem collection of Russian cinema art. Todorovskii worked with Marlen Khutsiev on "Spring on Zarechnaia Street". His camerawork was light, penetrating and lyrical, and fully met the director's idea. In "Spring on Zarechnaia Street" Todorovskii was offered to try his hand as a musician. And he did the task brilliantly by playing the guitar for the main character.
Music for Petr Todorovskii's films was frequently composed by the director himself, like in "On the Main Street With an Orchestra". And no matter what the film is about, and Todorovskii has made more than 10 films, at the core of it is love. The director is confident that love penetrates every sphere of our life, the feeling of love is multifaceted and it lives in all of us. Loves carries a colossal life-giving vigor, and this is just what another Todorovskii film, "War-Time Romance", is all about. Made in 1983, "War-Time Romance" is rightfully considered one of Todorovskii's best. The script for it, written by the director himself, won an award at a film festival in Spain.
Petr Todorovskii is working as energetically as before. "When they say I'm young at heart I feel happy, - the master says. - That means the candle of life is still burning in me. What I'm always after is to keep this candle burning, to keep my presence of life and healthy humour. I want the viewer to join in emotionally right after the film started, to empathize and live with the characters".
In the latest of his works Petr Todorovskii stays true to himself. The film "Taurus", which came out in 2003, is yet again addressed to the war and the director's personal experiences. Petr Todorovskii has always made true unpretentious films without falsity or pomposity. Last year Petr Todorovskii was awarded the Nike Prize of the National Film Academy in the honour and dignity category. Honour and dignity are the traits Petr Todorovskii has carried with him through the whole of his life.


 

75th BIRTHDAY OF COMPOSER ANDREI PETROV

N.Yakhontova

September 2nd marked 75th birthday of the Russian composer Andrei Petrov.
Music by Andrei Petrov is extremely popular, to the extent that quite often we are not even aware of the composer - so inherent the tunes have become in our daily life enriching it with more good, light and joy.
Andrei Petrov's musical biography began with a waltz. In the remote 1944, when the Second World War still raged on, cinemas across Leningrad, which had just severed the enemy blockade, showed "The Big Waltz". A cheerful Vienna, its favourite Johan Strauss, the divine beauty of life on the screen, so out of place in the harsh reality of the day…The film had such a lasting effect on Andrei Petrov, then a 14-year-old teenager, that as he marveled at the music of the king of waltz and the voice of the celebrated Melissa Corus, he suddenly resolved that he would write music no matter what it cost. Coming next were the long years of studying, including at Leningrad Conservatory, before the dream came true. Right from his first steps as a composer Andrei Petrov acquires popularity as an outstanding personality working in many genres. One of his earliest and most successful works became music for the romantic film "Amphibian Man".
Andrei Petrov's multifaceted talent reveals the classical genre no matter what he wrote: an opera, a ballet, an instrumental concerto, a symphony fantasy, an operetta, music for plays and films, romances or songs. But to say he is omnivorous would be wrong, for he is governed by a love for a vast world of music.
No matter what genre you are working in, the composer says, big subjects and big feelings so important to contemporary man should be on your mind all the time, whether you work on a symphony or a song.
Symbolic of our days is the music by Andrei Petrov to the film of the early 1960s "I Walk Around Moscow". In it the composer gave a remarkably genuine sense of freedom so characteristic of the years of political thaw in the Soviet Union that inspired hope and belief in a better future. The protagonist, played by young Nikita Mikhalkov, reflected the general mood among the then young, who were so full of optimism and readiness to embrace the world around them. The song of the film is called after it - "I Walk Around Moscow". It provides a picture of the hero's character and the film's central idea and it has become the composer's brand mark.
Andrei Petrov's operas feature the reformist Emperor Peter I and the prominent 20th century poet Vladimir Mayakovsky. And his vocal and choreography symphony "Pushkin" was called in honour of the great Russian classic. His most popular ballet - "The Creation of the World" - was made on the drawings by the French artist Jean Effel.
The ballet's first night during the Mariinsky's tour in London in 1971 earned the musician international acclaim. Curiously enough, the composer sparkled the musical scores with choral insertions.
The ballet "Creation of the World" is still a tremendous success on stages across the globe, and the music from it is played in many concert halls. Suites from the ballet have made it to the repertoire of Russia's major symphony orchestras, such as the Orchestra of the Leningrad Philharmonic Society led by Yuri Temirkanov.
Contemporary works should not necessarily be telling us of today. Andrei Petrov says: "Subjects can vary greatly, from the present day to the remote past. But the ideas suggested by the artist should serve the needs of today. I've often turned to historical subjects in my works. The scene of my opera "Peter I" is set in the late 17th - early 18th cc. A time of tribulation in the history of Russia marking the crush of centuries-old traditions. By this opera I wanted to emphasize what is close to my contemporaries - patriotism and heroism of Russian people".
Andrei Petrov is remarkably good at absorbing the spirit of a time and endowing it with a characteristic touch of musical reality. The composer wrote music to one of the most popular TV series of the day - "The Mysteries of Petersburg". The action of the TV series takes place in the first half of the 19th century and millions of TV viewers, as they listened to a waltz before each of the opening scenes, sat still in anticipation of the mystery-filled events, adventures, dramas and lyrical acts. Andrei Petrov wrote the music in cooperation with his daughter Olga, who has taken after her father and become a composer too.
By nature Andrei Petrov is outgoing, democratically-minded, with a remarkable sense of humor. He loves telling the story of how one day he was invited to sit in the jury of the Cannes Festival. His wife could go with him but had to stay because their daughter Olga was expecting a baby shortly. In Cannes he learned that he had become a granddad, and that rendered him so happy that for the first time in his life he decided to go to play a roulette in Monte Carlo. He was lucky winning 400 French francs right away. So he chose not to continue and bought a present for his grandson instead - a baby pushchair, in which, he himself, would feel comfortable. Andre Petrov says he doesn't feel his age. And he has the knack of doing intensive music-writing parallel to public activities. In addition to holding the posts of Chairman of the Union of Composers of St.Petersburg, President of the Petersburg Philharmonic Society and General Director of the International Festival "Musical Springs in St.Petersburg", Andrei Petrov presides on the jury of the "Crystal Tuning Fork" Competition of Young Composers. Even the yearly city landscape gardening campaign is never run without Andrei Petrov, who has planted a lot of trees, including his favourite rowans.
Andrei Petrov has such a large number of awards and titles that it is hardly possible to mention all of them. And there is no need for that either, since the composer hates being made much of on the official level. A present he has made himself for his jubilee is a symphony, due to be performed in October. For his birthday on September 2nd his friends, who include performers, singers and musicians, threw a gala concert at Mikhailovsky Castle of St.Petersburg. Coming as a good present from the colleagues is the fact that as of this year the compulsory program of the Festival "The Spring of Romance" will feature works by Andrei Petrov, an unsurpassed master in the genre.

"RUSSIAN CLUB" OF NATALI GOLITSYNA

The Russian Club of Art and Culture is a non-political public organization set up in 1998 by Natali Golitsyna, a descendant of the noble Golitsyn dynasty.
We sort of revived the Club, because it was originally founded in 1905, - Natali Golitsyna says. - And in those days it was formed of representatives of all sections of society united by a determination to support Russian culture. The Club organized actions of every kind - scientific, literary and artistic. And we are developing the traditions bridging a gap of 100 years. That's why we welcome in and are ready to cooperate with people of every walk of life and every confession both in Russia and abroad who are willing to support and develop the Russian culture.
Natali Golitsyna calls her "Russian Club of Art and Culture" people's diplomacy. The Club holds regular exhibitions, auctions, lectures and seminars for kids and adults on history, culture, science and art. It publishes a journal of its own, organizes competitions, opens trade schools and sets up scientific societies. For her activities in the raising of funds for the restoration of Orthodox churches and monasteries in Moscow and St. Petersburg Golitsyna was awarded the highest Orthodox award conferred on a woman - the Order of St. Princess Olga. Natali says the Club's members never run out of initiative.
"We are now doing the presentation of our new project, called "The Documentary Legacy of Russia, - Natali Golitsyna says. - Why we went in for such a project is that in masses of history books now available everywhere history is often rewritten the way the author likes. Few people are honest in dealing with the originals. So the project serves t preserve the authentic information on how the Russian state developed and who helped it develop. The first volume of the series called "The Passionate Personalities of Russia" has already come out. The series is dedicated to passionate personalities in every stratum of Russian society, and the word "passionate" with regards to personality was first suggested by philosopher and writer Lev Gumilev, who was my teacher and helped me a lot. Endowed genetically with a passion for all sorts of creative work the personalities in question developed into great commanders, artists, musicians, historians and scientists. The first book we printed is called "The Golitsyns. The Mikhailovich Branch", of which I'm a descendant. Working on the book was so fascinating for me, because it is about all my relatives. I know everyone of my lineage up to 14th century. Some chapters of the book are facsimile copies, so that the readers could look at genuine documents of the day. And we print photos too, because they are history in pictures".
Natali Golitsyna's new book project, "The Passionate Personalities of Russia", has now been joined by domestic and foreign archives and museums and foreign embassies.

What adds to Golitsyna's large-scale activities are extensive international ties and her outgoing personality and knowledge of people: "I've had a remarkable life. I graduated from the Stroganov High Art School in Moscow, the interior design and equipment faculty. Then, after graduation, I taught art at this college, and then I became a free-lance artist and did a lot of painting. My works have been on display both in Russia and abroad. In Moscow I set up an Express-Avant-Garde Gallery, and similar galleries were then founded in Vienna and Berlin. When abroad, I wrote a lot of publications on history and culture and ran a whole column in the "Russian Berlin" newspaper. After years abroad I came back to Russia, and all my western experience in the form of publications and projects did good service to establish "The Russian Club of Art and Culture" in Moscow. I'm now writing memoirs and I take pleasure in doing it. The Russian periodicals publish my articles on culture, history and philosophy".

MUSIC OF RUSSIAN COUNTRY ESTATES

N.Viktorova

Many of Moscow's musical events are held in old Russian estates on the outskirts of the capital in summertime. The venues include former family estates of the Sheremetiev counts in Kuskovo and Ostankino, the Yusupov princes in Arkhangelskoye, the Stroganov and Golitsyn princes in Kuzminki and the royal family estates in Tsaritsyno. The memorial estates are undergoing a revival nowadays. And though summer is coming to a close, the estate musical season is yet in full swing.
The Festival "Sheremetievsky Seasons in Ostankino" builds on European music of the late 18th century - Russian, German, French and Italian. What makes the event special is that it is set to revive and develop the traditions of the day the estate was founded. The unique palatial and park ensemble was built in the late 18th century by a prominent statesman, a representative of one of the most glamorous and richest of Russian nobility, a patron of the arts and a gifted musician, Count Nikolai Sheremetiev.
The Director of "Ostankino" Museum Gennady Vdovin has told in an interview with our correspondent that the tradition of museum concerts in Russia originated in Ostankino in the early 1960s, and it was something entirely new to both Russia and Europe at the time. For today the genre of museum music-playing appears fairly common - nothing seems simpler than to strike a fiddlestick in a museum interior. Meanwhile, the world traditions of historical music playing make it imperative that musical pieces to be performed in a historical interiour must date back to the time and be played in the manner of the time too. In the case of Ostankino this is the late 18th - early 19th century. Our colleagues in the Czech Republic, Sweden, Germany and France are all following the traditions having united in the Association of Historical Theatres of Europe. The second congress of the Association is to take place in France this month".
One of the regulars of "Sheremetievsky Seasons in Ostankino" is Alexander Maikapar, a concert-giving musician, who also conducts historical research and plays if needed the piano, the organ, the harpsichord, the clavier etc. On suggestion from the London-based company "Olympia" a few years ago he recorded an Anthology of early Russian piano music on three CDs. One of the CDs was recorded on the old piano of Ostankino Palace, whose sounds are heard at every festival concert.
Arkhangelskoye…. 220 years ago an estate was laid out here on initiative from Prince Golitsyn. It was then purchased by a wealthy nobleman, diplomat, collector and patron of the arts, Prince Nikolai Yusupov, who said he had acquired it for entertainment, not profit, and who developed the landscape and architectural ensemble to perfection. Russia's most remarkably personalities, such as historian Nikolai Karamzin, poetry classic Alexander Pushkin, artists Serov, Benois, Makovskii and Korovin, musicians Stravinsky, Igumnov and Richter all came to stay in Arkhangelskoye in different years to marvel at the beauty and harmony reigning here. It was not for nothing then that Arkhangelskoye came to be known as the Versaille of the Moscow Region. So magnificent is the estate's collection of sculptures in parks and gardens, let alone the unique collection of West European art and the richest of libraries put up by the Yusupov princes.
The Director of Arkhangelskoye Museum Vladimir Dlugach says: "We're reviving the traditions of the late 18th and the 19th cc. In those days family estates like Arkhangelskoye were cultural centers hosting musical parties and meetings of writers, poets and artists. We think an estate life of this kind should go on. We organize excursions and tours of the park, musical parties and festivals. Last May the estate played host to a jazz festival, quite an "estate" genre, as it turned out. Concerts of chamber music will run until the end of October. In September the Arkhangelskoye house theatre is opening its next season. The theatre, built with the help of the Italian architect Pietro Gonzago in the early 19th century, boasts the best of acoustics for playing baroque music on the instruments of the time. Last year the theatre served a venue for concerts of the international authentic music festival, and at the end of this month too we'll yet again be receiving the participants of the festival, who are coming from the Dutch city of Utrecht".
On August 20th the "Kuzminki" estate flung its doors open to the Third Moscow Festival of the Music of Russian Estates "Nobility Seasons", which will last till August 26th.
With so much of the estate renovated or rebuilt, it is possible to say that Kuzminki is seeing a rebirth. The magnificent architectural and landscape ensemble created by several generations of Russia's best architects has now been restored within the boundaries of the 19th century. The Museum's courtyard, stables and musical pavilion have now been turned into concert stages. Guests to "Nobility Seasons" are introduced to the history of the Russian and foreign musical theatre. One of the programs, "The Colossus of German Baroque" is devoted to the 350th birthday of Georg Friedrich Handel, whose "Music on Water" is playing now.
The Festival in Kuzminki offers a wide variety of genres to any taste. Some of its programs take you by surprise, such as a fire-cracking show to the accompaniment of music by Tchaikovsky. On the programs are concerts for kids and jazz parties. The concert program of one of Russia's best jazz groups - the "Phonograph-Jazz-Band" led by Sergei Zhilin - features classical jazz.

 


 

  09/26/2005

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