January 25 marks the 60th birth anniversary of Vladimir Vysotsky -
actor, poet and bard. He died at 42, but his image continues to live. His
nation, those who heard his songs, remember him. Vysotsky is a cult figure
in Russian culture.
He was not only a poet, he was an oracle. He told the truth with his
songs and verses at a time, when to tell the truth was dangerous. The communist
authorities disliked him. They never recognized him. He was almost an underground
performer: his concerts were often given illegally. The plays at the Taganka
Theater in which he acted had the aura of scandal, and were on the verge
of being banned. His songs could not be heard on television or radio. But
everyone knew them by heart. Many had tapes with his ballads, and people
gathered together to hear and sing them. Vysotsky was aware of this, and
called it "tape-recorder culture".
Almost 18 years have passed since Vysotsky died, but flowers continue
to be brought to his grave every day. He is remembered and adored to this
day. His son Nikita, an actor and director of the Vysotsky Museum, says:
"Vysotsky will live forever". Concerts and soirees devoted to
Vladimir Vysotsky take place in Russia. His songs are sung at Moscow's
"Olympic" sports complex by Russia's most prominent actors and
singers. The various TV channels show films in which Vysotsky played.
SHALYAPIN FESTIVAL IN ST.PETERSBURG
A.Novosyolov reports:
A grandiose festival opened at St.Petersburg's Mariinsky Theater on
January 19 with a gala concert on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary
of the great Russian singer Fyodor Shalyapin.
Fyodor Shalyapin was born on February 13, 1873. The outstanding bass
sang mostly on the stage of a private opera theater in Moscow. He also
performed at the Bolshoi and at the Mariinsky Theaters. His best parts
were Boris in Musorgsky's "Boris Godunov", Mephistopheles in
Gounod's "Faust", Miller in Dargomyzhsky's "Mermaid",
Susanin in Glinka's "Ivan Susanin". The festival is hosted by
the best concert halls where Shalyapin used to sing.
Each of the festival days is devoted to some event connected with Shalyapin's
life in Russia. Professor Mikhail Byalik of St.Petersburg's Conservatory
says: "Shalyapin was a profoundly national artist, though he belonged
to the entire world. His triumphs were witnessed at La Scala, at Grand
Opera in Paris, in America.
People all over the world looked forward to hearing him. He made an
enormous contribution to the development of world arts, but always remained
a Russian artist, an exponent of the ideals shared by such composers as
Musorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin. The Shalyapin festival involves a
whole constellation of famous Russian basses who present the best parts
of the great Russian singer.
THE VIOLET WORLDS OF MIKHAIL VRUBEL
Vera Zherdeva reports:
The Moscow-based Tretyakov Gallery has mounted an exhibition of works
by Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter of the late 19th - early 20th century.
The latest extensive exposition of his works took place almost 40 years
ago, and so the present one evoked great interest not only among art critics,
but also among the broad public. Well-known Russian artist Alexander Benua
wrote: "The future generations will view the last ten years of the
19th century as "the era of Vrubel", since this painter reflected
our time in its most beautiful and sad". This evaluation proved to
be prophetic.
In the late 20th century we look upon the personality of Mikhail Vrubel
as tragic and mysterious: tragic since his contemporaries failed to understand
him because of his serious mental disease,blindness that afflicted him
for many years, and early death; mysterious because of the strangeness
of his artistic thinking and images reflected in his paintings, graphics
and sculptures. Vrubel's manner of painting seems to be even odder: touches
and spots, crystalline forms and dots, which attract and enchant.
Vrubel's talent was many-sided. He studied law at St.Petersburg's University
and painting at the Academy of Arts. He was not a traditional artist. He
spent several years as an icon painter in the St. Cyril's Church in Kiev;
he made scenery and costume designs for opera performances, he dabbled
in sculpture and architecture. The prominent Russian patron of arts Savva
Mamontov gave Vrubel his protection. Vrubel joined the "World of Arts"
association, which exerted a great influence on the aesthetic tastes of
the Russian elite at the beginning of the 20th century. The public got
acquainted with the mysterious Demon, the central figure in Vrubel's art,
at the exhibitions mounted by the "World of Arts".
The Demon was pictured as a proud and gloomy spirit sprawled on top
of a rocky mountain, with dark skies above him, in the light of far-away
stars. His enormous sad eyes with transparently-violet shadows under them
fascinated. Art critic Inna Zimina says: "Vrubel was one of the first
Russian artists to turn to the illusory world of his fantasies, which seemed
to be incompatible with everyday life. A passionate adherent of Nietzsche,
Vrubel felt like a superman who had shed the burden of day-to-day cares.
Brilliantly educated and impeccably dressed, Vrubel had a romantic
personality; he was consumed by a passion for great achievements and strong
sentiments. But his feelings had no response. At his exhibition mounted
in Paris in 1906 only one visitor stood in front of his paintings for days.
The visitor's name was Pablo Picasso. The present exhibition in Moscow
is an extensive retrospective of Vrubel's works - from illustrations to
sculptures. It displays works not only from the Tretyakov Gallery repository,
but also from private collections and provincial museums. Along with the
huge canvases "Faust" and "Mephistopheles" which are
rarely exhibited, it includes decorative compositions designed for interiors,
quaint statuettes, portraits which reflect a rare psychological insight,
Vrubel's own portrait and paintings based on the poetry of Pushkin, Lermontov
and Goethe and on music by Rimsky-Korsakov.
Reviewing the exhibition of works by Mikhail Vrubel one comes to the
conclusion that the artist has finally acquired numerous admirers. Today's
lovers of arts obviously appreciate Vrubel more than his contemporaries
did.
COOPERATION BETWEEN RUSSIA'S
LEADING THEATERS
Larisa Roschina reports:
The Bolshoi and the Mariinsky Theater are beginning an exchange of
tours in Moscow and St.Petersburg on January 26. This isn't an ordinary
event in Russia's cultural life. Such an expensive action took place for
the last time more than 20 years ago, in June of 1976. Since that the Bolshoi
Theater has not come to St.Petersburg.
The Mariinsky Theater visited Moscow in 1983. Founded more than 200
years ago, the two celebrated Russian theaters have seen periods of cooperation
and the time of rivalry. At the beginning of this century it was traditional
to stage premieres in both theaters almost simultaneously. At that time
many celebrities, such as the choreographer Marius Petipa, worked on both
stages. And later, under the Soviet government, the careers of such stars,
as choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, dancer Galina Ulanova, opera singer
Georgy Nelepp and many others, were connected with both theaters.
Of late it has been said that the Mariinsky Theater led by Valery Georgiev
is overtaking the Bolshoi in terms of international projects and the diversity
of repertoire. However the leader of the Bolshoi Theater Vladimir Vasiliev
does not want to be overtaken, and now the Bolshoi is becoming increasingly
open to talented people and to experiments. For instance, it has just presented
its new production, Prokofiev's opera "Love for Three Oranges"
staged by the well-known Briton Peter Ustinov. It is planning new performances
with choreography by George Balanchin and Maurice Bejart. So the present
transition from rivalry to exchanges between the two theaters is quite
logical. According to the Bolshoi's executive director Vladimir Kokonin,
"the present tour is not only a cultural event, but also a turn in
the psychology of stage managers in Russia's leading theaters. Such tours
are now viewed as even more important than performances abroad.
Opera and ballet lovers in Moscow and St.Petersburg look forward to
enjoying them." The two ballet companies are also beginning their
exchanges. Their repertoires are extensive. They include classical performances
- Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake", Adam's "Giselle", Minkus'
"Don Quixote" and the hit ballets - "Spartacus" by
Aram Khachaturian at the Bolshoi and Boris Asafiev's "The Fountain
of Bakhchisaray" at the Mariinsky.
A NEW CONTEST, "WINDOW
ON RUSSIA"
A.Novosyolov reports:
A new contest, "Window on Russia", ended in late January.
It summed up the results of last year concerning the following nominations:
"Philharmonic Society of the Year", "Arts Institute of the
Year", "Theater of the Year", "Museum of the Year",
"Library of the Year". The name of the contest reflects its essence
and aims. A member of the contest's panel of judges, well-known critic
Svyatoslav Belza, explains: "Czar Peter the Great cut a window on
Europe. Now it's time to cut a window on Russia. It's paradoxical that
nowadays many Muscovites visit Paris, New York and London more often than
provinces in their own country.
In the meantime Russian provincial cities have theaters and museums
that can rival their counterparts in the capital. The contest "Window
on Russia" can become a serious incentive for raising the prestige
of culture in Russian provinces". The panel of judges also included
well-known cultural workers: the head of the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum Irina
Antonova, pianist Nikolay Petrov, singer Muslim Magomayev, actress Vera
Vasilieva.
The title of "Philharmonic Society of the Year" was won by
the Conservatory of the city of Kazan in Tatarstan and by the philharmonic
society of the city of Yekaterinburg in the Ural Industrial Area. The drama
theater in the city of Krasnodar in the south of Russia won the title of
"Theater of the Year". The nomination of "Museum of the
Year" was won by the Arts Museum in the old city of Yaroslavl on the
River Volga. The winner of "Library of the Year" is located in
the city of Murmansk in Russia's north.
