Last night (20th Jan.)it snowed on Moscow. It is still snowing as I write.
Now the city looks as it should in the middle of January.
Straight away teams of snow clearers and clearing machines were busy everywhere. At bus-stops and other strategic points the snow is actually loaded onto lorries and taken away. Scraping it to the side of the road is just not enough.
The driving style does not alter. It is still crazy. The 4x4 owners are in their element!
I put on my thermal long-johns, trucker boots and wooly hat etc. and went out for a walk. Olga says I look like a proper Russian and I think she is correct: I was stopped three times and spoken to. I guess it was to ask directions but I have no way of knowing!
I walked to a major road heading North out of the city, Prospect Mira. It was carved through the old suburbs by Stalin and is bordered by the very distinctive Stalinist style of buildings. It takes one to an extraordinary monument situated outside of an extraordinary park. The monument is to the Russian cosmonauts and is a pleasing sweep of concrete heading up to the sky with a rocket at its pinnacle. (I would post a picture but the Blogger system will not allow me to). The park is the D V N X, usually called 'davenkha', and it is a celebration of Soviet culture, commerce and economic achievement. The old exhibition halls are now a celebration of capitalist enterprise. I hope the old tyrant is feeling sick, spinning in his grave.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Factoid: 'Prospect Mira' means 'View of the World'
Showing posts with label Moscow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moscow. Show all posts
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Friday, 18 January 2008
More on Moscow traffic
Once I get here it takes me a while to get used to the idea of driving. Eventually I climb into the drivers seat and then wonder why it took me so long.
Once you are accustomed to the peculiarities of the Moscow driver, and the 'wrong side of the road', then it is fairly straight forward. Some of the road signs are subtely different; for instance there is no negative indication of turns and when you come to a junction you are directed where you CAN go but not told where you CANNOT go. So when I look for 'no left turn', 'no entry' or 'no U turn' it just ain't there.
On Wednesday I took Olga to run some errands for her parents. When we set out I knew we would be returning in a) darkness and b) rush hour. The darkness is not too much of a problem as the streets are all well lit but the rush hour is terrifying. Most of the problems that occur are down to driver indiscipline: ignoring red lights, ignoring lanes, ignoring speed limits and monumental levels of impatience. If you leave a reasonable distance between your car and the one in front someone will fill it - and they can come at the gap from all and any direction. If another driver thinks you are not quick enough to get out of their way or too slow to take an opportunity then you will get a blast on the horn. Cars move off from lights at the change of the opposing light to red and not at the change of their own light to green. I like anticipation in a driver: it makes for better driving but this is an anticipation too far as it leaves no margin for error.
The major junction outside of the Belorus station is chaos. We had to come through it. Congestion was so bad that the crossing point was never free of traffic, so we had cars blocking our way through and it was just a matter of inching forward and squeezing in when a chance came. On top of this some cars were trying to cross three lanes at the junction because they 'forgot'(!) to get into the correct lane before the junction. 'Why don't they make a box junction?' I hear you say. Well, there would be no point as they would just ignore it. The powers that be also chose to place bus-stops on our exit road from this junction and so three lanes were trying to squeeze into one.
You do not have to commit an offence to be stopped by traffic police. They stand at most major junctions and other random places stopping whatever they fancy as it passes. I have dreaded this happening to me. Today it did! Fortunately we had a pleasant, very smart young man who looked at my European licence and dismissed us instantly. What a relief. Olga's first reaction was, 'I hope we have got enough money on us'. (For the spot fine).
I am getting cynical. I have stopped exclaiming my surprise and annoyance at this bad driving. There is no point.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Once you are accustomed to the peculiarities of the Moscow driver, and the 'wrong side of the road', then it is fairly straight forward. Some of the road signs are subtely different; for instance there is no negative indication of turns and when you come to a junction you are directed where you CAN go but not told where you CANNOT go. So when I look for 'no left turn', 'no entry' or 'no U turn' it just ain't there.
On Wednesday I took Olga to run some errands for her parents. When we set out I knew we would be returning in a) darkness and b) rush hour. The darkness is not too much of a problem as the streets are all well lit but the rush hour is terrifying. Most of the problems that occur are down to driver indiscipline: ignoring red lights, ignoring lanes, ignoring speed limits and monumental levels of impatience. If you leave a reasonable distance between your car and the one in front someone will fill it - and they can come at the gap from all and any direction. If another driver thinks you are not quick enough to get out of their way or too slow to take an opportunity then you will get a blast on the horn. Cars move off from lights at the change of the opposing light to red and not at the change of their own light to green. I like anticipation in a driver: it makes for better driving but this is an anticipation too far as it leaves no margin for error.
The major junction outside of the Belorus station is chaos. We had to come through it. Congestion was so bad that the crossing point was never free of traffic, so we had cars blocking our way through and it was just a matter of inching forward and squeezing in when a chance came. On top of this some cars were trying to cross three lanes at the junction because they 'forgot'(!) to get into the correct lane before the junction. 'Why don't they make a box junction?' I hear you say. Well, there would be no point as they would just ignore it. The powers that be also chose to place bus-stops on our exit road from this junction and so three lanes were trying to squeeze into one.
You do not have to commit an offence to be stopped by traffic police. They stand at most major junctions and other random places stopping whatever they fancy as it passes. I have dreaded this happening to me. Today it did! Fortunately we had a pleasant, very smart young man who looked at my European licence and dismissed us instantly. What a relief. Olga's first reaction was, 'I hope we have got enough money on us'. (For the spot fine).
I am getting cynical. I have stopped exclaiming my surprise and annoyance at this bad driving. There is no point.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Thursday, 17 January 2008
Fauna and Avia
There are no wolves or bears in and around Moscow. Not even in the great forested North East section of the city. This is a bit disappointing.
There are plenty of feral dogs running around the city. They run around the streets and the parks in packs and I have never seen happier dogs. They are very different from the neurotic creaturers that think they are a member of a human family; totally confused when they can't cope. They trot about in happy gangs doing what dogs do naturally and their tails are constantly wagging.
There are plenty of pet dogs; of the neurotic variety. Some are very large and they live in very small 10th floor apartments. They can be seen in the courtyard beneath our window being taken for their toileting by women in long, heavy fur coats and round fur hats.
Dog shit is everywhere. In a normal, freezing, winter it stays around - frozen, like pizza or TV dinners. It builds up over the winter months; never being washed away or decomposing, and by the time the thaw comes it is thick on the streets and decorated by the bright little kopek coins that were dropped by their owners whilst out with them. Come to Moscow in Winter by all means, but get out before the thaw!
In the courtyard can be seen the regular city birds: pigeons, sparrows and crows. The crows are what are known in the UK as 'hooded' crows. These have grey bodies and black wings and can only be found in N W Scotland back home. There are Jackdaws and Rooks amongst them occasionally.
The local residents put food out for the birds and sometimes they hang feeders on their balconies. These feeders attract Great tits and Coal tits but I have never seen Blue tits.
All three of these can be found in the local parks but the Blue tits stay away from the apartment blocks. The Blue tits are much bluer than the UK variety.
Most types of British woodland bird can be found out in the forests in Summer. Plus there are Orioles, Hoopoes and, of course, the Nightingales. The Chaffinches and Blackbirds sing a regional variation of the song we hear in Britain which I had trouble identifying when I heard them at first.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Factoid: The double headed eagle on the Russian national emblem looks East and West and represents Russia's place between the two hemispheres.
There are plenty of feral dogs running around the city. They run around the streets and the parks in packs and I have never seen happier dogs. They are very different from the neurotic creaturers that think they are a member of a human family; totally confused when they can't cope. They trot about in happy gangs doing what dogs do naturally and their tails are constantly wagging.
There are plenty of pet dogs; of the neurotic variety. Some are very large and they live in very small 10th floor apartments. They can be seen in the courtyard beneath our window being taken for their toileting by women in long, heavy fur coats and round fur hats.
Dog shit is everywhere. In a normal, freezing, winter it stays around - frozen, like pizza or TV dinners. It builds up over the winter months; never being washed away or decomposing, and by the time the thaw comes it is thick on the streets and decorated by the bright little kopek coins that were dropped by their owners whilst out with them. Come to Moscow in Winter by all means, but get out before the thaw!
In the courtyard can be seen the regular city birds: pigeons, sparrows and crows. The crows are what are known in the UK as 'hooded' crows. These have grey bodies and black wings and can only be found in N W Scotland back home. There are Jackdaws and Rooks amongst them occasionally.
The local residents put food out for the birds and sometimes they hang feeders on their balconies. These feeders attract Great tits and Coal tits but I have never seen Blue tits.
All three of these can be found in the local parks but the Blue tits stay away from the apartment blocks. The Blue tits are much bluer than the UK variety.
Most types of British woodland bird can be found out in the forests in Summer. Plus there are Orioles, Hoopoes and, of course, the Nightingales. The Chaffinches and Blackbirds sing a regional variation of the song we hear in Britain which I had trouble identifying when I heard them at first.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Factoid: The double headed eagle on the Russian national emblem looks East and West and represents Russia's place between the two hemispheres.
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Russian National Hobby
Are you curious?
Well - the Russian National Hobby is 'Ill Health'!
The first suspicion I had was on my first visit to Moscow. There are pharmacies on every street corner, in every supermarket and all available spaces in between. A bit like pubs in England.
If you ask a Russian how they are you will get a full, detailed and comprehensive answer!
Many drugs are uncontrolled. You can go and buy any anti-biotic for instance in the local pharmacy. There is little consideration of which anti-biotic is suitable for which type of infection. The decision is based on non-professional advice and hearsay.
'Ill Health' is a favourite topic of conversation. Olga will chat to her friends for hours on the telephone about various conditions that I might suffer from e.g. a skin rash, a stomach complaint, and the advice will come tumbling in. There is apparently no need to interview, nor examine the patient. Of course the advice you recieve will be different depending on which particular friend was consulted :-)
The amount of common knowledge on health issues is considerable.
There is little faith amongst Russians in the body's ability to heal itself. A medicine is a must and to tolerate a condition patiently, whilst the body does its work, is considered ridiculous. Why suffer when you can take drugs? There is no understanding that the drugs (uncontrolled) might be doing more permanent harm and that the body will be less well prepared when the next outbreak happens. Nature's ability to do the healing is not trusted.
I am not sure of the reasons for this obsession. It could pehaps be the inhospitable climate, the polluted atmosphere of the city, the 24 hour lifestyle or another, particular phenomenon, which I have not heard referred to in the same context: atmospheric conditions and related fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field...
Olga and her family are convinced that these natural phenomena are responsible for changes in health. I cannot speak for other Muscovites. It usually is identified by default -
"I feel a bit 'off colour' today"
"Must be the change in air pressure/magnetic field."
End of discussion.
I will concede that that these phenomena tend to be more dramatically intense in the centre of a large land mass.
The Moscow (Russian) public health system is generally good. You can see a doctor without too much trouble or waiting time. There is one major organisational system that the NHS could learn from: the local surgeries have a selection of specialists on site (ear/nose/throat/, neurologist, gynaecologist etc.) and these can be seen without long winded referrals. In fact, if you know what the problem is, you can more or less go straight to the specialist.
I feel a little unwell. Must have sat on a magnet at some point today.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Factoid:Russians do not steal sink plugs - they have the very healthy habit of always washing under running water and have no need of them.
Well - the Russian National Hobby is 'Ill Health'!
The first suspicion I had was on my first visit to Moscow. There are pharmacies on every street corner, in every supermarket and all available spaces in between. A bit like pubs in England.
If you ask a Russian how they are you will get a full, detailed and comprehensive answer!
Many drugs are uncontrolled. You can go and buy any anti-biotic for instance in the local pharmacy. There is little consideration of which anti-biotic is suitable for which type of infection. The decision is based on non-professional advice and hearsay.
'Ill Health' is a favourite topic of conversation. Olga will chat to her friends for hours on the telephone about various conditions that I might suffer from e.g. a skin rash, a stomach complaint, and the advice will come tumbling in. There is apparently no need to interview, nor examine the patient. Of course the advice you recieve will be different depending on which particular friend was consulted :-)
The amount of common knowledge on health issues is considerable.
There is little faith amongst Russians in the body's ability to heal itself. A medicine is a must and to tolerate a condition patiently, whilst the body does its work, is considered ridiculous. Why suffer when you can take drugs? There is no understanding that the drugs (uncontrolled) might be doing more permanent harm and that the body will be less well prepared when the next outbreak happens. Nature's ability to do the healing is not trusted.
I am not sure of the reasons for this obsession. It could pehaps be the inhospitable climate, the polluted atmosphere of the city, the 24 hour lifestyle or another, particular phenomenon, which I have not heard referred to in the same context: atmospheric conditions and related fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field...
Olga and her family are convinced that these natural phenomena are responsible for changes in health. I cannot speak for other Muscovites. It usually is identified by default -
"I feel a bit 'off colour' today"
"Must be the change in air pressure/magnetic field."
End of discussion.
I will concede that that these phenomena tend to be more dramatically intense in the centre of a large land mass.
The Moscow (Russian) public health system is generally good. You can see a doctor without too much trouble or waiting time. There is one major organisational system that the NHS could learn from: the local surgeries have a selection of specialists on site (ear/nose/throat/, neurologist, gynaecologist etc.) and these can be seen without long winded referrals. In fact, if you know what the problem is, you can more or less go straight to the specialist.
I feel a little unwell. Must have sat on a magnet at some point today.
Do svedanya,
Graham
Factoid:Russians do not steal sink plugs - they have the very healthy habit of always washing under running water and have no need of them.
Monday, 14 January 2008
Who's afraid of the big bad bear?
Russia still holds a secure place in Western paranoia and prejudice.
Some of Olga's ex-pat relatives in Canada speak fearfully of returning to their home country; quoting street shootings, bombings by Chechyans and control of Moscow by thugs and criminals. This paranoia is fed by the N American media. US citizens suffer generally from paranoia. It accounts for their foreign policy -"They're all out to get us, so let's get them first".
When Vladimir Putin declared his annoyance and intended intolerance of having vast ranges of US missiles placed in neighbouring countries he was immediately cast as the bad guy by the Western press. You don't have to stand back very far to see that he might have a point!
Five years ago (when things were supposed to be considerably more insecure)I found myself cut adrift in the centre of Moscow (Pushkinploshad!)late in the evening. I did not speak the language and I was on my own. I felt as safe as I have in any town or city anywhere on the planet. It was certainly a lot, lot safer than the centre of Huddersfield on a Friday night at 'chucking out time'. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. There was no boisterous or unruly behaviour and the pavement cafe's were full of happy people. I caught their mood and loved it.
Moscow is not a war zone. So you can safely assume that it is mainly full of ordinary people going about their ordinary business, with no interest in attacking foreigners etc. There is a custom of flagging down passing motorists and requesting a lift (for a small fee). In the UK this would be considered a high risk move because our press persuades us that the streets are swarming with rapists, muggers, child molesters and murderers. In Moscow it hardly gets a second thought.
Before the revolution Russia was part of a greater Eurpopean cultural movement. After the revolution we even let it continue to take part in our wars! It belongs with us historically and should be treated as part of our culture again.
It is a very cuddly bear if you are nice to it.
Do svedanya
Graham
Factoid: Moscow has 6 mosques
Some of Olga's ex-pat relatives in Canada speak fearfully of returning to their home country; quoting street shootings, bombings by Chechyans and control of Moscow by thugs and criminals. This paranoia is fed by the N American media. US citizens suffer generally from paranoia. It accounts for their foreign policy -"They're all out to get us, so let's get them first".
When Vladimir Putin declared his annoyance and intended intolerance of having vast ranges of US missiles placed in neighbouring countries he was immediately cast as the bad guy by the Western press. You don't have to stand back very far to see that he might have a point!
Five years ago (when things were supposed to be considerably more insecure)I found myself cut adrift in the centre of Moscow (Pushkinploshad!)late in the evening. I did not speak the language and I was on my own. I felt as safe as I have in any town or city anywhere on the planet. It was certainly a lot, lot safer than the centre of Huddersfield on a Friday night at 'chucking out time'. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. There was no boisterous or unruly behaviour and the pavement cafe's were full of happy people. I caught their mood and loved it.
Moscow is not a war zone. So you can safely assume that it is mainly full of ordinary people going about their ordinary business, with no interest in attacking foreigners etc. There is a custom of flagging down passing motorists and requesting a lift (for a small fee). In the UK this would be considered a high risk move because our press persuades us that the streets are swarming with rapists, muggers, child molesters and murderers. In Moscow it hardly gets a second thought.
Before the revolution Russia was part of a greater Eurpopean cultural movement. After the revolution we even let it continue to take part in our wars! It belongs with us historically and should be treated as part of our culture again.
It is a very cuddly bear if you are nice to it.
Do svedanya
Graham
Factoid: Moscow has 6 mosques
Sunday, 13 January 2008
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Pushkin is Russia’s Shakespeare.
He holds the unassailable position of the father of Russian literature, raising it to a new height in the early 19th century, and all Russian authors since his time acknowledge his influence and supremacy.
His work is not well known in the West, other than through certain musical interpretations*. The reason for this is that he brought a new subtlety of expression to the Russian language which is very difficult to translate. I have read translations, enjoyed them immensely, and fretted that in not knowing the Russian language I am missing so much of his genius. I particularly enjoyed his humour.
He was born in Moscow (to the pride of this city’s intellectual community) but spent much of his life in what was then the capital: St Petersburg. He was of aristocratic parentage and, interestingly, his great-grandfather was a page in the court of Peter the Great and had been brought to St P. from Cameroon. The African blood can be seen in his dark skin and curly hair. As a radical political thinker he upset the authorities frequently and was sometimes ‘exiled’ from the capital. His greatest work, the play ’Boris Godunov’, was disapproved of by the state and was not produced in its original, uncensored form until 2007!!! We thought the Soviet Communists were repressive but their historical predecessors were just as bad, if not worse.
His memory is celebrated in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow and in Pushkinploshad (square), the second best known square in Moscow after Red Square. There you will find his statue, clean and unspoiled and always honoured with a few bouquets at his feet, left by the adoring Moscow public.
He was killed in 1837, most romantically, in a duel fought over the honour of his wife. He was 37. Just like Mozart, the world lost one of its greatest geniuses before he had hardly started.
Do svedanya,
Graham
ps I had a picture ready to insert but the Blogger won't let me!
*Musical works based on Pushkin:
Ruslan and Ludmilla – Glinka
Queen of Spades, Eugene Onegin – Tchaikovsky
Mozart and Salieri – Rimsky Korsakov (and the play ‘Amadeus’ by Peter Shaffer)
He holds the unassailable position of the father of Russian literature, raising it to a new height in the early 19th century, and all Russian authors since his time acknowledge his influence and supremacy.
His work is not well known in the West, other than through certain musical interpretations*. The reason for this is that he brought a new subtlety of expression to the Russian language which is very difficult to translate. I have read translations, enjoyed them immensely, and fretted that in not knowing the Russian language I am missing so much of his genius. I particularly enjoyed his humour.
He was born in Moscow (to the pride of this city’s intellectual community) but spent much of his life in what was then the capital: St Petersburg. He was of aristocratic parentage and, interestingly, his great-grandfather was a page in the court of Peter the Great and had been brought to St P. from Cameroon. The African blood can be seen in his dark skin and curly hair. As a radical political thinker he upset the authorities frequently and was sometimes ‘exiled’ from the capital. His greatest work, the play ’Boris Godunov’, was disapproved of by the state and was not produced in its original, uncensored form until 2007!!! We thought the Soviet Communists were repressive but their historical predecessors were just as bad, if not worse.
His memory is celebrated in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow and in Pushkinploshad (square), the second best known square in Moscow after Red Square. There you will find his statue, clean and unspoiled and always honoured with a few bouquets at his feet, left by the adoring Moscow public.
He was killed in 1837, most romantically, in a duel fought over the honour of his wife. He was 37. Just like Mozart, the world lost one of its greatest geniuses before he had hardly started.
Do svedanya,
Graham
ps I had a picture ready to insert but the Blogger won't let me!
*Musical works based on Pushkin:
Ruslan and Ludmilla – Glinka
Queen of Spades, Eugene Onegin – Tchaikovsky
Mozart and Salieri – Rimsky Korsakov (and the play ‘Amadeus’ by Peter Shaffer)
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
The dacha
The dacha is a country residence.
Whilst the idea of a second home in the country is not unique to Russia the concept of the dacha is.
Only the very poorest of Moscow families do not have a dacha of some sort. If you fly into Moscow during daylight hours you will see patches of development; hundreds of little 'housing estates' in the forests around the city. This where most dachas are.
We used to have a dacha but because we spent so much time in the UK it was neglected and hardly used so it was sold. We spent some happy days there so I have the privelege of being able to tell about dacha life from direct experience.
The Communist government alloted plots of land (a commodity of which there is a great deal in Russia!) on which, for a nominal fee, Moscow residents could build a retreat from the city. The plots were 600 Msq and arranged in chequerboard communities cut into the forest. Access roads, potable water and electricity was delivered and the owners were free to build whatever they could afford, free of planning restrictions. The result is a range of sizes and shapes and varying quality of construction from small wooden huts to grand brick villas.
Ours was brick built with wooden extensions. It was spacious but primitive in it's accommodation. There was a wide enclosed veranda with toilet and shower room off, a large kitchen, a similar sized living area with two small bedrooms off. Upstairs was one big space, as yet undeveloped but with room for two more large bedrooms.
Non-drinking water was pumped from a well in the garden but it was always contaminated with fine sand and a previous attempt to make a plumbed bathing/toilet system just got clogged up. Waste went into a deep cess pit.
There was a brick chimney stack that climbed through the centre of the house with a wood burning stove in the living area. There were mature pine and birches in the garden as well as some apple, plum and currant bushes. Across the lane was the endless forest (although further development had started to erode this outlook.)
Our dacha community was about 200 km from Moscow and was on the site of some old peat diggings. This meant there was a lot of standing water surrounding us and standing water means MOSQUITOES :-( We were plagued with the little blighters but proper precautions made life bearable.
My most enduring memory was arriving there late one day in May and as we settled in to the evening we were treated to the song of a nightingale. I was enthralled. It started as an intermitent trill and occasional resonant piping and gradually developed into a full-throated glorious feast of varing scales, trills and sweet melodies. How poetic and romantic you think. Think again! You cannot switch a nightingale off! That bloody bird sat in the bushes close to our window and let rip at full volume all through the small hours of the night. I could have strangled it! Just as I started to drift off to sleep it would explode into song. It is now a nostalgic memory and I am now glad I experienced it.
Four years ago we went with friends to their dacha in the far North close to the Volga. This was not in a square community but in a straggling old village with straggling old Russian villagers still living there all year round. It was pointed out to me that one of these old wooden village houses could be bought for 500 pounds. I was not tempted!
We were treated to the song of the nightingale again but on this occasion nothing woke me - I was out of it on vodka :-)
Do svedanya,
Graham
Whilst the idea of a second home in the country is not unique to Russia the concept of the dacha is.
Only the very poorest of Moscow families do not have a dacha of some sort. If you fly into Moscow during daylight hours you will see patches of development; hundreds of little 'housing estates' in the forests around the city. This where most dachas are.
We used to have a dacha but because we spent so much time in the UK it was neglected and hardly used so it was sold. We spent some happy days there so I have the privelege of being able to tell about dacha life from direct experience.
The Communist government alloted plots of land (a commodity of which there is a great deal in Russia!) on which, for a nominal fee, Moscow residents could build a retreat from the city. The plots were 600 Msq and arranged in chequerboard communities cut into the forest. Access roads, potable water and electricity was delivered and the owners were free to build whatever they could afford, free of planning restrictions. The result is a range of sizes and shapes and varying quality of construction from small wooden huts to grand brick villas.
Ours was brick built with wooden extensions. It was spacious but primitive in it's accommodation. There was a wide enclosed veranda with toilet and shower room off, a large kitchen, a similar sized living area with two small bedrooms off. Upstairs was one big space, as yet undeveloped but with room for two more large bedrooms.
Non-drinking water was pumped from a well in the garden but it was always contaminated with fine sand and a previous attempt to make a plumbed bathing/toilet system just got clogged up. Waste went into a deep cess pit.
There was a brick chimney stack that climbed through the centre of the house with a wood burning stove in the living area. There were mature pine and birches in the garden as well as some apple, plum and currant bushes. Across the lane was the endless forest (although further development had started to erode this outlook.)
Our dacha community was about 200 km from Moscow and was on the site of some old peat diggings. This meant there was a lot of standing water surrounding us and standing water means MOSQUITOES :-( We were plagued with the little blighters but proper precautions made life bearable.
My most enduring memory was arriving there late one day in May and as we settled in to the evening we were treated to the song of a nightingale. I was enthralled. It started as an intermitent trill and occasional resonant piping and gradually developed into a full-throated glorious feast of varing scales, trills and sweet melodies. How poetic and romantic you think. Think again! You cannot switch a nightingale off! That bloody bird sat in the bushes close to our window and let rip at full volume all through the small hours of the night. I could have strangled it! Just as I started to drift off to sleep it would explode into song. It is now a nostalgic memory and I am now glad I experienced it.
Four years ago we went with friends to their dacha in the far North close to the Volga. This was not in a square community but in a straggling old village with straggling old Russian villagers still living there all year round. It was pointed out to me that one of these old wooden village houses could be bought for 500 pounds. I was not tempted!
We were treated to the song of the nightingale again but on this occasion nothing woke me - I was out of it on vodka :-)
Do svedanya,
Graham
Thursday, 3 January 2008
Music
There is a distinct difference in the way in which 'classical' music is treated in Russia from how we treat it in the West.
Russian artistes are highly revered and well known amongst certain circles (outside of 'popular' culture) so when a concert-goer looks for entertainment they look for the artiste first and the composer second. This is reflected in recorded music in that CD sleeve notes often tell a lot about the performers and very little, or nothing about the composer and the musicology.
Moscow is like any other capital city in that there is always something to go and see or liten to - every day of the year.
My one and only visit to the Bolshoi (the 'Big' theatre)was disappointing. It was a performance of Verdi's Nabucco. The opera was fine but the audience was appalling! They were tourists - only there because a visit to the Bolshoi was 'a must', and they had no idea how to behave: cameras flashing, phones ringing and the French woman next to me started singing along to the chorus of the Hebrew slaves. It was more akin to music hall.
Russian audiences are very well behaved; in fact I think they take a collective pride in knowing how to behave.
I have fond memories of a performance of Don Giovanni which took place in a small theatre close to Red Square: the singing was extraordinary, the production original and exciting whilst the audience was reverential and highly appreciative. This is a normal experience in Moscow concert halls and theatres.
It is -17C out there today. Olga and I are waiting for it to warm up to around -10C before we venture out!
Do Svedanya,
Graham
Factoid: Red Square has always been called that and has nothing to do with Communism.
Russian artistes are highly revered and well known amongst certain circles (outside of 'popular' culture) so when a concert-goer looks for entertainment they look for the artiste first and the composer second. This is reflected in recorded music in that CD sleeve notes often tell a lot about the performers and very little, or nothing about the composer and the musicology.
Moscow is like any other capital city in that there is always something to go and see or liten to - every day of the year.
My one and only visit to the Bolshoi (the 'Big' theatre)was disappointing. It was a performance of Verdi's Nabucco. The opera was fine but the audience was appalling! They were tourists - only there because a visit to the Bolshoi was 'a must', and they had no idea how to behave: cameras flashing, phones ringing and the French woman next to me started singing along to the chorus of the Hebrew slaves. It was more akin to music hall.
Russian audiences are very well behaved; in fact I think they take a collective pride in knowing how to behave.
I have fond memories of a performance of Don Giovanni which took place in a small theatre close to Red Square: the singing was extraordinary, the production original and exciting whilst the audience was reverential and highly appreciative. This is a normal experience in Moscow concert halls and theatres.
It is -17C out there today. Olga and I are waiting for it to warm up to around -10C before we venture out!
Do Svedanya,
Graham
Factoid: Red Square has always been called that and has nothing to do with Communism.
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