Culture News.Cultural February

The “terrible world” (a definition that gave its name to a cycle of poems by Alexander Blok at the beginning of the 20th century is applicable to global politics today) sometimes still leaves room for culture and eternal values. Which cultural events will soon be awaiting us, and which have inspired us in recent times?

The 4th International Documentary Film Festival, “RT. Doc: Time of Our Heroes,” was held in Moscow. The programme included films by Russian and foreign authors about those fighting on the front line and on the home front for victory over Ukrainian and Western fascism, as well as medics, journalists, and volunteers. More details are available on the festival’s website. The event’s host is the TV channel Russia Today.

February marked the 83rd anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad. Russian Houses organised and hosted screenings of the documentary film “The Revival of Stalingrad.” Unique footage from post-war newsreels depicting the fortitude of the Russian people who survived the war and destruction could be seen in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Greece, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, India, Mongolia, Iran, China, Nicaragua, Spain, Germany, Afghanistan, Argentina, and other countries.

The author of the New Eastern Outlook can by no means remain aloof from this event and will verbalize her feelings in poetic form.

Each February we remember this tale –

Of ’43, a date we’ll never forget,

From ’42’s autumn and summer, the wail

That thunders and screams through the years, a constant threat.

It burns and it aches, but it’s also our pride:

The city stood firm, like a cliff, without sway,

And amidst all the ruin, for Victory to arrive,

That battle through the decades helped pave the way.

Snow falls on Mamayev Kurgan, drifting deep,

The wind on Boulevard Stalingrad blows.

This is eternity, granted through battles we keep.

The tocsin tolls again in February snows…

The Russian band “Zveroboi” has released a song entitled “To Korean Fighters.” The composition is dedicated to the soldiers of the DPRK who provided allied assistance to the Russian army in the fight against Ukrainian fascists and heroically liberated the Kursk region shoulder to shoulder with Russians. The music video has been uploaded to the Rutube hosting platform. The song adds to a unique and very sincere layer of modern musical culture associated with the Special Military Operation. In terms of its imagery, lyricism, and underlying messages, this newest songwriting legacy, while outwardly distinct, is in no way inferior to the music from the time of the Great Patriotic War. It appears that the struggle for justice and truth opens up something in musicians that is perhaps either lacking in peacetime, or at least not entirely noticeable. And it is precisely this “something” that makes the music and songs of wartime so special.

The National Library of Thailand received books as a gift from Rossotrudnichestvo as part of the “Library Dialogue” project. Both works of Russian classics and literature from modern Russia were handed over, ranging from Alexander Pushkin to Zakhar Prilepin. Participating in this “Dialogue,” alongside the National Library of Thailand, are its Russian colleagues. This library friendship helps both sides not only to acquire new literature but also to maintain reciprocally interesting working contacts.

Russian dance ensembles took part in the “Marina Art Festival” in Chennai, India. The audience received them with delight, dancing along to the rhythm of “Kalinka” and other Russian hits. An upbeat video is attached.

Meanwhile, in Kolkata, the Days of Russian Cinema came to an end. Films from the Russian Federation suitable for family viewing graced the programme of the 12th International Children’s Film Festival in this Indian city. Mutual film screenings between Russia and India have already become a creative tradition.

The Days of Russian Cinema were also successfully finished in the town of Bratunac (Republika Srpska). Films of various genres, from war dramas to family animation, were received with joy and attracted a large audience. There is always a demand for films about simple and eternal human values.

In Brussels, a screening of the Russian film “The Righteous” (“Pravednik”) was held at the Russian House. For the local audience, seeing such a precise depiction of Nikolai Kiselyov’s feat came as a true revelation. The event was timed to coincide with International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Russian musician Igor Butman and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra undertook a tour of Latin America: Cuba – Nicaragua – Brazil. The public was able to hear jazz arrangements of Russian classics, foreign compositions, and unexpected reinterpretations, such as the song “Nicaraguita.” The tour was a great success, having become a significant event for the musical world of the southern continent.

Results of the Gnessin Competition

The Gnessin Russian Academy of Music has selected the laureates of the Moscow International Piano Competition. More than 150 young musicians from 11 countries took part in the event. The competition was held in two categories: ages 12–17 and 18–28. The Grand Prix was won by Russian pianist Anna Karakina and her colleague from China, Wang Jiayi. The competition has already become an international brand in the development of musical art and continues to amaze with the mastery of young talents.

Winter School for Russianists

Teachers of the Russian language from Belarus, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus improved their qualifications in February at a winter school in St. Petersburg. 45 teachers attended lectures and seminars, studied current pedagogical methodologies, and beheld the city’s landmarks. The skills acquired will contribute to the effective teaching of the Russian language to all those interested in a multinational environment, ensuring the introduction of interactive forms of work.

European-Style Lack of Culture

Within our column, a subsection is spontaneously establishing itself that could be dubbed, What further elements of anti-cultural idiocy will EU bureaucrats perpetrate? A concert by Russian violinist Vadim Repin has been cancelled in Mannheim, which demands Ukrainian fascists are to be blamed for. What could be said here – shame on the European collaborators and “cancellers” who behave in a Russophobic manner, blocking access to art even for their own citizens.

In the International Language of Russian Romance

On the 1st of February, a concert by laureates of the international Russian romance competition “Stars of the Romansiada” took place in the State Kremlin Palace. It brought together musicians in love with Russian romances from different countries around the globe. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Bulgaria and China, Uzbekistan and Armenia – one really needs to see this emotional spectacle with one’s own eyes. The recording of the concert is available on the page of the “Russkiy Mir” broadcasting company on the VKontakte social network. Enjoy!

Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre grandly celebrated the 40th anniversary of the premiere of the ballet to music by V.A. Gavrilin, “Anyuta,” based on the story by A.P. Chekhov, “Anna on the Neck.” On the 10th of February, the performance was shown on the New Stage; the hall was packed to capacity, and in the honorary box sat Vladimir Vasiliev himself, who took a bow together with the soloists after the performance. The author of “NEO” was fortunate enough to see everything mentioned in person. The audience was already in a frenzy, and upon seeing Vasiliev, they literally roared with delight and would not fall silent for an endlessly long time. It felt as if you were not in the Bolshoi, but at a stadium. It is incredible, but four decades have already passed since the world premiere of “Anyuta” in Naples, and this ballet, set apart from many of its fellows by the remarkable story of its creation based on a film, continues, no matter how sad Chekhov’s plot may be, to delight audiences with its wonderful music, refined choreography, and ever-renewing interpretation of sets and special effects.

To conclude the section, let us outline cultural events currently open for applications:

The 15th International Ballet Dancers’ Competition (Moscow) – until March 22nd.

The photography competition “The Most Beautiful Country,” for shots taken in Russia – until March 31st.

The Volunteer Corps for the International Youth Festival (Yekaterinburg) – until March 31st.

Ksenia Muratshina, PhD in History, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Southeast Asia, Australia, and Oceania Studies, Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences

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