Liberatum St PetersBall Festival
12-14 November 2010, St PetersburgThe festival aims to celebrate Russia's artistic contributions to the world and forge cultural relations between Russia and the West. St PetersBall with Corinthia will feature eminent cultural personalities and acclaimed artistic minds from the UK, Russia and other nations including Man Booker prize winning writer DBC Pierre, film director Mike Figgis, fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic, fashion designer Ozwald Boateng, taxidermy artist Polly Morgan, Turner prize winning Marc Quinn, film director John Hillcoat, designer Jasper Conran, Mat Collishaw - to name a few.
.jpg "A.N. Wilson & Anne Sebba will discuss The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy")
A.N. Wilson & Anne Sebba will discuss The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy
Saturday, 20 November, 7.30pmRichmond Upon Thames Literature Festival
n the year marking the centenary of Tolstoy’s death, Anne Sebba joins A.N. Wilson in discussing the fascinating diaries of Leo Tolstoy’s wife, Sofia. These diaries are a testament to a woman of tremendous vital energy and poetic sensibility who, in the face of provocation and suffering, continued to strive for the higher things in life; to remain indomitable.
A Dog's Heart
20 November - 4 DecemberBased on Mikhail Bulgakov's once-banned satire on the New Soviet Man, composer Alexander Raskatov's new work tells of the stray mongrel who becomes human after an experimental organ transplant. The director Simon McBurney makes his English National Opera debut in this major new collaboration with acclaimed UK theatre company Complicite.
Alessandro Gallenzi on Russian Literature
6.30pm, Thursday 25 November, Hendon LibraryLiterary publisher, translator, poet and novelist Alessandro Gallenzi will be discussing the challenges of translating modern Russian fiction. He will also address why there is a need for new translations of Russian classics, and talk about publishing Tolstoy’s works and most recently The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy, 100 years after the death of Tolstoy.
All about Diaghilev!
Diaghilev fever is taking London by storm. The V&A's major exhibition 'Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes, 1909-1929' reveals Diaghilev's enduring influence on 20th-century art, design and fashion. The V&A is also holding a number of other Diaghilev themed events, including 'The Music of Diaghilev with the Philharmonia Orchestra' and 'Rephrasing the Ballets Russes', in collaboration with the English National Ballet. And the perfect accompaniment to this year's season of Diaghilev events is Sjeng Scheijen's new biography of the arguably the greatest (and most controversial) impresario of all time.
Stardogs Belka and Strelka on the closing day of the 4th Russian Film Festival!
6pm, Sunday, 7 November, Apollo, PiccadillyRocket into space with Belka and Strelka on the last day of the film festival. Jam-packed with intrigue, wit, action and comedy, see the animated adventures of the famous soviet space dogs in Russian with English subtitles, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first successful space flight made by the real Belka and Strelka on 19 August 1960. Tickets for this closing night film include a complimentary drink!
The 4th Russian Film Festival
29 October - 7 November, Apollo PiccadillyThe 4th Russian Film starts this Friday, 29 October, featuring the best in new Russian film, documentaries and animation and opens with The Ugly Duckling, master animator Garry Bardin's sparky and affecting stop-motion animation with Orwellian overtones. All films are shown in Russian with English subtitles.
Alexander Ponomarev
6 October – 21 November, Calvert22Drawing upon his background in nautical engineering and an early career as a submariner, Ponomarev uses journeys on the sea as a starting point to explore the relationship between illusion and ‘reality’, the utility of art, and the shifting tides of personal and cultural history. The works in this exhibition issue from journeys undertaken by the artist - to the North Pole, to the bottom of the ocean and while tracking the 60th latitude of the Atlantic onboard a scientific research ship.
How I Ended This Summer - the best film at the 54th BFI London Film Festival
At yesterday's ceremony at London’s LSO St Luke’s, How I Ended This Summer, showing at the 4th Russian Film Festival this Sunday at 8pm, was named the best film at the 54th BFI London Film Festival. Patricia Clarkson, chair of the jury, called it 'Tense, moving and universal in its scope, this is a cinematic tour de force.'
Black Bread and Cucumber
5 –23 OctoberCelebrating Anton Chekhov's 150th Birthday, Caroline Blakiston performs her play at the Jermyn Street Theatre. Black Bread and Cucumber is Caroline Blakiston's acclaimed one-woman show about how she made history as the first British actress to play Chekhov in Russia, in Russian! Black Bread and Cucumber was written during 1992-3, following Caroline Blakiston’s unique experience playing Charlotta in The Cherry Orchard in Russia. She was the first English actress to play Chekhov in Russia in Russian.
Chto delat?
Now – 24 OctoberAt the ICA, Chto delat?, a Russian collective made up of artists, philosophers and writers, presents an exhibition and associated season of activity which extends their identity as ‘a self-organising platform for cultural workers’. Revolving around the publication of a new issue of their newspaper, a gallery display centred on the group’s videos and a programme of talks, screenings and performances Chto delat? articulate the potential for constituting new forms of living and learning.
The Director's office: in memoriam
A firm believer that architects should be gardeners not morticians enshrouding a city in cement, David Sarkisyan, Director of the Shchusev Museum of Architecture in Moscow, has been featured in the new issue of the Russia Now supplement to the Daily Telegraph, published today. Under David Sarkisyan's administration, the Shchusev museum became the centre of Moscow’s architectural and artistic life and now his old office is a memorial of his life's work.
Emmanuel Carrère & Tibor Fischer on Identity
29 September, 7.30pm at the Institut françaisAuthor of 'A Russian Novel' Emmanuel Carrère joins Tibor Fischer for a talk on Identity. A Russian Novel traces Carrère’s pursuit of three obsessions: a good story, the disappearance of his Russian grandfather and his fascination with a woman he loves but cannot keep from destroying.
The talk will be followed by the screening of Emmanuel Carrère's documentary on Russia, Retour à Kotelnitch
Inspired by Diaghilev - Hampstead and Highgate Festival
24 September - 3 OctoberOver 40 events covering dance, film, music, poetry, theatre and visual art will take place across Hampstead and Highgate. The programme includes Matthew Hurt’s 'Lightening Conductor' a dramatic profile of Diaghilev (played by Simon Callow) as well as classical music concerts focusing on the composers who worked with Diaghilev and an exhibition of photographs of Ballets Russes dancer Tamara Karsavina.
There will also a series of events entitled ‘Russian Voices’ which focus on Anton Chekhov (Jonathan Miller), Leo Tolstoy (Zinovy Zinik), the Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy and Anna Akhmatova’s cycle of poems, ‘Requiem’, read by Glenda Jackson.
Slogan competition!
Academia Rossica and the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communication invite you to take part in a competition to think up a slogan for the Russian stand and for the Russia Market Focus programme at the London Book Fair 2010.We need your help to come up with a biright, contemporary and effective slogan which will place Russian literature and the Russian publishing industry at one of the most prestigious international publishing forums. The slogan will be used at the Russian stand on all marketing material - press releases, brochures, banners, etc.
XXIII Moscow International Book Fair International Lounge events programme
The International Lounge at the Moscow International Book Fair is a space where the Russian publishing world can form links with the international book industry. Alongside the extensive programme of seminars and roundtables, it is a place for networking and deals, as well as being an information centre on international collaboration. The International Lounge is organised by Academia Rossica with the support from the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communication and the Moscow International Book Fair. The programme of seminars and presentations is focused on the preparation for Russia Market Focus at the London Book Fair 2011.
From nanotechnologies to cats and genes: popular science literary prize “Prosvetitel” (“Enlightener”) releases its longlist
The prize was established in 2008 by the founder and honorary president of a Russian mobile phone company Vimpelcom Dmitry Zimin. This year the long list made the total of 25 books, three of them still manuscripts. The books were nominated by the publishers, the prize committee and the Club of science journalists.The members of the jury will select books for the shortlist over summer, and winners in humanities and natural sciences will receive 720, 000 roubles (£16,000) each.
Maria Galina appears in a prestigious poetry award shortlist
We are excited to tell you that Maria Galina's book ‘On Two Feet’ made top ten poetical collections in 2009 according to Moskovski Schyot (The Moscow Tally) literary prize. The overall winner of the prize will be named tomorrow on Friday at the 5th Moscow International Book Festival, one hour before Maria will appear at Apollo cinema in London to read her poetry at the event organised by Academia Rossica. We congratulate Maria with this huge achievement and keep our fingers crossed that she takes the first prize.
Maria Galina and Arkady Shtypel Poetry Competition!
Try your hand at translating poetry for this Friday's event with Maria Galina and Arkady Shtypel. The best entrants will receive a signed copy of Iramifications by Maria Galina and a ticket to the event. Please send your translations of any of the following poems to Daniela@academia-rossica.org by Friday 4pm..jpg "Call for submissions for the ROSSICA TRANSLATION PRIZE 2011")
Call for submissions for the ROSSICA TRANSLATION PRIZE 2011
AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN RUSSIAN TO ENGLISH LITERARY TRANSLATION We are delighted to announce that entries for the Rossica Translation Prize 2011 are now open. The Rossica Prize is the only prize awarded for the best new translation of a high-quality Russian literary work into English. Literary work must be written in Russian by any author, present or past, and published in English in 2009 and 2010. The prize is open to works published in any country. The value of the prize is £5,000 divided between the winning translator and the publisher.
Preview of The Concert starring Aleksei Guskov
Thursday 10 June, 8.30pm, Ciné lumièreWinner, Best Music for Film and Best Sound, César Awards 2010
Thirty years ago, Andrei Simoniovich Filipov (Aleksei Guskov) was the celebrated conductor of the renowned Bolshoi Orchestra. But during the communist era, he was fired at the height of his fame for refusing to get rid of all his Jewish musicians. Now demoted to the position of cleaner at the Bolshoi, he learns by chance that the Châtelet Theatre in Paris has invited the Orchestra to perform there. Andrei decides to reunite his orchestra and to perform in Paris in the place of the current Bolshoi Orchestra.
Daniel Kramer at the Pizza Express Jazz Club
Saturday 19 June, 7.30pm & 10.30pm, PizzaExpress Jazz ClubA long established leading figure in Russian jazz and an internationally acclaimed pianist, Daniel Kramer will visit London to perform two live concerts exclusively for the audience of the PizzaExpress Jazz Club. The innovator of Russia's jazz scene and artistic director of no less than four jazz festivals, he lectures at Moscow State Conservatory and Central Music School while also being the Chairman of the Jazz
The Skidelsky Russian Lecture: Rediscovering Russian roots
Monday 7 June, 7pmKenneth Clark Lecture Theatre Courtauld Institute, Somerset House
Chaired by Elaine Feinstein
The Bolshevik Revolution produced a mass exodus of Russia’s aristocracy and educated bourgeoisie. In the years following 1917 many of Russia’s most talented writers, artists, composers, scientists, professionals,
A Pinch of Absurdity - with Dmitry Bykov
Sunday 30 May, 5pm, Apollo CinemaImmerse yourself in the world of surrealist Russian animation! On this very special Sunday evening we will be holding a one off screening of spectacular new Russian award-winning animations, presented by the famous Russian writer, Dmitry Bykov. The animations are based on stories by some of Russia’s wittiest writers, such as Chekhov, Krzhizhanovsky, Mayakovsky and Kharms, and include the Nika prize
An evening with Dmitry Bykov
Thursday 27 May, 7pm, Apollo CinemaDmitry Bykov is one of Russia most charismatic and controversial intellectual figures – an award winning writer, a phenomenal film buff and a successful tv and radio presenter. Dmitry will be interviewed by Alexander Kan from BBC World Service. They will be discussing today’s Russia, Bykov’s latest books, including Living Souls, which has recently been published in Britain, new Russian films and the crossover themes in Russian and and British culture (in Russian).
9 May - Victory Day
9 May is a very special day – Victory Day. It is particularly special for Russia, since of all countries it paid the heaviest price for its own freedom and for the freedom of other countries from fascism. This is our common victory. It became possible only thanks to the joint efforts of all allies and the struggle of those who fought against fascism in their own countries. On this day we celebrate life and freedom and commemorate those who gave up their lives for us during the World War II..jpg "'A Room and a Half' in UK cinemas from 7 May")
'A Room and a Half' in UK cinemas from 7 May
Yume Pictures and Academia Rossica are delighted to invite you to a special screening of the film 'A Room and a Half' at 8pm on 10 May at Cine Lumière, South Kensington, London, SW7 2DT, followed by Q&A with director Andrey Khrzhanovsky and actress Alisa Freyndlikh. It is a beautifully mesmerising film based on the life of the Russian poet Joseph Brodsky.
Winner of the Rossica Young Translator's Award 2010 announced! See here for video footage.
Winner of the Rossica Young Translators Award 2010 announced! On 21 April the winner of the RYTA was announced by judges Oliver Ready and Robert Chandler at a special ceremony in the PEN Literary Café at the London Book Fair. The winner is: Leo Shtutin for his translation of an extract from Mikhail Shishkin's novel Letter-Book (Письмовник) Leo Shtutin receives £500 and an invitation from Academia Rossica to travel to Moscow to take part in a Translators' Congress in September 2010. The Congress will be a high-profile event which will take place during the International Moscow Book Fair and in which more 100 translators of Russian literature will take part.
Russian films at the East End Film Festival
We are as disappointed as you are that the ash cloud stopped our Russian authors from making it to the UK for our SLOVO festival. However, the festival has not been cancelled, merely postponed. We are working hard to bring the events to London at a later date, so keep a close eye on our website! In the meantime, Academia Rossica is delighted to support The East End Film Festival (22 April – Friday 30) in their focus on new Russian cinema.
BOOKS FROM RUSSIA Catalogue available
The interesting and informative Books From Russia catalogue is now available to download from our website. With information about our programmes and guests for SLOVO Festival and London Book Fair, and about Russia becoming the Market Focus for the 2011 LBF, this is the perfect accompaniment to these events. Please contact us for any more information and we look forward to seeing you there.SLOVO Russian Literature Festival
On 19 – 25 April ACADEMIA ROSSICA will bring you SLOVO, the Russian Literature Festival that knows no boundaries. Packed with a kaleidoscope of genre-defying events, SLOVO will offer a unique insight into Russian literary culture, presenting not only the foremost contemporary Russian writers and highly opinionated public figures, such as Dmitry Bykov, Sergei Lukyanenko, Olga Slavnikova, Maria Galina and Vladimir Sharov, but also cutting edge young writers and poets from right across Russia’s eleven time zones.Charity Acoustic Concert
23 March, 7:30pmCamden Park Studios, The Church Hall
Arbuzz Project and Russian Gymnasium №1 invite you to a charity acoustic concert, aimed to raise funds for the treatment of Yaroslav Strambovskiy - a beautiful 5-years-old boy with an illness no child should go through. All the money raised at the evening will be transferred to Yaroslav to support his treatment.
Calling all interpreters!
Interpreting for the Russian guests at the LBF and SLOVO festival For those interested in offering their professional translation skills during the London Book Fair and the SLOVO festival, ACADEMIA ROSSICA will have a series of events and seminars where interpreters will be needed in order for Russian and UK guests to communicate with each other. This is an excellent opportunity for professional translators to play an involved and encouraging role in the development of future publishing projects that will lead to the further promotion and distribution of Russian literature in the English speaking world. To register as an interpreter, please contact Rodrigo@academia-rossica.org by 15th April.
The Russian programme at the London Book Fair 2010 is announced!
We are proud to announce the programme of Russian events at the London Book Fair 2010. Read here for details of seminars, meetings and special events at Publishers' Day, Authors' Day and Translators' Day and profiles of our celebrated guest speakers. These include include the authors Dmitry Bykov, Sergey Lukyanenko, Vladimir Sharov, Marina Galina and Olga Slavnikova, as well the deputy head of the Russian Federal Agency of Press and Mass Communication, Vladimir Grigoriev, and the brilliant literary critic, Lev Danilkin.Enter the Rossica Young Translators Prize now!
Translate one of three extracts taken from new novels written by Russia’s foremost contemporary novelists and send us your entry by 1 April. The winning translator will receive £500 and the chance to attend a Translators' Congress In Moscow in September 2010. All under 25s, don’t let this exciting opportunity pass you by!
New videos on AR YouTube channel
Coverage of Question Time at the 3rd Russian Film Festival is now up on the Academia Rossica YouTube channel. Question Time was a new event at the RFF and featured award-winning documentary maker Vitaly Mansky and leading film critic Andrei Plakhov answering pertinent questions submitted by members of the public via our website.
Russia has been announced the Market Focus of The London Book Fair 2011
In September 2009 Russia was announced the Market Focus and Guest of Honour of The London Book Fair 2011. This decision has been taken in recognition of Russia’s rapid growth in the publishing field in the past two decades, and following the success of the Russian Pavilion and Russian Literature Week, held in conjunction with The London Book Fair 2009 and in the presence of Minister Mikhail V. Seslavinsky and His Excellency Ambassador Yury V. Fedotov.
Russia - Guest of Honour at the London Book Fair 2011
In order to prepare Russia’s participation as Market Focus Country two steering committees have been set up - in London and in Moscow. The first London steering committee was held at the Russian Embassy in London on 9 November 2009. It was chaired by Mr Alistair Burtenshaw, Director of The London Book Fair.
Non/Fiction Programme 2009
NON/FICTION 11, Stand G-2 December, 2-7. Central House of Artists Dear friends and colleagues, Academia Rossica in partnership with The London Book Fair, Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications and British Council invite you to Russia Market Focus 2011 Stand and would be very glad to see you at various events we are running during this fair.
Kazakh Celebrity Concert
20 JuneCadogan Hall
£10, £15, £18, £22
The concert features some of the most loved violin/piano music including the Brahms third violin sonata, Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso and the beautiful sonata by Cesar Franck. In addition there will be performances of pieces by the Kazakh composers Tlendiyev and world premières by Serik Yerkimbekov.
.jpg "Russian Culture Day")
Russian Culture Day
28 June, 14.00-23.00Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, WC1R 4RL
A day of Russian culture to celebrate the year of youth. There will be a screening of the film 'Peter FM' with English subtitles at 14.00 followed by an art workshop, a quiz, a concert from participants in the Russian Song Contest 2009 and then live Russian music and a food and drinks buffet.
Kansk Film Festival
June 11-14The Foundry
Genesis Cinema
From its remote beginnings eight years ago in the Siberian town of Kansk, an alternative Russian film festival is making its inaugural trip to London. The Kansk Film Festival started off as an artistic pun on ‘Cannes’ - inspired by a troupe of avant-garde Russian filmmakers who decided to put Eastern Siberia on the map.
World Literature Weekend
19-21 JuneLondon Review Bookshop
One of our aims has been to place the translator centre stage (the programme features works translated from Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, French and Russian) and we are fortunate that this year’s winning translator of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, Anne McLean, is taking part in the panel discussion with three other eminent translators: her English language edition of Evelio Rosero’s The Armies was launched at the bookshop last October.
.jpg "Big Book Prize Finalists Announced")
Big Book Prize Finalists Announced
26 MayMoscow
On the 26th of May, the names of the writers shortlisted for the 'Big Book' literary prize were announced. 13 authors have been shortlisted. Two of the shortlisted books were entered into the competition as manuscripts: Mariam Petrosyan's 'The House Where'and Andrei Baldin's 'The Extension of the Full Stop'.
Liquid Modernity
Orel ArtUntil 1 July 2009
UK solo exhibition of Russian contemporary artist Andrei Molodkin. An ex-Soviet soldier and master draftsman, Molodkin started using a simple ballpoint pen – the only medium available to him when serving in the Russian military – to create his first canvases. Referencing tattooing, once illegal in USSR, and exhausting an army of pens, Molodkin’s gigantic, labour-intensive drawings were first in a series of works to critically address iconization in a global contemporary culture.
Past Future Perfect
Calvert 2213 May - 16 June 2009
Calvert 22 presents its inaugural exhibition, curated by David Thorpe. The show will bring together five leading contemporary Russian artists: Alexander Brodsky, Pavel Pepperstein, Haim Sokol, Leonid Tishkov and Stanislav Volyazlovsky. Although the artists vary greatly in terms of the chosen media of their practice, they connect via their common desire to excavate the past, to explore both collective and personal mythologies, and through the realisation of their imaginings of the future. The majority of the works in Past Future Perfect will be on show in the UK for the first time.
.jpg "3rd Russian Film Festival")
3rd Russian Film Festival
3rd RUSSIAN FILM FESTIVAL 30 October – 8 November 2009 Apollo Piccadilly, London T: 0871 220 6000 Academia Rossica is proud to present 10 UK premieres of award-winning Russian films produced in. All films with English subtitles. Programme director: Andrey Plakhov, President of FIPRESCI. The festival opens on 30 October with a new adaptation of Anna Karenina by one of Russia’s most defiant film directors, Sergei Soloviev. The film took 14 years to make and it is part of Soloviev’s trilogy ASSA (1987) – ASSA-2 (2009) – Anna Karenina (2009). Full programme of the Festival:
Russian Summer Ball
6 June£110 / £165 (with dining)
This year, the 14th Russian Summer Ball will be held in London's historical and exclusive venue the Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace. With complimentary Ballroom drinks all night, breakfast canapés and ballroom dancing to The Coldstream Guards. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Romanov Fund for Russia.
Ballets Russes
16 – 20 JuneSadler's Wells
Highlights of the season include quintessential Ballets Russes ballets Les Sylphides, Le Spectre de la Rose, Schéhérazade and The Dying Swan. The performances also showcase Kenneth MacMillan’s magnificent reworking of the visceral The Rite of Spring, which provoked riots at its first performances by the Ballets Russes; and the World Premiere of Faun(e), a re-imagining of Nijinsky’s L’après-midi d’un Faune by acclaimed choreographer David Dawson. On Thursday 18 June at 2pm we will present a special performance for schools looking at the rehearsal process which goes into staging a performance like Ballets Russes.
Valery Meladze in London
4 September 2009, 7pmHammersmith Apollo
The famous Russian singer Valery Meladze with only one live performance! Tickets are now on sale! 2 weeks before, on 21 August 2009, prize draw to win free tickets to Valery Meladze concert! To take part, simple register on our website, and you will enter price draw automatically. Register to receive information about our future events.
BI-2 in London
6 June, 7pm, afterparty with DJ Taras till 01.00O2 Arena
Rock group BI-2 is one of the most famous Russian rock groups. Since its formation in 1989 the group has released many very successful albums, has won some very prestigious awards including MTV Russia Music Awards in 2007, has been involved in several major music projects and has produced soundtracks to some of the very best Russian action movies, including Brat-2 (Brother-2). Their music is well known and easily recognizable for its rock-and-roll drive and fun-loving lyrics.
Umaturman in London
16 May, 7pm, afterparty with DJ Taras till 01.00O2 Arena
Uma2rman is one of the most successful Russian rock groups, winning prestigious awards and staying at the top of the hit charts in Russia, Ukraine and many other countries. Uma2rman is a Moscow-based band made up of the two brothers Sergei and Vladimir Kristovski. They have been active since 2003 releasing 3 albums, several video clips and many songs.
A Sense of Delicacy
Leicester Square Theatre9 & 16 March
£12/£10
‘A Sense of Delicacy’, one of Chekhov’s best comic stories, comes to the London stage, performed by the Romanian actor Mihai Arsene. Actor Mihai Arsene was born in Pitesti, Romania. He studied Performing Arts at the University of Craiova, where he graduated in 2001. Just before graduation, he was awarded The Best Actor Award for the role Mr. Bogoiu in "The Holiday Game" by Mihail Sebastian, which was part of the Student Actor Festival in Iasi, Romania.
Nelly Akopian-Tamarina at the Wigmore Hall
March 23, 7.30pm£12-£24
Following her sold-out Brahms recital last season, when she returned to the London concert platform after many years’ absence, Russian pianist Nelly Akopian-Tamarina makes a return to Wigmore Hall with an atmospheric programme of middle-European mood scenes. Blocked by official censorship in Russia from giving public concerts for more than a decade, Moscow-born Nelly Akopian-Tamarina has revisited Russia in recent years to give concerts at the Bolshoi Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire and also in Kiev.
Andrej Bielow makes his Wigmore Hall debut
20 February, 7.30pmWigmore Hall
£10-£20
Bach, Schubert, Prokofiev and Wieniawski
Ukranian violinist Andrej Bielow, makes his solo Wigmore Hall debut on Friday 20 February at 7.30pm in a recital with pianist, Severin von Eckardstein. Andrej is well-known to Wigmore audiences as leader of the Szymanowski Quartet – a position he has held since 2005.
Elizaveta Bam
7-8 February, 20.00; 9 February 19.00Teathro Technis, 26 Crowndale Road
£10 (£7 conc)
Elizaveta Bam prefigures the atmosphere of Kafka’s short stories and Ionesco’s theatre of the absurd. It tells the story of a woman arrested for a murder not yet committed, mixing slapstick with pantomime and horror with humor. Written in 1929, the play was a harbinger to Stalin’s repressions that took the lives of 40 million people.
Olga Slavnikova wins Kazakov prize
26 January 2009Moscow
Olga Slavnikova, won the 2009 Kazakov prize for best short story. The prize was awarded for her story, 'The Cherepanova Sisters', part of a collection entitled 'Love in the seventh carriage'. Olga will be visiting London in April to talk at Academia Rossica's 2nd Russian Literature Week.
.jpg "Russian Triumph at 65th Venice Film Festival")
Russian Triumph at 65th Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival, 2008Another success of a young Russian filmmaker at one of the most prestigious European film festivals. Alexey German's Jr.'s Silver Lion as best director with his recent film, 'Paper Soldier', once again confirms that Russian cinema is reappearing on the world cultural map.
.jpg "The Big Book Prize")
The Big Book Prize
25 November 2008Moscow
Vladimir Makanin was awarded first prize for his novel 'Asan'. Liudmila Saraskina received second prize for her bibliography of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Rustam Rakhmatulin was presented with third prize for his collection of essays entitled 'Two Moscows, or the Metaphysics of the Capital'.
Russian Success at Cannes 2008
May 2008Cannes, France
It seems that for Russian cinema, good things come in threes: the Russian film industry suitably showcased at the first ever Russian film pavilion; leading Russian production and distribution companies present their best creations at the International Marché du Film; and stunning triumphs for first-time feature film directors Sergei Dvortsevoy and Valeria Gai-Germanika!
'Wild Field' wins Golden Eagle
24 JanuaryPark Kultury, Moscow
'Wild Field', Mikhail Kalatozishvili's stunning debut film, which won the audience prize award at Academia Rossica's 2nd Russian Film Festival in London, was awarded a Golden Eagle in Moscow. Ksenia Rappaport received two best actress awards, one of which was for her role in Serebriannikov's thought-provoking study on modern Russia, 'Yuri's Day'.
Gergiev conducts LSO
27 and 29 January, 7.30pmBarbican Hall
£5 for Academia Rossica fans!
Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring' and Bartok's 'Duke Bluebeard's Castle'
Stravinsky’s pulsating masterpiece was written for Nijinsky’s ballet about a prehistoric community which selects a young virgin for ecstatic human sacrifice. ‘We were dumbfounded,’ wrote an early listener, ‘overwhelmed by this hurricane which… had taken life by the roots.’
.jpg "Mariinsky Theatre / Gergiev")
Mariinsky Theatre / Gergiev
31 January and 1 February 2009Barbican Hall
In January 2009 Barbican is delighted to present two special performances of the Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of the Mariinsky Theatre directed by Valery Gergiev, a general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and principal guest conductor of the Metropolitan Opera.
Semantic Hallucinations
1 February19.30-00.00
La Scala, King's Cross
£26 (£40 VIP)
Smyslovye Gallyutsinatsii (Смысловы́е галлюцина́ции) is a Russian rock band created in 1989 in Yekaterinburg which has won the Golden Gramophone award twice. The name of the band may be translated as "hallucinations of meaning" or "semantic hallucinations". Free CD of new album for each ticket holder.
Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead
11-24 July 2008BFI Southbank, London
Garri Urban survived the holocaust and the Gulag, while maintaining self-respect and refusing to become a victim of his harrowing life as a polish Jew in the 20th Century. Garri and his son, two-time BAFTA winning director Stuart Urban, returned to the former Soviet Union in 1992 to claim his KGB file and prove his incredible history.
Russian Literature Week has ended!
The week saw a series of fascinating talks and seminars, both at the London Book Fair and in the evenings at Waterstone's Piccadilly. It was an enlightening experience for both the audience and the writers themselves. Please follow this link to find out more about Russian Literature Week 2009, from those who came and those who participated.
Magnificence of the Tsars
until 29 MarchVictoria and Albert Museum
The grandeur of Imperial Russia will be captured in this display of the dress and uniforms of Emperors and officials of the Russian court. Starting in the 1720s with the lavishly embroidered coats and elaborately patterned silk banyans from the wardrobe of Tsar Peter II, the display will span a period of almost two centuries.
AES+F Video Installation: Last Riot
Now - July 18 2008RS&A Ltd. Gallery, London
Entry Free
Moscow art collecive of four, AES+F, presents video installation and porcelain work in their first solo exhibition in the UK. 'First Riot' brought new prominence to their already illustrious careers, when it met with sensational success at the Venice Biennale in 2007...
Jazz Festival
25 and 26 FebruaryCharlie Wright's
20.00
£7/8
As part of the 'Easternal Nites' programme, talented Russian jazz musicians will be performing in London. A night of experimental improvised music from Vyacheslav Guyvoronsky, Andrey Kondakov and Vladimir Volkov, followed by an evening of instrumental jazz and fusion from the MassAve Project.
Swan Lake
27 February to 4 April£10 - £110 Royal Opera House
Swan Lake is one of the most loved of all classical ballets and one of the most popular in the Royal Ballet repertory. It has that magical combination of Tchaikovsky’s music, a compelling story of tragic romance and choreography that allows the very best dancers to show just how impressive they can be.
Rodchenko & Popova: Defining Constructivism
12 February - 17 May 2009£9.80 (conc £6.80)
Arguably two of the Russian avant-garde’s most influential and important artists, Rodchenko and Popova were integral to the stylistic and theoretical underpinning of Russian Constructivism. With over 350 objects, this exhibition charts the evolution of their aesthetics from abstract painting to graphic design and will include their designs for cinema and theatre as well as numerous posters, books, and costumes.
The Russian Jerusalem
22 February, 17.00Jewish Book Week
£8
A talk with Elaine Feinstein, chaired by David Mazower. 'The Russian Jerusalem', Feinstein's lyrical novel about history, memory and love, features Mandelstam, Babel and Pasternak, with Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva, who believed ‘all poets are Jews’, as her guide.
Stalker at the BFI
10 FebruaryBFI, Southbank
Tarkovsky's genre-defying evocation of a decayed post-industrial society was filmed in a disused and rotting power station, the setting for a forbidden landscape known as "the zone" where the Stalker leads a Writer and a Scientist on a quest for a hidden truth. Thirty years on from the film's original release, Professor Ian Christie will introduce this seminal film. Following the screening there will be a discussion with special guests including Evgeny Tsymbal, the film's assistant director. For a chance to win tickets to this exclusive event, let us know what this film means to you at our forum.
Theatrical adaptation of Burnt by the Sun
24 February - 21 April£10-£22
Colonel Kotov, decorated hero of the Russian Revolution, is spending an idyllic summer in the country with his beloved young wife and family. But on one glorious sunny morning in 1936, his wife’s former lover returns from a long and unexplained absence. Amidst a tangle of sexual jealousy, retribution and remorseless political backstabbing, Kotov feels the full, horrifying reach of Stalin’s rule.
Sashenka: Fiction and History
22 February, 15.30Jewish Book Week
£8
A talk with Simon Sebag Montefiore, chaired by Ariane Koek. He had been commended for the lively pace of his biographies of Stalin and Catherine the Great. From megalomaniac leaders to ordinary people, who believed in the Revolution, but were crushed by its machinery, the move from History to story-making was only natural, or was it? Montefiore talks about his beloved Russia, fact vs fiction and his switch between genres.
Love Russian Culture?
Email us your CV
to start your career at
Academia Rossica
.jpg "Rossica 21")
Russia Beyond
The Headlines
PPC Agency London