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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016 INTERNATIONAL A look at Russian ensemble wiped out by crash MOSCOW: The Russian military choir “It’s difficult to grasp the scale of that to remain at home to help. The couple that lost most of its singers in a plane tragedy,” Moscow city’s culture depart- has three small children. “I feel as if I crash Sunday is often described as the ment head Alexander Kibovsky said in were hit over the head,” he said. “I still Kremlin’s “singing weapon.” The televised remarks. “They were raising can’t believe it. They are telling me now I Alexandrov Ensemble, sometimes pride for our culture, our country, across was born with a silver spoon.” The referred to as the Red Army choir, was the entire world.” As word of the crash Interfax news agency said another mem- founded in the 1920s. It won global spread Sunday, people placed bouquets ber of the choir was denied access to fame with its patriotic repertoire during of flowers outside the ensemble’s board at the last minute because his for- Soviet times, but in recent years has Moscow headquarters. eign passport has expired. sought to cater to modern audiences. “We all loved this ensemble,” said The choir was founded in 1928 by Many of its performances have gone Moscow resident Mark Novikov. “We val- composer and conductor Alexander viral, including a rousing rendition of ued it. They are our brothers, our friends, Alexandrov, and after his death in 1946 Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” by singers in full our colleagues.” The 186-member was led by his son, Boris Alexandrov. military dress at the opening of the 2014 ensemble includes a band and a dancing Alexandrov, who headed the choir for Winter Olympics in Sochi. troupe along with the choir that had more than 40 years, made it famous Sixty-four members of the ensemble, about 70 singers. Viktor Yeliseyev, head worldwide. Pavel Kogan, the director of including director Valery Khalilov, were of the rival choir of the Russian National Moscow State Academic Symphonic heading from Sochi to Russia’s air base in Guard, said most of the Alexandrov Orchestra, described the choir as “a sym- Syria to perform a New Year’s concert for Ensemble’s singers were on the plane. bol of the country.” “It was impossible to troops when their plane crashed into the Among the few who stayed back was imagine what happened, even in a MOSCOW: A woman places a photo of a victim as flowers are laid in tribute in Black Sea on Sunday. All 92 people on soloist Vadim Ananyev, whose wife just nightmare,” he said, according to Snob front of the home stage building of the Alexandrov Ensemble (The Red Army board are presumed dead. delivered a baby and pleaded with him online publication. — AP Choir), in Moscow yesterday.—AFP Scholars fret about fate of ‘holy grail’ German abbey books ALTOMUENSTER, Germany: It was filthy, apart,” said Corine Schlief, an art historian at cramped and in major disarray, but when Arizona State University who visited the art historian Eva Lindqvist Sandgren library with Sandgren. “If this should be entered the library in Altomuenster Abbey, taken apart and divided up between books off-limits to all but the German monastery’s that collectors would give tens or hun- nuns for more than five centuries, she dreds of thousands of dollars for and those immediately knew she was looking at a only of interest to scholars, it would lose a major treasure. lot of its value.” The dusty shelves held at least 500 Schlief, Sandgren and other academics books, by her estimate, including precious have written an open letter to the Vatican, illuminated manuscripts from the 16th cen- Sister Gabriele and the Munich dioceses tury, chants used by the uniquely women- urging that the library be kept together led Bridgettine Order and processionals and made available to the public and offer- bursting with colorful religious and orna- ing to catalog it. mental decoration in their margins. Sister Gabriele and the Munich dioce- Unlike most Bridgettine libraries, the ses insist there is no plan to sell the books, tomes had survived the Protestant and that their experts are perfectly quali- Reformation, the 30 Years War and fied to handle them. Munich-Freising Vicar Germany’s “secularization,” when the state General Msgr. Peter Beer dismissed specu- took most church property. It represents lation of any land-and-treasures grab by the most complete collection of the order the dioceses.“There’s a false impression known today. “I had entered a time cap- that we’re taking in riches and gems and sule,” said Lindqvist Sandgren, a senior lec- gold and everything imaginable - that’s turer at Sweden’s Uppsala University. nonsense,” he told the AP at his office in Surprised by the spontaneous decision Munich. “We are taking on costs more by Altomuenster’s last remaining nun, than anything.” Sister Apollonia Buchinger, to open the library, 20 scholars including Sandgren Historical significance made plans to return and meticulously His office also downplayed the library’s catalog the remarkable collection. But potential value or historical significance, before they could, the Vatican ordered the telling the AP it includes “a large number This file photo taken on July 16, 2016 shows a general view of the village of Buleusa. A militia from DR Congo’s Nande ethnic group has killed 13 abbey in the Bavarian town of 7,500 of antiphonaries from the 18th century, civilians including a child from the Hutu community in the restive North Kivu province, an official told AFP yesterday. —AFP closed and locked up the library, which most in very used and some in damaged also contains some 2,300 statues, paint- condition,” and that six antiphonaries - ings and other works of art. books containing religious chants - from If plans go ahead to close it down, all of the Middle Ages have “already been stud- Christmas massacres in the abbey’s property - the books, the art- ied by scholars.” works, the city block-sized abbey and the That’s made the group of scholars who acres of forests and fields that make up wrote the open letter and others even the monastery grounds - would be turned more suspicious. From the hundreds of DR Congo leave 35 dead over to the dioceses of Munich and photographs they took, they know there’s Freising. Altomuenster is the end of a sub- much more - including an illuminated man- way line from Munich, one of Germany’s uscript from the 1500s in Belgium, which most expensive cities, and its land alone is might be expected to fetch 100,000 euros Troops kill 10 soldiers from Burundi thought to be worth tens of millions of ($105,000) or more if sold to a private col- euros (dollars) - assets that Sister lector, said Schier. Volker Schier, another GOMA, DR Congo: Attacks in villages and fight- outsiders because of their attachment to the soured over President Joseph Kabila’s refusal to Apollonia thinks the dioceses are eager to expert from Arizona State University, noted ing between militias killed at least 35 people majority ethnic group in neighboring Rwanda. step down despite his term ending on get their hands on. that even financially insignificant books are over the Christmas weekend in North Kivu, a A string of attacks in the past year by both December 20. Since 1496, the former Benedictine historically important. Ledgers, cookbooks majority Christian area in eastern Democratic Hutu and Nande militia forces has deepened Separately, the Armed Forces of the DRC abbey in Altomuenster has housed a female and even antiphonaries help tell how the Republic of Congo. hatred between the communities. Hutu farmers (FARDC) announced yesterday that its troops religious order founded by Saint Bridget in nuns lived over the centuries. The bloodshed began in Eringeti-a town 55 have also been forced to abandon land further had killed 10 soldiers from neighboring Burundi Sweden in the 14th century. It is one of “Altomuenster is the holy grail,” he said. kilometres (35 miles) north of the regional hub south because of high property costs and under after they crossed the border last week in pur- three monasteries of the original branch of Beer bristled at the offer of help from the Beni, which for two years has been hit by mas- pressure from major landowners. suit of rebels. the scholarly, monastic order operating group of scholars. “You can be assured that sacres killing hundreds, many of whom were “There were 10 deaths,” Major Dieudonne today. But with its numbers in decline, Sister we do not need any help from the US to hacked to death. Relentless bloodshed Kajibwami, told AFP, following a previous Apollonia now lives there alone. The Vatican understand how to treat cultural assets of Rebels from The Allied Democratic Forces Although Congolese officials have blamed statement that five bodies had been taken to requires at least three nuns to train novices significance for Europe. We have a slightly (ADF) — dominated by puritanical Ugandan the attacks on the ADF, several expert reports Uvira, a lakeside town in the eastern South to become nuns, prompting the decision to longer history and slightly longer experi- Muslims-killed 22 people after storming Eringeti have suggested that other groups, including Kivu province. shut the abbey down. ence,” Beer said. The dioceses plan to digi- on Saturday, regional official Amisi Kalonda told elements within the Congolese army, took Kivu is rich in natural, mainly mineral The Franciscan nun the Vatican put in tize all books dating from before 1803 and AFP.