LLaimaaima Vaikule:Vaikule: TThehe TruthTruth aboutabout AnimalsAnimals andand HumansHumans WWhitehite NightsNights inin St.St. PetersburgPetersburg CCôtesôtes dduu RRhônehône WWineine LLegalegal AdviceAdvice advertising Contents 4 Calendar & Editor’s Choice What to do in in June 10 June in Russian History 12 Books, Music, and Film Storks’ Nest by Laura Williams, Laima Vaikule’s Greatest Hits, films to see in English in Moscow 16 Art History Lidia Masterkova’s oeuvre 18 Weekend Getaway White Nights in St. Petersburg

20 Day Out in Moscow The real Varykino: Boris Pasternak’s summer dacha 22 Feature Ray Nayler on the Ring Line (that’s the Brown Line to you and me) 24 Cover Story Pop diva and animal lover Laima Vaikule talks to Passport 28 Outside Moscow Dachas: Where have all the city-dwellers gone?

30 Outdoor Fun The sculpture garden at the Central House of Artists 32 Real Estate Red October Chocolate Factory 34 Travel On the way to Beijing: Buryatia 36 Outlook

38 Wine & Dine Drink: Cote du Rhone wines Eat: Else Cafe Listings

46 Columns Jonathon Curtis on being a young expat in Moscow Lipp Service: Linda on the horsey set Fred Flintstone: Why buy a Zhiguli? Daniel Klein’s Legal Line 52 Out & About 56 The Last Word American Center director Marisa Fushille Letter from the Publisher

e city’s fountains are gushing and the smell of oil-based paint from all the spring owers — ing over all those nice freshly painted fences and wrought iron, a sign that summer is getting into full gear. So put that coat in mothballs those socks. It’s time to go outside! In this issue Passport takes a breath of fresh air and enjoys the great outdoors: We review Storks’ Nest, a new book by Laura Williams about her experiences living on a wildlife preserve in (page 13). Read the history of that great Russian summertime institution, the dacha en meet Laima Vaikule (page gure in this part of the world since Soviet times, but when she’s not singing, Vaikule is active in animal welfare issues. Laima spoke to Passport about her recent trip to Archangelsk to protest the brutal treatment of harp seals by John Ortega fur hunters and about our responsibility to animals. Owner and Publisher Along the way, you can learn about the Moscow metro’s Ring Line (page 22) and take in dinner (restaurant review, page 42) and a movie (Vladimir Kozlov examines the recent in Buryatia (page 34) as he continues his journey to Beijing (where he will arrive in time for the Olympics), plus White Nights in St. Petersburg (page 18), the Red October Chocolate Factory (page 32), and Lenin’s teeth (page 51). So plant yourself under a shady tree, buy an ice cream from one of the vendors who have popped up along with the tulips, and turn the page!

Do you have a story you’d like to tell? Do you have a story you’d like to read? Passport wants to hear from you! Send comments, ideas, suggestions, requests to [email protected]

Passport is looking for an advertising manager. Great opportunity! Send resume and cover letter to [email protected]

Owner and Publisher Designer Accounting and Legal Services John Ortega, +7 (985) 7842834 Andrey Vodenikov Vista Foreign Business Support Trubnaya St. 25/1, Moscow +7 (495) 9337822 [email protected] [email protected] Editor Copy Editor Contributors Isabelle Hale Charles Borden, Maria Barleben, James Blake, Jonathon [email protected] Linda Lippner Photographers Curtis, Piers Gladstone, Ross Hunter, Daniel Klein, Linda Deputy Editor Lippner, Vladimir Kozlov, Claire Marsden, Neil McGowan, Alex Gorov, Alevtina Kashitsina, Anna Kulyagina Ian Mitchell, Ray Nayler, Olga Slobodkinavon Br mssen [email protected] Sergei Koshkin, Ruslan Sergeev, Alexei Zhukov, Alexander Zorin Arts Editor Alevtina Kashitsina Webmaster Alexey Timokhin [email protected] alexey@telemarkit.ru

Editorial Address: Published by OOO Passport Magazine. All rights reserved. 42 Volgogradsky Prospekt, Bldg. 23 This publication is registered by the Press Ministry No. 77 Office 013, 1st floor 18639. 08.10.04 109316 Moscow, Russia Tel. +7 (495) 6200888 Printed by Mozhaysky Poligrafichesky Kombinat 93 Mir Street, 143200 Mozhaysk, Russia Tel/ Fax: (495) 2212677 www.passportmagazine.ru

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GO DANCING Latino Non-Stop B2 Club MUSIC 20:00 Garou (Canada) ALEXANDER PUSHKIN’S (Also on June 9, 16, 23, 30) State Kremlin Palace, 19:00 BIRTHDAY DANCE FESTIVAL Th e Ten Tenors MUSIC BALLET STOMP Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Moscow Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, 19:00 23456Tchaikovsky’s Th e Nutcracker MDM Damascus by Traverse Th eatre Muz-Tv Awards (Also on June 6) Olimpiisky Sports Complex Moscow State Stanislavsky & 19:00 Meyerhold Th eater Center PJ Harvey (UK) Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Th rough June 8 19:00 19:00 MKhAT im. Gorkogo, 20:00 MUSIC Th eater, 19:00 EXPO (Also on June 5) (Also June 26, 27) www.britishcouncil.ru FESTIVAL Leningrad (Russian rock) Aquatec 2008 International Spotlight Singapore B1 Maximum MUSIC Crocus Expo FESTIVAL Poetics of Space 21:00 Piazzola Quintet Th rough June 6 Spotlight Singapore Khokhlovskaya Manufaktura Art FESTIVAL Tango Nuevo Open10:00 – 18:00 “Generation/s” Center Spotlight Singapore Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Center International House of Music Th rough June 22 Jam Session 19:00 Rorschach Test 19:00 DOM Cultural Center, 21:00 EXPO Word of Leon Tatyunjan’ EXPO FESTIVAL OPERA Arts in Design Proun Gallery Seafood Russia 2008, Crocus Expo Summer Open Air at Hermitage George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess David Gill Collection Th rough June 28 Th rough June 6 Spleen (Russian rock) International House of Music Heritage Gallery, Th rough June 30 Except Mondays Open 10:00 – 18:00 Hermitage Garden, 20:00 19:00, also on June 7

DANCE MUSIC Kostroma National Dance Show SPORTS Arkhangelskoye Mansion Cosmos Hotel Concert Hall Tennis Starts at 14:00 MUSIC 91011121319:30 Moscow Open Mayor’s Cup Th rough June 14 Four Brothers and Virtuosi of Th rough September 15 Luzhniki Stadium KIDS & PARENTS Moscow 10:00 “Dancing Fountains” Show International House of Music BALLET VVTs, Stone Flower Fountain 19:00 Shostakovich’s Th e Light Spring OPERETTA For schedule and tickets visit BALLET MUSIC Bolshoi Th eater, 19:00 Off enbach’s La Vie Parisienne www.vvtsproduction.ru Minkus’ La Bayadère Okean Elzy (Ukraine) EXPO Moscow Operetta Th eater BALLET Bolshoi Th eater B1 Maximum Jeans show 2008. 19:00 Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake 19:00 20:00 Expocenter, Open 10:00 – 18:00 Bolshoi Th eater, 19:00 Th rough June 11 FESTIVAL FESTIVAL FESTIVAL MUSIC OPERA Art Music @ International Open Art Music @ International Open Art Music @ International Open Concert honoring Rimsky-Korsakov’s Th e Tsar’s Bride Book Festival Book Festival Book Festival Irina Maslennikova’s 90th birthday Bolshoi Th eater Vaclav Koubek (Czech Republic) Sebastien Tellier (France) Gudrun Gut (Germany) Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Center 19:00 Central House of Artists Central House of Artists Central House of Artists 19:00 20:00 20:00 20:00

GO DANCING 16SPORTS 17 18 19Back to the Future: ‘70s and ‘80s Disco 20 Russia Premier League Football B2 Club Moscow v. Pyatigorsk 22:00 Luzhniki Stadium (Also on June 22, 27) BALLET 17:00 Prokofi ev’s Cinderella MUSIC MUSIC OPERA Stanislavsky & Nemirovich Jazz Piano EXPO Edelweiss Jazz Quintet Verdi’s La Traviata Danchenko Musical Th eater B2 Club Rosmould International B2 Club Stanislavsky & Nemirovich- 19:00 21:00 Crocus Expo 21:00 Danchenko Musical Th eater OPERA Open 10:00 – 18:00 19:00 Premiere Th rough June 19 MUSIC MUSIC Marriage and Other Horrors MUSIC MUSIC Serj Tankian (US) Summer Open Air at Hermitage A fantasy performance dedicated to (Australia) Neschastny Sluchai (from Russia) B1 Maximum Chaif (Russian rock) the Nikolai Gogol’s 200th birthday Olimpiisky Sports Complex Central House of Artists 20:00 Hermitage Garden Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Center 19:00 19:00 (Also on June 19) 20:00 19:00 (Also on June 2)

SPORTS 2008 Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship Le Meridien Moscow Country Club EXPO through June 27 23Shoe Show 24www.russianopen.ru 25 26 27MUSIC Manezh Renee Fleming Open 10:00 – 18:00 MUSIC International House of Music Th rough June 25 Dmitry Khvorostovsky (Russia) and 19:00 Angela Georgiu (Romania) MUSIC Tchaikovsky Conservatory Wolfgang Holzmair, baritone 19:00 MUSIC Featuring pianist Russell Ryan and MUSIC Tarkan (Turkey) the Rakhmaninoff Trio Crowded House (New Zealand) Olimpiisky Sports Complex Tchaikovsky Conservatory B1 Maximum 19:00 19:00 THEATER 20:00 OPERA Master and Margarita OPERA MUSIC MUSIC W.A. Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte (in Russian) Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin Sex Pistols (UK) Masterpieces of organ music Stanislavsky & Nemirovich- Th eater at Yugo-Zapadnaya Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Center Luzhniki Sports Complex International House of Music Danchenko Musical Th eater 3019:00 19:00 19:00 19:00 19:00 Saturday Sunday VENUES

B2 Club Khokhlovskaya Manufaktura Art Center FESTIVAL 8 Bolshaya Sadovaya MKhAT im. Gorkogo Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Moscow (495) 650-9909, M. Mayakovskaya 22 Tverskoy Bulvar, (495) 203-6222 “Presumption” by Th ird Angel Th eatre (UK) www.mxat-teatr.ru, M. Tverskaya, Meyerhold’s Th eater Center Tchaikovsky Concert Hall 19:00 BAZAAR 4/31 Triumfalnaya Ploschad Hermitage Garden Indian Women’s Association Summer Bazaar Festival of Irish Cinema (495) 232-5353, M. Mayakovskaya 3 Karetny Ryad, M. Pushkinskaya Indian71 Embassy 14: 45 I Went Down 11:00–17:00 17:15 In the Name B1 Maximum DOM Cultural Center of the Father 11 Ul. Ordzhonikidze 24 Bolshoi Ovchinnikovsky Pereulok, MUSIC 21:00 Th e Field (495) 648-6777, M. Leninsky Prospect Bldg. 4, (495) 953-7242 23:00 Intermission Nochniye Snaipery www.dom.com.ru, M. Novokuznetskaya 35 MM Cinema MKhAT im. Gorkogo Winzavod 19:00 (all in English) 1 4th-Syromyatnichesky Pereulok, Blg. 6 Indian Embassy MUSIC MUSIC (495) 917-4646, M. Kurskaya 6-8 Vorontsovskoye Pole, M. Kurskaya Macy Gray (from US) Joe Satriani (from US) B1 Maximum B1 Maximum, 20:00 www.winzavod.ru New Circus on Prospekt Vernadskogo 21:00 EXPO KIDS & PARENTS Bashkortostan Trip. Arkhangelskoye Mansion 7 Prospect Vernadskogo, 130 Minutes around the World NB Gallery www.usadba-jazz.ru (495) 930-0300, M. Universitet New Circus on Prospekt Vernadskogo Th rough June 28 (495) 248-3605, 248-5595 www.bolshoicircus.ru 16:00 Closed Mondays 8 Cosmos Hotel Concert Hall NB Gallery 150 Prospekt Mira, M. Prospekt Mira 6 Sivtsev Vrazhek, Bldg. 2, OPERA (495) 737-5298, M. Kropotkinskaya Puccini’s La Bohème Olimpiisky Sports Complex Stanislavsky & Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical 16 Olimpiisky Prospekt Bolshoi Th eater Th eater, 19:00 (495) 688-3777, 688-5322 www.bolshoi.ru www.olimpik.ru, M. Prospekt Mira M. Teatralnaya, Okhotny Ryad FESTIVAL 14 15 State Expocentr Art Music @ International Open Book Festival SPORTS 10 Lavrushensky Pereulok, Mark Stewart and Th e Mafi a (UK) Moscow Drag-Racing Cup 14 Krasnopresnenskaya Naberezhnaya, (495) 238-1378, 230-7788 (495) 255-3733. www.expocentr.ru Central House of Artists, 20:00 (Starts June 7) M. Tretyakovskaya, Novokuznetskaya MUSIC Maxidrom 2008 MUSIC Petrovsky Passage (Trade Center) Central House of Artists Olimpiisky Sports Complex, 18:00 Gala Concert of Bolshoi soloists 10 Ul. Petrovka, (495) 928-5012 10 Krymsky Val MUSIC Bolshoi Th eater M. Kuznetsky Most (495) 238-9634, M. Oktyabrskaya Nadezhda Kadysheva and Alexander Kostyuk 19:00 www.petrovpassage.ru www.cha.ru Golden Ring Th eater, 19:00 FESTIVAL Art Music @ International Open Book Festival Dom Naschokina Gallery Golden Ring Th eatre MUSIC Zemfi ra (Russian rock) 12 Vorotnikovsky Pereulok, 17a Timiryazevskaya Yolka (Russian rock-fusion) Leningrad (Russian rock) (495) 699-6023, www.domnaschokina.ru (495) 611-4800, M. Timiryazevskaya B2 Club Central House of Artists M. Mayakovskaya www.golden-ring.ru 23:00 20:00 Th e Kremlin Museums Tochka Club M. Okhotny Ryad, www.kreml.ru 6 Leninsky Prospect, Bldg. 7 Meyerhold’s Th eater Center (495) 737-7666, M. Oktyabrskaya 23 Novoslobodskaya, (495) 363-1048 www.clubtochka.ru www.meyerhold.theatre.ru M. Mendeleevskaya Manezh 1 Manezhnaya Ploschad 21INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S CLUB 22 Heritage Gallery (495) 689-1660 OF MOSCOW 20 Ul. Petrovka, Bldg. 1, (495) 625-0228 M. Okhotny Ryad Working Women’s Newcomers Coff ee www.heritage-gallery.ru 10:00, Pain Quotidien M. Tsvetnoy Bulvar Luzhniki Sports Complex Visit www.iwcmoscow.ru (495) 785-9717, www.luzhniki.ru for more information and RSVP MUSIC 35 MM Cinema Concert in memory of Victor Tsoi (Russian rock) 47 Ul. Petrovka, (495) 917-1883 OPERA B2 Club M. Krasniye Vorota Puccini’s Madama Butterfl y 20:00 Bolshoi Th eater Moscow State Stanislavsky & Nemirov- 19:00 OPERA ich-Danchenko Musical Th eater MUSIC W.A. Mozart’s Th e Elixir of Love 17 Bolshaya Dmitrovka Ul. Masha i Medvedi (Russian rock) Stanislavsky & Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical (495) 629-8388, M. Tverskaya B2 Club Th eater www.stanislavskymusic.ru 23:00 19:00 Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Center 25 Ul. Ostozhenka, Bldg. 1 (495) 637-7703, M. Park Kultury

MDM 28 Komsomolsky Prospekt, (495) 782-8822, M. Frunzenskaya MUSIC 28Chili (Russian rock) 29 B2 Club Crocus Expo Center 23:00 www.crocus-expo.ru

DANCE International House of Music KIDS & PARENTS Kostroma National Dance Show 52 Kosmadamianskaya Naberezhnaya, Dancing Fountains Show Cosmos Hotel Concert Hall Bldg. 8, (495) 730-4350 VVTs, Stone Flower Fountain 19:30 www.mmdm.ru, M. Paveletskaya For schedule and tickets, visit Th rough September 15 www.vvcproduction.ru State Kremlin Palace SPORTS BALLET Troitsky Gate Entrance Russian Polo Cup Rubinshtein’s Demon M. Alexandrovsky Sad, (495) 928-5232 Otrada Equestrian Center Stanislavsky & Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical 12:00 Th eater Th rough June 29 19:00 Editor’s Choice Festival of Classical Ballet ince Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe in Paris, ballet has been a signifi cant Russian Sbrand along with vodka and valenki (felt boots) for cold winters. In Russia it is said that “beauty will save the world.” Th is June, the Festival of Classical Ballet will present Muscovites with a unique chance to see classical ballet productions with all the beauty, simplicity, and purity that have inspired audiences for generations. Th e venerable dance troupes participating in the festival include the State N. Kasatkina and V. Vasiliev Classical Ballet Th eatre and the Imperial Russian Ballet Th eatre with musical accompaniment by the Novaya Opera Orchestra. Th e program will consist Novaya Opera of the golden Tchaikovsky triad of Swan Lake, Th e Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty; June 6 – July 5, 19:00 Prokofi ev’s classic Romeo and Juliet; Khachaturian’s Spartak; Minkus’ Don Quixote; For schedule visit one-act ballets Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov; Ravel’s Bolero and more. www.novayaopera.ru The Ten Tenors

he Ten Tenors (also known as TTT) are a musical ensemble from Australia. TFormed in Brisbane in1998 when its members were still students, the group gained fame in Europe when they performed as special guests at the 2002 Eurovision contest in Germany. Since then they have used their beautiful voices to captivate growing numbers of fans in Europe and North America. Th e group’s recorded and live performances cover a diverse repertoire, including “Bicycle Race,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Who Wants to Live Forever” by the rock band Queen; Bee Gees compositions; and ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” along with operatic selections and native Australian music. Th eir most recent album, Here’s to the Heroes, is heavily Tchaikovsky Concert Hall infl uenced by the music of John Barry. During their Moscow tour, concertgoers will June 5 & 6 at 19:00 be able to compare TTT’s interpretation of “You Only Live Twice” to the classic by Nancy Sinatra. Okean Elzy he Ukrainian band is a rare guest in Moscow these days, perhaps because Tits lead singer, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, is a member of the Rada, Ukraine’s parliament. Th e band, whose style is sometimes described as urban rock, formed in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv in 1994. Th e group’s popularity quickly spread beyond their beloved native city, to which they dedicated their 1998 debut album, Th ere Where We Are Not. Th e emotion and melodic tristesse of their music, which is known for an unusual combination of fi ne guitar music and authentic, colorful Ukrainian melodies, transcends its Ukrainian-language lyrics to aff ect music fans of all nationalities. Th e group — which has performed with symphony orchestras B1 Maximum and written such songs as “Th e Model,” a work that Vakarchuk says was inspired by June 11 at 21:00 designer Coco Chanel — draws its style and content from many diff erent cultural registers. Th is melding of elements has helped turn Okean Elzy into a stylish band in Ukraine as well as in Russia, where it has a signifi cant following. StereoLeto 2008

he StereoLeto Music Festival started six years ago in St. Petersburg, and this Tyear’s program includes venues in Moscow and Ekaterinburg. While the music StereoLeto celebrates has certainly achieved commercial success, this festival foregrounds music as an artistic medium, a universal means of expressing and rendering emotions. But StereoLeto is not only about music; fashion shows, cafes, fi lm shorts shown in a lounge area, and, of course, the June setting, contribute to the special atmosphere of the event. Th is year’s headliners include the Torpedo Boys, two DJs from Germany who had tried playing in many styles in many cities before meeting in Paris and forming one of Europe’s best funk music projects, as well as Th e Do, a French-Finnish indie rock group, and Th e Go! Team, a British band that plays International Musical Festival at energetic music based on the rhythms of two drummers. StereoLeto in Moscow will Winzavod be held at the Winzavod Arts Complex, a space that, as Ray Nayler pointed out in June 20, 21:00 last month’s issue of Passport, is always in dialogue with the art displayed there. For schedule see www.bestfest.ru

6 June 2008 Editor’s Choice Usadba Jazz: Aristocratic Open Air

his year the Arkhangelskoye mention will host its open-air Usadba Jazz festival Tfor the fi ft h time. Th e event brings together the best jazz musicians and their fans for three days of music (Friday through Sunday) under the summer sky. All styles — mainstream, lounge, free jazz, acid jazz, jazz rock, etc. — will be represented on fi ve stages by more than 50 names from Russia and abroad, including Th e Brand New Heavies from the U.K., the Charlie Hunter Trio from the U.S., and Billy’s Band from St. Petersburg. All this against the backdrop of Arkhangelskoye’s beautiful architecture along the banks of the Moscow River. Th e organizers are planning a Arkhangelskoye Mansion fi reworks display along with other surprises. It promises to be a wonderful weekend June 12 – 14, 12:00 – 22:00 for the whole family. For artists and schedule, see www.usadba-jazz.ru Russian National Dance Show

aving already won the hearts of audiences from Russia to Australia, the Russian HNational Dance Show off ers traditional Russian performance art at its most refi ned. Th e program cleverly and skillfully unites lyrical sketches with elements of folklore and ancient Russian epic while preserving the fl avor of both Soviet and contemporary Russia. Th e program unfolds against a backdrop of panoramic sets that refl ect in turn the spirit of imperial Russia, the passion of socialist zeal, the patriotism and unity of wartime, and the sparkling talent and richness of modern Russia. Th rough a combination of traditional national dance and contemporary ballet pieces, the troupe, which consists of more than 50 artists in 300 unique costumes made especially for the show, provides a compelling insight into the Cosmos Hotel Concert Hall traditions, culture, and history of Russia, from orthodox to secular to heroic. June 9 – September 15

Kylie Minogue n May 6, Kylie Minogue kicked off her long-awaited world tour in Paris, one day Oaft er receiving the Order of Arts and Literature from the French government in recognition of her contribution to French and world culture. A presence on the world music scene for nearly three decades, Kylie began producing chart-topping singles in the 1980s and never stopped. Since she has always paid particular attention to the level of her live performances, we can surely expect the graceful singer to prepare something unusual for the audiences who attend the concerts of her KYLIEX2008 tour. Minogue will give two concerts in Russia — one in Moscow and one in St. Petersburg. Along with her new songs, she is certain to include such golden hits as “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head,” “Spinning Around,” and “Kids.” photo Leanne Woolrich Olimpiisky Sports Complex June 16 at 19:00

STOMP ’08: Brighter and Louder t the beginning of June, Moscow will be fi lled with noise — and not just the usual Aurban din, but artistic noise — when STOMP comes to town. Th e world-famous show is the result of a 10-year collaboration between its creators, percussionist Luke Cresswell and actor/musician Steve McNicholas. Th e two fi rst worked together in London in 1981 as members of the street band Pookiesnackenburger and the theater group Cliff Hanger. In the summer of 1991, Luke and Steve produced, fi nanced, and directed the original STOMP, which premiered at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, winning the Guardian’s Critic’s Choice Award and the Daily Express’ Best of the Fringe Award. Since then, the show has played at some of the best stages in Europe and America. Last year STOMP “Out Loud” opened in a new $28 million theater specifi cally created for the show at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino MDM in Las Vegas. STOMP continues to attract and delight audiences with toe-tapping June 3 – 8 at 19:00 rhythms found in garbage bins and other unlikely places.

June 2008 7 Museums and Galleries Orthodox Icons in Russia, Ukraine, and Belorussia

he factors that infl uence the development of culture in any given place are numer- Tous. Why are icons, for example, a feature of Orthodox Christianity? Because the fi rst churches were made of wood and it was easier to take icons out of a building in case of fi re. Th e infl uence of the Byzantine is obvious here, too. Moscow, as the so-called Th ird Rome, inherited much from Byzantium, not only in religion but in arts and cul- ture as well. A new exhibit at the Tretyakov Gallery boasts a huge collection of icons from small towns all over Ancient Rus’, the territory that today lies in the independent states of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. Th e works on display are from Kiev’s Lavra Mu- seum and the Belorussian National Museum as well as the Tretyakov’s own collection.

State Tretyakov Gallery

through July 13 photo courtesy of Tretyakov Gallery Open 10:00 – 18:00 except Monday Archangel Michael’s miracle for Flora and Lavr. Novgorod, early 7th c. From the collection of A. Morozov.

Collection of Alexander Vassiliev etrovsky Passage, in addition to being a luxurious store in the center Pof Moscow is also an attractive exhibition area. Last year it hosted two photo exhibitions, and this summer photographs and fashion items of the fi rst half of the 20th century will be on display. Th e exhibits are drawn from the private collection of author, professor, and fashion historian Alexander Vassiliev. Vassiliev has selected haute couture gowns that used to belong to American and European movie stars along with rare accessories and photographs to appear together in one exposition that will be accompanied by live music and movies shown on screens. Petrovsky Passage through June 16 Open 10:00 – 22:00 Cartoons by Alexander Petrov: A Painting in Motion n the modern era of digital gadgets it is impossible to imagine a person who still Icreates a cartoon — a “motion picture using animation techniques to photograph a sequence of drawings”— by hand. But this is exactly what Alexander Petrov, creator of the Oscar-winning animated short Th e Old Man and the Sea, does. Th e painter from Yaroslavl hews to Russian artistic traditions of the 19th and early 20th centuries, a fact that is evident from his new “My Love. Creating a Film” exhibition, which is dedicated to his latest animation project, My Love. Based on the novel A Love Story by Russian writer Ivan Shmelev, My Love has received critical acclaim at Russian and international Dom Naschokina Gallery fi lm festivals. Th e exhibition at the Dom Naschokina Gallery is a unique opportunity through August 15 to learn more about Petrov’s artistic talent and to explore the magical, painstaking Open 10:00 – 19:00 except Monday process of how a drawing becomes a motion picture.

Samurai in the Kremlin he Kremlin Museums are presenting a new part the serial exposition T“Treasures of Kings and Emperors in the Moscow Kremlin.” For the current installment, “Samurai. Treasures of the Japanese Nobility,” unique items from the Tokyo National Museum are on display in Moscow. Th e exhibition is the result of four years’ work led by the experts and curators of two of the world’s great museums. Over 70 objects from diff erent epochs ranging from the 10th to the beginning of the 20th century have been selected to illustrate the Samurai culture that had an enormous infl uence on the development of Japanese art. Items chosen include theater masks, accoutrements for tea ceremonies, armor, clothes, and many other belongings of Samurai clans and the Emperor’s family. Th e Kremlin Museums, through July 16 Many items in the exhibit are on display outside of Japan for the fi rst time. Open 10:00 – 17:00 except Tuesday

8 June 2008 Museums and Galleries

As summer is upon us, Passport invites you to take a walk outside … Moscow. Below are three destinations that are not only beautiful but linked with great Russian artists. Here Pushkin and Blok, Aksakov and Vrubel lived and worked, finding inspiration in seemingly ordinary landscapes. Perhaps they will inspire you too.

Abramtsevo o say that Abramtsevo is a cozy park and mansion does not do it justice. In Treality, this is a place that is inextricably linked with the development of the arts in Russia. Th e mansion originally belonged to writer Sergei Aksakov, who oft en extended his hospitality to such writers as Nikolai Gogol and Ivan Turgenev. It was here that Gogol gave the fi rst public reading of his classic novel Dead Souls. A second notable period in the life of Abramtsevo began with the purchase of the estate by art patron and entrepreneur Savva Mamontov in 1870. Mamontov invited great painters of the day such as Ilya Repin to use studios on the grounds. It was here, for example, that Mikhail Vrubel made tiles for Moscow’s famous Metropol Hotel. Near the turn of the 20th century legendary Russian director Konstantin Stanislavsky staged dramas and operas on Russian Abramtsevo Museum and Park folkloric themes such as Rimsky-Korsakov’s Th e Snow Maiden at Abramtsevo Open 10:00 – 17:00 with sets designed by Victor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Vrubel, and others. With (closed Monday and Tuesday) buildings that recapture the style and spirit of medieval Russian ornaments, it’s a nice place to take a weekend walk while learning more about Russian culture. Don’t miss the picturesque tiled church.

Bolshiye Vyazemy lexander Pushkin is our everything. Th is is what Russian students typically Ahear from their literature teachers from their earliest years at school. Th is year June 6, the poet’s birthday, will be marked by a festive celebration at his birthplace and childhood home, the Bolshiye Vyazemy mansion. Today the Pushkin complex, located not far from Moscow, consists of two mansions: Zakharovo and Vyazemy. Th e Vyazemy estate that belonged to Pushkin’s relatives, the Galitsyn family, includes a park and mansion complex that appeared in the 16th century and was reconstructed and embellished up through the 19th century. Th e Church of the Transfi guration, belfry, beautiful parks, ponds, and mansion itself, though restored, were there when Pushkin was a child. Th is place is oft en called the Bolshiye Vyazemy Museum poetic motherland of Pushkin as it is here that he became acquainted with Open 10:00 – 17:00 the beauty of Russian landscapes, national music and fairy tales, and, most Closed Monday, Tuesday, and the last importantly, the Russian language. Friday of every month. www.museum-gol.ru Shakhmatovo ccording to Russian poet Alexander Blok, the main mission of AShakmatovo was to bring “a piece of heaven close to Moscow.” Th e mansion lies not far from the modern town of Solnechnogorsk, near the beautiful Senezh lake and the glacial lake known as Bezdonnoye [Bottomless]. Th e main building of the Shakhmatovo mansion was constructed in the early 19th century and includes huge Italian windows and a balcony-terrace overlooking a pond in the woods below. In 1910 the poet reconstructed the mansion to his taste, adding a wing for his library. Th e house is surrounded by a lovely park. It is curious to note that Blok found the love of his life here, too. He married the daughter of the great scientist Dmitri Mendeleev, who had an estate not far from Shakhmatovo. Th e historic sights nearby include the Nikolaevsky-Peshoshsky monastery, Shakhmatovo museum founded in 1361 by Sergy Radonezhsky’s apprentice Reverend Mefodiy. 11 Naberezhnaya Street, Solnechnogorsk Open 10:00 – 17:00 (closed Monday and Tuesday)

June 2008 9 This Month in History June 1, 1965: Mikhail Sholokhov is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Th e great Russian epic And Quiet Flows the Don originally appeared in serialized form between 1928 and 1940. Th e novel is oft en compared to Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Like the Tolstoy novel, And Quiet Flows the Don is an epic panorama of Russian life during a period of political and military crisis and examines it through the lens of a romantic view of everyday life. Parts of the book were written when Sholokhov was in his mid-20s, and it is speculated that he could hardly have been able to write such an unbiased account of the Russian Revolution. Since there is a rather huge gulf in quality between this masterpiece and his other works, Sholokhov has been accused of plagiarism. Nevertheless, Sholokhov was given the prize, making him one of only fi ve Russian writers to be so honored. Th e others are Ivan Bunin, Alexander Solzhenitsyn,

June 6, 1957: Detsky Mir store on Lubyanka Square opens. Th e fi rst Detsky Mir [Children’s World] store was opened in 1947 as part of the TsUM department store, and the famous building on Lubyanka Square was built 10 years later as the largest store in Moscow. Th e store enchanted children with its vast displays of toys and the magical sundial that opened its “eyes” every hour. In 1985, the Soviet government began a policy of opening a Detsky Mir in every large city in the country.

June 7, 1883: Th e Cathedral of Christ the Savior is consecrated. When the last of Napoleon’s soldiers left Moscow in 1812, Tsar Alexander I decreed that a cathedral in honor of Christ the Savior be built “to signify Our gratitude to Divine Providence for saving Russia from the doom that overshadowed Her.” Aft er many years of construction, the cathedral was consecrated on the coronation day of Tsar Alexander III, although the decoration of its interior continued for another 20 years. Following Lenin’s death in 1924, the spot on which the cathedral stood was selected as the site for a planned monument to socialism to be known as the Palace of Soviets. Th e structure was to be capped by a giant statue of Lenin with his arm raised in blessing. It took several dynamite blasts to destroy the church and more than a year to clear the debris from the site. Once construction work on the Palace of Soviets began, it was plagued by problems with fl ooding from the nearby Moscow River. Th e project was abandoned and the fl ooded foundation stood empty until it was made into a public swimming pool. With the end of Soviet rule, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was rebuilt.

June 12, 1991: Russia Day is established. Russia Day is a holiday of national unity celebrated in Russia on June 12. On this day in 1990, the Russian parliament formally declared its sovereignty. Th e holiday was established by Bo- ris Yeltsin and was initially named Independence Day. Th e holiday was fi rst renamed the Day of the Adoption of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation before receiving its current name in 1991.

10 June 2008 This Month in History June 13, 1912: Th e Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts opens. Th e Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum of European art in Moscow. It was founded by Ivan Tsvetaev (father of the poet Marina Tsvetaeva), who saw Moscow’s need of a fi ne arts museum and realized his dream in 1912, when the museum opened its doors to the public. Its fi rst exhibits were copies of ancient statuary, thought at the time to be indispensable for the education of art students. Aft er the Russian capital was moved to Moscow in 1918, thousands of artworks were transferred to the Pushkin from other museums. Its collection includes paintings by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Picasso, and Matisse as well as the gold unearthed by Heinrich Schliemann on the site of what is thought to be ancient Troy and taken by the Soviet Army from the Pergamon Museum in Berlin at the end of World War II. Pushkin’s name was appended to the museum in 1937 when the marked the centenary of the poet’s death. June 22, 1941: Nazi Germany invades the Soviet Union. Th e Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II remains the largest military operation in history. Th e Soviet Union was reeling from the Winter War with Finland, which had unexpectedly infl icted heavy casualties, and Stalinist repression had depleted the ranks of experienced military leaders. As a result, the Red Army, dispersed and unprepared, was at a severe disadvantage. Despite repeated warnings of an impending German attack, Soviet border troops were not put on full alert and were sometimes forbidden to return fi re when attacked. Facing roughly 3 million Wehrmacht troops, the border fortress of Brest in Belarus was expected to fall within hours but held out for weeks. Heroic resistance by the Soviets, who proclaimed a Great Patriotic War in defense of the Motherland, was much more fi erce than the German high command had expected.

June 25, 1910: Igor Stravinsky’s fi rst ballet premieres in Paris. Th e Firebird was Stravinsky’s fi rst ballet to achieve international fame. Commissioned by dance impresario Sergei Diaghilev for his Ballets Russes and choreographed by Michel Fokine, it is based on the Russian folk tale about a magical glowing bird that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor. Th e ballet has historic signifi cance not only as Stravinsky’s breakthrough work but also as the beginning of a collaboration between Diaghilev and Stravinsky that would produce two other masterpieces, Petrushka and Th e Rite of Spring. Today Stravinsky is considered one of the most infl uential composers of the 20th century.

June 29, 1754: Building of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg begins. Designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the Rococo green-and-white palace was built in St. Petersburg between 1754 and 1762 as the winter residence of the Russian tsars. Catherine the Great was the fi rst imperial occupant. Aft er the February Revolution of 1917, the Winter Palace became the headquarters of the Russian Provisional Government until the assault on the palace by Bolshevik forces marked the offi cial start of the October Revolution. Today it is part of a complex of buildings known as the State Hermitage Museum, which holds one of the world’s greatest collections of art. As part of the museum, many of the Winter Palace’s 1,057 halls and rooms are open to the public.

Compiled by Maria Barleben

June 2008 11 Cinema Sex and the City: The Movie hen you fi nd a short story writer you really like, you Whope that he or she will produce a nice long novel for you to sink your teeth into. And in the same vein, the Hollywood trend of making movies based on popular TV shows continues. Th e TV series is long over (though it still enjoys success in syndication on both US and Russian television), but aft er four years of discussion and rumors, columnist-cum-fashionplate Carrie Bradshaw and her Manhattanite girlfriends (and boyfriends) are back and about to hit a theater near you. Th e team that brought you the hit HBO show — including the cast as well as writer/ director Michael Patrick King and fashion designer Patricia Field — are reprising their roles to renew the search for labels and love. Th is time they’ll be joined by Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson (Best Supporting Actress in 2007 for 17 feet? Will Carrie fi nd Mr. Right or have to settle for Mr. Dreamgirls) as Carrie’s assistant as they look for the story as Big? How much will she pay for her latest pair of Manolo it happens in real life. Of course, the same pitfalls that tend Blahniks? Will the writers be able to come up with a story to to plague cross-genre adaptations await this latest jump sustain a 90-plus-minute movie? from small to big screen as well. Will the characters that For more information and trailer, check out the offi cial seemed so appealing at 17 inches maintain their charm at movie web site at www.sexandthecitymovie.com. Timur Bekmambetov is Wanted azakhstan-born director Timur KBekmambetov, who made a splash and broke Russian box-offi ce records with his Night Watch/ Day Watch vampire fantasy series, has found his way to Hollywood. His latest movie, Wanted, based on a series of graphic novels by Mark Millar, stars James McAvoy (Last King of Scotland, Atonement) as Wes Gibson, a nerdy young offi ce worker who follows in the footsteps of his trained-assassin father. With a cast including Morgan Freeman and Bekmambetov fan Angelina Jolie, who reportedly wooed the director to give her a role in his fi rst English-language fi lm, Wanted promises to be a visual feast with plenty of cinematic pyrotechnics — and violence — along with free running and parkour stunts. Th e philosophical-fantasy-comic book-mythology-action-thriller (is that enough genres for you?) was fi lmed last year in Chicago and Prague on a set designed by John Myhre, the production designer for X-Men. It is scheduled for theatrical release on June 27. For more information and trailers, check out the offi cial movie web site at www.wantedmovie. com. Both movies will be shown in English at the Okty- abr movie theater, 24 Novy Arbat (M. Arbatskaya, Smolenskaya). For exact dates and show times, check theater’s web site, www.karofi lm.ru.

Also scheduled to open in English in June are the animated Kung Fu Panda (www.kungfupanda. com); Th e Incredible Hulk starring Edward Nor- ton as Bruce Banner (incrediblehulk.marvel.com); and the latest from writer-director M. Night Shya- malan, Th e Happening, starring Mark Wahlberg (www.thehappeningmovie.com).

12 June 2008 Books & Music Nature and Wildlife in the Russian Countryside oving to another country, learning a new language, wildlife in their natural Mand developing an organization to promote an habitats and the plans to environment- and wildlife-friendly way of life in a country reintroduce animals to the not known for its ecological sensitivity would be challenge countryside makes you want enough for most of us. However, American environmentalist to take a journey to Chukhrai, Laura Lynne Williams takes her overseas adventure one step if only for a weekend, but further. Her new book, Th e Storks’ Nest: Life and Love in the it is the human stories that Russian Countryside, tells the story of her life-changing move interest this reader most. Th e from the hustle and bustle of Moscow city living to the remote portraits of the village drunks, countryside of the Bryansk Forest. who don’t bat an eyelid when In the style of a personal diary she explains how one fateful they see Williams’ visiting meeting in the Moscow offi ce of the World Wildlife Fund father fall face fi rst into a with Igor Shpilenok, now her husband, and the extraordinary pool of muddy water (it is experience of helping deliver a baby on board a train, led her oft en the place where they to the village of Chukhrai. Once a thriving town, Chukhrai’s end up!), and the history and population has dwindled to less than 20. Th e aging locals are advice dispensed by Olga survivors — of World War II, of post-war famine, of isolation Ivanovna, the local witch who and harsh winters. becomes an unlikely friend, are wonderful. Th ey and their Williams brings us along as she leaves behind the relative tales of curses and strange traditions are in as much need of comfort of Moscow and arrives, aft er eight hours in her preservation as the wildlife that surrounds them. A particular trusty if decrepit Lada, at her new home, a wooden hut favorite is the village post lady who walks six miles to Smelizh with no running water. She and Shpilenok have come to to pick up the mail yet has to rely on her drunken Ukrainian this community of simple, self-suffi cient folk to set up an boyfriend to deliver it as she is terrifi ed of dogs. education center at a zapovednik, a strictly protected nature Th e life that Williams has chosen is a simple one and so reserve, in the area. Th e symbol of this successful reserve, and is her writing style. Her honest observations of the wildlife, the premise for the book, is the fi ght to protect the endangered the people, and their ways, make her story a consuming read, black stork. despite the occasional superfl uity of detail (the author wears Th is remarkable book is separated into seasons, and we size 8 trousers, mainly in green, though black when out in the witness her vegetable patch develop and grow in parallel evening). Nevertheless, Th e Storks’ Nest is well worth read- with her relationship with Shpilenok and her understanding ing and whets the appetite of those of us who have failed to and mutual acceptance of life in the Russian countryside. venture out of Moscow into the countryside. It reminds us of Life is not all smooth sailing, of course, and we learn of the the wild and wonderful parts of this diverse country that are couple’s battle to ward off and educate poachers (who have out there waiting to be explored and promotes the necessity been supplementing their meager pay packets with timber to protect the beauty of the landscape and the creatures that and livestock from the area for generations), their attempts reside there. — Claire Marsden to raise a menagerie of orphaned wild animals, and Williams’ Th e Storks’ Nest: Life and Love in the Russian Countryside subsequent heartache when things do not go to plan. by Laura Lynne Williams. Photographs by Igor Shpilenok, Learning of the abundance of opportunities to observe Fulcrum Books, 2008, 336 pages. www.fulcrumbooks.com Laima Vaikule’s Greatest Hits he collection of songs on Laima Vaikule’s greatest hits belts out chirpy number aft er chirpy number, accompanied Talbum takes you back 20 years to the mid-1980s when the by what can only be described as bontempy backing and Latvian singer was at the height of her popularity. Her voice numerous saxophone solos. Th is is a genre that I am not at all familiar with, but when I played the CD to Russian friends they knew every word. With big grins on their faces, some declared themselves fans while others noted that some of her songs belong to a diff erent time. For anyone who has visited a Russian club/bar/restaurant and witnessed the energy and enthusiasm that many of the customers throw into their dance moves, heads and arms waving, the urge to jig and parade around their living rooms may be irresistible. Vaikule, who lives in Riga but has a second home here in Moscow, will be visiting the capital in early June, and I think it is safe to predict a powerful performance of old favorites from this popular songstress and a lively and appreciative audience. Laima Vaikule will be performing in Moscow on June 1 as part of the Blast Fest Music Festival. — Claire Marsden

June 2008 13 Film Feature

A Renaissance in Russian Film? text Vladimir Kozlov

hen back in 2002 the movie Meanwhile, recent years have seen WAntikiller directed by Yegor not only commercial but also creative Konchalovsky became the fi rst successes for domestic fi lmmakers. In Russian movie to gross more than 2003, a movie by then-unknown fi rst- $1 million at the domestic box time feature director Andrei Zvyagintsev, offi ce, it was taken by many as a Th e Return, won the main prize at the sign that the Russian fi lm industry, Venice Film Festival. Four years later, which had lain in shambles for his sophomore eff ort, Th e Banishment, most of the 1990s, was beginning was an offi cial selection at Cannes, to recuperate. Now, seven years on, arguably the world’s most respected the Russian fi lm scene is showing fi lm event, and eventually won the best clear signs of recovery. actor prize, which went to Konstantin “Renaissance may be a little too Lavronenko. Th e streak of international strong a word when it comes to recognition continued this year, when the current state of the Russian 12 by veteran director Nikita Mikhalkov fi lm industry, but we’ve been was nominated for the best foreign- seeing an annual increase in language feature Oscar and Mermaid by the number of movies produced young director Anna Melikyan earned here for several years,” said Yuri prizes at the Berlin International Film Plechev, general director of the Festival and at Sundance. Russian Guild of Producers. Many on the domestic fi lm scene “And this is a very positive agree that the government has played a trend. Unlike the production crucial role in preserving the industry of TV serials, which is almost in Russia, and state support remains always a profi table business, an important source of fi nancing for making movies for the big domestic productions. Since a law screen is risky.” on support for the fi lm industry was Despite the potential risks, enacted in 1996, the government has producers seem to be willing spent millions of rubles in fi nancial aid to invest in domestic cinema. for fi lm projects. “If there were no state Last year, about 100 feature support, there would be no fi lm industry fi lms were made in Russia, in this country,” said Plechev. which is on par with fi lm- Currently, the state is helping to fi nance production fi gures from the about 210 feature fi lms in various stages Soviet time. Th e increase is of production, and another 70 projects quite impressive, compared have been approved for state support in with statistics throughout 2008 and 2009, Sergei Lazaruk, deputy the 1990s and the early head of the State Agency for Culture 2000s — a couple of dozen and Cinema, said at a recent industry movies per year at most, conference. More initiatives aimed at and oft en less than that. supporting the domestic fi lm industry Meanwhile, increases have have been approved, he added. Within been reported not only the next three years, the government is in the number of movies planning to build 200 new cinemas in made but also new theaters smaller cities — those with populations built, as well as the amount of under 300,000 people, where private of cash spent by Russians business is not in a hurry to expand on going to the movies. because of lower return on investment In 2007, Russia’s box and longer recuperation periods. In offi ces grossed a record addition, the government has proposed $565 million, a quarter of the payment of cash bonuses to fi lm which was contributed by production companies that have made domestic fi lms. commercially successful movies,

14 June 2008 Feature Film

Lazaruk said, but details of this scheme made movies has increased are not yet available. to Soviet-time levels is not Meanwhile, state grants are vital for a sign of renaissance of fi rst-time directors who would have Russian cinema,” said Daniil diffi culties raising funds for their debut Dondurey, editor of the features elsewhere. “All feature debuts monthly industry journal are eligible for fi nancing from the state Iskusstvo Kino [Cinema Art]. as long as the budget does not exceed “It’s just pure fi gures. Th e size $350,000,” Lazaruk said, adding that of investment in the industry, competition is high and up to 15 projects the number of people could compete for one state grant. employed, and so on. When But once a director’s fi rst feature is we talk about renaissance, made, he or she must rely primarily on we talk about the quality of other funding sources for subsequent fi lms made, about their ability projects, the state offi cial noted. “We to live up to the expectations have too many fi lm directors at the of millions of people. We’ve moment, whose work the government got nothing like that at the can no longer fi nance, and I hope moment.” that creative competition will lead to Other industry insiders improving the quality of the fi lms.” acknowledge the quality issue. And there is quite a lot of room for “Unfortunately, the quality improvement, both in the creative and of domestic fi lms sometimes commercial domain. For example, of leaves something to be desired, 85 Russian movies released in 2007, but there are quite palatable fewer than a dozen grossed $5 million reasons for that,” Plechev said. or more at the box offi ce, while many “For more than a decade, the fl opped completely, said Mark Lolo, domestic fi lm industry was general director of Central Partnership in deep crisis, which resulted Sales House, the distribution wing of in a generation gap. Th e older Russia’s largest fi lm company, Central generation of fi lmmakers left Partnership. the stage while a new one has He explained that Russian audiences’ not yet matured. And this gap expectations are largely based on the will be felt for a long time.” high-quality blockbusters they’ve been According to Plechev, the watching for years now. “Cinemagoers domestic fi lm industry is have very high requirements for facing a dramatic shortage movies, which have been informed by of talented directors and Hollywood products.” screenwriters. “Th ese are our Th e issue of competition between soft est spots,” he said. “Our domestic fi lms and Hollywood movies school for cinematography is has been under discussion for some time. very good, and we don’t have “In Russian theaters, there is dominance problems with other technical of Hollywood cinema,” Plechev said. professions. But when it comes “And domestic distributors are oft en to directors and screenwriters, unwilling to buy Russian movies, good new ones are few and far opting for American ones instead as between.” more commercially viable.” Plechev added that one However, according to Plechev, the solution to this problem may introduction of long-discussed steps come as a result of a draft law aimed at the “protection” of domestic currently being considered by fi lm m a k e r s , s u c h a s n a t i o n a l fi lm the State Duma, the lower quotas, wouldn’t work. “Quotas and chamber of Russian parliament, restrictions have never led to a positive which stipulates that a citizen outcome,” he said. “Russian movies should be able to get a second have to compete for audience in fair degree in creative areas for free. conditions.” “Currently, VGIK [the state fi lm But at this point, not all is rosy when institute] takes students right it comes to the quality of Russian aft er secondary school to train movies, which causes some in the them as screenwriters or Russian fi lm community to be less than directors. Th ey aren’t mature optimistic about the current situation. enough for these professions; “Th e fact that the number of annually they lack life experience.” P

June 2008 15 Art History

Masterkova Paints Like an Orchestra text Olga Slobodkina-von Brømssen

rtist Lidia Masterkova is one of the Th e members of Lianozovo positioned the artist’s creative impulse. By the end Aliving legends of Russian post-war their “private” art in opposition to the of the 1950s, Masterkova had begun avant-garde art. Born in 1927, she began offi cially sanctioned Soviet art. to develop her own fi gurative style, painting in the late 1940s, and by the As a child in Moscow, Masterkova’s working in the new manner of abstract end of the 1950s was pioneering Russian education included training in music expressionism. She was one of the fi rst abstract art as part of the Lianozovo — she still considers playing the piano underground artists to work in pure group (see Passport’s April issue, p. 18), an essential part of her life — and abstraction. a non-offi cial community of writers, acting, which she studied with masters Her abstract art is not only intimately poets, and artists that included her from Stanislavsky’s inner circle. In lyrical but metaphysical and even husband, Vladimir Nemukhin (see May art school she studied with Mikhail mystical. Th e fragments of old brocade, issue of Passport, p. 16). In the words Perutsky, a member of the New lace, and embroidery from abandoned of fellow artist Vsevolod Nekrasov, Painting Society. Th e World Festival of churches she uses in her collages create Lianozovo was not an art group with Youth, held in Moscow in the summer luxurious textures that complemented a “manifesto” so much as an “every of 1957, provided exposure to a the aestheticism of the 1960s. day matter,” a community of friends previously unseen panorama of artistic Masterkova’s broad range of infl uences supporting each other in a purely infl uences. New opportunities for self- includes masters from da Vinci and private aesthetic and spiritual search. expression through painting sparked Rembrandt to El Greco and Cezanne.

16 June 2008 However, her greatest infl uence is the and full of mystical power, her images and landscapes of faraway planets. In 16th-century Russian icon painter create a somewhat cosmic impression. an interview the artist said, “When the Dionysius. In 2004 she displayed a new series, Earth stops being a place correcting and Her fi rst solo show was stage in Mos- Planet Parade, at the Kino Gallery in perfecting us humans, people will build cow at the home of art critic Ilya Tsir- Moscow. Dedicated to the great Russian houses of ivory and hang suprematist lin. She also participated in the exhibi- poets Sergei Esenin, Marina Tsvetaeva, pictures in them.” tion on Shosse Entuziastov, which was Alexander Blok, and Nikolai Gumilyov, Since 1975 Masterkova has lived in closed two hours aft er opening, and the the series consists of black and white France. Although half of her artistic “Bulldozer” exhibition, which raised sheets painted with India ink on a wet life has been spent there, she remains awareness in the West of the repression surface in carved collage frames that a deeply Russian artist with creative of artists in the Soviet Union. look almost runic. Despite the esoteric roots closely connected with Russian Masterkova tends to work in series spiritual tradition that underpins these culture. and oft en uses the circle, a symbol she works, this stylistically minimalist series Her works have been exhibited in derived from Dante. It is this form that brings forth scientifi c associations. Russia and abroad, in private collec- she uses extensively in her Planets (1976) Th ey are reminiscent of X-ray images tions and museums including the State and Meteors (1981-82) series, which are as well as of NASA photos that refl ect Tretyakov Gallery and the Museum of among her most famous. Enigmatic the movements of atmospheric fronts Modern Art in New York. P Weekend Getaway St. Petersburg’s Summer Days and White Nights text Neil McGowan photos Sergei Koshkin

tep out onto the pavements of Nevsky Prospekt, and style and civilization, built on a mosquito-infested bog in “Syou step into the atmosphere of a fairground,” wrote Finland. As a young man Peter had made the Grand Tour Gogol, and it’s hard to disagree with him — aft er all, these of Europe, a trip that had impressed upon him how Russia very sidewalks were the fi rst in Europe to be paved with fl at lagged in sophistication, culture, and the arts. He returned paving-stones purely for the convenience of ladies in high to Russia with a mission — not only to bring the splendors heels. of Versailles, Amsterdam, , and London to his native St. Petersburg was the world’s fi rst purpose-built city, land but to outdo them. Th e scheme was audacious. Building springing from nothing at the behest of its creator, Emperor it relied on bludgeoning his errant nobility for funding and Peter I (the Great): a city intended as the acme of European exploiting a huge labor force of Swedish prisoners-of-war for muscle power. Quite when the plan to secure the mouth of the River Neva from Swedish marauders turned into the idea of a European-style capital for Russia isn’t clear. Peter’s blueprint for the city mixed elegant and Dutch canals with a garrison and military shipyards in one grand design. Peter’s personal enthusiasm for the project can be clearly seen at one of the most modest of all the early buildings in the city, Peter’s Hut, a wooden cabin near the Peter & Paul Fortress from which the tsar himself supervised the city’s construction. However, when a rebellion in distant Moscow needed Peter’s personal intervention, he left the building work in the hands of his companion and drinking partner, Prince Menshikov. Menshikov was later to confess himself unable to remember exactly what had happened to most of the money entrusted to him for the project, but severe alcoholism, advanced syphilis, and a large palace for his personal use provided some retrospective clues. Yet even the embezzlement of city’s entire construction budget couldn’t spoil a friendship clinched over many a cup, and “Menshikov

18 June 2008 Weekend Getaway will be Menshikov” was the extent of Peter’s ire. To See and Hear Th is Summer In St. Petersburg Th ree hundred years later Petersburg may no longer be the offi cial capital of Russia, but as the “intellectual capital” VISUAL ARTS it now supplies Russia’s leaders. Both Vladimir Putin and Four centuries of Russian painting: Works by Roerich, Dmitri Medvedev are natives. Although it is tempting to Aivazovsky, and Vereschagin from private collections. Slavinsky Gallery, June 1-15 romanticize the Russian Empire’s glory days, there’s iron in the soul of the “Northern Capital,” too. During World War Paintings of Ivan Shishkin Th e Russian Museum, through July 20 II, the city was besieged for 900 days by the German army, and a quarter of the civilian population died of famine In Palaces and Tents: or disease. If there’s a glorious city today, it’s due to the Th e Islamic World from China to Europe Th e Hermitage, through September 7 implacable perseverance of its people. Th e White Nights Festival celebrates world-class MUSIC achievement in the performing arts — theater, ballet, opera, Bob Dylan Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) and classical music. Book ahead or miss out; the list of those Ice Palace Palace Square appearing is a pantheon that rivals Covent Garden, the Met, June 3 at 19:00 June 6 at 19:00 or La Scala, and many events sell out in a few hours. Th e scurry DANCE for hotel rooms in a city that’s woefully underprovisioned in StereoLeto St. Petersburg this respect anyhow is even more intense, so kiss goodbye Main Square, Elagin the hopes of a “late bargain” or “deep discount.” Unless you June 11 at 21:00 especially want the arts festival, the Nights are just as White 16th International Stars of the White Nights Music Festival on the weeks either side of it, and the city’s aesthetic and marking the 225th of the Mariinsky Th eater sybaritic pleasures are just as accessible. May 10 – July 27 Of course, the panoply of riches in St. Petersburg’s Nazareth museums and galleries is legendary, whether your taste runs Oktyabrsky Grand Concert Hall to priceless artifacts in the Hermitage, the fi nest of Russian June 24 at 19:00 fi ne art in the Russian Museum, the gritty realities of the Museum of the Political Police, or odder off erings like the Museum of Bread or the Musical Instrument Museum. Similarly, the apartments of cultural fi gures like Anna Akhmatova or Fyodor Dostoyevsky will lure bookworms from afar, and why not? Your evenings open up with new chances to take bright sunlit walks in the small hours to leafy groves like Kamenny Ostrov (try to fi nd the Buddhist monastery), or to watch the fl otilla of pleasure cruises duck through the bridges when they open at 1 am. Just make sure there’s no open bridge between you and home when they raise as there’s no other way home in many cases. Th e Summer Garden, landscape-lined with classical sculpture, have been a modish setting for promenade for over two centuries. However, unlike 200 years ago, the paths are no longer swept clean by arrested prostitutes, who were, according to 19th-century edicts forced to do this penance before being released to err again the following evening. P

June 2008 19 Day Out

Pasternak’s Peredelkino text and photos Ian Mitchell

eave that cloud-dweller in peace,” said to issues of Passport), both of which were active while the story “Lan underling at the height of the Great Terror, when of the bourgeois doctor and his beautiful mistress was being the arrest of Boris Pasternak (1890–1960) was proposed. A committed to paper. Nothing in the Peredelkino woods was year later, the poet, translator, and novelist moved into the likely to disturb the rustic peace necessary to write the Lara commodious country house where he later wrote Doctor poems, which include one of Pasternak’s best-known lines: Zhivago, a love story set during the chaos of the Russian “Life is not a walk across a fi eld.” Revolution and ensuing civil war. Today, Peredelkino is quite diff erent. For a start, it is Today that house is a museum, where the visitor can see the just inside the boundaries of the vastly expanded Moscow. actual desk where Pasternak wrote. Th ough his study is on Secondly, the new Minsk highway is less than a mile away, the second fl oor, it is not exactly in the clouds. But it is in what with German trucks roaring toward Moscow carrying would, at the time, have been the terrestrial equivalent: a pine cargos of Italian kitchens, French wines, and Austrian skiing forest 20 kilometers outside Moscow. equipment. On the other side, across the railway line, blocks It was almost as far from the torture chambers of Sukhanovka of modern fl ats are rising up in the woods. and mass graves of Butovo (see February and March 2008 Next to the graveyard where Pasternak is buried a half - mile away, the Transfi guration Church is being augmented with new buildings, including a second church. Indeed, the fi eld over which the great writer’s coffi n was borne to his grave — death, for him, was a walk across a fi eld — has been leveled and huge new dachas are under construction. Th e policeman and part-time security guard who gave a journalist a lift said he was appalled at their ostentation and ugliness. So is Peredelkino still worth visiting? Th e answer is an emphatic yes. Th e settlement was built as a refuge for writers and artists of all sorts, their dachas and houses are scattered on still quiet streets among still cool pine woods. In the middle is the grand, pseudo-classical Dom Tvorchestva [House of Creativity], which was constructed in 1955. It is still administered by the state’s Literary Fund and is used by writers who come there to work in peace and quiet. Peredelkino is a place where anyone interested in 20th-

20 June 2008 Day Out century Russian culture can see a vignette of both the Soviet past and the capitalist-consumerist present and contemplate their curious but not entirely unsuccessful interaction. A good setting for such meditation is the Dom Tvorchestva’s basement bar, where beer is 50 rubles a half-liter — a tremendous aid to creative thinking. Pasternak himself was persecuted to the extent that when awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958 he was forced to send the organizers in Stockholm a telegram reading, “Considering the meaning this award has been given in the society to which I belong, I must refuse it. Please do not take off ence at my voluntary rejection.” Th e local writers’ union complained to the authorities about their newly famous neighbor: “We cannot continue to breathe the same air. It is necessary to ask the government that Pasternak be excluded from the forthcoming population census.” Th e petty, spiteful war continued into the 1980s, when the writers’ organization evicted the Pasternak family from the house they had occupied since 1939. It has since been returned to them and is now a museum, but that is not the only reason to visit Peredelkino. Many other interesting fi gures lived there, including fi lm director Andrei Tarkovsky, semi-dissident bard Bulat Okudzhava, and, for a time, Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Th ere is a second museum in the house formerly occupied by Kornei Chukovsky, the children’s writer. Writer and Soviet icon Maxim Gorky was the fi rst chairman of the Writer’s Union, a body created in 1932 to ensure that creative writers observed the tenets of Socialist Realism. It was Gorky who suggested to Stalin that a dacha settlement be built at Peredelkino, on the grounds of a former nobleman’s palace. Th e houses were to be distributed on a rental basis so that the privilege could be withdrawn any time the occupier displeased the authorities. Pasternak’s home was a wooden building which, unusually for the time, had central heating rather than the traditional brick stove. Th e rooms were large and well lit. In the sizable garden, Pasternak grew fruit and vegetables. Peredelkino quietly decayed until it was partly privatized in the 1990s. Today it is one of the most desirable and expensive suburbs of Moscow. Bomb threats have been made against writers who refused to move out of rented houses that an oligarch wanted to seize. Walking through the woods, it is clear that some succeeded, though not all. Th e Pasternak museum is a beautiful and intriguing island of peace at the edge of a rapidly changing city. No one interested in Russian literature should pass it by. P

HOW TO GET THERE Pasternak House-Museum (Dom-muzei Pasternaka) 3 Ul. Pavlenko Open Th ursday to Sunday, 10:00–16:00. Entry: 50 rubles. By train from Kiev Station to Peredelkino, fare: 19 rubles. Service is frequent, and the journey is under 30 minutes. From Peredelkino station, cross the tracks and walk up the road past the Transfi guration Church. Th e graveyard where Pasternak is buried is 100 yards ahead on the other side. From the cemetery, turn right and continue for 600 yards, passing the Dom Tvorchestva on the left . At Ulitsa Pavlenko, you’ll see a small sign pointing to the museum.

June 2008 21 Metro Feature

Notes from Underground: The Ring Line text and photos Ray Nayler

he apocryphal version of the they finished, Stalin set the cup down Constructed from 1950 to 1954, the TRing Line’s origins goes like in the center of the engineering plans Ring Line has a number of beautiful this: During a planning meeting and walked wordlessly from the stations,Beloruss all examples of the peak k for the Moscow Metropolitan, the room. Recovering from their shock, of . In this engineers presented a map of the the collected engineers lifted the article we’ll start at Kievskaya in the metro’s radial lines to Joseph Stalin. coffee cup to discover Stalin’s genius: southwest and proceed clockwise to As they explained the system to him, a circular brown ring defining the Komsomolskaya in the northeast, he sipped his coffee in silence. When line that would complete the city’s one of the most elaborate of the line’s sprawling underground. How could 12 stations. they not have seen it before? To this The opening of Kievskaya on day, the metro’s Ring Line is colored March 14, 1954, coincided with Kievskayabrown on the map. 300 years of Russian-Ukrainian Whether you believe this story or “unification,” and takes this idea not, it is nearly impossible to imagine of the friendship between the two the Moscow metro without this peoples as the theme for its mosaics essential loop around the city center and murals. The station’s decoration facilitating easy transfers among is an interpretation of the Ukrainian the various radial lines. The initial national style, with abstract vegetal plans for the metro, however, did motifs and elaborate ventilation not include a ring line at all, calling grilles combining communist and only for a series of interlocking radial natural icons — birds, berries, and lines. But as early as 1938, it had the red star. The marble facing is become clear from the massive load chosen in subdued colors so as not already being placed on these transfer to distract attention from the main points that this system would not be focus of the station, the 18 mosaics sufficient. lining the central hall that represent The line loosely follows the Garden 300 years of common Russian- Ring in the south and pushes beyond Ukrainian heritage. it in the city’s north to hook up with In order to read these mosaics in nearly all of Moscow’s major train the proper order, one should begin stations. It thus links Moscow with from the escalators with the first cities from Tashkent to Tomsk, Vlad- mosaic on the left as you enter the ivostok to Warsaw, all by rail. station. The sequence starts with

22 June 2008 Metro Feature

a depiction of the unification of the two Slavic states and proceeds through history with, of course, a major emphasis on the revolution and establishment of the USSR as well as on victory in World War II. Don’t miss the mosaic portrait of a smiling Lenin at the end of the hall over a text in gold lettering that calls for the continuing friendship of these two Slavic peoples. Krasnopresnenskaya, next on our clockwise journey, is dedicated to the revolutionary events that took place in this area of Moscow. The opened on January 30, 1952. This region was named for the Presnya, a station is one of the metro’s most tributary of the Moscow River long stunning, with a series of stained- ago rerouted through underground glass windows adorning the station’s pipes, now visible at the surface only pylons. These masterpieces were in the form of the ponds at the zoo. prepared in Riga, Latvia, and This station, of the pylon type and introduced a new stylistic element for clad in red marble, is lined with terra Russia, where stained glass was not a cotta bas-reliefs and panels depicting traditional medium. Fantastic floral botanical gardens were moved to the revolutions of 1905 and 1917. motifs rise from stylized antique Ostankino.) The top of each column is This station’s look has changed vases, surrounding medallions of decorated with a ceramic frieze, like a greatly since its opening, with a kaleidoscopic patterns or idealized giant columnar capital. In the center wall removed at the end of the depictions of Soviet figures. The of each floral frieze is a medallion platform to provide for a transfer to station ends with a panel that quotes depicting farmers, gardeners, and station. If you have from Christian iconography, showing vineyard workers. There is a total of not seen it, the grandiose three-story a Soviet mother and child against a 16 different medallions. The floral pavilion constituting the entrance gold background. motifs continue into the aboveground to this station, with its panel and Next along the line is Prospekt Mira, kaya pavilion, which is decorated with massive statue commemorating the opened in 1951. The ornamentation massive floral columns. workers’ uprisings in this former hereNovoslobodskaya may be confusing until one Komsomolskaya is a fitting place factory region, is worth a look. learns that the station was originally to end our tour of the Ring Line Skipping Belorusskaya, one of the called Botanichesky Sad [Botanical because it represents the pinnacle of more traditional Ring Line stations, Garden]. (The name was changed the Stalin Empire style, with its we continue on to Novoslobodskaya, in 1966 when the country’s main pompously exaggerated classical elements and lush, nationalist details that recall Orthodox churches as well as the neoclassicism of and Catherine the Great. With its soaring ceiling and an arcade of 34 columns on either side creating a massive open space, the station is truly worth of the title “people’s palace.” The station’s golden panels and mosaics depict major victories of the early Russian state and the Soviet Union, from Alexander Nevsky and Dmitri Donskoy to the Red Army’s defeat of the Whites and the Soviet victory in World War II. The white marble of the rest of the station was chosen to foreground these panels, and one can imagine arriving in the cit y at mid-centur y from some distant collective farm and seeing such grandeur — a truly breathtaking introduction to the Soviet capital and a testament to state power. P

June 2008 23 Cover Story

The Painful Truth from Laima Vaikule photos courtesy of Laima Vaikule

Laima Vaikule is a Latvian singer, actress, director, and choreographer. Originally trained as a nurse, she started out singing with a local band in the Latvian capital, Riga, before moving to Moscow in the 1980s to study acting and directing at the prestigious State Institute for Th eatrical Arts (GITIS). She scored her fi rst hit as a pop singer in 1985 and has since become an icon in the Soviet Union and its successor states. During the 1980s and ‘90s, Vaikule was a regular participant at international music competitions and festivals across Europe, the recipient of numerous awards and popular recognition. She was designated National Actress of Latvia and in 1996 was awarded the Grand Prix for her special contribution to Latvian music and culture. Over the course of her career, Laima as been asked lots of questions, some more interesting and easier to answer than others. But what Laima Vaikule really wants to discuss is a topic few journalists ask her about — animals. And it is not merely Laima’s words that are raising awareness of the need to protect animals but her actions as well. Last March, her convictions brought her to the ice of Archangelsk to protest the slaughter of baby seals. Recently she sat down with Passport’s Anna Kulyagina and told her all about it.

How did you get started in your work to protect animals? On the plane, they showed me photographs and a Th e work itself started recently, when I got involved with fi lm about how they kill the seal pups. It was sickening. the VITA Center for Animal Rights Protection. I always Everything human and reasonable in me protested against had dogs. Interaction with dogs and other pets teaches you these brutal images. I can’t describe my horror and pain. to love all living things — trees, animals, everything. Th en And aft er that, I felt ready to go to the ends of the earth to I stopped wearing fur. When VITA contacted me and said try to help these innocent creatures. they needed help, I, of course, said yes. Th ey asked me to It’s shocking to me that in our technologically ad- go to the White Sea, where hunters are killing baby seals vanced age we refuse to stop exploiting animals for their for their fur. fur. We’ve gone out into space and down to the depths

24 June 2008 Cover Story

of the oceans; we’ve split the atom and broken the sound barrier. All that eff ort and brain power, with such fan- tastic results. If people saw the spectacle of a man devot- ing his prodigious strength to overpowering and killing a baby seal, they would be disgusted and would want to stop wearing fur. And we’ve developed such wonderful and beautiful synthetic materials to keep us warm. So why put our strength and energy into killing baby seals when we could be putting it into other, more constructive things?

Do you think your popularity helps your work to stop the slaughter of animals? I cannot say that my voice is loud enough to reach everyone. But I hope that I can help raise awareness of VITA’s activities and that when people hear about them, they’ll stop and think. Aft er the trip to Archangelsk, I got a lot of calls from people interested in joining us, even from people I don’t know, people who aren’t in show business.

Do you think it’s possible to extinguish the human im- pulse to hunt? At this point we are focused on the next generation. On one hand, a generation is not that long, just 18 years or so, but on the other, you can make enormous changes in that short time. So if we start now, in 18 years we’ll have a population with an entirely new consciousness about animals. A friend of mine told me a story she heard about children attending a circus. When they brought animals out to do tricks, the kids started yelling that the rights of the animals were being violated! I dream of seeing that generation in Russia. Awareness of how we treat animals is essential because people who understand the importance of treating animals with respect also understand the importance of treating people with respect. So, if we are looking for a national idea, here’s my suggestion: protecting the environment, defending domesticated and wild animals and our natural surroundings in general. I think that would be a great national cause for Russia.

If you were asked to join a political party and advance the cause of animal protection from the political side, would you accept? I am not into politics, but I would do everything I could to help. My heart aches for what is happening on the White Sea. Th e person who works in politics has to keep emotions at bay. I’m not a good candidate because my heart is very vocal.

What do you think of zoos? I don’t like circuses and zoos, or anyplace where animals are exploited. Like humans, animals were created by God and have their own rights, regardless of the profi t they bring to man. Each animal has its own meaning as something very precious to Nature. Its life is important just as a human life is, and it surprises me when people don’t understand this. When you go to Africa or the White Sea, you experience a feeling of unity with nature, a sense of being a part of

June 2008 25 Cover Story

VITA Russia — Voices for the Voiceless Th e VITA (Latin for “life”) Center for Animal Rights Protection is a nonprofi t organization devoted to the pro- tection of animals. Its goal is the prevention of cruelty to animals in all forms. VITA employs peaceful methods to raise awareness of and protest against the maltreatment of animals. In addi- tion to its campaigns to end the slaughter of animals for fur, VITA also works to stop the exploitation of animals in circuses and zoos, medical experimentation and com- mercial testing, and factory farming. VITA activists — which include professional biologists, veterinarians, medical experts, and others — aim to raise awareness of the suff ering of animals at the hands of hu- mans and the need for responsible treatment of all ani- mals. Th e organization’s activities include Design Against Fur, an annual competition for animal-free fashion design held in Russia and other former Soviet countries, as well as an ongoing campaign to introduce animal welfare legislation in Russia. For more information, visit www.vita.org.ru.

Aft er I left , I realized I’d fallen in love with it. To have such a treasure right here and not let people enjoy it, not let them experience the beauty and sense of openness there, would be a crime. Th ey’ve built a small hotel right on the sea. It’s just fantastic — made of logs, great service, fresh food. Th is economic development is creating jobs so locals won’t have to kill seals for their livelihood. It’s just not the case that seal hunting is the only option they have to sup- port themselves. And hunting isn’t even profi table! Th e it. I had planned to go out onto the ice of the White Sea, pelt of one baby seal sells for $1 on the market. So think point to a baby seal, and say to the camera, “Look at this how many pups a hunter has to kill to support a family? miracle! Let it be!” It’s awful. And such horrible things happen in such a gor- But it turned out very diff erent from how I anticipated. geous place. Th e disconnect is mind-boggling. When I got there, I felt like a guest, and this sensation Th e place is so beautiful. With potential like that, it persisted the whole time I was there. I think that everyone could become another Nice or Monaco. Ecological tourism should have this feeling of being a guest of Nature. could be the city’s industry and provide well-paying jobs for the local population. Th at sort of development could If zoos aren’t the answer, then what is? We have to help be the area’s social and political program. and protect animals, but don’t they die in nature? A zoo is acceptable only if it is properly equipped and Doesn’t that take a lot of eff ort and resources? provides the animals with the conditions they need. We I think it requires less eff ort than slaughtering animals have to learn how to understand and care for animals.Th is does. Moreover, with each passing year, wearing fur goes is true of all animals, wild and domesticated, in captivity more and more out of fashion, so there is no economic and in the wild. It’s a question of responsibility. Before future in commercial hunting. Now plastic surgery is all taking in an animal, people must calculate the expenses the rage! involved and make sure that they have the resources to It is high time to change our attitudes in a fundamental maintain it properly. Remember what Exupery, the author way. Animal protection is a cause I care deeply about. of Th e Little Prince, said: “We are all responsible for those Every time I see a homeless dog on the street, it hurts me we have taken in.” If people treated animals responsibly, that people can allow this to go on. We can’t sit back and there would be no need for zoos. Th ey would be able to turn a blind eye to the problem. We have to take action. I live in nature as they were meant to. can’t just sit back while people are doing brutal things As to protecting animals in the wild, the principle of around me like killing helpless seal pups. To ignore it is to responsibility is the same. Russia is blessed to have such forget your humanity. I am not looking to blame anyone. an exquisite place as Archangelsk! I don’t usually use I just want us to think about what we are doing. Are we words like this, but the place really put a spell on me. behaving responsibly? P

26 June 2008 Cover Story

Adopt a shelter animal. You’ll love yourself for it. And so will they. For information, go to www.moscowanimals.org

June 2008 27 Summer Fun

Th e Skhodnia dacha settlement outside Moscow is a classic Soviet-era dacha development, where the citizen could get fresh air and grow other- wise hard-to-obtain fresh fruit and vegetables.

Hymn to the Dacha text and photos Ian Mitchell

hough English has given a huge in the heat of the day by the mouth- trying to “catch up” with the West? Tnumber of words to Russian, the watering tang of roasting shashlik. The first dachas were built, like so converse is not the case. Among the We have nothing like this in the many other novelties, on the order relatively few borrowings have been West. A country cottage in the of Peter the Great. He forced the vodka, babushka, sputnik, and, less English Lake District, for example, aristocracy of Russia to move to St. happily, gulag and pogrom. With the is catastrophically civilized by Petersburg and build houses in the possible exception of vodka, none comparison. Consumer magazines bog beside the Baltic that he had of these carries a positive, modern, tell the proud cottage owner how selected for his new, civilized capital. “lifestyle” connotation. But there is to create the “Beatrix Potter” look These people had been accustomed one word not on that list that conveys or the “Dorothy Wordsworth” feel. to living on their country estates or something both essentially Russian Style — or the pretension to it — is in their Moscow mansions, which in and highly desirable to the harassed, ubiquitous. Money obtrudes into those days offered a relatively rural time-tortured, over-technologized every corner of the pseudo-antique experience. Many did not take to Westerner: dacha. dressers, Laura Ashley-style chintz “city” living, European-style. Peter Th e dacha is a place of peace, where quilts, and other items that scream thought to mitigate the problem by good fellowship fl ourishes and lazy ostentatious consumption rather providing plots of land along the Gulf days meander by saturated by the than peaceful getaway. of Finland so that city folk of means aroma of dill and wild garlic and the Even humbler holiday homes are could build small country cottages evocative smell of pine woods in sum- still likely to have some of the facili- where they could spend at least mer. With luck, both will be overlaid ties we associate with rural affluence, part of the year in relatively rustic like running water, chairs without surroundings. Because such a plot springs poking through the cushions, was given, it was known as dacha, a and a feeling of relative privacy from word derived from dat’, the Russian the neighbors. In contrast, the tra- for “to give.” ditional Russian dacha has nothing It was not until the growth of a quite so onerous to distract from the bureaucratic middle class the 19th main business of dacha-going. The century that dachas began to assume dacha is for total relaxation in as un- a recognizably modern form. The sophisticated and therefore informal top-hatted chinovnik [bureaucrat] did an environment as possible. not want his family to have to spend So how did so cultured an institu- the whole summer cooped up in one tion as the dacha evolve in a country of the new tenement buildings that which, for the last 300 years, has been started going up after the Napoleonic

28 June 2008 Summer Fun

Wars to house the empire’s rapidly increasing numbers of clerks and administrators. They were soon joined by professionals like doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, and other types that modern Russian life had called into being — or, more accurately, imported from Europe. All wanted fresh air and physical freedom for their families when the weather was warm. Hence the “demand” side of the dacha equation. The “supply” side was created by the railways. From the 1850s onwards, it Th e building that was once the dacha of Lavrenty Beria, became increasingly easy to travel to chief of Stalin’s secret police. Today it is part of a rest home complex the countryside from Moscow and Petersburg on a Saturday and return by the Party and one to be used with In post-Soviet Russia, the dacha is on a Sunday evening. The golden modesty and without ostentation. dying. The advent of mass motoring age of dachas was the half-century That is perhaps the image that has and the fashion for commuting preceding World War I, when many stuck in the Western mind: The dacha is turning Russians into aspirant families could afford to have everyone as a primitive summer house, grouped suburbanites. Now that Russians except the working husband spend together in settlements situated near are free to submerge themselves in the whole summer out at the dacha. railway stations an hour or two from genuine materialism, the austere The fashion was for informal living the city center. In the austere fashion traditions of the peaceful weekend on the English suburban model, of the non-materialistic habits retreat in the cool forests outside and the watchword was practicality of the beneficiaries of dialectical the city are changing. Dacha-going, rather than prestige. The highlight of materialism, people spent their time at least as it has been known for the experience was “dacha romance,” at their dachas reading, chatting, the last 150 years, may become one which flourished on hot weekdays playing chess, and snoozing in the more tradition that Russia will lose when wives had time on their hands post-revolutionary sunshine. as a result of its irrational desire to while husbands were cooped up in At its best and most comfortable, a imitate the unpeaceful West. offices back in the city. dacha is, of course, primitive because More and more, Russian executives The British, and later American, the essence of the dacha experience live like their Western counterparts: response to the degradation of the is informality and convenience. in houses with gardens from which urban environment by industrial Places like Peredelkino (see page there is no need to escape to dachas. development was to create suburbs, 20) came to be associated with the As holiday homes on the Black Sea or where town and country were lightly dissident culture of the Soviet in Spain become popular, the essence integrated. The Russian response was intelligentsia, which added another of dacha living — a low-budget week- to create dachas, which were purely dimension to the feeling of the dacha end retreat that is also a summer house rural and removed from town as a sanctuary for personal freedom. — slips away like last summer’s P to permit daily commuting on a long- term basis. In the late 19th century, dachas ranged from 20-room houses with plumbing and heating systems to two-room huts sufficient for shelter only in the summer months. Drive out of St. Petersburg along the highway to Vyborg, and you will see some magnificent mansions, built in the Victorian Gothic style. Or visit Skhodnya, 10 miles beyond the Moscow suburb of Khimki, and you will see some buildings that look as if they might have been constructed from packing crates. There never was an archetype; a dacha is defined less by the sort of the building as by the use to which its owners put it. In Soviet times, a dacha was a privilege to be granted or withheld

June 2008 29 Summer Fun

A Garden of Sculpted Delights text and photos Ross Hunter

ne of Moscow’s great advantages that proves it is possible to treat that just a pathway turn away, shock with Ois that its most enjoyable and theme with taste and proportion. Th e the horror of war (soldier dying, op- thought-provoking sights are very testament to motherhood (below) is posite page, left , second from top). A oft en the cheapest. Th e sculpture park simultaneously tender and reverential stroll to the central cafes becomes a on Krymsky Val, for example, off ers while protesting at the constricting regal procession along the of three great displays for less than 7 binds of the burden. Be careful as you busts of great thinkers (opposite page, rubles each: an amusing, touching, and progress. Th e wolf in sheep’s clothing above left ). anarchic showcase of modern works; a (at right) awaits you, while the captive moving memorial to Russia’s soldiers; bear (below, right) is only pausing and the powerful and charged garden before his lunch. of former leaders. Th ere is only one Promenade, Mussorgsky-like, to the downside, but we’ll get to that later. series of sculptures commissioned as Th e park lies on the banks of the a salute to the armed forces. Th is area Moscow River, adjoining the imposing is laid out with remarkable grace and brutalist cube of the New Tretyakov/ invites a feeling of space far beyond its Central House of Artists — itself one compact plot. Some pieces are heroic, of the world’s great art collections some tender (see soldier kissing, oppo- — and neighbor to the splendidly site page, bottom right), while others, entertaining open-air art market right along the embankment. Parking is plentiful, or you can walk from several nearby metro stations. Me, I cycle along the canal side. Th ere are plenty of cafes and unexpected hideaways for children to explore, too. Which to enjoy fi rst? Nearest the river is a constantly developing exhibition of recent works in many styles. Go every month or two and you will see fresh themes in an assortment of materials and idioms. Even what you don’t enjoy will still be useful as a stimulus to discussion. A seated bronze couple (above, left ) are worthy of Henry Moore, while a young boy is lifelike and personal. Be careful not to trip over a small boat, piloted by Peter the Great (above, right), a piece

30 June 2008 Summer Fun

ka. History keeps evolving. With the Chekists in power and Stalin’s name edging towards rehabilitation, it will be worth watching to see if the layout of this area is altered. And the downside? It is very hard to fi nd a corner of this fascinating and tasteful exhibition without being able to see Tsereteli’s grossly overblown Pe- ter the Great statue. I, for one, would pay a lot not to see it; if I want genuine And then you are guided, with the pastiche, I’ll go to Disneyland. P subtle skill that characterizes this amazing park, to the Garden of the Fallen Monuments. When the Soviet Central House of Artists Union imploded, dozens of images of (Tsentralny Dom Khudozhnika) the ancient regime were unceremoni- 10 Krymsky Val, across from Gorky ously toppled, but someone had the Park M. Oktyabrskaya good sense to stash them away out of sight and out of mind. Th e old lead- ers have been gathered together once more, this time arranged with con- summate care. Th e many busts of Lenin have a respectful if not defer- ential air about them, and most of the later leaders have dignifi ed settings. However, it is scarcely possible to view Stalin’s red granite effi gy (at right) without catching the muted accusing stares of the mass of twisted mutant forms in front of him, or to ignore the tapestry of gulag skulls behind. Honed by decades of practice when speech was anything but free, Rus- sians have a remarkable facility for silent, sharp satire and grim humor. If you doubt it, look up, for throughout the park you are under the iron stare of Felix Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Soviet secret police, still atop his col- umn (far right), which once stood in front of KGB headquarters at Lubyan-

June 2008 31 Real Estate

Candy Land text and photos Piers Gladstone

hen I fi rst arrived in Moscow over three years ago, I Such success soon meant that a move to the purpose- Wremember every so oft en, usually at night, breathing built factory on the Moscow River was necessary, and in the in a waft of something sweet, deliciously sweet, in the air that process Einem became the most successful confectionery would make me both salivate and wonder. I asked Tanya, a brand in pre-revolution Russia, producing everything from Russian friend about it. “Ah,” she said with a smile and a misty chocolates and biscuits to marmalades and glazed fruits from look in her eyes, “that will be the Red October Chocolate their orchards in the Crimea, all packaged in tins bearing Factory. Th at is the smell of them making chocolate.” reproductions of famous paintings and wrapped in the likes Th e unmistakable red brick factory sits on Bolotny Island of velvet. Th e advertising of the produce of the pre-revolution in the middle of the Moscow River and has become an factory was equally novel: airships fl ying over Moscow. architectural icon here in Moscow. Generations have been Aft er the October Revolution the factory was nationalized brought up on chocolates produced by the Red October factory, and renamed the somewhat bland and utilitarian “State and the brand has an almost mystical place in virtually every Confectionery Factory #1, Formerly Einem.” In 1922 the Russian’s heart. “For me it’s something really connected to factory was once again renamed and given the politically Russia,” explains Maria Bannova, a 25-year-old model from charged name that it bears to this day, becoming an institution Moscow. “It’s something old, with that quality that will never during the Soviet era and surviving the turmoil of the 1990s. leave you indiff erent.” During World War II, the factory was re-equipped to produce Th e origins of the brand are as humble as they are interesting: porridge concentrates for the army as well as chocolate for In 1850 Th eodore Ferdinand von Einem arrived in Moscow airmen and submariners. Aft er the war, the factory was from his native Germany, seeking his fortune. Th e following awarded the Order of Lenin for its eff orts. year he opened his fi rst confectionery store bearing his own Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Red October name in a small shop on Arbat. Soon aft er, Einem joined forces continued to produce the nation’s favorite chocolates and re- with a business partner and fellow countryman, Julius Heuss, verted to its pre-revolution status as a privately owned com- and their chocolates and confectionary were soon winning pany. In 2006, its sales were $770,000 dollars and its choco- awards and a contract to supply the court of the tsar. late accounted for 16 percent of the Russian market.

32 June 2008 Real Estate

Now, however, much to the sadness of Muscovites, the smell of chocolate no longer drift s down the river because the factory has been relocated to a brownfi eld site outside of the city center along with many other industrial enterprises, as the authorities push for a less industrialized central Moscow. Some have pointed to the desperate housing shortage in the city and the need for land for developers as another reason why industrial premises are being moved from the center. According to the Moscow Architectural Preservation Society, around 1000 historic buildings, many of which were “protected,” have been lost over the last fi ve years as Moscow’s rapacious property developers knock down the old and throw up the oft en taste-free new. Th ere was a genuine fear that the 5 hectares of the Red October factory, possibly the most desirable real estate in the whole of Russia, would go the same way. It seems, though, that the redevelopment of the complex into luxury loft s and offi ce space will for the fi rst time in the city’s history convert industrial to residential, following what has been done in cities such as London and New York. Th e high windows of the factory will aff ord those that can aff ord more than $30,000 per square meter views from their top- fl oor loft apartments out across the Moscow River to the Kremlin, the Church of Christ the Savior and, perhaps less picturesquely, the much derided Peter the Great statue. While the main factory buildings are being preserved, the garages and warehouses are to be demolished and replaced with “social facilities,” with the idea of the island becoming a self-suffi cient community. “Th e historical context of the factory and its environment is being preserved with this project,” explains Michael Grigoriev of Meganom, one of the architectural fi rms working on the redevelopment of the Red October factory. With a collection of international ar- chitectural teams also working on the project, including such luminaries as renowned British architect Sir Norman Foster, it seems that the architectural heritage of this site Red October Chocolate Factory will be preserved for future generations, even if the deli- 6 Bersenevskaya Embankment cious smells and the legendary “all-you-can-eat” factory M. Biblioteka im. Lenina, Kropotkinskaya tours have now gone. P Walk across the footbridge that spans the Moscow River

June 2008 33 Travel

Buryatia Text and photos Neil McGowan Hidden behind the Soviet-style excesses of Ulan-Ude are living communities with unbroken traditions of spiritual and moral values that stretch back to the 17th century. Neil McGowan reports from the capital of Siberian Buryatia.

here’s a big head.” If people know anything at all about is lined with camel felt, and the wooden aul, which is more “TBuryatia, it’s that the world’s largest bust of Lenin suited to the fi erce local winters when temperatures can drop glowers over the town square of Ulan-Ude. Werner Herzog’s to –45 degrees Celsius. legendary fi lm Fitzcarraldo told the story of an opera fan’s During Soviet collectivization, most nomads were settled audacious plan to build an opera house in the middle of the into towns and villages. As a result, very few yurt-dwellers Amazon basin. Surely the Soviet plan to build an opera house remain in Buryatia today (unlike Mongolia, where 75 percent in the middle of the Siberian steppes so that nomadic horse- of the population still live as nomads). Ulan-Ude sprang up men could enjoy Aida is no less bizarre. Th e extraordinary art from the Buryat tea-trading center of Verkhneudinsk, where deco opera house faces Lenin’s stony stare and is still opera- camel caravans that had crossed Mongolia were unloaded tional despite an extensive, badly needed refurbishment that and transferred to barges that would sail across Baikal and is just getting under way. continue on into Russian Siberia. Buryatia is one of the country’s regions in which ethnic Shamanism is the most ancient of the many beliefs practiced Russians have always been a minority. Buryats themselves are in Buryatia. Although today the shamans have mostly gone distant cousins of the Mongolians and have been the indig- — the full wrath of Soviet anti-religious fury fell on them, enous population to the east of Lake Baikal for time imme- and they were singled out for especially harsh treatment in morial. In contrast to the deserts of neighboring Mongolia, the gulag — some vestiges of their beliefs endure. Sacred Buryatia is full of rich, green pastureland and forest. Native groves and other sites still attract visitors, who tie ribbons dwellings include both the traditional framed yurta, which and scraps of cloth to the trees as prayers and off erings, and you may still pass the occasional ovoo, a mound of stones by the roadside left as an off ering to the local spirits. If you come across one, walking around it three times and leaving a gift (coins or a splash of vodka on the stones) is said to bring luck to your travels. Th e Gelugpa sect of Buddhism (known as Yellow Hat) spread to Buryatia from Tibet in the 17th century. Th e sect fl ourished in this part of Siberia because full tsarist control ended at Baikal; order beyond the lake was kept by Cossack Law — so, provided you didn’t annoy others, locals had broad latitude to live as they wished. Today, visiting the monasteries and stupas (Buddhist spiritual monuments) is one of the most popular activities for visitors. Th e small Atsagat Datsan monastery, for example, was founded in 1811 and in 1891 received its most celebrated visitor — the young tsarevich Nicholas, who later became Tsar At Ivolginsky Monastery Nicholas II. Some years later he would again meet the monk who befriended him in Siberia, now Abbot Dorjiev of the same

34 June 2008 Travel monastery. Th e far-thinking Dorjiev became a private adviser BURYATIA to the tsar, persuading him to support plans to build Buddhist monasteries throughout Russia. Dorjiev later promoted the How to get there: S7 Airlines fl ies daily to Ulan-Ude from idea to Vladimir Lenin on the basis that “Buddhism worships Moscow Domodedovo (overnight fl ight). Ulan-Ude is a six- no God.” A grim photograph on display at the monastery of day journey from Moscow on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Dorjiev being led away by Stalin’s NKVD in 1924 illustrates Where to stay: Th e preferred hotel for foreign visitors is the that Lenin’s successor was not so easily convinced and hints modest but comfortable Hotel Geser, whose central location at how Dorjiev’s “accidental death” occurred. Atsagat receives at 11 Ulitsa Ranzhurova (200m from Lenin’s head) and good few visitors today, but those go who oft en stop at a nearby management (with English-speaking staff ) put it ahead of village to get a taste of traditional Buryat life. You can learn rivals who may be spiffi er but fail to deliver on service. how to make poozy (steamed pot stickers stuff ed with aromatic lamb) and try some local fare, aft er which you can learn the Sightseeing: Th e monasteries and villages are the main at- nomadic skills of archery and yurt-building. tractions. If you didn’t come through a travel company, Ho- Th e other principal monastery in Buryatia, Ivolginsky, is tel Geser has an excursion bureau that can organize visits to at a magnifi cent site an hour’s drive from Ulan-Ude in the most area sites. opposite direction. A major center of Buddhist learning, previous dalai lamas came to study here despite the huge diffi culties this caused in the Soviet era. If you just want to At an Old Believer village wander and photograph, no one will stop you, but they’ll appreciate it if you follow the custom of making a clockwise circuit around the monastery’s boundaries and around the individual temples within it. If you would like to know more, English-speaking monks will introduce their place of worship with no attempt to proselytize. Th ere is no greater contrast to this conspicuous grandeur than the delicate traces left by the most secretive of the many beliefs that have been drawn to this remote area. Th e Adepts of the Ancient Rite, more commonly known as Old Believers, fi rst arrived in the area when their leader, Avvakum, was deported and then executed as a heretic here in 1682. Th ese Old Believers refused to accept a charter of religious “reforms” demanded by the “offi cial” Orthodox Church, including changes in the liturgy, observance, and, most signifi cantly, the calendar (correcting centuries of timeslip few sought out Siberia’s most sequestered corners in which to due to omitted leap years). For the Adepts, this was “stealing practice their banned creed. time from God himself.” Catastrophic misunderstandings Th eir religious ethic of simple food and hard work contin- stirred up by Avvakum’s execution led to the Khovanshchina ues today, but the need for secrecy is over. Th eir warm hospi- incident of 1682, which bears horrifi c similarities to the 1978 tality and hearty home-cooked recipes, unchanged for centu- events in Jonestown, Guyana. Convinced of persecution ries reward the visitor who braves the bumpy ride to the by a fi ery preacher named Dosifei, the Old Believers fl ed to painted houses of Tarbagatay. Father Alexei, pastor of a tiny Siberia, where Dosifei convinced thousands that the tsar’s church he literally built himself, wouldn’t take a penny for a forces were about to pounce and that self-immolation was the personal tour of his private collection of artifacts from the only answer. Contemporary accounts described the young community’s history. “Do me this favor instead: Tell people in “helping the elderly into the fl ames.” When an immediate ban your country we are here, we are alive, and we welcome you.” on the entire Old Believer movement followed, the remaining And how could I say no to a priest? P

Building a yurt

Making poozy

June 2008 35 Outlook

Driving Infl ation – Russia’s current curse

The Russian government, which watched its 2007 inflation target go up in smoke, was looking to bring it back under con- trol with a 2008 target of about 8 percent. With less than half the year gone that target too is in shreds, and rising costs are starting to seriously shake the Rus- sian economy. James Blake looks at some of the under- lying causes.

nfl ation: It’s on more people’s lips than you can shake a and real estate — all are leaving people wondering what on Iprice gun at, from politicians to people on the street, all of earth is going on. whom have an unpleasant shock every time they head to their A chat with local economists and business leaders about local shop to buy staple household items the causes of infl ation rapidly settles on a few key themes that Russia has long had higher infl ation rates than Europe and add up to the fl y in the ointment of Russia’s economic success the United States, but without a doubt the last year or so hasn’t story. If infl ation is simply a matter of too much demand for been pretty. In 2007 the government’s original infl ation target too little supply, forcing people to shell out more for what they was about 7 percent. Aft er a few upward adjustments, the fi nal need and pushing prices higher, then Russia is at the center of tallied fi gure was a downright ugly 11.9 percent. a combination of factors that point to its present malaise. Nobody — local and expat alike — could be unaware of the First of all is demand itself. It’s growing, fueled by the oil- problem. Regardless of the item, it is sharply more expensive underpinned turnaround in Russia’s economy over the last than it was a couple of years ago. Grocery items, food, fuel, eight years. A casual glimpse around Moscow reveals seem- ingly half the city being repaired, a fair bit of the rest being built afresh, more cars on the road than ever before, and shops of all descriptions packed to the raft ers with shoppers. At the same time, signifi cant wage jumps plus a strongly appreciating ruble mean that Russians have much more money to spend. Russia is also seeing a maturing consumer society. Nearly 20 years of advertising means that those with money in their pockets have diff erent expectations of what they can do with it than their Soviet forebears did. Russia now has a society of people who, arguably for the fi rst time, fi nd themselves with a fi stful of money and start thinking about what they want to buy. And the range of things they can spend it on would without a doubt shock those who in the early ’80s were trying to work out demand and appropriate production volumes for Soviet society. Russia’s consumer boom is attracting attention

36 June 2008 Outlook from a wide range of international retail outfi ts, who recognize a good thing when they see it. What they’re seeing is a shop- till-you-drop ethos. Th is provides an insight into the second factor that economists point to. Russia is still, in some respects, either trying to address the needs of a radically changed society with infrastructure inherited from Soviet planners or halfway through the overhaul. A good portion of all that construction activity one sees all over Moscow, and to varying degrees across the country, will in the long run help get Russia’s production and distribution systems into gear and lower costs. Factories being created, extended, and upgraded with new production capacity, roads being widened or relaid, bridges repaired, railways souped up with new tracks and rolling stock, airports expanded, seaports modernized. At the moment it’s all happening and until this overhaul is more mature, the country’s production and distribution systems are eff ectively trying to bypass a series of cost-increasing bottlenecks left , right, and center. Anyone trying to fi nd quality logistics space and handling facilities will tell you, there simply isn’t enough; those trying to get produce of any description from one point to another send more trucks onto already clogged roads or add to backlogs on the rail, air, and port systems. And that’s without taking into consideration the bureaucratic and regulatory factors that can increase delays and costs. Th e other part of the production and distribution equation is the people involved: Th ey too are becoming increasingly more expensive. Russia’s population has declined in a major something more with Russia’s export earning and to address way since the late 1990s, and demand for skilled employees infrastructure problems as well as to increase pensions, in particular is now greater than the available supply. Th is is improve education, and upgrade health care. Nobody would seeing net salary increases averaging more than 10 percent deny that this is necessary, but the fact that it is occurring per year of late. Th ough it was coming off a low base, it still right now is adding to infl ationary pressure. means ever higher costs being passed on with products and Finally, there is the fourth major factor, the increasing services. integration of the Russian economy with the rest of the Th e third infl ationary factor adding to the mix is the world, which has aff ected food prices in particular. Russia is massive scale of investment all taking place at once to a signifi cant importer of a range of foods, and the increasing overhaul the production and distribution systems, adding to cost of this is adding to infl ationary pressure at home. Grain the money in circulation. With oil seemingly holding steady export tariff s and an industry-imposed cap on price increases over the $110/bbl mark, there is an estimated billion dollars have helped limit some of the eff ects, but these aren’t long- per day fl owing into the country. All this money is what is term mechanisms. In the end, the government is left with the adding to demand in one way or another, either in people’s double-edged sword of ruble appreciation or the limited eff ect paychecks or in the demand for materials and services. Th e of interest rate rises. investment must happen simply to make the Russian economy In the long term, producing more, more effi ciently and more competitive in the longer run, but its initial eff ect is to making sure it gets to where it’s needed more easily represents sharpen demand and short-term infl ation. Th e government, the path to a low infl ation rate Russia. But in the short term, which has been lauded for running a consistently tight fi scal existing demand is increasingly diffi cult to meet, meaning policy until quite recently, has bumped up expenditure by an that when you next head to the supermarket, you should estimated 40 percent in recent years in response to calls to do continue to brace for a shock. P

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June 2008 37 Wine & Dine

Favored by the Tsars text Charles W. Borden photos Sergei Koshkin

his month’s wine tasting was inspired by the Valence area Th e French Appellation d’origine contrôlée [controlled Tin the heart of the French Côtes du Rhône wine region, term of origin], or AOC, system controls the use of regional which runs along the Rhône River in southeastern France names such as Côtes du Rhône in the labeling of wines. Th e from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the south to Côte Rôtie system dates back to the 15th century, though many AOC and Condrieu in the north. Th e Ancient Romans used the designations are more recent. When an AOC designation is Rhone for transport and trade, establishing a city at Vienne granted, only grapes from that AOC district can be used in and planting the fi rst vineyards in the area that is now known wines that carry the name, and there are oft en restrictions on as St. Joseph and Côte Rotie. Th ese are France’s oldest wine the varieties of grapes that can be used. For instance, wines districts. from Hermitage AOC must be made from Syrah grapes with only small amounts of Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. An AOC designation may cover an entire region like Côtes du Rhône (and all wines with that name must come from that region), or a small vineyard area like Condrieu. Th e wines from the narrower designations are likely to demand a higher price. In addition to wines, AOC designations are given to cheese, poultry, and even lentils. Th e principal and best known AOC wine districts of Côtes du Rhône are Côte Rôtie, Condrieu, St. Joseph, Crozes- Hermitage, Hermitage, Cornas, Gigondas, Tavel, and Châ- teauneuf-du-Pape. Th e most widely planted red grapes are Black Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Carignane. Viognier, Marsanne, White Grenache, and Roussanne are the favored whites. With the exception of the E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Blanc,

38 June 2008 Wine & Dine the wines from this wine tasting come from the following AOC districts: Châteauneuf-du-Pape Named for its selection as the Pope’s summer residence in the 14th century, the area received AOC status in 1936. Th e principal grapes are Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault, Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, and Bourboulenc. Condrieu Th is small district produces some of the region’s best whites, exclusively from Viognier, which has experienced a resurgence in popularity during recent years with plantings in most major wine regions of the world. It is oft en blended with Syrah wines to soft en them. Côte Rôtie According to the AOC rules, this district produces exclu- sively red wines from Syrah grapes that are co-fermented with up to 20 percent of the white Viognier. Hermitage According to legend, this district was established by Henry Gaspard, a knight from Stérimberg, who returned from the Crusades to embrace a life of prayer and retreat. Th e grapes of Hermitage are produced on just 130 hectares, and the AOC permits only Syrah for red wines with small amounts (up to 15 percent) of Marsanne and Roussanne. Th ese two grapes form the area’s white wines as well. Th e wines of Hermitage were favored by the Russian tsars. Tavel Th is is exclusively a rosé district with wines produced from Grenache with a maximum of 15 percent of other grapes. As usual we began with the whites, led by Château de la Th e Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage Chevalier de Stérimberg Gardine Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2004, a “value” at just 2001, though highly rated by Parker at 91, was disappointing. 525 rubles (about $21), much less than the comparable price in Following the whites, the two rosé wines from Tavel did not the UK. Th is is unusual for Moscow. Th is bright, fruity, light provide our Knights with a good reason to choose them over golden wine scored well with our panel. Th e next two wines, a nice white wine. E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2005 Blanc and Yves Cuilleron Aft er a break, we resumed with the reds, led by two from Condrieu Les Chaillets 2006, are both made from Viognier, Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Th e Domaine Pierre Usseglio Châ- a very distinctive white grape that can be great with proper teauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de Mon Aïeul, made with 100 per- handling, as with the Condrieu. Th e Condrieu, which car- cent Grenache grapes and with a Parker score of 90-93, was ries a Parker score of 93, received our highest rating. Parker’s my personal favorite. However, despite its heft y price tag, Wine Advocate describes it as follows: our Knights did not score it quite as high as the lower-priced Th e 2006 Condrieu Les Chaillets is superb. A greenish hue to the Clos de L’Oratoire Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Another big-ticket light gold color off ers up notes of ripe peach, poached apricots, bottle, the Chapoutier Côte Rôtie Les Becasses 2004, did not crushed rocks, and acacia fl owers. Broad, smoky, luscious fl avors score well at all. are concentrated with good underlying acidity. Th is is a beauty Th en the star came out: the Chapoutier Ermitage L’Ermite to drink over the next several years. 2000, with a Parker rating of 99 and a price of 12 800 rubles.

June 2008 39 Wine & Dine

A wine that should warm the heart of any oligarch or tsar, a Moscow Value Wines Wine Advocate reviewer described it: As a service to wine-loving readers on a budget, each month I grossly underestimated the 2000 Ermitage L’Ermite from bar- rel. Th is wine, which emerges from largely pre-phylloxera vines we will rate and recommend several wines in the price range planted on the dome of Hermitage, adjacent to the chapel that is of 250 to 600 rubles. Th e crop for June: perched there so photogenically, possesses extraordinary fi nesse and elegance. It reveals notes of liquid minerals intermixed with Wine ORS* Price Supermarket kirsch liqueur and blackberries … [It] displays a certain auster- ity early in life. Th e extraordinary 2000 fl irts with perfection. A Spier Chenin Blanc 2007 4 355 R Aromatny provocative wine with great minerality, fi nesse, and delineation, (Stellenbosch, South Mir it blew me away when I tasted it from the bottle. Africa) With our Knights, the Chapoutier Ermitage barely edged out Westend Estate Down 4 345 R Azbuka the other reds, but I have to admit that the P&P (price and Under Shiraz 2006 Vkusa Parker) of this wine heightened the experience of enjoyment (Southeastern Australia) of a good wine. Hardy’s Stamp Series 4 339 R Sedmoi Read about Carré Blanc, the venue for the June wine tasting, Riesling/Gewurtztra- Kontinent in the July issue of Passport. P miner 2007 (Southeast- Knights of the Vine ern Australia) John Ortega, International Apparel Robert Mondavi Wood- 3+ 379 R Sedmoi Charles Borden, Meridian Capital bridge Kontinent Arian Alikhani, Lensmaster Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Kim Balaschak, Monsoon Accessorize Jim Balaschak, Deloitte & Touche Frank Benhamou, CISLink.com Phil Dixon, Morgan Hunt Selection Victor Frumkin, Bridge Town Justin Harman, Ambassador of Ireland in Moscow Jan Heere, Inditex (Zara) Art Vartanian, Retail Solutions Dan Vigdor, AutoLocator Tony Wong, Abbott *Ortega Rating System I love this wine! 5 pts. I really like this wine! 4 pts. Th is wine is good! 3 pts. Th is wine is not that good! 2 pts. I don’t really care for this wine! 1 pt.

Wine Retail (RR) Retail (USD) Rating White 1 Château de la Gardine Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2004 525 $21 3.76 2 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2005 1 640 $67 3.36 3 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Les Chaillets 2006 3 370 $138 3.96 4 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage Chevalier de Stérimberg 2001 2 940 $120 3.11 Rosé 5 E. Guigal Tavel 2004 632 $26 2.58 6 Chapoutier Tavel Beaurevoir 2005 910 $37 3.21 Red 7 Clos de L’Oratoire Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2001 908 $37 3.74 8 Domaine Pierre Usseglio Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de 4 590 $187 3.68 Mon Aïeul 2004 9 Chapoutier Côte Rôtie Les Becasses 2004 3 320 $136 3.27 10 Chapoutier Ermitage L’Ermite 2000 12 800 $522 3.76 As always, all wines rated are available in Moscow.

40 June 2008 Distribution List

Marriot Royal Aurora Mexico Streamline Marriott Tverskaya New Zealand Swiss International Metropol Norway Mezhdunarodnaya 2 Pakistan OOthersthers Maxima Hotels Peru Anglia Bookshop National Philippines Anglo-American School Novotel 1, 2 Poland American Institute of Business Orlyonok Portugal and Economics Proton Saudi Arabia Baker Hughes Radisson Slavyanskaya Singapore ВВС Renaissance Slovenia Citibank Sheraton Palace South Africa DHL Soyuz South Korea General Electric Sretenskaya Spain General Motors CIS Swissotel Krasnie Kholmy Sweden Goodyear Russia Tifl is United Arab Emirates Halliburton International Volga United Kingdom Hinkson Christian Academy Zavidovo United States Imperial Tailoring Co. Zolotoye Koltso Indian Shop Leonardo MMedical/Dentaledical/Dental CCentersenters Ital-Market Liga Pub BBusinessusiness CCentersenters American Clinic Jones Lang LaSalle London Pub American Center American Dental Clinic Mars LLC Louisiana Steak House Business Center Degtyarny American Dental Center Mega Moka-Loka Business Center Mokhovaya American Medical Center NB Gallery Molly Gwinn's Pub Dayev Plaza American-Russian Dental Сenter Penny Lane Realty Nedalny Vostok Iris Business Centre European Dental Center Philips Russia Night Flight Japan House European Medical Center Procter & Gamble Noahs Ark LG Electronics German Dental Center Raiff eisenbank Austria Nostalgie Lotte Plaza International SOS Alarm Center Renaissance Capital Pancho Villa McDonald’s Headquarters International SOS Medical Clinic Shishkin Gallery RRestaurantsestaurants & BarsBars Parisienne Meyerkhold House US Dental Care The Expat Salon Pizza Maxima MedinCentre 13 Sandwiches Morskoi Dom TeamAllied Planet Sushi Academy Mosalarko Plaza TSM Limousine Service Porto Maltese RResidentialesidential CComplexesomplexes Accenti Mosbusiness Center Unilever Pyramid Park Place (offi ce) Adriatico Moscow Business Center Uniastrum Bank Alpen Terrasse Rendezvous Mosenka 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Pokrovky Hills

American Bar&Grill R&B Cafe Novinsky Passage Rosinka (offi ce) MOSCOW Art Bazar PASSPORTSanta Fe Olympic Plaza Rosinka (sportcenter) Art Chaikhona Scandinavia Romanov Dvor Australian Open Shafran Samsung Center BBusinessusiness OrganizationsOrganizations BeerHouse Shamrock Sodexo American Chamber Bellezza Shokolad Usadba Center of Commerce Bistrot Silvers Irish Pub Usadba Center JTI European Business Club Blue Elephant www.Simple Pleasures passportmagazine.ruWestern Bridge Business Center Russo-British Chamber Bookcafe Starlite Diner Wrigley Business Center of Commerce Cafe Cipollino Sudar Znamenskoye Business Center Cafe Michelle T. G. I. Friday's+7 (495) 660-0888FFitnessitness CCentersenters Cafe Mokka Talk of the Town EEmbassiesmbassies Dr. Loder Tesoro Сarre Blanc Australia Gold's Gym The Place Che Austria Sport Line Club Trattoria Macaroni Cicco Pizza Belgium Radisson Slavyanskaya Sport Club Tunnel Coff ee Bean Brazil Uncle Sam’s Colonna Canada AAirlines/Travelirlines/Travel CompaniesCompanies Uzbekistan Correa’s China ABN AMPD Bank Vanilla Sky Cutty Sark Cyprus American Express V.I.P.National Da Cicco Czech Rebublic Aviatransagentstvo Vesna Darbar Denmark Astravel Yapona Mama Donna Klara Egypt Capital Tours Yellow Sea French Cafe Finland JAL Zapravochnya Gallery of Art France Moscow Voyage Bureau Gandhara Germany Hotels Gorki Greece Akvarel Hotel Moscow Grand Havana Hungary Ararat Park Hyatt Guilly's Iceland Art-Hotel Hard Rock Cafe Indonesia Baltchug Kempinski Hic Bibitur India Belgrad Ichiban Boshi Ireland Globus Il Patio Israel Golden Apple Hotel Italianets Italy East-West Jonka Japan Katerina-City Hotel Ju-Ju Kuwait Marriott Courtyard Khajuraho Luxembourg Marriott Grand Labardans Netherlands

June 2008 41 Restaurant Review

Or Else text Charles W. Borden photos Sergei Koshkin

’d heard raves about the food at this quiet Upon entering, the dinner guest is greeted at the Else- Irestaurant near the expat colony of Pokrovsky Club’s reception and then ushered into a rather diminu- Hills. The area borders a large park on your right tive restaurant with a simple décor — clean but not par- as you head out of town on Volgogradsky Shosse, a ticularly distinctive. Th e restaurant’s web site bills the couple of kilometers past the exit off Leningradsky menu, and the interior design, as fusion. Prospekt at the Green Line’s Sokol metro station. Upon tasting the “Chef’s Complement,” a cube of The large Pokrovsky Hills townhouse development, braised tuna served with shredded beet, it was clear which could have been transplanted from a U.S. that a real professional was at work in the kitchen: suburb, draws many expats because of its proximity Chef Alexei Berzin, a veteran of the Ararat Park Hyatt to the Anglo-American School. There is also a huge Moscow. complex of high-end apartments nearby. Else is on Th e somewhat limited wine list included a nice New the first floor of a relatively new high-rise apartment Zealand Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc (3050 R). When building and an adjunct to a fabulous health club, a red wine at 1 500 rubles was not available, we took the ElseClub. a similarly priced substitute, an excellent, deep, fl oral Italian Salento Primitivo 2005. Starters sampled included an intriguing cream polenta with tiger shrimp (520R) and the Scotch salmon in corn crisp (800R) as well as a Caesar salad with shrimp (450R). Caesar salad provides a basic test for a restaurant — it’s such a universal menu item that it is easily taken for granted. (Believe it or not, I have had a Caesar salad in Moscow made with chopped cabbage.) The chef at Else has not overlooked his Caesar, which was served just right, a good combination of flavors on real Romaine with thin slices of fresh grilled shrimp, a bit of anchovy, and large Italian capers. The cream polenta was also delightful, the polenta very smooth, almost a corn pudding captured in a very thin, cylindrical corn crisp with a tiger shrimp and sprigs of basil and thyme.

42 June 2008 Restaurant Review

I ordered the simple wok vegetables with cashew residents of Pokrovsky Hills should be pleased to have and chicken (450R), which was served on papadum, Else and its chef in the neighborhood. a circular Indian crisp made from lentil fl our. Th e As to the adjoining health club, an extraordinary papadum nicely set off the lightly spiced and sautéed health facility on two fl oors, no expense appears to vegetables and chicken. My dining companion was have been spared: It has half a dozen pools at various pleased with the grouper fi llet he caught, served with temperatures, a large Finnish sauna, Russian banya, batata (Spanish sweet potato) cream and morel sauce and rooms full of the latest high-tech training (1 400R). equipment. Th ose who pay the $5,000 per year Normally, we don’t have room for dessert, but I membership dues will have access to an oligarch’s couldn’t resist the Belgian chocolate mousse with dream and, at least for now, no crowds. P raspberry marmalade and black pepper (300R). Overall, Else Cafe the meal was a pleasant surprise. Th e quality of the food 5 Ivankovskoye Shosse off erings and their presentation were extraordinary, 234-4444 certainly comparable to some of Moscow’s best. Th e www.elseclub.ru

June 2008 43 Wine & Dine Listings AMERICAN COFFEE MANIA ZOLOTOI KUPOL JAPANESE Good daytime business meeting venue next to Upmarket restaurant serving Caucasian and AMERICAN BAR & GRILL Moscow Conservatory. Open 24 hours. pan-European cuisine. Wide selection of bever- ICHIBAN BOSHI Hamburgers, steaks, bacon & eggs and more. 13 Ulitsa Bolshaya Nikitskaya ages. Open 24 hours. High-quality, affordable Japanese with cool Children’s room on weekends. Open 24 hours. 775-5188, 775-4310, www.cofffeemania.ru Gorki-10, 70/2 Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Shosse, ambience. 2/1 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Ul., 250-9525. M. Arbatskaya, Biblioteka im. Lenina 634-5278. 22 Krasnaya Presnya Ul., 255-0909. M. Mayakovskaya CUTTY SARK M. Molodyozhnaya M. Krasnopresnenskaya 59 Ul. Zemlyanoi Val, 912-3621/3615. 105 Prospekt Vernadskogo, k.1 M. Taganskaya Restaurant made to look like a luxury yacht. 4 ANGELS CAFE Aquarium with live lobsters and crabs; oyster European, Russian and Japanese cuisine. Cozy M. Yugo-Zapadnaya 14 Kirovogradskaya Ul., (inside Global City Trade 50 Ul. Bolshaya Yakimanka NEW LOCATION! bar; over 40 varieties of fresh fish. Seasonal cafe with gorgeous interior. Center), 956-4843, M. Yuzhnaya M. Polyanka offerings from the chef. Extensive selection of Open Sun.-Thurs.,noon-6:00, Fri.-Sat., 24 hrs. FLAT IRON BAR & ROADHOUSE Open 11:00-midnight. www.ichiban.ru wine, spirits, cigars. "Captain's Cabin" VIP room. 5 Pokrovka Ul., 364-3339. Located in the Courtyard Marriot. American- Open 11:00-midnight. M. Kitai-Gorod SAPPORO style pub with great cuisine and meat dishes. 12 Novinsky Bulvar, 202-1312/1621. 105-1 Prospekt Vernadskogo, 433-9151. 7 Voznesensky Pereulok, 937-3077. M. Smolenskaya, Barrikadnaya 5 RINGS RESTAURANT M. Tverskaya, Pushkinskaya, Chekhovskaya European and Russian cuisine with cozy atmo- M. Yugo-Zapadnaya Modern Japanese with DANTES sphere, elegant interior. extensive sushi and sashimi menu. Open noon- HEMINGWAY’S Several dining halls. Menu consists of European Open noon-last guest. 23:00. A great variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic and Soviet dishes. Dantes gives a master-class 27 Dolgorukovskaya, 250-2551. 14 Prospekt Mira, 207-0198. cocktails and Italian cuisine. No cocktail over in style to Moscow`s upmarket cocktail crowd. M. Novoslobodskaya M. Prospekt Mira 200 rubles! Comfortable, expat-owned with Open 24 hours. top-notch Tex-Mex and Caribbean. Mojitos, 13 Myasnitskaya Ul., Bldg.1 ITALIAN TSVETENIYE SAKURY Margaritas, Latin music. Tel. 621-4688, M. Chistiye Prudy Completely new restaurant concept in Moscow Happy hour 18:00– 20:00 nightly. BENVENUTO based on the combination of traditional and GALEREYA 13 Komsomolsky Prospekt, 246-5726. contemporary Japanese cuisine. Ancient Trendy, lavish and expensive. The place to see Great variety of Italian cuisine. Most items run recipes are joined by recent innovations. Open M. Park Kultury. www.hemingways.ru and be seen. Open 24 hours. around or below 300 rubles. Open NOON-23:00. noon-midnight. T.G.I. FRIDAY’S 27 Ul. Petrovka, 937-4544. 6 Velozavodskaya Ul. 675-0033. 7 Krasina Ul., Bldg. 1, 506-0033. American favorites in a cozy wood-paneled set- M. Pushkinskaya M. Avtozavodskaya, Dubrovka M. Mayakovskaya ting. Open noon-midnight. OBSERVATOIRE BISTROT 18/2 Tverskaya Ul., 694-3921/2497. Excelllent – and expensive European cuisine – Italian cuisine, three dining rooms, VIP hall, MEDITERRANEAN M. Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya with attentive service in a relaxed atmosphere. summer patio. Open noon-5:00. 1/2 Leninsky Prospekt, 238-3200. PANORAMA Valet parking available. Free wi-fi. Open noon- 12 Bol. Savinsky Per., Bldg. 2, 248-4045. M. Oktyabrskaya Located on the 23rd floor of theGolden Ring midnight. M. Kievskaya 33 Ul. Zemlyanoi Val (in Atrium Mall), 970-1187. Hotel, Panorama’s service and food are also 22 Bolshaya Yakimanka, bldg. 3 See www.tgifridays.ru for additional locations. CAFE ROSET elevated far above the rest of the city. The 643-3606/797-4333, www.observatoire.ru Along with the excellent Italianfood, Cafe Roset STARLITE DINER Mediterranean cuisine is served on Versace M. Oktyabrskaya, Polyanka offers a good wine list (try the Australian Clar- American ‘50s-style diner. Extensive menu with tableware, and the Versace glasses make any THE SAVOY endon Hills Syrah). Open 9:00-midnight. great breakfasts, cheeseburgers, milkshakes. drink taste better. Open 18:00-midnight. Located inside the hotel of the same name, the 29 , 249-9040/8585. Open 24 hours. 5 Smolenskaya Ul., 725-0100. restaurant lunch and dinner. Its magnificent in- M. Kutuzovskaya, Studencheskaya 6 Prospekt Vernadskogo, 783-4037. M. Smolenskaya terior and gourmet menu make it equally suited M. Universitet CHIANTI ARARAT to corporate events and candlelit dinners. Open 16 Ul. Bolshaya Sadovaya, 290-9638. The feeling in the small dining room is cozy noon-last guest. A little corner of Armenia right in the center of M. Mayakovskaya rather than cramped with an open kitchen at 3 Ul. Rozhdvizhenka, 620-8600. Moscow. Cozy atmosphere and spicy Armenian 9a Ul. Korovy Val, 959-8919. one end of the room. The walls have beautiful M. Kuznetsky Most fare. All ingredients are delivered straight from M. Oktyabrskaya custom murals depicting a Florence landscape, Armenia, and the wine list abounds with the fin- SEMIFREDDO framed by windowsills with a base hewn from est Armenian cognacs. Open noon-midnight. ASIAN A little bit of everything. Large selection of Italian marble. A large variety of pizza and a 4 Neglinnaya Ul.(Ararat Park Hyatt), 783-1234. wines and spirits, including grappa and cognac. wide choice of Italian cuisine. BELOYE SOLNTSE PUSTYNI M. Teatralnaya, Kuznetsky Most Open noon-23:00. 48 Leningradsky Prospekt, 612-5612 Named after White Desert Sun, one of the 2 Rossolimo Ul., 248-6169. M. Dinamo RUSSIAN USSR’s favorite films. An eclectic Asian menu M. Park Kultury that includes Azerbaijan and Uzbek cuisine. Open CIPOLLINO SHOKOLAD CAFE PUSHKIN noon-midnight. Coffee-and cream-colored stylish Italian eatery Pan-European menu plus a selection of Japanese A Moscow classic serving upmarket Russian 29 Ul. Neglinnaya, 625-2596, 200-6836 a stone's throw from Christ the Savior Cathe- dishes. Cozy decor and live music. Open 24 cuisine in a lavish, 19th-century setting. Bus- M. Kuznetsky Most, Teatralnaya dral. Three halls with numerous divans make for hours. tling ground-floor dining hall, more sophisticated BLUE ELEPHANT 5 Strastnoi Bulvar, 787-8866. cozy dining in this upmarket restaurant. Open (and pricier) experience upstairs. Reservation Thai cuisine with impeccable service. Try the M. Pushkinskaya, Chekhovskaya, Tverskaya noon-6:00. essential. Open 24 hours. Royal Thai Platter to sample a range of Thai 7 Soimonovsky Proyezd, Bldg.1, 291-6576. 26a Tverskoi Bulvar, 739-0033. SIMPLE PLEASURES specialties. Three-elephant rating means very M. Kropotkinskaya M. Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya, Chekhovskaya The large dining room accommodates 80 spicy; no elephants means it’s mild enough to people, while the cozy Fireplace Hall doubles CONCERTO RESTAURANT AND BAR GODUNOV serve the kids. Open noon-midnight. as a showroom for photographers. As always, Italian cooking prepared with the freshest herbs For real lovers of all things Russian, including 31 Novinsky Bulvar, 580-7757. M. Barrikadnaya a DJ entertains from 22:00. Enjoy the simple and ingredients. Patrons are entertained by the traditional Russian dancing, flowing rivers of INDUS pleasures of life! Open noon-06:00 live show in the open kitchen. Wide selection of vodka and plates stacked with food. For those ”Elitny” modern Indian restaurant with Chivas 22/1 Sretenka Ul., 607-1521. pizzas, cheeses. Ask the sommelier for beverage who find it thrilling to dine in the Tsar’s cham- bar on the first floor. Open 24 hours. M. Sukharevskaya recommendations. Open 12:00-01:00. bers, which were established during the time of 15 Plotnikov Pereulok, 244-7979. 52/6 Kosmodamianskaya Nab., Bldg. 6, 787- . Open noon-midnight.

M. Smolenskaya, Kropotkinskaya SKY LOUNGE 9898. M. Paveletskaya 5 Teatralnaya Ploshchad, Bldg. 1, 698-5609. This sushi bar on the roof of the luxury hotel of- M. Teatralnaya TANDOOR fers its guests unparalleled views of the Kremlin DA GIACOMO Upscale Indian. Open noon-midnight. Palace and Red Square. Top-notch sushi. Open An exact copy of Da Giacomo in New York and GRABLI 31 Tverskaya Ul., 699-8062. noon-midnight. Milan. This spacious two-level restaurant is The best mid-priced Russian food in Moscow. M. Mayakovskaya 32a Leninsky Prospekt (In the Russian heavy with authentic Italian furniture and bric- Buffet-style. Russian cuisine. EUROPEAN Academy of Sciences building), a-brac… Open noon-23:00. Open 09:00-23:00. 915-1042; 938-5775. 25/20 Spiridonovka Ul., 746-6964. 99 Prospect Mira, 602-4662. APPLE BAR & RESTAURANT M. Leninsky Propekt M.Barrikadnaya, www.litelife.ru M. Alexeyevskaya www.grably.ru A chic, intimate lounge serving classic and MARIO GRAND ALEXANDER original cocktails. The restaurant offers a TSIMES Delightful elegance and style with best-quality Named after poet Alexander Pushkin, this selection of simple and tasty European dishes in Kosher. Open noon-midnight. Italian dishes. Open noon-last guest. restaurant is valued for its refined European a contemporary atmosphere. Restaurant 0pen 3 Novoslobodskaya Ul., 499 973-0873 17 Ul. Klimashkina, 253-6505. cuisine with a wide choice of French delicacies 19:00-last guest; bar open 24 hours. M. Novoslobodskaya 11 Ul. Malaya Dmitrovka, 980-7000. M. Barrikadnaya that delight Muscovites and foreigners alike. Visitors who seek anonymity can dine in one of M. Tverskaya, Pushkinskaya, Chekhovskaya VANILLE ROBERTO Hip French and Japanese near Christ the Savior the private rooms. CAFE DES ARTISTES Cozy, classy Italian. Open 11:00-midnight. Cathedral. Open noon-midnight. Open Mon.-Fri., 18:00-23:00. Restaurant and bar offers fine European cuisine 20 Rozhdesventkiy Bulvar, 628-1944 1 Ul. Ostozhenka, 202-3341. 26 Tverskaya Ul. (in Marriott Grand Hotel), in a relaxed atmosphere, often with recent M. Kuznetsky Most M. Kropotkinskaya 937-0000. art on the walls of the upstairs room. Open SETTEBELLO M. Tverskaya 11:00-midnight. VOGUE CAFE Classic Italian menu with a Russian twist. Cozy NA MELNITSE 5/6 Kamergersky Pereulok, 692-4042. European food, top clientele. Hip and elegant coffee lounge. Open noon-last guest. Uber-Russian eatery. Homemade cuisine – kvas, M. Teatralnaya partnership with Vogue magazine. Modern, 3 Sadovaya-Samotechnaya Ul., 699-1656/3039. mors, vodka, pickles. The interior is in Russian CAFE SWISS continental menu. Open Mon.-Thurs., 20:30- M. Tsvetnoi Bulvar, Mayakovskaya style with plenty of wood. The food is far from Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Located on the 01:00, Fri., 20:30-02:00, Sat., noon-02:00, SPAGO 3rd floor of Swissotel Krasnye Holmy. European Sun., noon-01:00. cheap, but the portions are enormous: it’s like Stylish restaurant with a wide range of pastas. (including Swiss) cuisine and Russian dishes. 7/9 Ul. Kuznetsky Most, 923-1701. being fed by an overzealous babushka. Open Live music. Open noon-23:00. Seafood buffet on Tuesdays, Russian buffet M. Kuznetsky Most noon-last guest. Wednesdays. Open 7:00-22:30. 1 Bolshoi Zlatoustinsky Pereulok, 921-3797. 7 Tverskoi Bulvar, 290-3737. 52/6 Kosmodamianskaya Nab,, 787-9800/3202, YU CAFE M. Lubyanka M. Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya, Chekhovskaya M. Paveletskaya DJ cafe with inexpensive but good-quality 13 SANDWICHES BISTRO 24 Sadovo-Spasskaya Ul., 625-8890/8753. food, drinks and house music. Open weekdays M. Krasniye Vorota www.namelnitse.ru CITY GRILL Cozy Italian eatery serving warm gourmet 10:00-midnight. Contemporary European cuisine, modern panini. Open 9:00-21:00, delivery until 19:00. OBLOMOV 4 Pushechnaya Ul., 271-8865. interior. Open noon-2:00. 21 Ul. Trubnaya, 106-4996. In a mansion in the historical Zamoskvorechye 2/30 Sadovaya-Triumfalnaya Ul., 699-0953. M. Kuznetsky Most M. Trubnaya area, the interior is crammed with ancient uten- M. Mayakovskaya sils and furniture. Two large halls are named

44 June 2008 Wine & Dine Listings for characters from Nikolai Goncharov`s novel STEAK 21 Verkhnyaya Radishevskaya Ul., 915-1042. dress code. Oblomov. Remember to peek in the chimney M. Taganskaya 5 Bolshoi Tolmachyovsky Pereulok, Bldg. 9, room on the first floor and the oriental room on 937-3750. EL GAUCHO TORRO GRILL The focus here is the best mid- the third. Open noon-midnight. M. Tretyakovskaya True Argentine menu. THE place for charcoal- priced meat in Moscow. Wine Bar. 5 1st Monetchikovsky Pereulok, 953-6828. grilled meats and fish. Impressive selection of 6 Prospekt Vernadskogo, 775-4503. PAPA JOHN’S Tucked in the basement below M. Dobryninskaya over 120 Argentine and Chilean wines. Open M. Universitet the Johnny the Fat Boy Pizzeria, Papa John’s SENO 11:30-midnight. www.elgaucho.ru FUSION features live music and lots of sweaty young This inexpensive Russian restaurant is a good 4 Ul. Sadovaya-Triumfalnaya, 699- 7974. bodies option for the budget- or time-conscious. Excel- M. Mayakovskaya NAVARRO’S BAR & GRILL From tapas to eclec- 2 Myasnitskaya Ul., 755-9554 lent self-service buffet offers a wide range of 6/13 Ul. Zatsepsky Val, 953-2876. tic Peruvian-Mediterranean fusion, seafood to M. Kitai-Gorod grilled meat, from popular Moscow chef Yuri salads and hot meals. Open 9:00-midnight. M.Paveletskaya TOCHKA Open Monday- Sunday, 18:00-06:00. 6 Kamergersky Pereulok, Bldg. 1, 692-0452. Navarro. Open 8:30-3:30. 3 Bolshoi Kozlovsky Pereulok, 623-1098. 6 Leninsky Prospect, Bldg. 7, 737-7666. M. Tverskaya 23 Shmitovsky Proezd, Bldg. 4, 259-3791. M. Oktyabrskaya M. Krasniye Vorota M. Ulitsa 1905 Goda SUDAR GOODMAN SAKHAR Open Tues.-Thurs. 20:00-06:00, Fri. POLLY SAD The selection of dishes fuses Authentic Russian dishes prepared from Moscow’s premium steak house chain. Open 12:00-6:00, Sat. 20:00-07:00. different cuisines, rather than just alternating traditional recipes. Located in a 19th-century noon-midnight. 23/25 Bolshoi Sukharevsky Pereulok, 207- between them. mansion, Open noon-last guest. 775-9888., 23 Ul. Tverskaya. 2838. 41 1st Brestskaya Ul., Bld. 2, 250-2530. 36a Kutuzovsky Prospect, 249-6965. M. Tverskaya, Puahkinskaya M. Sukharevskaya M. Park Pobedy, Kutuzovskaya M. Belorusskaya See www.goodman.ru for additional locations. A PRIORI TRAKTIR CHERNAYA KOSHKA GUILLY'S The oldest steakhouse in Moscow. BARS AND CLUBS Open Mon.-Sat. 24:00-12:00. This restaurant was opened to mark the 20th Steaks from Australian and U.S. beef. Multina- Face control. anniversary of the cult detective series “Mesto tional culinary hits. Extensive choice of wines. BOOZE PUB 12 Bolshaya Molchanovka Ul., Bldg. 1, Vstrechi Izmenit Nelzya” (“The Meeting Place Located in the basement of an historic mansion English-style pub with real British beer and 737-5843. Can`t be Changed”) – everything here is connect- and named after Moscow writer Gilyarovsky, original cocktails. M. Tretyakovskaya Daily from 5 a.m. to noon – ed with the movie, such as the image of a black cat the interior revives the spirit of 19th-century ADRENALIN on the entrance wall. Open noon-last guest. Moscow. Main hall, bar, two banquet rooms. English breakfast for only 100 rubles. Restaurant, bar, disco, billiards, entertainment 10% discount with this ad. 6 Vorontsovskaya Ul., 911-7601. Weekdays from 12:00 to 17:00. center. Open noon-midnight. 6 Stoleshnikov Pereulok, 933-5521. M. Taganskaya Business lunch from 140 rubles and 35% menu 1 Chermyansky Proyezd, 477-3447. M. Okhotny Ryad discount. TsDL M. Medvedkovo JU-JU Meat restaurant with hunting-lodge Sport matches on the big screen. (Central House of Writers) CABANA BAR Tasty Mexican and African food. decor. Open kitchen with wood-burning stove 5 Potapovsky Pereulok, Bldg. 2, 621-4717. This opulent Russian restaurant is located Male striptease on Tuesdays and Fridays. and chargrill. Huge selection of meat and fish M. Chistiye Prudy www.boozebub.ru in the building with the same name, lavish 4 Raushskaya Naberezhnaya, Bldg. 1, 238- dishes. Open noon-last guest. KARMA BAR 5006, 238-5017. decor, and opulent atmosphere. A memorable, 15 Smolensky Bulvar, 291-1667. top-notch meal in luxurious surroundings. Open One of the most popular night-clubs in town. M. Tretyakovskaya M. Smolenskaya Eastern-inspired interior, hookahs, and pan- noon-midnight. CENTRAL HOUSE OF ARCHITECTS LOUISIANA STEAKHOUSE Asian cuisine. Offering themed parties. Latin 50 Povarskaya Ul., Face control. Open Mon.-Sat. 24:00-12:00. Big selection of Australian and Argentinian beef American dancing Thursday-Saturday, 21:00- 290-1589. 7 Granatny Pereulok, 290-3249. steaks. Grilled fish. Wines from France, Italy, midnight. Every Saturday, the amazing Show M. Barrikadnaya M. Tretyakovskaya Spain, New Zealand. VIP “Sheriff room.” 20% Girls night. Every Sunday 12:00-6:00 – R`n`B GOLDEN PALACE CASINO Concert hall, restau- 1 RED SQUARE menu discount weekdays from 12:00 to 16:00. and hip-hop party night. rant, open bar for players. Entrance free for The menu features lavish, centuries-old Open 11:00-01:00. 3 Pushechnaya Ul., 624-5633. 30 Ulitsa Pyatnitskaya, Bldg. 4, women. Face control. Open 24 hours. recipes. Expect cream-laden meat dishes with M. Kuznetsky Most www.karma-bar.ru 951-4244, 959-5506. 15 Ul. 3rd Yamskogo Polya, 212-3909. fruit-based sauces and live folk music. Open B2 CLUB 4 bars, sushi bar, concert hall for 800. M. Tretyakovskaya, Novokuznetskaya M. Belorusskaya noon-midnight. Resonable prices. Open daily noon-06:00. 1 Krasnaya Ploshchad, STEAKS There’s a successful formula to steak- 8 Bolshaya Sadovaya Ul., 650-9918. NOTES: Hours of operation are given in the 24- 625-3600; 692-1196. houses, and Steaks follows it almost to the M. Marksistskaya, Tretyakovslaya hour clock. All phone numbers are in area code letter with a meat heavy menu of pork, chicken, 495 unless otherwise indicated. Reservations M. Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya JUSTO Monday-Friday, Sunday 13:00-02:00, lamb, sausage and seafood. suggested for most restaurants. Friday-Saturday 13:00-03:00. Face control,

Summer is waiting just around the corner, and so is Navarro’s! Grab the kids and come on in to try our new menu. Cozy indoor and outdoor seating. Children’s entertainment Sat. & Sun., 11:30 to 16:00.

23, Shmitovskiy proezd, Moscow tel.: 256-10-49 e-mail: [email protected] Business hours: from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.

June 2008 45 Community

First Impressions text Jonathon Curtis

ix months ago, I found myself facing a big decision: SContinue tripping down life’s simple, steady path in my native Sydney or move to the other side of the world to live in a city known for mafi a, corruption, tall blonde bombshells, and vodka. walking Of course, I had never dreamed I would have an opportu- up three nity to work in Moscow, let alone consider it. To say the least, streets, I was ready for home, and Moscow it was far from the top of my to-do list. In fact, it wasn’t on it wasn’t it. A scary place when you’re 24. at all. Finding myself in the deep end, I swallowed my gut feeling I was running a new cafe in Sydney and enjoying it, but and treaded water, hoping to make it to the shallow end. A a chance to kick-start my international cooking career was new country, new people, a whole diff erent culture and men- something I’d been hoping for. tality. How was I going to adapt to my new lifestyle? Was it Th ere is a lot of talk about Moscow these days — oil money, possible to get used to this? most expensive city in the world, “managed democracy,” Th e fi rst two months were physically demanding. Th e lan- etc. In my line, though, the Moscow discussion centers on guage barrier was an everyday struggle for me: Shopping for the city’s burgeoning restaurant scene. Of course, the move basics was harder than I had imagined, and a simple cab ride would be a big change, but I’m a worldly guy. Aft er all, I lived was hardly simple. I was very lucky to be working with great in France for a year as a teenager with my family and later people who understood what I was going through, and with returned to work in Paris, right? their support, things started to look up. I discovered Moscow’s My research on expat life in Moscow yielded a lot of the nightlife, and living took one big turn. As they say, Moscow same: Winter is cold and miserable, summer is mostly rain never sleeps. A great place when you’re 24. and miserable, the people are rude and miserable. Th e more I still read on expat forums about how rude Russians are. I investigated life in Russia, the more off -putting it sounded. Many say the same about the French. What I have found is I guess I’d never really spent much time out of my comfort that if you are willing to adapt and put the time into learning zone, and Moscow looked to be in a diff erent zone altogether just a little of the local culture and way of life, Muscovites (the twilight zone?)... (and Parisians) are actually some of the greatest people in the I arrived in Moscow in late November, and it was cold. Very world. Th ey will look out for you and take you in as a part of cold. Daylight — not to mention blue sky — was in short their family at the drop of a hat. supply. I was picked up at the airport by the deputy director of I have now been in Moscow a little over fi ve months. Th ough the upscale restaurant where I’d be working. He had limited I never did reach that shallow end, I have slowly learned to English and an approach to the road somewhat diff erent from feel more comfortable just where I am. the Sydney norm. In short, one of the scariest road trips of my I have days when I wake up and think, “Why am I here?” life, but aft er a 24-hour fl ight, who had the energy to care? And then there are days when I’m awoken by crystal-clear On my second day, I decided to take a short stroll around the blue skies, sunlight beaming into my bedroom, and I think, city to (dis)orient myself. Th at seemingly simple task proved “Where else in the world would I rather be?” Today, I can say to be a little harder than I could have guessed. Aft er surviving I am having the time of my life. I am working with great the previous day’s car ride from the airport, I almost got myself people and living in one of the best cities in the world. P killed on what most Aussies call a pedestrian crossing. Aft er Jonathon Curtis is a sous-chef at Nedalny Vostok restaurant.

46 June 2008 Community Riding Around in Circles for Fun and Exercise text Linda Lippner ne night, as I was walking groomed themselves — mostly trim, attractive women and Ohome around midnight, their young daughters, outfi tted in immaculate riding gear. I heard the unusual sound of It seems to me that horseback-riding lessons are more of a a galloping horse coming up girl thing, and my two friends fi t the profi le. Th ey are ready to from behind. It was a little pay weekly fees of close to $100 to saddle up and learn the fi ne disconcerting, to say the least; art of cantering and galloping, with maybe a dose of elemen- I am used to dodging cars that tary dressage thrown into the bargain. Th e horses seem gen- occasionally jump the curb to tle enough, but my friends say their instructor is constantly park on the sidewalk but not telling them to “control the horse” with the knees, the heels, to springing out of the way of a the reins, or a not-so-gentle slap of the riding crop. Th at’s a lot horse. A moment aft er clearing a path on the sidewalk, a young to remember when astride several thousand pounds of horse woman in full riding regalia galloped by, obviously exercising fl esh. herself and her steed when traffi c was at a minimum on the Meanwhile, I sat upstairs on the balcony above the riding Moscow streets. A unique way to keep up your riding skills arena enjoying the part of Pradar that doesn’t involve the if you are a horse lover, but my friends who can’t do without horses. A bar was set up and lunch served. Cushy sofas are the occasional gallop have found a safer, more secure way to available for reading or catnapping, something I found im- indulge themselves. mediately attractive. Or you can sit at a table along the balcony I joined them recently as they saddled up at the Pradar railing sipping a cappuccino while watching the action in the Equestrian Club (www.pradar.ru), adjacent to the Hippo- arena below. While my girlfriends worked up an appetite on drome, Moscow’s racetrack venue. Th e Hippodrome has seen their horses, I satisfi ed mine with a light lunch. better days and seems to be waiting for a facelift to bring it up Observing the scene from above, I soon understood why to snuff , but it’s still fun to walk around, look at the stables and there was a young man sitting on a folding chair at the far end trainers, and get a whiff of “horse culture” right in the middle of the arena. A call from an instructor sent him running over of the city. Driving up to Pradar at the back of the racetrack is with a shovel and “dustpan” ready to execute a cleanup assign- to enter an entirely diff erent horse world. Th is is equine enter- ment in the soft brown dirt that covers the fl oor to a depth of tainment de luxe. Th e “luxe” extends to the stables with their several inches. I wish he had been around that night I saw the art moderne ironwork gates as well as to the horses, which are young woman and her horse, who left something in my path well groomed and picture perfect. Th e owners are rather well as I continued on my way. P

June 2008 47 Fred Flintstone

Number 5 text Fred Flintstone

he sight of two middle-aged Bedrock women sipping tires, etc. With a total including add-ons of about Ttheir breakfast brewskis during their morning con- $7,500, a Pyatyorka can be driven for two years and stitutional at 7:45 on a warm spring morning reminded shouldn’t depreciate more than about 25 percent. It has Fred that he should prepare his readers for dacha sea- a 5-speed standard transmission, a 1.5-liter carbureted son. These are the days to get out and see parts of the engine (when was the last time you saw a carburetor city that lie between metro stations, and even venture on an automobile?), seating for five, large windows, out beyond MKAD. From July until September 1, the good headroom, and a big trunk. And it comes with city will be fairly quiet, a good time to get some practice a 3-year, 50,000-kilometer warranty. Official dealers behind the wheel and get the feel of the roads. like Eleks-Polus have good service centers for periodic If you are hesitant to spend $15K or more on a late maintenance visits, which, including car wash and oil model inomarka (foreign car) and want to get a taste of change, are inexpensive and efficient. local life, consider buying a brand new otechestvennaya Even apart from price and simplicity, the reasons to mashina (domestic car) for about the price of two square get a Pyatyorka are many: Gaishniki (traffic police) meters of a Moscow apartment. That’s what the latest seldom stop them, and the Pyatyorka understands the version of the classic Zhiguli will cost, including all the local roads. Basic repairs are easy, and if you can’t do extras, financing available. At that price, it’s a “park and it yourself, there are plenty of locals who know the forget” vehicle: Leave it pretty much anywhere and don’t machine well and can help. For a breakdown during worry about a few nicks. the warranty period, the dealer will pay the tow to the For locals, late spring means transporting gardening garage. And parts are cheap. (When you go for repair, and construction materials to the countryside along you will be asked if you want factory parts or an upgrade with the valuables evacuated from the dacha in the fall since many parts have foreign substitutes. Hint: Take to avoid theft by winter vandals. After June 1, babushka the upgrade.) and the kids will get dropped off for a couple of months The downside: no respect! But just stay clear of black of country air, fresh food, and dirty hands and feet. A cars and mind your own business. Also, you will need strong argument could be made that there is no better the tow and jumper cables, so keep the tow truck’s phone car for dacha service than the Zhiguli, a hardy, cheap, number handy. When traffic is light, the Pyatyorka is and simple vehicle well-suited to a summer of abuse on good transport, but with its heavy clutch and lack of rough country roads. comforts (like air-conditioning) driving in traffic is a The first Zhiguli was made in a plant built by Fiat in real pain, especially in summer. That’s when you should Tolyatti in 1966. That original model has gone through head back underground to the metro. several iterations over the years, so the current models are It’s difficult to know how much longer the Pyatyor- cardinally designated Pyatyorka [Fifth] and the slightly ka will be made; as a percentage of vehicles on the upscale Semyorka [Seventh], priced at 146 800 rubles road, they are far fewer these days. But they provide ($6,250) and 159 700 rubles ($6,975), respectively. the freedom you crave. And, although after three Fred feels there is little reason to pay the additional years with a Pyatyorka, Fred has graduated to a Japa- $700 for the Semyorka. Put it toward a radio, a good nese import, he still thinks about the old girl with roof rack, a simple electric doorlock and alarm system, great admiration. Maybe he’ll invest in one before a selection of spare parts, tow and jumper cables, winter they disappear. P

48 June 2008 Legal Line

Daniel Klein’s Legal Line

In a new column, Passport’s legal correspondent Daniel Klein fields legal questions posed by our readers. Do you have a business- related legal question pertaining to Russia you’d like Daniel to address? Tell him all about it at [email protected].

Dear Daniel: labor laws endow a citizen with the few weeks’ salary as severance and feel I am an American citizen. When right to a job in much the same way they are being generous. However, in my American employer sent me to as he or she has the right an education such a case, you have 30 days to fi le an Russia, the company told me to sign or a place to live. Th is translates into a action in Russian labor court and try two work contracts: Th e fi rst is a nightmare for companies that want to to get reinstated. If the case drags on limited term contractor agreement shed staff . for a year or more, the court can rule with the company; the second is a Even though you have a contract with that the employer must pay compensa- labor contract with their Russian the foreign parent, your work contract is tion to the improperly dismissed em- subsidiary. I was told the second was a with the Russian subsidiary. Only they ployee from the date of improper dis- mere formality needed to process my can hire you in Russia, and only they missal until the decision of the court. Russian work papers, and from the get- can fi re you. To do this, the Russian Th at could mean an award of a year’s go my company has insisted that the subsidiary must negotiate a “mutual salary! contractor agreement is the only one settlement” with you. Such settlements And that’s not all: If the court orders that “really matters.” Neither contract typically require employers to fork your reinstatement, then you retain the provides for severance. over between three and six months right to your job. Th at means that your Now the one-year project I was of salary. Barring proven cause for employer has to convince you not to transferred here for is ending, and my dismissal, an employee cannot be show up to the offi ce as per your right, a company wants to dismiss me without dismissed without his agreement to negotiation that could translate into an- severance. Do I have any rights? this mutual settlement document. other four or fi ve months of salary. P Frequently, foreign companies with Daniel Klein is a partner at the law fi rm of Dear Dismissed: Russian operations will attempt to dis- Hellevig, Klein & Usov and a professor at I hope that you have not accepted in miss an employee and just hope that Pericles Law School. He is also a frequent writing their proposal not to give you he or she goes away. Th ey may off er a legal commentator for Russia Today TV. severance pay. Whether your Ameri- can employer acknowledges it or not, you work for a Russian company. So like it or not, Russian rules apply. Th ey are able to fi re you for a rather limited list of reasons set out by Rus- sian law. (Th e list includes proven ab- sence from work, proven drunkenness or hangover in the offi ce, proven in- stances of theft , and other “gross vio- lations.”) To prove any violation, they must formally serve you an offi cial no- tice within 30 days of the violation. In the U.S., the U.K., and a few oth- er European countries, labor laws are based upon an “employment at will” concept. Th is means that an employer can dismiss a worker at any time for no given reason without severance. In contrast, Russia’s labor legislation gives employers less fl exibility. Here

June 2008 49 Brushing up on Dentistry in Moscow After completing dental school in Russia, Dr. Andrei Volkov received additional training and experience in North America before returning to practice dentistry in his native country. Today he is part of the team at American Clinic Dental Art. He took some time to speak with Passport’s special dental correspondent, Flossie Zubova. Why dentistry? I notice in the drugstore that toothbrushes come with bris- It happened by chance when I was young. I knew I wanted tles of diff erent hardness — soft , medium, and hard — and to go into something medicine-related. On the fi rst day of yet I’ve never had a dentist recommend that I buy a hard- university, there were two buses to take interested students bristle brush. Is there anyone who should use one? on excursions, one to the medical clinic and one to the den- I don’t know. Dogs, maybe? tal clinic. I didn’t know which was which and got onto the dental bus. Th e rest is history. Can you tell me anything about the history of dental fl oss? I don’t know specifi cs, but I think it’s been around for a long Why did you decide to go abroad for additional training? time. In terms of ancestry, I think it’s connected with the At a certain point, it was clear to me that I had to improve toothpick. my skills, learn more. In Russia at that time, it was relatively diffi cult to get information; it was not so open, there was no Th ere’s an old Russian proverb “A smile without a reason is Internet. So going abroad was really the only option. the sign of a fool.” Has the connotation of smiling changed in Russia since the Soviet time? Why was it so important to get exposure to practices be- Th e proverb still exists, but the mindset has changed. A yond traditional Russian dentistry? nice smile has become more important, more valuable, for Russian dentistry inherited many traditions from Soviet example, in business circles. dentistry, which was dominated by a handful of fi gures whose work formed the foundation of Soviet dental train- In American popular culture, dentists are oft en portrayed ing. Th eir methods were guided largely by practical con- negatively. Is the same true in Russian popular culture? siderations. As a result, there are practices that are main- Yes. One example is in the classic Soviet comedy Ivan stream here — everyone learns them — that do not exist Vasilievich Changes His Profession. In that fi lm there is an anywhere else. episode in which the protagonist goes to the dentist. In the scene the patient is shown vibrating in the chair to the For example, there is a root canal treatment that involves soundtrack of a jackhammer as the dentist is drilling. use of a solution that permanently dyes the tooth red. Th e method is unpredictable but it very fast, inexpensive, Does that off end you? and eff ective in relieving pain. I don’t know if it’s true, No. Th at image of the dentist is an antiquated one. A lot has but I heard that the treatment was developed for use by changed in dentistry over the years, and those old stereo- the Red Army especially because of these attributes — the types couldn’t be farther from the environment in which procedure would allow the soldier to return to the fi eld I work. Th e comfort of our patients is our highest priority, quickly. And this battlefi eld dentistry became the norm and painless methods are the norm. in the USSR. What dental advice would you give Vladimir Lenin? Of course, for me, those methods are relics. Here at our As I remember, he could have used some orthodontia. P

clinic we use only the safest and most modern methods Advertisement that meet international standards. American Clinic Dental Art 15 Druzhinnikovskaya St. Are the chief dental problems you see among Russians the M. Barrikadnaya same as those you see among North Americans? 790-7639 Pretty much, except here there are more problems related www.dentalart.ru to smoking.

50 June 2008 A Small School in a Big City

ver the last 15 years, Moscow has troducing new arrivals into a friendly, of English-speaking countries across Ogrown into a bustling, lively me- diverse but manageable community. the globe, with the majority made up tropolis. It attracts investment from Children quickly relax, feel secure, of UK citizens. They come to Moscow all over the globe, drawn by the ever make new friends, and start to learn to experience the sights and sounds increasing commercial and business and grow. of this vibrant and dynamic city and opportunities. In this sea of turmoil Each school has developed its own bring with them a surplus of energy, and constant change, families need a character and community over the wonder, and excitement. This enthu- focus of stability and calm. For many years, but this does not mean that siasm is evident in the classroom and families the British International each school is separate, nor does around the schools, and is transferred School, Moscow (BISM) has provided it mean that the educational qual- to the children. The teachers soon this place for their children. ity differs among the schools. All the become aware that they are not just The school has existed for the past schools follow the English National joining a school, but a thriving com- 15 years and has developed and grown Curriculum, adapted and enhanced munity made up of all the schools, the through the changes that have engulfed to meet the needs of an ever changing parents, and the children. Moscow. It has never lost sight of its and demanding international com- Clearly a school is for children. purpose: to protect, nurture, provide munity. This gold standard ensures It should match their requirements growth and opportunity for personal that the curriculum coverage is broad and needs. So, what kinds of children development and deliver a quality of and challenging. In addition, the old- attend BISM? education that is second to none and est children follow the International Well, the children at the schools are where every child matters. Baccalaureate (IB) program for uni- polite, well-mannered, approachable, To really appreciate and understand versity entrance and have once again and hospitable. You can see that they how BISM works it is important to be achieved a 100% pass rate in their love their school, have a close bond aware of the organization’s structure. International Baccalaureate Diploma with their classmates, and display a Large schools can prove impersonal Examinations last academic year. fondness and loyalty to their teachers. and threatening to children, and Obviously a school relies on dedi- They enjoy being at school and are if combined with a move to a new cated, committed, well-qualified, eager to study and achieve. A happy country can lead to problems such and experienced teachers. Teachers child is a productive child. Children as homesickness, stress, fear, and are the life blood of a good school, that enjoy school succeed. anxiety. In contrast, BISM is made providing students with stimula- For parents and families consider- up of seven small, welcoming schools tion and challenge while ensuring ing a move to Moscow, the knowledge spread across the north, centre, and that children meet and exceed their that such a school exists can give south of the city. These small schools own personal targets. The teachers them the confidence to take the help children to settle quickly by in- at BISM come from the broad range plunge. P Advertisement

June 2008 51 Out & About Bacardi Says Don’t Drink and Drive acardi Limited, one of the world’s largest producers of alcoholic Bbeverages, has announced a new campaign to promote the re- sponsible use of alcohol. As part of the two-year eff ort, Bacardi will run advertisements in broadcast and print media as well as on the Internet and in movie theaters in 40 countries including Russia. Th e spots, centering on the theme “drinking and driving don’t go to- gether,” will feature seven-time Formula-1 car racing champion Mi- chael Schumacher, whom Bacardi has enlisted to serve as the “am- bassador” of what it is calling its World Champions of Responsible Alcohol Use campaign. photos courtesy Absolut Pro

Ground Zero For Lovers n April 26, lovers from all over Moscow flocked to OPushkin Square to see a three-ton heart-shaped ice sculpture and make a wish for their love to last forever. As night fell, the block began to glow in the slanting rays of the setting sun. And then the fireworks began. The event was held to commemorate one young man’s story of unrequited love. One day the youth’s beloved disappeared from his life, bidding him only to forget her and leaving him to wonder whether the intensity of his affection had simply melted her like the Snow Queen. So each year, he assembles a giant heart made of ice and watches as young lovers con- gregate and profess their love, hoping that the concentrated power of this emotion will draw his lost lover back to him. As the evening ended and lovers’ bodies melted together along with the ice, the young man’s hopes for reunion with his be- loved on this spot next year could be heard echoing along the

photos courtesy Ground Zero wet stones of the square. Museum Night ‘08 hile Museum Day has been observed in Russia for several Wdecades, Museum Night, is, at only three years old, a new- er tradition. From the evening of May 17 to the morning of May 18, more than 20 Moscow museums and galleries stayed open all night, providing free tickets and entertainment programs to

those who opted to forego the dacha for the weekend. Some gal- Alevtinaphotos Kashitsina leries unveiled new exhibits while others inaugurated whole new exhibition spaces. The Darwin Museum, for example, organized an open-air gallery on its roof, presenting a photo exhibition for parents while children were entertained by animators dressed as animals and space creatures. Large crowds at popular draws such as the Tretyakov’s Golden Fleece exhibit prompted the ex- tension of museum hours beyond what was originally planned. The Pushkin Museum, whose Antea exhibit will close in June, kept its doors open to visitors until morning. And the number of people flocking to the Winzavod art complex unexpectedly caused a traffic jam on the Garden Ring. Art to the people!

52 June 2008 Out & About Vladimir Pozner On America n 1935, beloved Soviet satirists Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov arrived in New York to Istart work on an assignment from Joseph Stalin himself. Th eir task? Travel across the United States observing American people and culture and then produce a book revealing the faraway land of assembly lines and skyscrapers, automats and corn- fi elds to the Soviet people. Th e pair wrote up their impressions in a book published in 1937 under the title Odnoetazhnaya Amerika [America, One-Story High], a refer- ence to the small-town America they had seen. Seventy years later, American-raised Russian television journalist Vladimir Pozner, recognizing a new need to give the Russian public a sense of the “real” America, grabbed a fi lm crew and fellow Russian TV personality Ivan Urgant and retraced the steps of Ilf & Petrov. Th e trip yielded a 16-part documentary that was aired on Russia’s Channel One this spring. In tribute to the legendary Soviet writ- ers, Pozner produced a written record as well and on April 15 released a new book based on his experiences doing the American project. Co-written with American friend Brian Kan, who was present for much of the journey, and with photos by Ivan Urgant, the eponymous volume parallels the 1937 travelogue, providing insights into contemporary America. So far the book is available only in Russian, but there is an English-language version in the works, translated by Moscow Times language

photos courtesy bookworld.ru columnist and Passport veteran and Michele Berdy. Big Brothers and Sisters n Saturday, May 17, Big Brothers OBig Sisters of Moscow hosted its 3rd “Celebrating the Miracles” event for Moscow Bigs and Littles at the Holiday Inn-Vinogradova. Over 100 mentors, children, and guests enjoyed an aft er- noon of games, activities, and a wonder- ful lunch provided by the Holiday Inn. Also honored were the Moscow-based matches who have been matched for over one year (pictured at right). Cur- rently there are more than 70 matches in Moscow. If you are interested in becom- ing a mentor, please contact Eric at 781-

7475 or [email protected]. photos courtesy BBBS

Comics From M’ARS rom April 24 through May 11, the KomMissia 2008 In- Fternational Festival of Narrative Drawing was held at Moscow’s M’ARS Center for Contemporary Art. Th e event, in its seventh year, included exhibits of comic art from many genres including manga, graphic novels, and anime, as well as lectures and master classes with well-known artists. In the Soviet era, domestic examples of the comic genre centered on offi cial cartoons produced for children, and exposure to the multiplicity of comic art genres developing in Asia and the West was limited. Nevertheless, comic art developed a following that has grown tremendously in the last 20 years. Perhaps because of its association with children, comic art is oft en not given the serious treatment it deserves, and it is one of the missions of the KomMissia Festival to change this per- ception by drawing more attention to the artistic value of the work and the talent of those who create it. Th e festival, which included participants of all ages from all over the world and work drawn from mainstream and alternative branches of narrative graphic art, concluded with the awarding of juried prizes. To explore the work of the winners and learn more about KomMissia 2008, visit www.kommissia.ru. photos courtesy Marka:ff

June 2008 53 Out & About MONÉ Awards n April 24 the MONÉ Beauty Awards were presented at a ceremony at the OMir movie theater in Moscow. As the general director of the MONÉ chain of beauty salons, event organizer Alexander Glushkov knows something about beau- ty. Th e ”Muse” awards were presented in various categories — including fi lm, the- ater, television, music, literature, and dance — to inspirational women recognized for their contributions as professionals and role models. Th ose honored included Olympic gymnastics champion turned Duma deputy Svetlana Khorkina (see inter- view in February issue of Passport), writer Maria Arbatova, television news anchor Maria Sittel, businesswoman and former presidential candidate Irina Khakamada, and actress Irina Skobtseva. Guests at the event included actors, writers, directors, and other celebrities. In addition to the awards ceremony, attendees were treated to a performance by the rock group Barkhat. photos courtesy MONÉ Russian Art at the Irish Embassy n Friday, April 18, the Irish Embassy in Moscow hosted an informal cultural evening Ofeaturing the work of contemporary Russian artists. Th e diverse group represented at the exhibition ranged from young art students to those who have been working in the fi eld for decades, from native Muscovites to those who hail from far corners of Russia, from vet- erans of a lifetime of gallery and museum exhibits to those showing their work for the fi rst time. What they share, however, is the inspiration they draw from the Russian cultural tra- dition. Th e infl uences of such elements of Russia’s artistic history as ancient icon painting, the avant-garde of the early 20th century, and the positivism of socialist realism are discern- able in the work of these contemporary talents. For more information on the event and the artists involved, contact Maria Naimushina at [email protected]. photos courtesy Irish Embassy

54 June 2008 Out & About Victory Day Parade 2008 photos Alexander Zorin, Ruslan Sergeev Ruslan Zorin, Alexander photos

June 2008 55 ArtLast Word

Last Word text and photo Ian Mitchell

Marisa Fushille is leaving Moscow this month aft er 8 years as direc- tor of the American Center at the Library for Foreign Literature on Nikoloyamskaya Street. Marisa comes from El Paso, Texas, and is heading for Nairobi, Kenya.

When and why did you come to Moscow? Months! I said, I want to get started this week. I fi rst visited in 1974 on a student program to study Russian. Aft er I graduated, I spent I got around these obstacles — eventually! a semester at Leningrad State University. I I love living across the street from a church. loved it. I didn’t want to leave. I fell in love Th ey are not going to knock it down and with Russia. I thought: Th is place is exactly put up a horrible offi ce building. Napoleon like Mexico, where my mother is from. burned it down, but the Russians rebuilt it, Th ere was something about Russia and and I don’t think they’ll want to knock it the way Russians interacted that reminded down again. me of Mexico. In 1999 aft er my daughter went to college, I decided to move from Why are you leaving Moscow? Austin, Texas, where there were very few jobs using Russian. I thought about it and I’m only leaving because I met Mark. Th ree realized that I had more friends in Moscow years ago we met on the metro and discov- than anywhere except Texas. So I bought a ered we were both headed to the Tretyakov ticket and moved here. Gallery. We spent the aft ernoon together and ended up listening to the Tuvan Th roat Did you come for the job at the American Singers … Th is April 1 we were married at Center? ZAGS No. 4, the Weddings Palace at Bu- tyrki. Mark’s next posting is Kenya, so No, I had no job! I worked with an aca- we’re going together. Now I’m reading ev- demic exchange program for a year. When erything I can about Africa! the American Center position came up, I thought: Th is is the job for me. And it was. How would you sum up your time in Mos- cow? While working here, I’ve planned lec- tures, art exhibits, concerts. Besides being I have enjoyed it thoroughly. I found a won- a public lending library, the Center off ers derful job, met many fascinating people, cultural and educational programs. We have taken advantage of the wealth of mu- have hosted authors like Michael Chabon seums and cultural events. For some rea- and celebrities like fi gure skater Michelle son, I have never been bothered by some Kwan. It’s unbelievable, but we have about of the things that bother other foreigners. 4,000 visitors a month. Take a look at our Aft er living here in the 1970s, I have a dif- web site: www.amc.ru. ferent perspective. I don’t complain about how things are but think how much better Not wanting to lose her foothold in Moscow, it is now than it used to be. Marisa intends to hold on to the apartment she renovated. Presumably the remont pro- So, as you sit in the African dusk under the cess was smooth sailing? spreading fl ame tree, do you think you’ll miss scruff y old Moscow? Russian bureaucracy! Don’t ask me about it! When I was redoing this apartment I Of course I will. But I know I’ll be back. I’ll went to the authorities to fi nd out what I always return to visit friends. It’s an in- had to do. Th ey said, we’ll start with an in- credible place with wonderful people. It’s spection; we’ll come in a couple of months. become home. P

56 June 2008