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Eduard Anatolyevich’s funeral is tomorrow, Thursday 7 June 2012. Spare a thought and/or prayer for him and his family.

BMD

Cyrillic（кириллица）and latin
Просто трудный возраст, смятая постель,
Prosto trudnyy vozrast, smyataya postel’,
Ну а плакать лучше в дождь или в метель,
Nu a plakat’ luchshe v dozhd’ ili v metel’,
Чтоб никто и не подумал, что слаба
Chtob nikto i ne podumal, chto slaba
В шестнадцать лет твоя душа, твоя душа…
V shestnadtsat’ let tvoya dusha, tvoya dusha…

А помнишь небо, помнишь сны о молчаньи
A pomnish’ nebo, pomnish’ sny o molchan’i
Юное тело в голубом одеяле
Yunoye telo v golubom odeyale
Помнишь, как мы умирали в прощаньи
Pomnish’, kak my umirali v proschan’i
Сердце застыло, уже не мечтаю,
Serdtse zastylo, uzhe ne mechtayu,
Уже не мечтаю…
Uzhe ne mechtayu…

Знаешь, это тело только для тебя…
Znaesh’, eto telo tol’ko dlya tebya…
Ну и что, что возраст – он не навсегда
Nu i chto, chto vozrast – on ne navsegda
Я пишу тебе письмо текстом сырым,
Ya pishu tebe pis’mo tekstom syrym,
Я жду тебя, твоя Максим…
Ya zhdu tebya, tvoya Maksim…

А помнишь небо, помнишь сны о молчаньи
A pomnish’ nebo, pomnish’ sny o molchan’i
Юное тело в голубом одеяле
Yunoye telo v golubom odeyale
Помнишь, как мы умирали в прощаньи
Pomnish’, kak my umirali v proschan’i
Сердце застыло, уже не мечтаю,
Serdtse zastylo, uzhe ne mechtayu,
Уже не мечтаю…
Uzhe ne mechtayu…

English

Just a hard age, crumpled bed
and it’s better to cry in the rain or a blizzard
that nobody even thought, that she was weak
In the sixteen year of your soul, your soul

And do you remember the sky, do you remember the dreams of silence
the young body in the blue blanket
do you remember, how we died in our farewell
my heart froze, I no longer have dreams
I no longer have dreams…

You know, this body is only for you…
And that, that this age, is not forever
I write you a letter with dull text,
I’m waiting for you, your Maksim…

And do you remember the sky, do you remember the dreams of silence
the young body in the blue blanket
do you remember, how we died in our farewell
my heart froze, I no longer have dreams
I no longer have dreams…

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Lesson Time! (and Vocabulary)

Note: Do you notice the cyrillic and kanjibolded? Does are the grammatical points. I bold does usually words like in, on, at, and etc…. I am not explaining it down here so if you would like to know what they are or have a question (any question) go to the question page. ^_<

Vocabulary

Просто (prosto): just

Using a few web-sites and some of my own translational/listening skills, I came up with the lyrics and the translations.  Since I wanted to learn the song, I searched on YouTube until I found a version of the song that had easily distinguishable words and that’s what I used as the. Here is that version.  I’ll post a link to it at the bottom  to site my sources for lyrics, which I copied/pasted from.

Песня про зайцев

A song about hares

 -Дербенев & Зацепин

В темносинем лесу, где трепещут осины,

In the midnight-blue forest, where aspens are shaking,

Где с дубов-колдунов облетает листва,

And the wizarding oaks are losing their leaves

На поляне траву зайцы в полночь косили

At midnight hares were cutting the hay

И при этом напевали странные слова:

All the while singing these strange words:

А нам все равно, а нам все равно,

We care not, we care not,

Пусть боимся мы волка и сову.

That we are afraid of the wolf and owl,

Дело есть у нас – в самый жуткий час

We have a task, at the most creepy hour

Мы волшебную косим трын-траву.

We are making hay of the magic weed.

А нам все равно, а нам все равно,

We care not, we care not

Твердо верим мы в древнюю молву:

Strongly, we believe in the ancient tale:

Храбрым станет тот, кто три раза в год

Brave becomes he who three times a year

В самый жуткий час косит трын-траву.

In this most creepy hour cuts the magic weed.

А дубы-колдуны что-то шепчут в тумане,.

And the oaken-wizards whisper something in the fog.

Из поганых болот поднимается жуть.

From the filthy swamp rises weirdness

Косят зайцы траву, трын-траву на поляне

The hares cut the magic grass on the field

И от страха все быстрее песенку поют:

And out of fear everyone quickly sings the song

А нам все равно, а нам все равно,

We care not, we care not,

Пусть боимся мы волка и сову.

That we are afraid of the wolf and owl,

Дело есть у нас – в самый жуткий час

We have a task, at the most creepy hour

Мы волшебную косим трын-траву.

We are making hay of the magic weed

А нам все равно, а нам все равно,

We care not, we care not

Твердо верим мы в древнюю молву:

Strongly, we believe in the ancient tale:

Храбрым станет тот, кто три раза в год

Brave becomes he who three times a year

В самый жуткий час косит трын-траву.

In this most creepy hour cuts the magic weeds.

А нам все равно, а нам все равно,

We care not, we care not,

Станем мы храбрей и отважней льва.

We will become courageous and brave lions.

Устоим хоть раз в самый жуткий час –

We will stay on to this very creep hour.

Все напасти нам станут трын-трава.

All of our adversity will become magic weed.

One little note about the translation of трын-трава made by Hellga in her translation of some of the verses is that the word трын in трын-трава is not a real word.  So, the translation of “magic weed” is a reference to marijuana.  This makes since to me, as this song came out in the 1960′s.

Here is a link to the site where I got most of the lyrics.

Cyrillic（кириллица）
Мне к тебе нельзя, до боли
Письма в цель, ты помнишь
Запах, цвет и волны, На подушке осень сна моих волос.
И не держи в ладони,
Мой портрет на волю.
Не смогу, не помню
Ни цветов, ни неба без твоих оков.

И, надо же, теряю снова,
Нахожу, бросаюсь солью,
Девочке с глазами солнца
Как летать?
Высылаю письма ночью,
Разрываю фото в клочья,
Бью кровать ногами больно,
Чтоб не спать.

Мне с тобой нельзя бесследно
Остаюсь, наверно,
Улыбаться смело, притворяться кем-то
Из твоих врагов.
Снова сотни фраз до ночи,
Забирай, что хочешь,
Знать тебя до боли,
До стихов, до крови,
до себя в тисках.

Latin
Mne k tebe nelʹzya, do boli
Pisʹma v tselʹ, ty pomnishʹ
Zapakh, tsvet i volny,
Na podushke osenʹ sna moih voloc.
I ne derzhi v ladoni,
Moĭ portret na volyu.
Ne smogu, ne pomnyu
Ni tsvetov, ni neba bez tvoikh okov

I, nado zhe, teryayu snova,
Nakhozhu, brosayusʹ solʹyu,
Devochke s glazami solntsa
Kak letatʹ?
Vysylayu pisʹma nochʹyu,
Razryvayu foto v klochʹya,
Bʹyu krovatʹ nogami bolʹno,
Chtob ne spatʹ.

Mne s toboĭ nelʹzya bessledno
Ostayusʹ, naverno,
Ulybatsya smelo, pritvoryatsya kem-to
Iz tvoikh vragov.
Snova sotni fraz do nochi,
Zabiraĭ, chto khocheshʹ,
Znatʹ tebya do boli,
Do stikhov, do krovi,
do sebya v tiskakh.

English

I can’t go to you, to pain
Letters in the right aim, do you remember
The smell, the colour and the waves
Of my hear on the autumn pillow of dreams.
And don’t hold in your palm,
My picture freely.
I can’t do it, I don’t remember
Not even the colour, or the sky without your chains.

And, by surprise, I’m losing again,
I find, I throw the salt,
The girl with the eyes of the sun
How does she fly?
I send letters at night,
I rip photo’s to shreds,
I hit my bed with my legs till pain,
To not fall asleep.

I can’t go with you, without leaving a trace
I’m staying, probably
Smiling bravely, pretending to be
One of your enemies.
Again a hundred phrases till night,
Pick out, what you want,
Knowing you till pain,
To the verses, to the blood,
to myself being trapped.

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Lesson Time! (and Vocabulary)

Note: Do you notice the cyrillic and kanjibolded? Does are the grammatical points. I bold does usually words like in, on, at, and etc…. I am not explaining it down here so if you would like to know what they are or have a question (any question) go to the question page. ^_<

Vocabulary

Мне (Mne): Me, I
тебе,ты, тобой, тебя (tebe, ty, toboyi, tebya): You
нельзя (nel’zya): Can not
боли (boli): pain
Письма (pis’ma): letters
цель (tse’l): the right aim
помнишь (pomnish’): you remember
Запах (Zapah): Smell
цвет (Tsvet): Colour
волны (volny): waves
подушке (padushke): pillow
осень (osen’): autumn
сна (sna): dream
моих,Мой (moih, moyi): my
волос (hair):
не (ne): don’t, no
держи (derzhi): hold
ладони (ladoni): palm
портрет (portret): photo
волю (volyu): freely
Не смогу (Ne smogu): I can’t
помню (pomnyu): I remember
неба (neba): sky
без (bez): without
твоих (tvoih): your
оков (okov): chain
надо же (nado zhe): надо же is a little hard to explain. It can mean by surprise, like “И, надо же, теряю снова,” by saying nado zhe she is saying that she is surprised or shocked that she is losing again.
Нахожу (nahozhu): I find
бросаюсь (brosayus’): I throw
солью (solyu): salt
Девочке (Devoshke): Girl
глазами (eyes): eyes
солнца (solntsa): sun
Как (kak): how
летать (letat’): to fly
Высылаю (Vysylayu): I send
ночью (noch’yu): night
Разрываю (Razryvayu): I rip
фото (foto): photo
клочья (kloch’ya): shreds
Бью (B’yu): I hit
кровать (krovat’): bed
ногами (nogami): legs
спать (spat’): to sleep
бесследно (bessledno): leaving a trace
Остаюсь (Ostayus’): I’m staying
наверно (naverno): probably
Улыбаться (Ylybat’sya): bravely
смело (smelo): smiling
притворяться (pritvoryat’sya): pretending
кем-то (kem-to): someone else
врагов (vragov): enemies
сотни (sotni): a hundred
фраз (fraz): phrase
Забирай (zabirayi): pick out, choose
хочешь (hachesh’): you want
Знать (znat’):to know
стихов (stihov): verses
крови (krovi): blood
себя (sebya): myself
тисках (tiskah): vise

One of my all-time favorite performers is Yuri Shevchuk (Юрий Шевчук) of the Russian classic rock-n-roll band DDT. His song “Rodina,” which translates roughly as “home,” as in one’s native land or country, for me, captures the essence of what it means to be Russian. Following are the song’s lyrics:

Боже, сколько лет я иду, но не сделал и шаг.

Боже, сколько дней я ищу то, что вечно со мной,

Сколько лет я жую вместо хлеба сырую любовь,

Сколько жизни в висок мне плюет Вороненым стволом долгожданная да-a-аль !

Черные фары у соседних ворот, Люки, наручники, порванный рот.

Сколько раз, покатившись, моя голова С переполненной плахи летела сюда, где Родина.

Еду я на родину, Пусть кричат – уродина,

А она нам нравится, Хоть и не красавица,

К сволочи доверчива,

Ну, а к нам – тра-ля-ля-ля…

Боже, сколько правды в глазах государственных шлюх !

Боже, сколько веры в руках отставных палачей !

Ты не дай им опять закатать рукава, Ты не дай им опять закатать рукава

Суетливых ночей.

Черные фары у соседних ворот, Люки, наручники, порванный рот.

Сколько раз, покатившись, моя голова С переполненной плахи летела сюда, где Родина. Еду я на родину, Пусть кричат – уродина,

А она нам нравится, Спящая красавица,

К сволочи доверчива,

Ну, а к нам…

Из-под черных рубах рвется красный петух,

Из-под добрых царей льется в рты мармелад.

Никогда этот мир не вмещал в себе двух

Был нам богом отец, ну а чертом

Родина. Еду я на родину,

Пусть кричат – уродина,

А она нам нравится,

Спящая красавица,

К сволочи доверчива,

Ну, а к нам

 (English translation to follow shortly...)

This year’s ball will host about 300 guests. The ball traditionally includes a dinner Vodka and Bagrationi champagne and live silent auction and ballroom dancing. All raised funds go to Romanov Fund to support purchase hearing aids and wheelchairs.  Guests of Honour include members of Russian Royal Family.

The Russian Summer Ball embodies the best Russian traditions and praised throughout centuries and promises not less than taking you few centuries ago to the glorious St. Petersburg’s ballroom.

“The Russian Summer Ball has become a tradition, a ritual and even etiquette for old Russians, new Russians and everybody who simply  wants to be Russian -even if only for a couple of hours.” Ogoniok

For more details and tickets look here

Pushkin House:

Just to prove you once again how alive Pushkin is, I have to mention that there is Pushkin House in the center of London. It hosts talks, exhibitions, screenings and any other occasions dedicated to promote Russian culture.  Pushkin House almost daily organizes various events and hosts artists, writers and musicians from Russia. It also provides Russian language courses.  But most importantly it offers networking opportunities for groups and individuals.

RussiansinUK:

This website will provide you with the most straightforward information, which includes a calendar of events and short description.  It doesn’t fail to answer basic Who? What? Where? When? Why? , giving you just information to get understand whether you interested in event or not.

Russian UK:

It’s a magazine written in English that provides you with cultural agenda, however adds more insight and in-depth research on top of it. This is place to look for exclusive interviews and heated debates.

Buy this album

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Doctors transferred Soviet-era singer Eduard Khil to the Polenov Russian Neurosurgical Institute for unknown reasons. The Polenov Institute is the oldest Russian institute specialising in both scientific research and practical neurosurgery, it is also one of the world’s first facilities of this sort. At present, it’s the largest high-tech centre of neurosurgical care in the RF Ministry of Health and Social Development. Previously, Khil was at the Mariinsky Hospital of St Petersburg. He entered hospital a few days ago, but a spokesman for the hospital didn’t specify why the singer was hospitalised, citing medical confidentiality rules. Khil is in serious but stable condition. Meanwhile, media reports say that Khil suffered a stroke.

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Here’s the original “Mr Trololo” video

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Eduard Khil was born in 1934 in Smolensk. In 1974, he became a People’s Artist of the RSFSR. He became the first performer of the songs Лесорубы  (Woodcutters)” and Лунный камень (The Moonstone) by Arkady Ostrovsky, Песня о друге (Song About a Friend), Голубые города (Blue City), А люди уходят в море (And People Go To Sea) by Andrei Petrov. People associate Khil’s voice with such well-known songs as С чего начинается Родина? (Where does the Motherland Begin?), У леса на опушке (At the Edge of the Forest), На безымянной высоте (On a Nameless Height), Человек из дома вышел (A Man Came Out of the House), Как хорошо быть генералом (How Good It Is to Be a General), Не плачь, девчонка (Don’t Cry, Girlie). In 2010, Khil experienced another surge in popularity… the Internet has caused great interest in his music video for Ostrovsky’s vocalise, Я очень рад, ведь я наконец возвращаюсь домой (I’m Very Happy ‘cause I’m Finally Goin’ Home). Khil became a phenomenon amongst many American students, they called the song he sang “Trololo”, and Khil became known as the “Mr Trololo”.

29 May 2012

Voice of Russia World Service

http://rus.ruvr.ru/2012_05_29/76215267/

On 27 May 2012, at waiting crowd at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport greeted the successful Russian contestants at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, which ended yesterday in Baku. The Russian entry, the Buranovskiye Babushki, took second place in the final competition and won much love and admiration from all over the world. Their fans met the Babas at the airport with flowers, songs, and dances.

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At an impromptu press conference, the Babas told reporters that the flight went by very quickly and effortlessly, as they sang Russian and Udmurt folk songs as the plane took them back to Russia.

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At home in Buranovo, their families and fellow villagers are waiting for them; on Wednesday 30 May, they’ll lay the cornerstone for their new parish church in the village and the local Orthodox clergy will bless the site. This has been a long-cherished project of the Babas.

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Answering journalists’ questions, the Babas noted that they really liked Baku… they found the people there very hospitable, they had time to visit the old town, they visited the Orthodox church, went to the seashore and hunted for shells.

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According to the Babas’ producer, they’ve received many queries about a world tour. In Moscow, on 12 June 2012, the Babas will take part in concert on Red Square honouring Russia Day {the buzz has it that VVP wants to award the Babas a state decoration at that time: editor}.

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President Putin sent his greetings to the Babas, praising their successful performance at the ESC, expressing his intent to go to their village to get to know the singers personally.

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27 May 2012

Voice of Russia World Service

http://rus.ruvr.ru/photoalbum/76158119/76158140/

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The Babas come in at 0:32… this is a gas!

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Loreen (Lorine Zineb Noka Talhaoui) (1983- ), the winner of the 20012 ESC, although Loreen was born in Sweden, both of Loreen’s parents are from Morocco, and Loreen is of Berber descent

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At the end of voting, from 42 countries, Sweden’s Loreen (Lorine Zineb Noka Talhaoui) won the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku. Russia’s Buranovskiye Babushki came in second place. Loreen garnered 372 points, only 15 points off the absolute record established by Alexander Rybak in the 2009 ESC of 387 points. Eighteen countries gave Loreen twelve points, the highest score possible:

The following countries gave Loreen ten points:

The following countries gave Loreen eight points:

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Russia placed second in a bitter struggle for the most points with a singer from Serbia. The Buranovskiye Babushki scored 259 points. The only European country not to give them a single point was Switzerland. The other countries scored them as follows:

The following 26 countries ended in the finals of the competition after the two semi-finals:

The Buranovskiye Babushki took the stage sixth, after the participants from the UK, Hungary, Albania, Lithuania, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The audience greeted their performance with applause and cheers, which didn’t abate as they sung their song. People got up and danced due to the influence of the Babushki’s song. During their performance, the Babushki had a Russian-style stove in which they baked Udmurt pies. The Baba’s singing captivated the ESC audience. After the semi-finals, the bookies laid odds that the Babushki would “place” (take second place), and, in fact, that’s what happened, as most pundits predicted that the Swedish singer would be the most likely winner long before the semi-finals.

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Željko Joksimović from Serbia also performed according to the bookies’ predictions; he took the “show” position (third place). Russians were mildly optimistic about our entry in the contest. According to VTsIOM, more than half of Russians didn’t doubt that the Buranovskiye Babushki would be amongst the “top ten”, 14 percent thought that they’d be amongst the “top three”, and 13 percent though that they would win. The Babas won the right to represent Russia at the ESC by winning a national selection. They performed their song Party For Everybody and outran 24 other competitors. The votes of a jury comprising eminent pop music figures and the votes of television viewers, each taken in equal proportion, were the basis of choosing the winner. Baku hosted the ESC 2012 after Azerbaijani duet Ell and Nikki (Eldar Gasimov and Nigyar Dzhamal) won the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf performing the song Running Scared, by winning 221 points.

This was the second time that the Babas took part in the national final. In 2010, they were among the leaders, but could not overcome the internet votes for Pyotr Nalich. This year, they finally met with success; the audience in the national selection gave the performance of the “golden age” artists a hearty and joyful reception. Their artistic director, Olga Tuktaryova, remembered the audience’s reaction to their performance, saying, “There was such a roar that we were moved to tears… we couldn’t sing, we could only cry. That was true for me, at least, it seemed, because I felt such energy from the audience. Moreover, these are youngsters, and we’re grandmas. The intensity was just so very strong. Was this for the Babushki… oh, yes, it was!”

NB:

Click here for the official Eurovision 2012 site

 26 May 2012

Svetlana Maksimenko

Voice of Russia World Service

http://rus.ruvr.ru/2012_05_26/75973231/

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Here are the Buranovskiye Babushki at the semi-finals of the the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku. Yes, sir, they made it to the finals. Love them singin’ grandmas from Udmurtia. “Party for everybody!” Hear, hear! Not, “Party for the affluent effluent and their pals”. Think about it… “Party for EVERYBODY”… now, THAT’S Christian… THAT’S Orthodox… THAT’S Russian. Will the babas win? Ya never know… Cookie the Bookie‘s giving good odds on the grandmas. What HAPPINESS…

Note well that the babas don’t carp about modernity… they embrace it!

BMD

Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake without exaggeration is a jewel of Russian ballet.  Performed throughout the world it’s still found as one of the most beautiful and complicated ballet pieces. Involving love, jealousy, internal battles and transformation it does not leave one indifferent.

As 25 Imperial Ice stars, including World, European and National Championship skaters got together to put on what’s considered to be  an “adrenaline” version of Swan Lake, the expectations were high. The show choreographed by Tony Mercer most definitely did not disappoint technically, combining high-speed leaps, throws and lifts with most graceful ballet moves.

The costumes and props were designed especially for Royal Albert Hall, transforming the theatre into most gorgeous ice-skating ring.  Tchaikovsky’s music played by Royal Albert Hall orchestra filled the room, as ballet, dance, and ice united in beautiful synergy, keeping most of viewers at the edge of their seats. Proving true what has been  told  about the show: “This changed the face of ice-skating forever”

So besides attending all the classical events, such as opera, ballet and concerts of classical music,

I listen to music, different kinds of music and sometimes it’s R&B and RAP, especially Russian R&B.

And guess what ? My favourite band is coming to London :

БАСТА ЕДЕТ В ЛОНДОН!

I thought I would list some of my favorite works though!!!

My favorite Russian opera of all time is Iolanta. Iolanta is actually a dream role of mine. I think it would be a BLAST to sing! The music is beautiful, and the story has always been one that has intrigued me. The goal is to do my thesis on that opera!!

I also love Prokofiev’s War and Peace, Rimsky’s Snow Maiden and Golden Cockerel. Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila, and of course Eugene Onegin by my homeboy Tchaikovsky.

My favorite symphony hands down is Tchaik’s 6th. So freaking beautiful and heart-wrenching. He had written the most beautiful melodies and fantastical music to go with beautiful stories and then poured out his heart and true feelings in the masterpiece. Ugh. Love. I also love his 4th. and I love Shosti’s symphonies as well.

I love Tchaik’s violin concerto in D. I love Rach piano concerto 2 and 3. I like Tchaik piano 1, but I think it’s overdone.

LOOOOVE Night on Bald Mountain, Mussorgsky’s original. Yes. Love. Ugh. Beautiful. Epic.

I LOOOOVE Tchaik’s Marche Slave.

Swan Lake is my favorite ballet, but Stravinsky’s ballets follow close pursuit. Firebird, Rite of Spring, and Petrouchka are true masterpieces.

1812 Overture was actually my favorite piece of classical music when I was very young. I LOVED it. That and Bolero hahaha

Scheherazade is fabulous. I love that work so much. I have a very special place in my heart for Rimsky. I think the struggle he had between passionate composer and intellect was a struggle that we all have. He overcame it and his last pieces were… insurmountable masterworks that one could only dream of writing.

There are so many others that I love.

Ultimately (in case you haven’t noticed) Tchaikovsky is my favorite composer of all time. He is raw and elegant at the same time. I love his developed motifs, and his melodies are GENIUS. He uses everything that I love about Mozart and leaves everything I despise. If souls could have colors (random metaphor I know, but bear with me) Tchaik’s soul would have the most beautiful complex dark and light and happy and mornful and every shade in between colors. He’s so amazing. I’ve loved his music ever since I was 2, and I always will.

Well.. that was fun.

-L

“Over the past few weeks, supporters of the London Symphony Orchestra (and a mysterious gent in the back of a car) have been busy teaching Londoners one of the trickiest and most compelling rhythms in all music: the famously jerky 32 beats in Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring that usher in the wild “Augurs of Spring.”"

-NPR

I loooove this ballet! It’s so raw!

Gergiev is conducting. I’ve never heard him conduct Stravinsky, but I love when he conducts other Russian rep. so… I hope it’s great. I wish they were actually doing the ballet.. and not just the music. womp womp.

Ohhhh well.

Should be an exciting recording.

-L

Something different… a setting by the Italian baroque composer Giulio Caccini arranged in a modern fashion for trumpet, organ, soprano, and mixed choir sung by an ensemble from Tatarstan… not your usual thing… but it’s GOOD… let it GROW on you.

BMD

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Even before they arrived in Baku, the “Buranovskie Babushki” aroused interest amongst the fans of the Eurovision Song Contest. However, after the first rehearsal, when journalists saw the live performance of the Russian group, the excitement increased. It’s traditional for the journalists to take an informal poll amongst themselves daily at the press centre, in the latest vote, Russia ranked first. Not only the sheer numbers testify to the favourite… the journalists like to hum the Babushki’s song Party for Everybody, and many use it as their ring tone.

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Meanwhile, according to their spokesman, Svetlana Syrygina, the Babas did a commercial for soft drinks for TV, in order to earn money to build a church in their native village. Syrygina said, “The ad with the Buranovskie Babushki will air during May and June, the TV will carry it during the contest. Besides that, the Babushki will appear on the bottle label, with a number given so that people can make a call to vote for them”. The Babas did the commercial in late April, shortly before they went to Baku for the ESC finals. The video is funny and a bit self-deprecating… the Babas ride around in a limo, act as DJs, and dance with actors in chicken suits to their hit Party for Everybody. Syrygina said that they wouldn’t publicise the fee for the ad, but that all the money earned from it will go to help build a church in their home village of Buranovo. The Buranovskie Babushki emphasise strongly that the only reason that they perform on stage and participate in contests is so they can help their local parish.

15 May 2012

Voice of Russia World Service

http://rus.ruvr.ru/2012_05_14/74697304/

Almost three years ago I was kind of shocked being faced with a Russian band, called “Quest Pistols” in a club in Bielefeld, Germany. Most of the attendees must have known what to expect and I was irritated to find myself on a danceflor with only a few people left. The music changed suddenly and the musicians standing on the stage reminded me of the 80ies: Their bodies full of tattoos, lean shapes AND spandex. Their hair looked either like the hairdo of Jack Sparrow or a punk-guy we all know from the streets. Instead of dance-hall-sounds there were elektic guitars! The guys on the stage jumped madly all around and performed contoritions which appeared anything but smoothy and harmonious.

There arised a strange feeling, a feeling that destroyed my hitero image of Russian music, Russian culture. It appeared like they were performing something which seemed dangerously and forbidden – but of course only by Russian standards…

A few years ago the girlband “Tatu” gained worldwide attention for their lesbian performance, not shocking only for tradition-conscious Russians, but also for the rest of the world… Both bands had something in common: They appeared comet-like and disappeared like wrong alerts. For one brief moment they rised expectations towards Russia and in the next moment they suddenly quitted the challenging game, for no particular reason. 

Probably, it must have been LOVE that integrated them into society and made them behave “normal” again. LOVE seems to work as a religion for the recipiants: It´s the feeling that counts most. And as long as people are struggling with feeling their brains get numb.  - Although both bands appeared like a “wind of change”  in the beginnings, they remained just appearing. Their texts showed unfortunately no other topics than LOVE – the new opium for the people. 

And the music instudry knows (since Dieter Bohlen the songwriter of  ”Modern Talking” and many more clone-bands) best which patterns work and which doesn’t. Pop is no complex buisness. The only thing you have to learn are those five chords which can be applied everytime, according to every face, for – ever?!

And even when you studied buisness economics you will have the oppurtunity to become the godfather of  pop-music by knowing only five handles! This was not only realized by a harmless man like Dieter Bohlen by now.

There is a serious suspicion that the Russian mafia also realized that there´s a new way of making good money and there are not even new strategies needed. It´s that simple: You seek for a young, unsettled girl, operate her beautiful, present her to the public and let them pay to see her.  A way the mafia is professional for a long time. But this time it´s the entertaining video-editing-buisness that replaces the brothel – and men have no trouble with their wifes anylonger, because they are sharing their joy.

By the way: This depicted band, “Viagra”, was founded in Ukraine. Probably there must live also many confident people while their puppet-players were enjoying the whole game and remain confident to do good for the citicens AND for their own.

Looking thirty years back, it appears like a distressed daydream that once there were bands like “Kino” who wrote about war and political systems and played and sang the way they thought it was appropriate to them and not to anyone else. It´s hard to believe that once there was a chance to become free, for a moment, for a second…

In those times, the 1980s, when political conditions started to change radically in Russia, musicans and artist were not forced to keep mum anymore. When Perestroika started, the whole system started to change from a highly repressive socialist to a prestage of democracy, or at least there was the intention to achieve same standards like in the west by Michail Gorbatschow. Glasnost (means: transparency) should free the citizens and enable puplic concerts of bands whose texts, appearance and sounds do not numb people…

But although everybody in the world thinks Russia is on its way to more democracy, music genres like rock, alternative and so forth won´t be found in the public media. Unfortunately they remained to stay in the underground as subcultures, small groups that try to come up and disclose what they are observing from the bottom of the dictactorial regime, ruled by mafia and by the economy.

Кино – спокойная ночь, 1988 (Kino – good/ calm night)

Roofs tremble under the pressure of days/Night Shepard is herding his clouds/ The city is firing shot-shells with beads of light at the night/ But the night is stronger, her power is great.

To those who are going to bed, good night.

I’ve been waiting for this time, and now it is here/ Those who had been mum broke their silence/ Those who have nothing to wait for any more, are straddling their horses/ You can’t catch up with them, not any more

To those who are going to bed, good night.

My neighbourghs come, they hear hoove-sounds/ they disturb to fall asleep, the disturb to sleep/ Those who don´t wait for anything: Go!/ Those who are safed, those who are safed…

To those who are going to bed, good night.

Appendix:

Although the rival is almost eliminated by the pop-mafia-bosses, rock music remains steadfast.

Алиса (Alisa),

a band founded in 1983 in St. Petersburg and belonging to the “Rubenstein”-Rockclub which was considered as wary by the Russian Committee for State Security and the militia. Alisa battled their way, still performing and publishing new records, still sensitive for grievances – and they are also acting as a kind of monument for a movement which should never be forgotten. In their Song “Жизнь струны” (The Life of a Vagabond, 2010) Alisa reminds us of the times when Victor Tsoi (bandleader of “Kino”) and their critical attitude…

Жизнь струны – Life of a Vagabond

Momeory of Victor Tsoi

Passing with the wind/ From one edge to another/ On earth, as the result of the night/ the songs cry at the morning

We should have known/ how the bark will end/ racing hounds in the steppe chase/ The vagabond´s life is a tensely tight string/

Who has felt it, who has seen it?/ What are the consequences of the storm?/ From grief to fret/ Should we really step back?/ heaven´s gift wawes the path

In the night it opens the people´s eyes/ of those who continue their way/ together with me.

We could have been whiter than the snow/ if we realized the joy of cold/ the blizzard flies over the land/

Within the prohibition/ a pride of wolves breaks in/ the leader, enrusting the soul/

A vagabond´s life, a gutsy death.

Reference:

http://www.cccp-pok.com/

Photo: Google Images

Tchaikovsky’s sexual practices and his rumored self-execution have been popular subjects of biographical analysis. His same sex relationships were a widely acknowledged secret in Russian musical circles during an era that was calmly tolerant of the pervasive homosexuality of the ruling classes. Within days of his death, stories began spreading that the depressive genius had not really died from cholera, which was the official cause. It was whispered that he was ordered to commit suicide by a so-called court of honor or else be exposed to the tsar for his sexuality.

These speculations have been fueled by Anthony Holden’s recent lurid book, Tchaikovsky: a biography. Alexander Poznansky, a Slavic librarian at Yale, dismisses this enduring gossip with his fact based argument in Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man. He argues that Tchaikovsky did indeed succumb to cholera at the age of 53 during an epidemic that swept St. Petersburg in the fall of 1893.

The controversy surrounding Tchaikovsky’s death can be divided into two camps: the suicide theorists and the cholera adherents. To make things more complicated, there are differing witness reports about how the composer may have contracted cholera, which was rarely seen in upper class individuals like Tchaikovsky. Cholera tended to afflict only the poor to such a degree that Tchaikovsky’s patrician physicians had themselves never even seen a case of cholera.

The cholera story has its incongruities. Tchaikovsky’s brother and first biographer, Modest, claims that Tchaikovsky contracted cholera by impatiently gulping down a glass of unboiled water in their kitchen, a dangerous action during the epidemic. Their nephew tells a similar story of seeing Tchaikovsky carelessly drink impure water, although his version has this take place in a restaurant. Both claim to be eyewitnesses to this uncharacteristic behavior from the otherwise fastidiously hygienic Tchaikovsky, although they don’t agree about the day or location of this reckless act.

Holden’s evidence regarding Tchaikovsky’s alleged suicide is flimsy at best, based on rumors and gossip, he-said-she-said nonsense that is so loopy one wonders how it could have survived all these years since Tchaikovsky’s death. There is no hard evidence that Tchaikovsky committed suicide, nor is there any evidence of the court of honor. Holden’s source for this “incontrovertible hard evidence” is an elderly Russian émigré who claims that she was told about the court of honor by someone else who was told about it; that someone heard it from yet another person who was listening at the door where this court was supposedly held in 1893!

To further advance the myth of Tchaikovsky’s suicide was the fact that days before he died, he had just conducted the premier of his 6th Symphony, The Pathétique, which is such sad and depressingly gorgeous music that listeners were convinced it was his own requiem. Yet, at this time, late fall 1893, Tchaikovsky was full of plans and ideas, looking forward to the continued glory and creative opportunities that his immense fame had brought him. Fanning this controversy, which in some ways is comparable to the debate over JFK’s assassination in its heavily disputed positions over the death of a beloved figure, is the fact that the Tchaikovsky archives in Russia are not yet opened to Western scholars. To complicate matters even more, there are few Western musicologists who have mastered Russian enough to be Tchaikovsky specialists.

Tchaikovsky is not only Russia’s most illustrious composer, he was their first academically trained great composer. During his youth, it was out of the question for someone of Tchaikovsky’s genteel birth to aspire to a career in music. There were no music schools in Russia until the St. Petersburg Conservatory opened in 1862. Tchaikovsky was among its first graduates. Unlike his contemporaries Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky received a formal education in music. Trained in Western theory and forms, his work was imbued with fiery Russian passion. He was internationally lionized during his lifetime, and is today the world’s most popular composer, along with his idol, Mozart.

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1; Martha Argerich, Charles Dutiot and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande 1975

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto; Isaac Stern, Eugene Ormandy

Tchaikovsky: None but the Lonely Heart; Eula Beal

Tchaikovsky 6th Symphony Pathétique; Mravinsky, Leningrad Philharmonic

Although my skeptical friend was also right about influences of 18 century music titans on the work of Russian composers. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Whitgift Chamber Orchestra performed Glinka’s overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila , Tchaikovsy’s Rococo Variations and Borodin’s Polotvisian dances and Rakhmaninov’s Symphony No2.

Glinka’s music is heavily influenced by Italian composers, such as Bellini, since he lived and studied music in Italy. However his overture is a special piece of work, since he wrote the opera inspired by his friend Alexander Pushkin’s poem. The opera always received mixed reaction of public, but overture has been a concert favorite, thanks to its magical and light sound.

Tchaikovsky’s creations were influenced by Mozart, whom Tchaikovsky admired, saying “there is no single unnecessary note in his music.” Thcaikovsky was critical to own creations, seeking for perfection. But nowdays he definitely is a Mozart of Russian classical music, loved by majority for his simplicity yet talented music.

The most recognized and favourite of many Russians’ Borodino does not fail to awake most patriotic feelings, narrating about Polotsvins threatening to invade Russia. The piece surprises by its scale, variations of tones and most of all liberetto, which leaves no Russian soul untouched.

And getting back to the Russian soul, if there was a composer that could define it by his music that would be Rakhmaninov, struggling with unconfidence his whole life, Rakhmaninov’s most happy pieces might sound quite dark. No surprise that his Symphony No2 is gloomy, since it was written after long break from musical career and emotional break down, but at the same time it reflects how after all the struggles its possible to get over it, even with sense of sadness. Orchestras mastered the pieces, delivering most complicated feelings to the audience and making Russian classical music sound so close in London.

Russian Concert is played in Cadogan Hall on April 30,2012 .