Ukraine invasion & the arts: Gergiev fired by his agent, etc.

[volcanohunter]

The Stolyarsky Music Lyceum sustained some damage during the bombing of Odesa on July 23rd. Stolyarsky's pupils included Nathan Milstein, David Oistrakh, Boris Goldstein and Elizabeth Gilels, though the current school was built later, in 1938.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0KxHPtzNf8C4H775fXhjuBTrt78A8VAWQziAYJxJBSkT3SaNb3wXWBQqFoeWhnHmel&id=100068878023628&mibextid=Nif5oz

Unlike the city's Transfiguration Cathedral, the school is still standing, but it has lost most of windows. 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0294wRsNzUdVNvKzqPPikTdYH5aAyjT62nDcZdNoy3MfF3LrdrS9FKN196uJpRC132l&id=100068878023628&mibextid=Nif5oz

Edited July 28, 2023 by volcanohunter

[dirac]

What a disaster, on so many levels.

Quote

Moscow’s attachment to Odesa owes to the Ukrainian city’s literary tradition. Prominent Russian-language authors wrote some of their most important works here. Aleksandr Pushkin, Russia’s beloved poet, spent 13 months in Odesa writing “Eugene Onegin,” his novel in verse, during a period of exile from Moscow. Many other writers Russia claims as its own spent crucial parts of their careers in the city.

The Odessa Steps sequence from "The Battleship Potemkin."

[volcanohunter]

The theater wasn't hit, but last night the workshops of the Odesa Opera House sustained some damage from falling missle debris.

https://www.facebook.com/100063485952677/posts/pfbid0K19E2HatT3ia4WVuJmKJdSVWUTpn3ybw8J9dTUCGy3c62XEm7RxiXcrZLds3cXBAl/?mibextid=CDWPTG 

[Quiggin]

And grain shipments that many thousands of people depend on have been stalled.

Pushkin mainly wrote part of chapter one and chapter two of "Eugene Onegin" in Odessa, though the idea of Tatiana was born there ("For the first time with such a name / the tender pages of a novel / we'll whimsically grace"). He worked his book for over eight years in many locations, publishing its sections at fairly long intervals. Nabokov:

Quote

I lived then in dusty Odessa .../ There, hustling, an abundant trade sets up its sails. / There all exhales, diffuses Europe / all glistens with the South, and is motleyed with live variety.  / The tongue of golden Italy resounds along the gay street / where walks the proud Slav, the Frenchman, Spaniard, Armenian, and Greek ...

 

[dirac]

The countries that needed the grain most got least. That said, the deal stabilized supplies and prices for everyone and any price rises will increase the risk of additional unrest in many of those same countries.

[Quiggin]

Pushkin corrective: Timothy Garton Ash has a piece in the August 18, 2021 Financial Times - "Putin, Pushkin and the decline of the Russian empire" -

Quote

For Ukrainians, engaged in an existential struggle for their independence against Russia's war of recolonisation, Pushkin is a symbol of Russian imperialism that has long denied Ukraine's right to a separate national existence. Pushkin was a great poet, but also a poet of Russian imperialism, just as Rudyard Kipling was a great poet, but a poet of British imperialism. [...] Small wonder some Ukrainians now refer on social media to "Pushkinists" launching missile attacks on their cities.

 

[volcanohunter]

I'll say this. A video of actor Sergey Bezrukov reciting Pushkin's "To the Slanderers of Russia" is one of the scariest things I've seen. It positively drips with loathing and belligerence. 

There are a lot of Russian expats in Cyprus, and there are impresarios who cater to them. (I live nearly 10,000 km away but ended up on a mailing list.) Bezrukov was supposed to bring a one-man show, but first came Covid restrictions, and then Bezrukov was barred from the EU. The presenter kept postponing and postponing, and after a few years simply stopped advertising the show.

[volcanohunter]

Prisca Zeisel has resigned from the Bavarian State Ballet. In late July she participated in a gala Sergei Polunin organized in occupied Sevastopol. Instagram posts show that with Dmitri Sobolevsky she performed the Don Q pas de deux against a projection of the interior of the Odesa Opera House (slide 7), less than a week after the city had come under heavy bombardment, resulting in the destruction of its Orthodox cathedral. It turns out this may not have been her only performance in Crimea this year. Yesterday, after Süddeutsche Zeitung broke the news of her resignation, she posted a video on Instagram of her performing Odile's fouettés in what is clearly the Perm Ballet production of Swan Lake. Not coincidentally, the Perm Ballet presented a brief run of Swan Lake in Sevastopol a few days after the concert.

Zeisel, along with Polunin and her Munich colleagues Laurretta Summerscales and Osiel Gouneo, had performed in Sevastopol before. In 2019 they appeared as guest artists with the Novosibirsk Ballet in a condensed version of Spartacus in the presence of Vladimir Putin. From the Kremlin web site:
http://static.kremlin.ru/media/events/photos/big2x/BK7YaeiZ49saxuXrgiqGLXUjpvIlsO41.jpg

On 8/7/2022 at 5:49 PM, Marta said:

What "should" one conclude from the list of dancers  on volcanohunter's post, above?  We know that Zakharova and Polunin are supporters of Putin; should we assume that the other dancers are too? Shortly after the invasion of Ukraine,  Shklyarov posted his protest on Instagram.  It didn't stay there long though.  I imagine refusing the invitation to perform would not be a good idea, or maybe it was an order rather than a request.

I did some digging about various ballet performances in occupied Sevastopol, looking at web sites, posters, press reports and social media posts, which would be a lot easier to do if Instagram had a proper search function. Vladimir Shklyarov's "attendance" record is perfect. He has performed there every summer since 2018, which is more consistent even than Polunin. Ekaterina Krysanova's attendance had also been perfect until this year's concert coincided with the Bolshoi's tour to Beijing.

Basically there were three types of performances. "Galas" (though when such an event takes place at the Fishermen's Palace of Culture, as it did one year, it's strange to call it a gala), at which I would say participation is entirely voluntary. If a concert takes place in midsummer, during official holidays, it would be straightforward to cite other plans: a planned and paid-for vacation in Egypt, a visit to parents in distant Siberia, therapy to look after a persistent injury before the season begins... I counted 16 current and recent Bolshoi and Mariinsky principals who have never performed in Crimea, as far as I can tell.

The next type of performances are official tours by Russian companies. Since 2019 there has been a policy of bringing big-city Russian theaters to Sevastopol in the summer. In 2019 it was the Novosibirsk Ballet with the aforementioned Spartacus. In 2020 the Bolshoi brought Carmen Suite and a selection of opera arias. In 2021 the Mariinsky brought an operatic selection and Concerto DSCH. (I don't know whether Ratmansky was aware of this.) In 2022 the Mikhailovsky ballet brought Nacho Duato's Romeo and Juliet. This year it was the Perm Ballet's Swan Lake. In these cases it's quite possible that dancers had no say in the matter.

The third type of performances were guest appearances during these official tours. This, again, I would consider voluntary. The same summertime excuses not to participate could be used.

If Shklyarov (all of whose performances fell under the gala category) could briefly display an anti-war post online, perhaps it's because his loyalty to the regime is well-established.

Edited September 13, 2023 by volcanohunter
additional links

[Mashinka]

I believe Prisca Zeisel is an Austrian national, her behaviour is disgraceful.

Regarding Cyprus, I remember hiring a car from a firm that turned out to be Russian run and later stayed at a hotel with a number of Russian staff.  

[Helene]

Cyprus has been a vacation hotspot for Russians long before this war and the wars preceding it, with many Russian-owned properties.  Some who left Russia after sanctions went to Cyprus.  It’s not surprising, given proximity, cost, and climate, like Spain is a similar destination for people from the UK and Mexico for people from the US.

It’s also a place for Israeli’s to marry when they can’t or won’t be married by a recognized rabbi in Israel, which includes most Russian-born Jews and their descendants, so there’s a certain full-circleness about it.

 

[volcanohunter]

The Odesa Fine Arts Museum was damaged over the weekend on the eve of its 124th anniversary. There is now a crater in the street directly in front of the museum, while the museum suffered broken windows and cracked walls. The museum's main collection was moved to a secure location last year, but it continues to display rotating exhibits of contemporary art.

photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CzSMkYLoA1N/

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/11/07/odesa-museum-of-fine-arts-rocked-by-russian-missile-strike-on-124th-anniversary

Edited November 8, 2023 by volcanohunter

[Jayne]

On 9/13/2023 at 7:42 AM, Mashinka said:

I believe Prisca Zeisel is an Austrian national, her behaviour is disgraceful.

I found her on the Maryinsky website, so she landed on her feet, so to speak.  
 

I know this thread tries to avoid politics.  So regarding the rumors of Putin’s health scares, I will repeat the oft-mis-quoted Clarence Darrow:  “I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.”

 

Edited November 9, 2023 by Jayne
Clarity

[volcanohunter]

Since this will no doubt be relevant for continued sanctions, yesterday at Moscow's Zaradye Concert Hall a group of some 700 individuals nominated Vladimir Putin to run for reelection. 

https://apnews.com/article/russia-vladimir-putin-presidential-election-nomination-independent-b01a4aeddb73dc201527c086824dedee 

The members of "Team Putin" who put forward the nomination include Valery Gergiev, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Ildar Abdrazakov, Hibla Gerzmava, Yuri Bashmet, Nikita Mikhalkov and also figure skaters Tatiana Navka (who is married to Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov) and Evgeny Plushenko, who described Putin as the greatest politician in the world. The list of nominators also included actors, pop singers and television personalities, who are less familiar to foreign audiences.

https://zavtra.ru/events/komanda_putina_(v_tekste_privoditsya_chast_spiska)_edinoglasno_podderzhala_samovidvizhenie_putina

P.S. Photos show that Denis Matsuev was also present.

Edited December 18, 2023 by volcanohunter

[volcanohunter]

National Ballet of Ukraine principal Kateryna Kukhar posted a video of her performance of La Sylphide on December 14th being interrupted by an air raid siren. She writes that it was the sixth such alarm that day. Apparently the performance was completed once the alarm had passed, but this is why the opera house can sell only 400 tickets per performance; that's how many audience members can fit into the theater's bomb shelter.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C03lxxOt0Wt/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Edited December 18, 2023 by volcanohunter

[Mashinka]

I imagine they had little choice if they want their careers to flourish.

[volcanohunter]

11 hours ago, Mashinka said:

I imagine they had little choice if they want their careers to flourish.

I guess I would answer that in 2014 there was the "letter of the 511" signed by figures from the worlds of arts and entertainment, including the heads of nearly every major cultural institution in Russia. For them it was, no doubt, a condition of keeping their jobs. There were also a few keeners, such as Zakharova, Ivan Vasiliev, Gerzmava, Matsuev, Spivakov, Bashmet. But there were many, many more individual performers who didn't sign, apparently, without detriment to their careers.

This time "Team Putin" included about 700 representatives from different walks of life, so the list of representatives from the arts was much shorter. In that sense these are people who really, really want to flourish, à la Gergiev, who now has control of 9 venues in Russia, with a tenth under construction. They may be gunning for top jobs. They may be true believers. Most of them are the usual suspects. The presence of Ildar Abdrazakov was notable because up until this point he hadn't been a signatory or official campaigner. Apparently, he's now decided to say goodbye to his foreign career.

Edited December 21, 2023 by volcanohunter

[dirac]

Members of the Kharkiv National Opera and Ballet prepare to reopen underground:

Quote

Now the pair are rehearsing to perform for Kharkiv residents again, safely beneath the city streets.

But it's not just the surroundings and acoustics that are different.

More than half of the company are still in Slovakia; one man was killed fighting on the frontline and several more have been mobilised; others are scattered as refugees.

For those who have stayed in Kharkiv, everything is being adjusted to their reduced new reality.

 

[Jayne]

Three Days ago, Alexei Ratmansky posted a tribute on Facebook to the retired Ukrainian dancer Vadim Burton, repleat with video, photos, and a beautiful tribute.
 

Edited March 16 by Jayne

[volcanohunter]

On March 25 much of the Kyiv Academy of Decorative and Applied Art and Design was destroyed in a rocket attack.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/gW4SK38ZJAEidPmL/?mibextid=oFDknk 

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/8tenbbfZx7WfS5UJ/?mibextid=oFDknk 

The school bears the name of muralist Mykhailo Boychuk, whose work had similarities to that of Diego Rivera. In the summer of 1937 Boychuk and three of his students were executed by the NKVD, and their works were destroyed. Later that year Boychuk's wife was also executed. In 1952, at least 14 of Boychuk's works that had survived in an archive in Lviv were also destroyed as "ideologically harmful."

Edited March 31 by volcanohunter

[Drew]

I had been surprised to see Kimin Kim, May Nagahisa, and Maria Khoreva scheduled for the YAGP gala in New York. According to Khoreva's instagram the Koch theater has canceled their appearance, so I guess I wasn't the only one caught by surprise.  I have many questions about what happened and why, but my first three or four would be for YAGP -- which got a lot of (deserved) positive publicity for helping many young Ukrainian pre-professional dancers at the start of the war.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C57MVRFO2U_/

 

Edited April 19 by Drew

[California]

6 hours ago, Drew said:

I had been surprised to see Kimin Kim, May Nagahisa, and Maria Khoreva scheduled for the YAGP gala in New York. According to Khoreva's instagram the Koch theater has canceled their appearance, so I guess I wasn't the only one caught by surprise.  I have many questions about what happened and why, but my first three or four would be for YAGP -- which got a lot of (deserved) positive publicity for helping many young Ukrainian pre-professional dancers at the start of the war.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C57MVRFO2U_/

 

On this morning's Instagram stories from Chloe, there are pictures of her performing with Aran Bell at the YAGP gala. No Kim. Nothing in the morning NY Times. But I did find a story from a NY state assemblyman objecting to the performance of Mariiinsky dancers in NYC. Not at all clear who ordered the cancellation. I hope the story comes out. Here's the letter:

 

[California]

Two more sources on the YAGP gala: two Bolshoi dancers were denied visas - Smirnova and Tissi. https://pagesix.com/2018/04/18/acclaimed-russian-ballerinas-denied-entry-into-us/

Kimin Kim got a visa but did he perform? The On Pointe story says he did. Chloe posted a picture of her with Kim a few days ago. I don't see anything on her Instagram this morning with Kim, just Bell.

https://pointemagazine.com/bolshoi-dancers-denied-us-visas/

[abatt]

Kimin Kim did not perform last night.

Denying a visa to Smirnova and Tissi is insanity.  Smirnova left her homeland in protest of the war.  

It is too bad that  a NY State Assemblyman could derail a private contract between YAGP and its contracted talent.  

There are plenty of Russian nationals performing at the Met and in other classical venues in the U.S.  The litmus test is whether they came out and supported Putin and the war.   In my opinion, banning these individual  dancers is wrong.  

[matilda]

The Pointe Magazine article about Smirnova and Tissi is from 2018, FYI. 

I agree that Khoreva and Kim shouldn't have been pulled out at the last minute (not fair to anyone involved), but would having dancers from the state-funded Mariinsky at an American event violate sanctions rules? Or is this purely an emotional matter? 

[California]

7 minutes ago, abatt said:

Smirnova left her homeland in protest of the war.  

Here's the BBC story about Smirnova leaving Russia and criticizing the war. This one is the most baffling in this episode:

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-60767490