This weekend’s New York Times magazine had an interesting and extensive portrait of the Russian/Ossetian conductor and artistic director of the Mariinskii Teatr Valerii Gergiev. He is – in my opinion – one of the top conductors of Western Art music today and definitively one of the most important musicians promoting Russian art music (that…Continue reading NYTimes portrait: “The Loyalist – Valery Gergiev”
Tag: Russia / Россия
Galkin’s Eurovision Song Contest 2007 parody
Thinking about Alla Pugacheva’s departure from music (at least that is what she announced) it struck me that a large part of Russian estrada consist of Soviet era musicians who all are getting old (e.g. Sofiia Rotaru, Oleg Gazmanov, Valerii Leont’ev, Boris Moiseev). On the other side, a young crop of singers have emerged –…Continue reading Galkin’s Eurovision Song Contest 2007 parody
Russia Profile: “Of Lyrics, Nationalism, and Gay Pride” (Eurovision in Moscow)
Russia Profile’s “Of Lyrics, Nationalism, and Gay Pride” gives a good summary of the recent Eurovision 2009 events in Russia discussing Stephane and 3G, Prikhod’ko and the planned gay pride parade (which Luzhkov, Moscow’s mayor is against) to be staged during the Eurovision contest. For more reading on Prikhod’ko check out Kalle Kniivilä’s Domstol förbjöd…Continue reading Russia Profile: “Of Lyrics, Nationalism, and Gay Pride” (Eurovision in Moscow)
PTVP & Bozhe, khrani Putina eh, Tsaria…
While chopping away some parts of my dissertation I stumbled upon a short paragraph on the Vyborg/St. Petersburg based punk band Posledniye Tanki v Parizhe (Last Tanks in Paris, a.k.a. PTVP). The group was one of the few locally successful (in terms of playing for an audience of 200-400 listeners) St. Petersburg bands who during…Continue reading PTVP & Bozhe, khrani Putina eh, Tsaria…
Marshrutka and trust
While thinking about stereotypes of Russians it struck me that the Marshrutka provides a good example of trust in Russia. If you are sitting in the back you normally give the money to the passenger in front of you and s/he passes it on until the money reaches the driver. In other words the trust…Continue reading Marshrutka and trust
Why drink Danish beer in Russia?
Somehow I seem followed by Danish beer here in Russia. Yesterday, when I opened the fridge at the Norwegian University Center, a can of Tuborg smiled back at me. And on the Marshrutka going home two men were drinking beer – one had a bottle of Carlsberg and the other a bottle of Tuborg. But…Continue reading Why drink Danish beer in Russia?
Nazi extermination in Russia
A new Russian site focuses on the Nazi extermination of Jews living within the borders of Russia during World War 2. Unlike countries using concentrations camps the form of extermination here was through executions on the spot which made the process easier to “overlook” (plus it was not really included in the collective Soviet memory).…Continue reading Nazi extermination in Russia