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Dating Agency

Dating Agency
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Relocation Guide :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

1. Exporting Personal Belongings from Russia
If you are using the services of a professional moving company, such as Allied Pickfords Moscow, the latter will handle all customs formalities for you. Your presence at Russian customs during the export customs clearance process is not required, but you must supply the moving company with certain documents enabling them to act on your behalf.
The number and kinds of documents required depend on the shipment method you have chosen (surface and/or air) and on your personal status in Russia (foreign citizen, Russian citizen, foreign diplomat, accredited journalist, etc.).
In most cases, the required documents will include: a Power of Attorney for Russian customs (authorizing the moving company to carry out all customs clearance formalities on your behalf)
• a Power of Attorney for Russian customs (authorizing the moving company to carry out all customs clearance formalities on your behalf)
• a Power of Attorney for the Ministry of Culture (in case you are exporting any artwork and antiques, for which export permits are required)
• a letter to Russian customs from your company
• a letter to Russian customs from yourself
• a copy of your passport
• a copy of your Russian visa
• a copy of your Russian accreditation card (if you have one)
You might also be asked to complete a customs form of the country you are moving to.
Your moving company should supply you with samples of all required documents. The Power(s) of Attorney can only be obtained by yourself from a Russian notary in Russia and must be signed by you at the notary's office. The moving company cannot obtain any Power of Attorney for you on your behalf.

Relocation Guide :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

2. Import of Cats & Dogs to the Russian Federation
Importing cats and dogs to the Russian Federation is a fairly easy procedure. There is no quarantine, and you do not have to apply for an import permit. However, several veterinary documents are required.
Stricter import requirements apply to other animals, in particular to exotic animals. Please inquire with your moving company (or the Russian Embassy or Consulate in your origin country) before shipping any pet other than a cat or a dog so that we can advise you on the corresponding import regulations and any possible restrictions that might apply.

Business Groups :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Moscow International Business Association (MIBA)
Established in 1997 and politically supported by Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, the Association organizes investment forums and other major business events in Moscow and abroad. MIBA has 18 regional offices, as well as offices in the US, Israel, Zambia, Germany and Finland. Recently MIBA’s member list contains about 200 foreign and Russian companies, dynamically working on Moscow and Russian market. The main purpose of MIBA is to form top-comfort conditions for SME activity in Moscow and regions Russian Government cooperates with.
Address: Novy Arbat ul., 36/9
Metro: Smolenskaya
Tel: 690-9107
Fax: 694-7820
E-mail: miba@mibas.ru
Web: www.mibas.ru

5.	Community and Religious Organizations:: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians
Russian-Indian Heritage Academy Russian-Indian Heritage Academy invites all to attend various courses, weekend seminars and practical individual yoga and meditation sessions for combating physchosomatic problems related to stress, hypertension, diabetes and asthma. Please contact us at riha@indorussia.ru.

Relocation Guide :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

2. Import of Artwork & Antiques to Russia
When you are moving to Russia and are bringing artwork and/or antiques into the country from abroad, ask your moving company to register them with Russian customs for import.
You should also register any artwork & antiques with Russian customs when bringing them back to Russia from a business trip or vacation abroad, in particular if the item(s) is (are) over 50 years old.
If you / your moving company register your artwork and antiques when bringing them into Russia, the export permit for those items can be obtained from the MOC without any additional expertise, normally within 1 to 5 working days.
For more information on importing artwork & antiques to the Russian Federation, please go to the page on Customs: Taking your Personal Belongings out of the Country when you Leave / Bringing them into the Country when Moving to Russia.

Establishing a Business in Russia

Form of legal presence in Russia influences all aspects of activity including possibility for making deals and tax consequences of the deals, financial and tax accounting and reporting, possibilities under customs, currency control legislation, ability to employ foreign nationals, repatriation of income, application of international treaties and many others. Therefore, particular attention must be paid to Russian business modeling to be made PRIOR setting up legal presence in Russia.
There are several forms for a foreign investor to start business in the Russian Federation. Foreign investor may set up (or register) a Russian legal entity in the form of limited liability company, joint-stock company (which can be private or public) or partnership. The other way is to register a representative or branch office of a foreign company in Russia.
In order to get more information on the different types of entities that you can establish in Russia click to Comparison table

Relocation Guide :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

DISCLAIMER - The above information was compiled by Allied Pickfords Moscow and is distributed on an “AS IS” basis, without warranty. Please note that customs regulations are subject to change at any time and without prior notice. The preceding information is a brief summary of customs regulations applicable to the export and import of motor vehicles from and to the Russian Federation and is being provided for general guidance only. Allied Pickfords cannot be held liable for any costs, damage, delays, loss or other detrimental events resulting from non-compliance with Russian Federation customs regulations or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by the information provided here.

October Revolution (1917)::The History of Moscow::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

There were several reasons for the revolution in 1917. One of them was Russia's defeat in the Russian-Japan war in 1905, which considerably damaged the reputation of the Russian government. Poor living conditions of working classes, and government's refusal to satisfy people's requirements for better life resulted in a demonstration of protest on January 9th, 1905, which was ruthlessly shot by the governmental forces; more than a thousand people died that day. Today this event is known as "the Bloody Sunday". This execution gave impulse to the revolution of 1905. It was suppressed shortly after, some basic civil rights were promised, the first Russian parliament (Duma) was elected, but it was obvious that the situation was about to explode.
The final drop was Russia's taking part in the World War I. By 1916 the country had lost more than 3,000,000 men, and people had no desire to fight and die for the Tsar any more. The Bolsheviks (Russian communists) used this unstable situation and captured the wills of millions of Russian with promises to finish the war, to give land to peasants and to build a state of equality.
In February 1917 the entire world observed the end of monarchy in Russia: strikes broke out in St.Petersburg, people took the streets and finally the tsar had to abdicate the throne. Now the power was in the hands of Workers' and Soldiers' Soviets. Later the Provisional Government was elected but it was still unable to solve the main problems. Under these circumstances the Bolsheviks decided that their time had come and started an armed uprising. In the night, October 26th, the Bolsheviks took the Winter Palace in St.Petersburg, former residence of the tsar occupied by the Provisional Government. A new era began.
Bolsheviks kept their promise and took Russia out of World War I. But exhausted and depressed people were about to face a new disaster - the Civil War. Moscow was made capital again, and from here Lenin and his government directed the "Red army" against anti-revolutionary coalition known as the "Whites". By November 1920 the Whites were thrown out of the country; the living symbol of tsar's Russia, Nikolay II and his family, was brutally butchered in Yekaterinburg already in 1918.

10.

Russian Alphabet & Pronunciation :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Russian Alphabet & Pronunciation
The Russian language is a member of the Slavic group of the Indo-European family of languages. Other languages belonging to this group are Belarussian, Bulgarian, Czech, Macedonian, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, Slovak, Slovenian and Ukrainian.
The principal language of administration in the former Soviet Union, Russian is spoken by about 170 million people as a first language. It is used by an estimated additional 100 million as a second language in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent State and of European Europe. Because of its large number of speakers and its leading position in the former Soviet Union, Russian is one of the chief languages of the world. Used officially by the United Nations, it is important in scientific writing as well. The great literature works written in Russian also have made the language culturally significant.
The Russian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet. The Cyrillic alphabet has augmented from Greek uncial script, using the older Glagolitic alphabet for sounds not available in the Greek language. Cyrillic and Glagolitic were invented by Greek brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius. It was considered that while Cyril may have enhanced Glagolitic, his students, possibly from the first literary school in the medieval Bulgarian Empire (Preslav Literary School), developed Cyrillic from Greek during the 890s as a more suitable script for church books.
Historical Development of Russian
The historical development of Russian is not easy to trace because until the 17th century the religious and cultural language of the Russian people was not Russian but Church Slavic. However, within Russia the latter language became sufficiently altered by the vocabulary and pronunciation of spoken Russian to be transformed into a Russian form of Church Slavic adapted to Russian needs. The earliest existing document containing Russian elements is and Old Church Slavonic text from the 11th century.
When Peter the Great undertook to westernize Russian in the early 18th century, the Russian language was subjected to Western influences and absorbed a number of foreign words. Peter was the first to reform and simplify the Cyrillic alphabet used for Russian.
In the late 18th and 19th century, partly as a result of the work of the great Russian writer Alexander Pushkin, the Russians succeeded in throwing off the dominance of Church Slavic and developing their own tongue into a literary language, which was, nevertheless, influenced and even enriched by the Church Slavic legacy.
Literary Russian is based on the dialect used in and round the city of Moscow, which became the leading cultural center. Extensive reforms, aimed at simplifying and standardizing Russian writing and grammar, took place after the Revolution of 1917.
Cyrillic Alphabet
The Cyrillic alphabet became increasingly widespread over the 12th century. During the next ten centuries the Cyrillic alphabet was adapted because of changes with spoken language developing regional variations. You can find languages across Eastern Europe and Asia written using the Cyrillic alphabet.
The Russian alphabet consists of 33 letters, 11 vowels, 20 consonants and 2 letters which do not have a sound (instead they make the word harder or softer). It is not that easy to master Russian pronunciation because the accent is free, i.e., it can be placed on any syllable. Thus, there are no set rules for stress. The accent of each word has to be learned separately. In fact, the position of the accent on a given word may vary as the word's case and number change when it is inflected. Some words that are spelled alike are distinguished only by a different stress. In addition, no significant differentiation is made between long and short vowels.
Grammatically, Russian is highly inflected. The noun has six cases with an occasional seventh case, the vocative. There are three declensional schemes and three genders. Although the verb has only three tenses, it is enabled by a feature called aspect to express numerous subtle shades of meaning, some of which cannot be rendered in other languages. In addition, The Russian verb has five moods and four voices.
Slang
Russian is a very rich language with a very large number of slang words and expressions. New words and expressions appear on a constant basis with many being derived from the English language.
Teenagers have their very own slang, as do members of various professions. If you are going to work in an office environment, you will hear a lot of words that sound English but aren't. If you want to understand more of what people and teenagers talk about, ask your Russian teacher for help.
Many teachers are reluctant to teach slang (not to mention swear words), but you can always turn to your Russian colleagues and friends for explanations and translations of words and expressions. When learning and using slang, remember that there are many shades of politeness, not-so-politeness and rudeness.

11.

Russia in the 19th Century::The History of Moscow::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

In 1812 Napoleon army invaded Russia. Russia had already taken part in the war against Napoleon but suffered defeats against France, such as the Battle of Austerlitz (1805), and signed the humiliating Treaty of Tilsit in 1807. This time everything was different. This critical situation united Russian people and helped them to find powers to expel Frenchmen out of the country. The weather was also on the Russian side as Napoleon had underestimated severe climate in Russia and, left without supplies, hundreds of thousands French soldiers froze to death during their winter campaign. In order to save the country and not to let Napoleon enjoy triumphal entry to the ancient capital, the great Russian commander Mikhail Kutuzov decided to sacrifice Moscow. Deserting the city, Russian troops set Moscow on fire; as a result two thirds of the wooden city were destroyed. Left without food, which they hoped to find in Moscow, French soldiers were forced to abandon the city and start their terrible retreat.
Later Moscow's architectural look was completely changed; a brand new architectural plan was introduced by Osip Bove, the chief architect of Moscow reconstruction after 1812. Rebuilding the historical centre of the city, Bove introduced extremely patriotic Empire Style, mostly presented in noble mansions.
The Napoleonic wars were a turning point in the history of the Russian Empire, as many soldiers returned from Europe "infected" with liberal ideas. Moscow became a fertile environment for the seeds of growing political discontent, which resulted in so-called "Decembrists Rebellion". The Decembrists strove for the freedom of the serfs, constitutional monarchy and other civil rights. But this small group of liberal noblemen couldn?t change the situation; instead they provoked a period of reaction and stagnation during the reign of "the Iron Tsar", Nikolay I (1825-1855).
Finally the Big day for Russian peasants came: 1861 is the year of the Emancipation of the serfs. Slavery in Russia was officially over and some other liberal reforms by tsar Alexander II (1855-1881) opened the way for capitalism in Russia. Anyhow, former serfs were too poor to buy their own land and were forced to go to Moscow and other big cities searching for a job, as it was the time of rapid advances in industrialization. They worked at factories 14-16 hours a day, while their families were starving at home. Their miserable existence was one of the reasons why the Bolshevik's revolution was accepted so easily by the working classes.

12.

Reign of Peter the Great (Late 17th-18th Centuries)::The History of Moscow::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Peter the Great
Peter the Great was probably the most discussed, most controversial and most extraordinary Russian Tsar. Determined to bring Russia back on her feet and to make her a modern European state, Peter the Great wouldn't stop at nothing, thus making Russia's way to progress rather painful.
As a child he had seen relatives murdered in Kremlin during the Streltsy rebellion (strelets - member of privileged military corps in the 17th century Russia). This may have affected his character developing his predisposition to fits of rage and a pathological distrust for Moscow. 16 years later Peter got the chance for revenge on the Streltsys, when he executed over a thousand of them after another rebellion. This was a perfect demonstration of how he used to deal with his enemies.
Hatred for patriarchal Moscow and desire to change stagnant way of living in Russia forced Peter the Great to carry out many crucial reforms. In order to get familiar with modern European technologies in shipbuilding and other fields, he became the first tsar ever to go abroad with the aim of studying. After this educational trip Peter got reforms going: he built Russian navy, reformed the army, restructured administrative system, supported the development of Russian industry and trade. He was also a very successful commander, defeating the Swedes, who had been a threat to Russia for more than a century, and the Turks, giving Russia free access to the Black and Caspian Sea. All this allowed to say that Peter the Great "hacked a window to Europe" for Russia.
Being an admirer of Western life, Peter the Great insisted on Western style clothing for his courtiers, literally shaved boyars' beards, which reminded him of so much hated old Russia. His reforms split Russian society into Slavophiles and Westerners; this division lasted for centuries. Peter's final step in fighting the spirit of old Russia was the removal of the capital from Moscow to recently built pompous St.Petersburg, a city standing on the swamps and bones of dead builders. For the next 200 years Moscow existed in St.Petersburg's shadow being Russia's second city.

13.

Our partners :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Our partners
If you want to become our partner feel free to write us at editor@expat.ru.
AEB
Founded in 1995, the AEB is an independent non-commercial association with a membership of over 550 companies from across the European Union and Russia. Their members range from large multi-national corporations to SMBs and are united by their commitment to forging stronger economic ties between the EU and Russia, as well as improving the business environment here in Russia.

French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Russia
The French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Russia (CCIFR) was born in 1997, initially as a French business club, Le Club France. CCIFR is a private, non-profit association, designed to facilitate business between France and Russia. Its mission is to help to increase French investments into Russian economy, to create a better environment for development of French business in Russia and of Russian business in France. Now CCIFR has more than 200 corporate members and keeps growing further. CCIFR organizes many events, such as weekly petits dejeuners targeting topical key business issues. CCIFR works with many Russian regions, such as Saratov, Omsk, Kuban.
RBCC
The Russo-British Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1916 as a private, non-profit making organisation, designed to facilitate business between Britain and Russia. We are uniquely placed to assist our members in both countries, drawing on our 90 years of experience in this field. Our team will help you find potential partners and assist in marketing your products and services. We also provide business information and compile reports on request. The RBCC organises its own independent events, including exhibitions, conferences, seminars, and trade missions. With senior representation at Advisory Council and Board level from both UK and Russian business, the RBCC is uniquely well-inofrmed.

14.

Moscow Neighbourhoods::Volkhonka::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Today Volkhonka is an "Art street" of the capital though it was named after a more prosaic "institution" - an inn in the house of prince Volkonsky. The main attraction of the street is the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts which houses one of the finest collections of Impressionists and rich collections of European and Eastern Art. It was originally planned to be a museum of a modest purpose: organisers wanted to open a museum of plaster-casts for students but the outcome exceeded all expectations. Today it is among the best art museums of the world. It constantly organises fantastic exhibitions attracting hundreds of thousands visitors every year.
After an obligatory and inevitable trip to the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts true and tireless art lovers have an opportunity to enjoy smaller and less exhausting exhibitions offered at the Museum of Private Collections. But two museums are obviously not enough for the main art street of the capital so the third one appeared several years ago - Roerich Museum. Artists Nikolay and his son Svyatoslav Roerichs are well-known for their highly spiritual works.
Across the road in the house No 11 in 1827 Russian artist Tropinin created one of the most famous Pushkin portraits. Today copies of this portrait can be found almost in every Russian school. The "appendix" to Volkhonka is Lenivka street. This dwarf lane has a funny name - literally it means "the lazy street". According to one version, a very slow ("lazy") river was carrying its waters somewhere in the area; according to another there was a little market with sleepy and lazy salesmen.
Volkhonka bursts into Borovitskaya square. On a hill one can admire a sumptuous and majestic palace of white stone known as Pashkov's house. This masterpiece of Russian classicism, built in 1784-1785, is bathing in legends. According to one of them an incredibly gifted architect Vasily Bazhenov was not allowed to reconstruct Kremlin and to build a palace for Catherine the Great and got quite offended. So he decided to build a beautiful palace right opposite Kremlin but to turn it a little bit so that Kremlin would face the back part of the building. Another legend says that on the top of this palace grateful King of Prussia bowed to Moscow for saving his country from Napoleon. In 1839 Pashkov's house was bought by the state and several years later collections of the Russian State Library were transferred here: 28000 books, 700 manuscripts and nearly 1500 geographical maps. Now Russian State Library ("Biblioteka imeni Lenina" or simply "Leninka"), which is one of the top three biggest libraries in the world, stores its collections in the nearby building erected in 1928-1930 by architects V. Schuko and V. Gelfreikh.

15.	Sport & Recreation :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians
Kva-Kva Park 7 water slides 90-120 m long, Tsunami slide, hydro-massage, Russian baths, sauna, hammam, restaurant, bar, SPA-salon. Open: 10:00-22:00. Address: Mytishchi, Kommunisticheskaya ul., 1, "XL" Tel: 258-0683 E-mail: kva@kva-kva.ru Web: www.kva-kva.ru

16.	Landlord Registration Letter :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians
Landlord Registration Letter This is a sample letter for your landlord to sign in the presence of a Russian notary as part of the expatriate visa registration process in Moscow.

17.

Moscow Neighbourhoods::Polyanka-Yakimanka::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Krymsky Val
Krymsky Val street is named after the palace of the Crimea Khan's embassy, which was located here till the 17th century. In 1970s a building supposed to house new State Art Gallery was built at Krymsky Val, 10. It was planned to move here the exhibits from Tretyakov Gallery and therefore forget the name of Pavel Tretyakov (as a merchant, he couldn't be respected by the Soviets). Luckily, new art gallery wasn't created; new building was called The Central House of Artists, housed an exhibition "Art of the 20th Century" and became a branch of Tretyakov Gallery.
Around the building of the Central House of Artists sprang up a lovely park of sculptures, now popular for promenades. Among fanciful creations of young and talented but not very famous sculptors, sullen statues of Soviet leaders serve as objects of curious children's and tourist's affection.
Bolshaya Polyanka
According to the historical evidence, settlement named Moscow appeared in the junction of two major roads: from Novgorod to Ryazan and from Smolensk to Suzdal. As Polyanka was the part of the first one, it is one of the oldest streets in Russian capital. In the 16-17th centuries the street in the South was surrounded by spacious fields and meadows; it explains the origin of its rather strange name (literally "Polyanka" means "Great Lawn").
Church of St. George Neokesariisky will be the only sight to attract your attention here. On the day of this saint tsar Vasily II returned from Tatar captivity and built this church in honour of this occasion; this is the reason for such an unusual name. Designed by Russian master craftsmen Karp Guba and Ivan Kuznechik, contemporary church with hipped roof was built in 1669 to replace its 15-century wooden ancestor.
Bolshaya Yakimanka
The street was named after the Church of Ioakim and Anne, which formerly stood here. Surprisingly, but such strange abbreviation (Iakim-Anka) is quite common for Russians. The street was almost completely rebuilt in Soviet era, and only two old buildings survived till now. First of them, the Church of Ioann the Warrior, was built in Baroque style by Ivan Zaprudny, one of the best Russian architects of the 17th century, in honour of the victory in the Poltava battle. The second one, Igumnov's house (architect Pozdeev, late 19th century) is an interesting example of pasticcio of Old Russian house linked with imitation of 17th-century brick architecture details. Now it is the Reception House of French Embassy.

18.

Relocation Guide :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

If you are leaving or coming to Russia with just a few suitcases and boxes and no artwork or antiques, you can probably get by just carrying your items as extra baggage. But if you are a family or professional moving your household, you need a reliable moving company with experience in Russia - such as Allied Pickfords. Shipping procedures and customs regulations are difficult and can change suddenly with little notice, and most of the necessary forms and declarations have to be completed in Russian.

19.	Holidays & Dialing Codes :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians
Russian Federation Holidays January 1, 2 January 7 February 23 March 8 May 1, 2 May 9 June 12 November 7 December 12 New Year's Day Christmas Day Defenders of the Motherland Day International Women's Day Labor Day Victory Day Independence Day Day of Accord and Reconciliation Constitution Day

20.	Russian Customs Declaration :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians
Russian Customs Declaration To use the downloadable Customs Declaration you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Print the first page, then reinsert the page so as to print the second page on the back of the first. To download, click here.

21.

Community Organizations:: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

British Business Club
The British Business Club is a business networking and social club providing a platform for British, associated Russian and other ex-pat business people to meet at monthly meetings and other events. We are a non-profit making organisation and our aim is to raise money for our chosen charity. We are pleased to welcome new members. For more information please contact hello@britishclub.ru.
Web: www.britishclub.ru

22.

Visas :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

23.	Restaurant Reviews :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians
Restaurant Reviews Planning to dine out? Visit the Expat Site Restaurant Guide for a listing of restaurants and menus in English and Russian. Every two weeks the Moscow Expat Site presents yet another Moscow eatery for your consideration. If you'd like to suggest a restaurant for review - or even review a restaurant yourself - click here and we'll consider your suggestion.

24.

Patriarshy Dom Tours :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Capital Tours is the first company in Russia organizing regular daily City Bus Tours, weekly Kolomenskoye Estate, Lubyanka and Gulag tour, Metro tour, Red Square and Kitai Gorod tour (including St.Basil's Cathedral). Regardless of the weather, we are always at your service. Capital Tours offers you a commentary by an English-speaking guide. Moscow All Around (The Moscow City Bus Tour): 7 days a week (even if it snows) Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 10:30, 13:30; Monday, Wednesday at 10:30 only. Adults: in the office 950 Rbs, on the bus 1000 Rbs, children: in the office 450 Rbs, on the bus 500 Rbs, Lubyanka and Gulag tour: every Thursday from 14:00 to 16:30. Adults: 1000 Rbs, children: 800 Rbs, Kolomenskoye Estate: every Thursday from 10:30 to 13:30. Adults: 1000 Rbs, children: 800 Rbs; Metro Tour: every Sunday from 11:00 to 13:00. Adults: 700 Rbs, children: 500 Rbs; Red Square and Kitai Gorod tour: every Sunday from 14:00 to 17:00. Adults: 1000 Rbs, children: 400 Rbs.
Address: Gostiny Dvor, Ilyinka ul., 4, vkhod 6, 7. Tel: 232-2442, Fax: 234-2717; capitaltours@col.ru.
At the Russian-American Cultural Center we offer unique group tours, led in each case by an expert in the field. We offer other services, including hotel reservations, special private tours tailored to individual interests, both in Moscow and St. Petersburg. We also offer group or private Russian language classes for all levels as well as interpreting and organizational support for business negotiations. You can also book plane and trane tickets with us.
In Russia:
Tel/Fax: (501/495) 795-0927
E-mail: alanskaya@co.ruIn the United States:
Tel/Fax: 1 650 6787076
E-mail: pdtours@yahoo.com
Web: www.toursinrussia.com
.

25.

The History of Moscow::Ancient Times and Rise of Moscow (5th-15th centuries)::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Ancient Times

In the 5th-6th centuries the ancestors of Eastern Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians) spread over vast territory from the Carpathians in the West to upper Don-river in the East and from Ladoga lake in the North to the region of the Dnepr-river in the South. On their way the Slavs assimilated many tribes, for instance, Finno-Ugric. Signs of these international contacts are still registered in the Russian language, even the toponym Moscow is said to be of Finno-Ugric origin. The Slavs gradually formed big tribal unions (polyane, drevlyane, vyatichi), powerful enough to make raids on the greatest empire of those days, Byzantium, forcing Byzantian leaders to write manuscripts "How to fight Slavic barbarians".
In the 6th-7th centuries one of those unions, led by Kiy, established the city of Kiev, which was to become the capital of the ancient Russian State known as Kievian Rus. Princes of many small principalities were constantly fighting for power so an interesting decision was made to solve the problem: the Varangians (Vikings) were invited to rule the country. One of them, Ryurik, settled in Novgrod to found a dynasty, which would lead Russia to prosperity and glory, Ryurikovichi dynasty. Among his famous descendants were Prince Oleg and Prince Vladimir. Prince Oleg, the great warrior, conquered Constantinople and united Novgorod and Kiev establishing Kievian Rus. In 988 Prince Vladimir baptised Russia into Orthodox Christianity predetermining the future of Russia for many centuries.
Moscow was mentioned for the first time in chronicles under the year 1147. It was a small fortress and didn't play any important role until the 14th century.
The Mongol-Tatar Invasion
Kievian Rus consisted of many principalities, each with a prince eager to reign in Kiev. Their avidity and thirst for power caused many bloody intrigues and intestine strives. This led to disunion and weakening of the state. As a result in 1237 Russians fell easy victims to the well-organized Mongolian troops under the leadership of Batu Khan. In 1237 Tatar-Mongolian army occupied Ryazan, then Moscow, Vladimir, Kozelsk and finally in 1240 "the Mother of Russian cities", Kiev, was conquered and burnt down by the bellicose nomads. The fall of Kiev signified the decline of the Kievian Rus. For the next 240 years abased Russia paid exorbitant yearly tributes to the khans, though Russian princes were allowed to govern the country themselves.
Rise of Moscow

A proverb says: "Every cloud has a silver lining". Indeed, this difficult situation gave Moscow a chance to rise and to become one of the most influential principalities. In the 14th century Moscow Prince Ivan I Kalita ("Moneybags") was appointed chief "tax-collector"; this fact obviously gave Moscow supremacy over its neighbours. Yet Moscow was advantageously situated in the centre of many trade routes, which allowed the city to flourish. Ivan Kalita (1325-1340) was a very clever and cruel ruler, able to move heaven and earth in order to get what he wanted. During his reign Metropolitan See was transferred to Moscow to prove its importance; gradually Moscow became the richest principality and turned out to be a real threat to the Tatar-Mongolian power.
50 years later Mongolian army suffered their first ever defeat (known as the Battle of Kulikovo) from the reunited forces of many separate principalities led by Ivan Kalita's grandson, the Grand Prince of Moscow Principality Dmitry Donskoy (1359-1389). The centralization of Russian lands around Moscow began.
Anyhow, it was not until the reign of Ivan III (1462-1505), Dmitry Donskoy's grandson, that the unification of Russian principalities around Moscow was completed and the Tatar yoke was finally shaken off. Ivan the Third married Sofia Paleolog, the niece of the last Emperor of Byzantium, that had fallen to the Ottomans in 1453. Probably Sofia presented the country with the coat of arms - double-headed eagle - which is said to be of Byzantine origin. Ivan's marriage provoked the idea of Russia being the one and only successor of the Great Constantinople and the only true defender of Orthodoxy. Moscow was often referred to as "the Third Rome": the "First Rome", or the ancient one, perished because of its adherence to paganism; the "Second Rome" - Constantinople - collapsed because of its treason of Orthodoxy. Moscow became the "Third Rome" and the "Forth one" would never appear. Ivan the Third initiated the reconstruction of Kremlin in stone and he was also the one to thank for the erection of brick walls around Kremlin and the area of Kitai-Gorod.

26.

In Case of Emergency::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

In Case of Emergency
1. Prepare for Emergencies
Keep your insurance/assistance company card with you at all times. Make a personal emergency response plan, have it translated into Russian, and keep it in your car and your wallet/billfold. This plan should answer the questions: "What would I want people to do if they found me unconscious"
2. Call your insurance/assistance company early in the event of a problem
Make a "check" call when you are not in trouble to ensure the phone number is valid and that you can reach someone who speaks your language. Check that they can do what you would want them to do in the event of an emergency. Do they have the necessary authority to act, and sufficient local personnel and infrastructure to act quickly?
If you have medical and evacuation insurance - and it is recommended that you have both - be sure that the company will agree to evacuate you or repatriate you in the event of a serious medical emergency. Disregard the marketing brochures; fax them a scenario or two and ask them to tell you what they would do. If they will not agree to commit in writing, find a better provider.
3. In the event of an emergency, speed up the response by volunteering the minimum required information logically and clearly
Name and telephone number where you can be reached if the line is cut off
Membership number of company affiliation
Brief description of the medical problem and what kind of help you need
Location of patient and location of passport (vital for overseas medical evacuation)
In certain circumstances, it may be required or recommended to go abroad for medical reasons. As in many other countries, one cannot leave Russian without proper travel documents. Therefore, have your travel documents up to date and accessible at all times. To obtain a special authorization to leave and enter countries without proper travel documents is a difficult and time-consuming process and success cannot be guaranteed.
At all times know the status and whereabouts of your and your family's passports. Never allow your travel documents to be taken from you overnight or over the week unless you know you can retrieve in an emergency.
Important Phone Numbers
Fire fighters 101
Police 102
Ambulance 103
Emergency Gas Service 104
Intercity phone calls 107
Information 109
Time (automatic clock) 100
Emergency rescue service +7 (495) 937-9911 or 911
International SOS (The Moscow Clinic, 24 hour service to its clients)
American Medical Centers (24 hours service)
European Medical Center (French, British and American experts)
International crisis Line
Tel: 8 926 1133373
This is a free English-speaking telephone counseling service for expatriates people in distress. Available 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
In case you ever have to call the fire fighters, the police, or an ambulance, make sure that all family members can correctly pronounce your complete address in Russian.
Post a piece of paper with your full address details and phone numbers in Russian and translation into your native language on the wall next to your phone.
Also make sure that your children know how to reach you or another adult you trust in case they get lost or have an emergency.
Note that in Russia there is difference between the police (militsiya) and the traffic police (GIBDD, formerly GAI). The police are not responsible for regulating traffic or handling car accidents, and the traffic police do not handle criminal offences that are unrelated to traffic.
Pharmacies (Apteki)
Finding a pharmacy in Moscow is definitely not a problem. In fact, quite a few number of them are open 24/7. The prices vary from one pharmacy to another, but the difference is not very significant.
Information on pharmacies in Moscow
Embassies and Consulates
Your country's embassy or consulate can:
Provide information on Russia's foreign-residency requirements;
Renew an expired passport or replace a lost or stolen one;
Report a birth in Russia to your home country;
Provide guidelines for getting married in Russia;
Help make arrangements in the case of a death;
Assist in voter registration and obtaining absentee ballots;
Register its citizens residing in Russia (so that they can be contacted in case of an emergency);
Certify copies of documents in you home country's language.
Please remember that anyone temporarily or permanently residing in Russia is subject to Russian legislation. Any private or public disputes must be settled through the Russian legal system. Diplomatic or consular officials are not authorized to practice law or to act as an attorney or agents in private matters. They should, however, be able to provide you with contact details for attorneys who can represent you in court.

27.

Tourism::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Tourism
Moscow has a growing number of first-class international hotels and several smaller hostels that offer quality accommodation at more reasonable price. A hotel can be called a "gostinitsa" or an "otel" in Russian. If you intend to stay at a hotel with your pet, make sure that this is possible - not all hotels in Moscow allow pets.
TYPES OF HOTELS
The present Moscow hotel market in general can be divided into 5 groups:
luxury 4-5-star hotels;
tourist-class hotels;
small private 3-4-star hotels;
former ex-Soviet and present hotels of the state departments;
country hotels.
As for 4-5-star hotels, the majority of them are owned or managed by the western hospitality companies (such are "Marriott", "Sheraton", and "Kempinski"). But though some of them in fact belong to the city and are administered by purely Russian management, it doesn't mean a low quality of service.
Hotels of the second category in most cases still carry some features of Soviet time. It is reflected in general management, as well as in the level of service and equipment. Anyway central hotels of this category have no problems with visitors. This determines their price policy: $100-350 per day for a room.
The service standards in 4-5-star hotels have much in common with the western ones. The compulsory set of the facilities includes: parking, safe, room service, satellite TV, business centre (with internet access, copying, faxing, etc.), air conditioning, telephone, mini-bar, different stalls. Depending on the hotel you may be offered a fitness-centre, swimming pool, beauty salon, conference-halls, no-smoking rooms, concierge's services. Unfortunately most of the hotels, even expensive ones, have no conveniences for disabled people.
The prices in the majority of Moscow hotels are quoted in USD, but will be charged in roubles at the prevailing rate. Be careful: many hotels don't include 20% VAT into their prices. According to Russian laws all the payments are received in roubles. The rate of exchange in the hotel may be higher than one for which you've changed money.
Nearly all the hotels accept credit cards, but there are hotels and restaurants which for some reasons don't accept American Express cards. Travelling with children, you should check the amount of the additional payment, which may vary from 0 to 50% depending on the hotel and a child's age.
Movements of Personal Effects
An individual can temporarily bring goods weighing up to 50 kg and valued up to EUR 1500 duty-free into Russia. Individuals shall be charged 30% of the customs value of the imported goods exceeding EUR 1500, but not less than EUR 4.0 per kg in excess of the limit.
Travel Agencies
There are hundreds of travel agencies in Moscow: some specialize in ticket sales, others offer full tour and vacation packages, some specialize in tours to certain countries or continents, and yet others specialize in adventure and nature travel.
Car Rental
If you do not have your own car and feel like doing a bit of driving on your own after having settled in and having acquainted yourself with the Russian style of driving and traffic regulations, you may want to rent a car for a few days to explore Moscow and its surroundings on your own.
Maps
While you may come across a map with a bilingual street index, good English-language maps of Moscow are very difficult to find. In order to use maps you will have to know the Russian alphabet - otherwise you won't be able to look up streets in the index. You can purchase these maps at many bookstores, magazine and newspaper kiosks, and gas stations. The larger bookstores should also have maps for Moscow's suburbs and other cities in Russia.
Address in Moscow
While looking for a certain house in Moscow you should keep in mind the following things:
1. You need to know whether the house you are looking for is on the street (ulitsa), a lane (pereulok), an avenue (prospect), a boulevard (bulvar), an embankment (naberezhnaya).
2. Several streets in Moscow have numbers in front of them. For example, there is a 1st, a 2nd , 3rd and 5th Tverskaya-Yamskaya ulitsa.
3. You must also know whether a house is, for example, located on Bolshaya (big) Ordynka or Malaya (Small) Ordynka. There are many other examples of streets and lanes which exist twice - as a "big one" and a "small one".
4. A house (dom) can have several buildings (korpus or stroenie) to it. Usually the individual buildings are numbered (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), but sometimes they may have letters such as A, B, V, G, D.
5. Also make sure you ask for the entrance number. (There can be up to 20 of them in one house).
6. Google Maps cover Moscow very well, and the Russian search-engine Yandex has a similarly good street-finding map service.
Tipping
If you were happy with the food and the service at a restaurant, a 5 to 10% tip is appropriate. Try to tip your waiter in cash; if you add the tip to your credit card bill, the waiter will most likely never see the money. (In practice the way that credit-card payments are processed in Russia doesn't permit you to add tips in the huge majority of restaurants anyhow). You may also want to give small tips to handymen and plumbers.
Taxi drivers are not usually tipped, but you may want to pay them some extra money if they help you to carry your bags. Hotel/restaurant coatroom attendants are not normally tipped, but as these are often elderly ladies or men, they may appreciate a small token of appreciation. You don't tip coatroom attendants in public buildings, theatres, etc. It's usual to tip guides and interpreters if you've been satisfied with their work - very often their agency will be taking a large part of the fee you've paid.
Language
Russian is the basic language spoken in Moscow and in Russia in general, but you may hear many other languages spoken on the streets as Moscow welcomes lots of immigrants from the former CIS republics. A basic course in Russian comes highly recommended as in most cases, signs, road names and practically everything you see in Russia will be written in Cyrillic, so getting a good grip of the alphabet is key.
Even if you don't learn Russian, being able to read the alphabet will make a quantum improvement in your ability to move around independently, and will quickly repay the time spent in real savings. Practice by writing-out familiar words (your name, address, your friends, etc) using the Russian alphabet.

28.

Moscow Neighbourhoods::Patriarshiye Prudy::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

The cultural and aristocratic center of Moscow is situated around Patriarshiye Prudy ("Patriarch's Ponds"). Currently, there is only one pond, surrounded by the garden. In the 17th century, it was a whole district called the Goat Marsh, which was part of the Patriarch's suburb. Here, somewhere in the vicinity, was the Patriarch Zhitnii yard. By order of the Patriarch, the Ponds were dug to "supply" fish for the patriarchal table. The choice of the location was ideal, because the ground was swampy and required drainage, and the settlement was one of the centers of the patriarchal economy. In the 17th century, Patriarchiye Prudy were kept clean, but over the years, they were abandoned and forgotten; only after the war of 1812 were the ponds cleaned. Nowadays, the best locations in this area are with a view over the pond. During the warm summer days, the park is filled with people promenading, children playing games and young people sitting and talking on the benches, while in the winter, the pond turns into an ice rink. The area hosts the best restaurants, main theaters and nightlife. This area is also legendary from the literary point of view: a lot of Russian writers (and their protagonists) lived here.
Moreover this is a very popular residential area. It allows for easy access to many central points of interest, including the Kremlin, Tverskaya street with all its stores and restaurants, the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow Conservatory, as well as various fitness and health clubs. The best apartments are located around the pond and along Spiridonovka street, Granatny lane, Bolshaya and Malaya Bronnaya streets, Trekhprudny and Kozikhinsky lanes.
Spiridonovka Street
Spiridonovka street took its name from the no longer existing St. Spiridony Church. The most interesting building here is No 17, one of the first Schechter's works - the Morozov's mansion, built in the late 19th century. Here Gothicism and Neo-Gothicism are mixed; later this specific mixture became the basis for Russian Art Nouveau. The first owner of the house, millionaire and patron of the arts Savva Morozov devoted his whole life (and the huge part of his reaches) to the Moscow Arts Theatre, but the conflict with the theatre management and other nuisances became the cause of his suicide. Currently the Morozov's mansion is the Reception House of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

29.

From Thaw to Perestroika (1950-90s)::The History of Moscow::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Thaw and Stagnation (1950-80s)
Stalin's successor was Nikita Khrushchev. Once loyal to Stalin, he suddenly transformed into comparatively liberal Soviet governor. At the 20th Party Congress he denounced Stalin's crimes; as a result thousands of political prisoners were released and rehabilitated, forbidden books were published and many Stalin's crimes were revealed. Artists, poets, writers could breathe rather freely and many very interesting works in every art were created. This period is known as "the Thaw".
In the mean-time, the Soviets continued to be rather aggressive in their foreign affairs. In 1956 Soviet tanks invaded Hungary and in 1962 the world was one millimetre away from the nuclear war after Khrushchev's decision to base nuclear missiles on Cuba. Right after the World War II the Soviet Union and the USA started an arms race (Cold War), each trying to prove its position as the leading state. Under Khrushchev the Soviets made fantastic progress in space industry and in 1961 won the race sending the first man to space. The name of the Soviet hero was Yury Gagarin.
Khrushchev's Thaw was followed by a period of stagnation and political marasmus when Leonid Brezhnev came to power bringing bureaucracy and corruption. After his death the Politburo (the ruling top of the Communist Party) had no intention of letting a younger generation in, so Brezhnev was succeeded by a 68-year-old Andropov and a 72-year-old Chernenko. People joked that it was a period of the "Swan lake" ballet because it was shown on TV all day long when another General Secretary would leave this sinful planet forever.
Glasnost and Perestroika (1980-90s)
Mikhail Gorbachev was the man to change the situation. He became General Secretary in 1985 and announced his policies of Perestroika (restructuring) and Glasnost (openness). Gorbachev was a dynamic leader, full of new ideas and willingness to revitalize economics and make the Soviet Union more liberate. He was also the first Soviet politician to be welcomed abroad.
Gorbachev's reforms made an immense impact on the system. For the first time during the Soviet period the elections to the Congress of People's Deputies were not a complete profanation and contained an element of a true choice. In March 1990 the First Congress of National Deputies of the USSR declared a transition to the presidential system of governing and elected Mikhail Gorbachev as first President of the Soviet Union. The first and the last.
In 1990, the Soviet Union was about to collapse. Soviet republics declared their independence one after another. Boris Yeltsyn was elected first President of the Russian Republic in 1991. An end to the existence of the Soviet Union was put after the military coup organized by Defence Minister Dmitry Yazov and Vice President Georgy Yanayev in August 1991. Gorbachev was placed under house arrest, military units surrounded the building of Russian Government and tanks appeared in Moscow streets. But after three days this new provisional government was unseated, and Boris Yeltsin who stood against the tanks became a national hero. These events accelerated the collapse of the Soviet Union and brought a new state into the world - the Russian Federation.

30.

TV Sportland Calendar :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

The NUMBER 1 bookmakers and sports bar in Moscow, dedicated to offering you the widest range of bets and the largest showing of live sports from around the world, 12:00 - 04:00 every day!
With a large projector screen, 60” Plasma and another 40 LCD/TV’s
We have more choice than any bar, where you can watch up to 20 different events simultaneously
In four different rooms!!
Our bookmakers covers every event so you can have a bet while watching your team win!
Not only the regular bets, we have all opportunities available including a full “in running” betting service
On all Live football matches!!
Added to this, Sportland is the ONLY place in Moscow to watch and bet on LIVE Horse & Dog racing from the UK, USA and South Africa, 7 days a week!!!
Our restaurant has a great range of meals and snacks with the biggest portions you have ever seen.
The bar is always fully stocked with Russian and Western beer/spirits at the most competitive prices.
Sportland Bookmakers – The only place in Moscow to watch and bet on what YOU want!!!

31.

Moscow Neighbourhoods::Krasnaya Presnya::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the area developed as a craftsmen's and trade center. Presnya became a large arts and craft shopping centre of the city and a favourite vacation spot for Muscovites. Now it is a very popular location where structures of federal and city value are located: the House of the Government of the Russian Federation, the World Trade Centre, the Moscow Zoo, the Cinema House, ITAR-TASS, Expo Centre. The construction of the large business centre "Moscow City" will cause an active development of this area, eventually turning it into a modern Manhattan. This area is not on the elite areas list despite the fact that one of the very first and well-known elite houses in Moscow - Agalarov House - was erected here. On the other hand, the affinity to Kutuzovsky prospect makes it very attractive to many people. Krasnaya Presnya has some very good, modern apartment buildings, especially on Zoologicheskaya street. Bolshaya and Malaya Gruzinskaya streets are also popular with expatriates, as is Novinsky boulevard.
Despite its revolutionary past (the first strikes that preceded the October Revolution began here), famous American millionaire Armand Hammer built Moscow's first modern skyscraper here in the 1970s. Today it is referred to as the International Trade Center and Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Bolshaya and Malaya Nikitskaya
Bolshaya Nikitskaya street is hard to stick to one Moscow area, as it stretches along from the very center and adjoins Barrikadnaya street in Krasnaya Presnya. Both Bolshaya ("Great") and Malaya ("Small") Nikitskaya streets take their names from the old Nikitsky Monastery founded here in the late 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries they were mostly inhabited by the aristocracy. Luckily, narrow and densely built Bolshaya Nikiskaya was not reconstructed in Soviet times and kept a lot of remarkable buildings.
At the beginning of Bolshaya Nikitskaya one can see the building of Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, constructed after Bykovsky's project especially for this unique collection of zoological rarities. The facade is decorated by zoological mouldings; the light and airy interiors designed by famous animalists design in the same style.
The next attractive building here is the Moscow Conservatory. Vasily Bazhenov designed it in the late 18th century for princess Catherine Dashkova; in I860 it was bought for the Moscow section of the Imperial Russian Music Society headed by outstanding musician Nikolay Rubinstein.
In 1954 a monument to Tchaikovsky, the famous Russian musician and one of the conservatory's founders, was put up in front of the building. In 1940 the Conservatory was named in his honour and since 1958 the Tchaikovsky International Competitions have been held here.
Povarskaya
In the 16th century the area to the south from Bolshaya Nikitskaya street was mostly inhabited by the royal cooks; no wonder that the word "povar" ("cook") became an origin of the street's name. The names of many neighbouring lanes are also connected with the kitchen: Stolovy ("Table"), Khlebny ("Bread"), Nozhovy ("Knife") and others.
In the 18th century Povarskaya was densely populated by Moscow nobles; till the revolution it was considered to be the most aristocratic street in the city. After the revolution luxury mansions of the nobles were either occupied by the State institutions or put at the disposal of foreign embassies.
The church of St. Simeon Stolpnik is situated right in the beginning of the street, at the corner of Novy Arbat and Povarskaya streets. Former parish church of Nikolay Gogol, it's the only 17th-century building on Novy Arbat not touched by the Soviet reconstruction.
Mindovsky's house on the corner of Povarskaya street and Skaryatinsky lane is considered to be one of the best examples of Russian Art Nouveau. Now this architectural masterpiece is occupied by the embassy of the New Zealand. A picturesque mansion with a colonnade on the facade in the end of the street formerly belonged to Sollogub family. But it's much more widely known to Muscovites as the "Rostov House", as Lev Tolstoy "settled" here the heroes of his world-famous novel "War and Peace". The imaginary story of the great writer somehow affected the real destiny of this building: since 1932 it houses the Union of Writers organization.

32.

Visas :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Visas
One of the most immediate considerations a foreign national will face upon coming to Russia is compliance with Russia’s immigration system. This overview of the Russian immigration regulations sets out the procedures needed to be taken by a foreign individual, and his employer, to try to ensure that individual fulfils the requirements of the Russian legislation whilst he is visiting and/or working in Russia. However, the system is somewhat Byzantine in its complexity, and immigration regulations are evolving rapidly, both in technical terms and, more importantly, in how they are practically enacted. Hence, constant vigilance is required to keep abreast of the current status. There is significant risk in assuming that a process that has worked in the past will work again in the future, even where there are no formal technical changes to the regulations.
While it's become a lot easier to get a Russian visa, don't think your problems are over when you've received yours. If you make a false step while running the gauntlet of registration and (if necessary) getting a work permit, you face fines, hassles and maybe even arrest and deportation. This is why Expats who can afford to, take a more expensive, but far less stressful route: they use one of the many visa services. The agencies stay abreast of the changing rules and regulations and can cope with the bureaucracy, from start to finish.
Getting a Visa
First, plan ahead. It usually takes anywhere from four to six weeks to get a Russian visa, although it is technically possible to get one in as little as one day. To get a visa, you need first to get an invitation from a Russian organization. This can be a Russian firm, government organization, educational institution, or a representative office of a foreign firm. Some international hotels can also arrange a visa invitation. The invitation is issued through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Moscow, which in turn either sends a telex to the specified Russian consulate abroad instructing that a visa be issued or gives you a invitation which you can then take into a Russian Consulate. Visa service organizations are in the business of issuing these invitations for a fee (which includes the fee paid to the MFA for processing the invitation). Keep in mind that the Russian consulate abroad also charges a fee, which is in addition to the fee you pay to the visa service company.
Once you're notified that your telex has arrived at the consulate, bring your passport, a completed visa application form, and the required fee (it varies from consulate to consulate). If you're applying for a multiple entry visa, you are officially required to present the results of an HIV test conducted during the preceding three months. Most Medical Centers in Moscow offer this service. The truth is that not all consulates bother to ask for one, but in case you are asked, it's better to be safe than sorry. The fees you pay for the issuance of the invitation and for the visa itself vary, depending on how quickly you want to receive the document.
Tourist visas are usually issued for one month, while the others are issued for anywhere from three months to one year. The short-term visas are almost always single entry-exit visas, while the longer-term visas usually allow you to make three trips into and out of Russia. Multiple-entry visas allow you to enter and leave the country as many times as you wish.
In some countries the Russian Consulate may have franchised-out the job of issuing visas to a specialized agency or computer-centre. In this case you can no longer apply directly to the Consulate, but must take your documents to this agency instead. In theory this is supposed to streamline the application process, but in practice no real improvements have been noticed. There will usually be Consular Officers of the Russian Federation working at the centre, supervising the clerical work done by the staff and resolving any procedural queries.
There are four main areas of compliance required for most foreign nationals and parties linked with them when coming to (and leaving) Russia. These are:
Visa;
Immigration card;
Enrollment;
Work permits/Residency permits.
TYPES OF VISAS
Basically, the type of Russian visa is determined by the individual's purpose of visit; this, in turn, governs the scope of activities that an expatriate may be engaged while in Russia under the certain type of visa.
Transit Visa
If your travel plans take you through Moscow on a connecting flight (or train) to another country, you are entitled to obtain a three-day transit visa. This will enable you to get out into the city instead of remaining in the transit hotel. You will need to evidence your journey at the Consulate with the actual air ticket (original - photocopies, itineraries, or email confirmations are not accepted). You can only obtain a transit visa if you are going via Moscow to somewhere else - a straight return ticket to/from Moscow would not be sufficient. Again, a visa agency or hosting organization can arrange this for you in advance, and will have someone meet you when you step off the plane. It is technically possible to obtain a transit visa when arriving at major airports, although in practice this is not so easy.
Business Visas
A business visa is foreseen for foreign nationals coming to Russia for business purposes, including participation in negotiations, conferences and consultations, making contracts and professional improvement. A business visa does not empower foreign individuals to hold official positions in Russian legal entities, represent them, or perform work in Russia under the civil or employment agreements. Importantly, business visas also cover some persons coming on “montage” or “chef-montage” activity, where they are helping put imported machinery into production or servicing it for the foreign vendor. Generally, business visas are issued based on invitations from Russian hosts and issued via Russian consulates outside Russia. The validity period of a single or a dual business visas is three months.
Multiple-entry business visas, like work visas, are valid for 12 months. However, these are restricted, so they only allow the foreign national to be present in Russia for no more than 90 days in any 180-day period. Once the visa expires, the foreign individual has to leave Russia, as business visas cannot be reissued in Russia. Russia has a number of immigration treaties, most notably with the EU (excluding the UK, Ireland and Denmark), which can extend the length of the validity of business visas up to five years.
Work Visas
A work visa is intended for foreign individuals coming in Russia to work or render services under an employment or a civil agreement respectively. By contrast with a business visa, a work visa allows an expatriate to occupy a position in the Russian company (or representative office or branch of a foreign company) indicated in the individual work permit and to act in an official capacity for this company. Initially, a single-entry work visa is issued by a consulate outside Russia for three months only based on the employer's invitation. The employer may further apply for an extended multiple-entry work visa upon expatriate’s arrival in Russia.
Foreign nationals are required to stay in Russia during the application process and issuance of the multiple entry work visa. The validity period of a work visa is linked to the validity period of the expatriate’s work permit (or accreditation card issued for accredited person working in a representative office or branch of a foreign company), but cannot exceed one year. If the employment agreement remains in force upon the visa's expiry, a new multiple-entry work visa can be obtained, provided that there is a new individual work permit.
Visa for "Inosotrudniki"
This is a special type of work visa issued for accredited expatriate employees of foreign companies operating in Russia through its representative offices or branches. In practice, this is an easier visa to obtain from an administrative perspective, as it separates the visa application from the work permit.
Family Visas
Spouses and children of relocating expatriates can apply for visas in the same way as the executive. An ‘Accompanying Spouse Visa’ and/or ‘Dependent’s Visa’ can be obtained at the same time as the expatriate applies for his/ her own visa. Talk with your HR department to make certain that this process is carried out at the same time as your visa application.
IMMIGRATION CARD
Upon arrival in Russia, each foreign national should complete and retain the stamped half of the immigration card. This card contains information about the arrival and departure of the individual in and from Russia, as well as the period of his or her stay in Russia. This document is delivered to each foreign citizen by the Russian border control authorities. The foreigner should keep the immigration card during his whole stay in Russia. If the immigration card is damaged or lost, the foreign national should notify the local immigration authorities within three days, and they may further issue a duplicate upon presenting the documents based on which the individual entered Russia (passport and visa, if applicable).
Upon departure from Russia, the foreign national should return the original immigration card at the Russian border control. Failure to return the immigration card is considered to be a violation and may lead to the formal deportation of a foreign individual from Russia. If deported, the individual will not be able to enter Russia for the next five years.
Registering your Immigration Card
The process for registering your immigration card will be exactly the same as it was for registering a visa. If you are staying in an apartment, you will need a notarized letter from your landlord
Once you've arrived in Russia, you are legally required to register within three working days (72 hours) with OVIR, the agency that registers foreigners in Russia. This is done a number of ways depending on where you will live while staying in Russia and whether your visa is multiple entry or not. If your visa is multiple-entry, you must register at the Central OVIR. Bring the original letter of invitation from your sponsoring organization, your migration card, passport, and a notarized letter from your landlord.
If you lived in a hotel during the first few days of your stay and then moved to a private residence, do not make the mistake of thinking you are registered. You still need to have your card registered at OVIR at your permanent address in Russia. And if that's not enough, you might need yet another letter if you've gotten your visa invitation from a foreign rep office. This will need to be a letter from the Russian organization that accredits the rep office.
For single and double entry visas, you can register simply by having your sponsoring organization stamp your migration card. You will need a Central OVIR registration as well, however, if you intend to marry in Russia or buy a car. If you are living only in a hotel during your stay, the hotel will register you. But count your stamps. Your card will be stamped once when you check in, and a second time when you check out. Some people think that the first stamp is sufficient. It is not. Most visa service companies will handle the OVIR registration process, saving you the wait in line.
What Happens if you Don't Register
You can be fined if you don't quite get your registration right and in some very rare cases can even be deported. And if you are found out at the airport, it can cost you several hundred dollars in fines not to mention the hassle of having to miss your flight and spend a couple of more days in Moscow to get an exit visa from Central OVIR.
ENROLMENT AND DE-ENROLMENT PROCEDURES
Enrolment is the process of notifying the immigration authorities of a foreign citizen’s whereabouts (international travel as well as internal trips within Russia). Upon arrival in Russia, each foreign national should be enrolled (registered) in the Russian migration system at his host location. Enrolment, as well as de-enrolment should be completed in respect of the foreign national by the hosting party: either by hotel, or by employer (visa sponsor), or landlord (whichever is applicable). In practice, most landlords are unwilling to perform this role.
This process is to be completed within 3 business days upon arrival, each time an individual arrives to the country or travels to another region within Russia for more than 3 business days. The de-enrolment process should be completed within 2 calendar days of the departure, every time a foreign national departs from Russia or leaves for another region within Russia for more than 3 business days. It is recommendable that the individual hold a copy of the enrolment/de-enrolment form while travelling in Russia or outside.
Further, as the fines for non-compliance with the enrolment requirement are rather high, each foreign employee will typically need to notify his or her employer on any trip within or out of the country, even if this is personal trip, so that the procedure can be carried out.
When your Visa Expires
Visas can be renewed for a week or two when they are expiring - long enough to allow you to finish what you're doing and leave the country. If your visa cannot be renewed you need to apply for a new one. This usually necessitates a trip out of the country, although some agencies do offer visas that don't require you to leave. As a rule the more established visa firms do not offer such services. Given the lead time to obtaining a new visa, allow at least one month between the time you apply for a new visa and the expiration of your current one.

33.

The History of Moscow::Ivan the Terrible and the Times of Troubles (16th-17th Centuries)::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Ivan the Terrible

In 1533, a three-year-old boy mounted Russia?s throne - Ivan IV (1533-1584), later known as Ivan the Terrible. He was the first Russian Grand Prince to call himself Tsar of All Russia (the word tsar is derived from Caesar). Ivan the Terrible conquered Kazan and Astrakhan khanates expanding the territory of Russia to the Urals and Volga region and opening the way to Siberia. He also initiated many reforms that led to further strengthening of tsar?s absolute power: administrative reforms, first steps to serfdom, restructuring of the army etc. Some reforms were clearly positive for the country but they were all carried out ruthlessly; Ivan?s crusades still shock with their relentlessness and cruelty.
Ivan the Terrible was also the founder of Russia?s first police state ("Oprichnina"), which was supposed to suppress every real and potential enemy. Black-hooded agents with dog?s heads, tied to their saddles as a symbol of loyalty to the Tsar, inspired horror and fear in the country. It was the time of terror when every sign of discontent caused ruthless reaction. Thus Moscow rising in 1570 caused executions of several hundred people. The culmination of Tsar's paranoia was the murder of his only competent son, whom Ivan the Terrible stabbed to death with his own hands. That hastened the end of the Ryurikovichi dynasty.
The Times of Troubles
After the death of Ivan the Terrible in 1584 his retarded son Fedor became Tsar but the actual ruler was Boris Godunov (1598-1605) who mounted the throne after childless Fedor's death in 1598. Godunov carried on rather successful foreign policy; during his reign new lands joined Russia, several military campaigns against Crimean Tatars were crowned with success; the patriarchate was instituted in Russia demonstrating the independence and maturity of the state; Moscow and other boundary towns were fortified. But Boris Godunov missed the most important thing ? people's love. He was accused of killing Ivan the Terrible's youngest son Dmitry and seizing power illegally. His sin was said to be the reason of horrible natural calamities, which caused failure of crops and famine in the country. Several peasant risings flared up and were ruthlessly suppressed; that only enhanced hatred for Boris Godunov.
Finally a pretender to the throne appeared claiming to be Ivan the Terrible's dead son Dmitry. He sought support from Poland, which was always at daggers drawn with Russia, and marched on Moscow with a big army (the Poles cleverly used unstable situation to conquer Russia). Godunov escaped execution as he suddenly died himself in 1605, but his son and wife were murdered and "False Dmitry" was proclaimed Tsar. Not for a long time though. He was killed by the boyars (the highest class Russian nobles) and replaced by boyar Vasiliy Shujsky. Shujsky in his turn had to deal with "False Dimitry No 2" and his Polish "patrons".
The Poles finally reached Moscow in 1610; Shujsky was then deposed. In addition to that the Swedes got active in the North capturing Novgorod. And only then, in those devastating circumstances Prince Pozharsky and his compatriot Kozma Minin managed to awaken the spirit of patriotism in Russians and to expel the Poles in 1612. This period of deposed tsars, false pretenders to the throne, wars and disarray is known as "the Time of Troubles".

34.

Moscow Neighbourhoods::The Kremlin Area::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

The Kremlin
The Kremlin traces its history since 1156 (first mentioned in chronicle), when prince Yury Dolgoruky built wooden walls of future fortress on Borovitsky hill. Moscow didn't play any important role in the country till 1328, when Ivan Kalita, son of Moscow Prince Dmitry, became the Grand Prince of Russian State. He broadened the fortress and built a new oak wall around it. That time citadel has got its modern name, the Kremlin ("kremnik" means "forest" in old Russian), and became the residence of Metropolitan and Grand Prince. But the wooden walls, although invulnerable, suffered from fire, and in 1367 fortifications of white stone were built around the Kremlin by Prince Dmitry Ivanovich (later named Donskoy). Since then Moscow is called "a white stone city".
In the end of the 15th century Italian craftsmen built the new walls and towers of red brick, and, according to the evidences of foreign travelers, the Kremlin looked like a medieval castle. Even when Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg, the Kremlin kept its significance: Russian emperors were still crowned in the Assumption Cathedral, and the whole Moscow gathered here for the great church festivals. In 1918 Moscow became the capital again. The Kremlin was occupied by the Bolshevik government, and it became impossible to enter it without special pass. Only in 1955 the gates of the citadel were reopened to public, and the government residence became an open-air museum of history and architecture.
Now this symbol of Russian State is the official residence of the President. It is a preserved area, protected and guarded by the State and included in the UNESCO List of Cultural and Natural Heritage of the World.
Manezhnaya Square
Sculptor Zurab Tsereteli was awarded the privilege to embellish Manezhnaya square with heroes of Russian folk-tales and to place bronze horses surrounded by a cloud of water-drops in the fountains. The bronze horseman near the Red Square is one of Soviet greatest commanders - marshal Georgy Zhukov, the hero of the Great Patriotic War. An interesting red building in Pseudo-Russian style serves as a background for the Zhukov monument: it is the State Historical Museum, a quaint creation of architects V. Shervud and A. Semenov. Passing by the Historical Museum don't forget to stand on the 'zero kilometer'; from this point all the distances in Russia are said to be measured.
Teatralnaya Square
Petrovskaya, Tsvetochnaya, Teatralnaya, Sverdlova and again Teatralnaya - the name of the square changed many times as well as its architectural appearance. In the 1820s architect Osip Bove completely reconstructed Teatralnaya square; as a result, Moscow got rid of a stinking cesspit that the square had been turned into and now is proud of having such a marvellous place. Bove planned to create an architectural ensemble which would consist of five buildings in the late classicism style. The dominant of the square would be the Bolshoi Theatre. Unfortunately Maly Theatre is the only Bove's edifice that survived until now.
Petrovsky theatre, the "ancestor" of the Bolshoi Theatre, opened in 1780 and burnt down in 1806. Osip Bove's creation burnt down as well. The third attempt was the successful one. Reconstructed by architect Kavos in 1853, the Bolshoi Theatre is still one of capital's main attractions. It was also in 1853 that the theatre got its symbol: four bronze horses on the roof. Author of this chariot was famous sculptor Peter Klodt. The Bolshoi Theatre is a world-famous cultural centre and its ballet and opera stars get standing ovation all over the world. The reconstruction of the theatre is due to be finished in the late 2011.
Across the street there is another sight of Teatralnaya square - a luxurious hotel "Metropol" (architects I. Valkott and L. Kekushev). Mosaic panels on its walls were designed by Mikhail Vrubel, a fabulous Russian artist of the early 20th century. The original painting is now in the collections of Tretyakov gallery.
Red Square
Voskresenskie vorota ("gates") are the last obstacle on the way to the main square in Russia - "Krasnaya Ploshchad". The name of this symbol of Moscow suits it perfectly: "krasny" in Old Russian meant "beautiful" and it is beautiful indeed, though its modern look was gained with certain difficulties. Once the Red Square was a centre of trade spangled with motley stalls whose boisterous owners offered pan-cakes, kvas, candles, cloth and other goods. But shops and wooden churches in the Red Square were of great fire hazard so they were destroyed and a trading square turned into a place for open-air merrymaking.
Wooden buildings haven't preserved, but some architectural masterpieces are still seen to the delight of Muscovites and tourists. Probably the most famous Russian church stands here - the Cathedral of St. Basil. Monument to Minin and Prince Pozharsky stands in front of the cathedral reminding every Russian about difficult moments in its history. Before 1936 the monument was placed in the centre of the Red Square, but in Soviet times it impeded the military parades. There was an idea to destroy the statue, but it was only moved to the Cathedral of Intercession. It was the first monumental statue in Russia depicting not a nobleman, but "a common citizen".
Not far from this monument there is a stony area surrounded by a low barrier of white stone with a cast-iron fence known as "Lobnoe Mesto". In 1786 this construction replaced the ramshackle brick erection with a hipped roof, which was built in the first half of the 16th century. Situated on the highest place on the Red Square, it symbolizes the Golgotha Mountain, where Jesus Christ was crucified (Golgotha means "forehead" - "lob" in Russian). For ages it functioned as a rostrum from which Russian tsars addressed the nation on special occasions. The legend that it was used as a scaffold is not completely true: no one was ever executed on "Lobnoe Mesto", but the special scaffolds were usually built quite near by.
Across the Square it is the last haven of the first Soviet leader - Lenin Mausoleum. After his death in 1924 it was decided to preserve the body and to construct a special building to keep it. Designed by Shchusev, a pyramid of cubes cut from red granite decorated with marble and black labradorite replaced experimental wooden mausoleum. After the disintegration of the USSR the Mausoleum lost its significance and in 1996 guard of honor near it was cancelled. Although some political leaders repeatedly suggest to bury Lenin as a regular man, the Government still has not made a final decision about it.
In the middle of the Red Square one of the biggest shops of the country attracts millions of visitors every year - Main Universal Store (GUM). This place, known before the Revolution as Upper Trade Rows, has been "a shopping center" of Moscow for ages. An old building of the Upper Trade Rows, designed by O. Bove, was erected in 1815. But as it was owned by several traders, they could never come to a decision to repair the building, and so it gradually went to pieces. At last in 1890 the government forced the owners to erect a new building, and in 1893 the project of A. Pomerantsev came to reality. Built in pseudo-Russian style, it consists of three passages, each three-storied, now called lines. A unique round glass roof 14 meters (43 ft.) in diameter, designed by V. Shukhov, and the front decorated with dummy joint makes GUM one of the symbols of the Red Square, now easy recognizable for every Russian.
Close to GUM the beautiful Kazansky Cathedral makes you want to stand for a moment. It was built after the victory over Polish invaders in 1612 but its heroic background didn't save it from demolishing in 1936. Fortunately it was brought back to life in 1993.
Mokhovaya
Mokhovaya street is a continuation of Okhotny Ryad street, lying between Tverskaya and the Kremlin. Long ago it was a place where dried moss ("mokh") was sold from stalls; this is the reason for such an unusual name. Moss was used in ancient Russia to pack joints between the beams of traditional wooden house ("izba"). Since the first half of the 19th century this street is closely connected with Moscow State University - its first building was situated on the Red Square, right in the place of contemporary State Historical Museum. During the Moscow fire of 1812 that building was completely destroyed, and professors with their students moved to Mokhovaya, to the new building designed by Domenico Gilardi. In 1832 one more building, the Pashkov family mansion, was bought for the University by Nikolay I; since that Mokhovaya street became a University campus.
Right opposite to the old University the building of Manage demonstrates all the amenities of the Empire Style: pompousness, sumptuousness, spirit of patriotism and war glory. In 1825 great architect Osip Bove managed to create a perfect "palace" for parades, practice manoeuvres. Today Manage is used with more peaceful purpose: it is an exhibition hall, constantly displaying modern art.
Vozdvizhenka
It is one of the oldest streets in Moscow: it is known to be here already in the 13th century. In the end of Vozdvizhenka that faces Arbat an unusual building in Mauritanian style provokes curiosity. Its wonderful name is the House of Friendship between Nations of Europe ("Dom Druzhby"). Architect V. Mazyrin built this luxurious mansion for Arseny Morozov after Morozov's trip to Spain and Portugal. It was known among Muscovites as "Spanish castle" and gossip was spread about wild parties thrown by the owner. Another well-known rumour says that Morozov's mother, who lived nearby, once expressed her admiration for this house in a rather unusual way: "Before, only I knew you were a fool; now the whole Moscow will know." In 1959 the House of Friendship opened its doors for visitors, at that time the first woman-astronaut Valentina Tereshkova held the post of the director.

35.

Moscow Neighbourhoods::Tverskaya::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Tverskaya
Moscow's main artery and the most luxurious area during the Russian Empire epoch. Tverskaya Street has long been considered a benchmark for luxury and prestige. In the 14th century, it was a trade road from the Kremlin to Tver - one of the most important and influential cities at that time. The first name of the street was Tsarskaya ("Tsar's"), as already by the 17th century it became the main street of the Russian capital. Of course, central and extremely prestigious location attracted the highest class of nobility; Tverskaya of the 18th century was the street of sumptuous palaces and estates built by Catherine the Great's grandees. The 19th century added the firm spirit of commerce to the charming atmosphere of aristocracy: various luxury shops, confectioneries, boutiques, fashionable hotels and restaurants spread along Tverskaya.
Many innovations in Moscow started from Tverskaya street, though not all of them were beneficial to the ancient capital and its culture. It was completely reconstructed in the 1930s. In 1932, the street was named after Maxim Gorky, a proletarian writer. This was a present from the Stalin government made during the writer's lifetime.
Soon, Tverskaya street obtained a tragic fate; it was the first street reconstructed according to the infamous master plan of the socialist reconstruction of Moscow. Subsequently, it lost not only its original name, but its personality. This was the result of Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich's (a powerful "architect of socialism") vision. Some erections were built up a little, smartly moved deeper into the courtyards, and, if necessary, even carefully rotated. But nevertheless, many buildings were simply demolished (not a single church survived on Tverskaya), and the appearance of the street completely changed: it became wide and airy, but too straight and boring, built up with typical grey houses.
It is from Tverskaya street that capitalism began to encroach on Russia. It is here near the site of the National Hotel that the first "fartsovshiki" (illegal street vendors) started their risky business of swapping Russian matryoskha dolls for US-made jeans, and it is here that dollars were traded for rubles under the table.
A certain "face of the city", now it brilliantly reflects the mixed and controversial "soul" of 21st-century Moscow, full of modern western innovations and still firmly basing on the ancient roots.
Tverskaya has a limited number of residential buildings; therefore, the prices for living here are very high.
The modern Tverskaya remains the most important commercial, business and cultural street of the capital, with the most expensive and luxurious hotels being located here: the Ritz-Carlton, the Marriott, the Sheraton, etc. At the corner of Mokhovaya and Tverskaya one can see "National" hotel, one of the best examples of Russian Art Nouveau. Designed and built in 1903 by A. Ivanov, it is one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Russia. In 1918 the hotel was for some years turned into "Prime House of Soviets" and permanently hosted the members of the Bolshevik Government, including Lenin who lived in number 107.
State Duma (Parliament) stays right opposite "National", at the corner of Tverskaya and Okhotny Ryad. Former building of the Soviet Ministry of Labour and Defence, it provides a brilliant example of transfer from Constructivism to the Soviet neoclassic style. Its characteristic feature is abandonment of any decoration, because the edifice should be beautiful of its own accord.
Another sumptuous building on Tverskaya, Moscow Central Telegraph (architect I. Rerberg), possesses the status of an architectural monument and historical - Revolution of 1917 in Moscow started by taking the Central telegraph.
The building No 9 on Tverskaya designed by the architect Zhukov is faced with granite captured from the Germans in December 1941. The Fascists had brought the granite to Moscow from Finland to erect a monument to their supposed victory in the centre of Russian capital. Then they, already as prisoners of war, faced the building with that granite themselves.
The Moscow City Administration was built in 1770 by Matvey Kozakov, famous master of Moscow Classicism. Former residence of Moscow governor-generals, after the revolution it housed the Moscow Council (Soviet). During the reconstruction of 1935 the building was moved 13 meters back and two more stores were added.
In front of the City Administration there is Tverskaya square with a monument to Prince Yury Dolgoruky, which has become a symbol of Moscow. The square was formerly called Skobelevskaya due to the monument to General Skobelev, a hero of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. In 1918 before the May Day parade the "White General" was removed and the pedestal was turned into a platform. Soon Skobelev's place was occupied by the monument to Constitution (a woman statue, a kind of Soviet "Statue of Freedom") and Skobelevskaya square became Soviet square. The bronze monument to Yury Dolgoruky appeared here in 1954 in honour of Moscow 800th anniversary; in 1990s the square was renamed back to Tverskaya.
The house No 14 was also created by Matvey Kozakov. The "Palace on Tverskya" belonged to Zinaida Volkonskaya, a beautiful and intelligent woman, who established a very popular literature salon here. In 1898 powerful merchant Grigory Eliseyev bought the house, reconstructed and opened as "Eliseyev's Store and Wine Cellar of Russian and Imported Wines." Very soon the shop was nearly closed down for illegal sale of wine: the distance between the entrance to the wine cellar and the Church of St. Dmitry Solunsky (now non-existent) did not comply with the legal minimum. It needed one night to separate the wine cellar off the shop and make a new entrance from Kozitsky lane. In 1917 Eliseev emigrated from Russia and the shop was expropriated by Sovets ("nationalized") and renamed. But the people still called it Eliseyevsky through habit and came here just to admire the famous interior. Since the fall of the Soviet Union the Eliseyevsky store has been officially given its name back.
One of the oldest buildings on Tverskaya is a luxurious classicistic one behind the fence with lions. Built in late 18th century, this mansion of earls Kheraskov and Razumovsky from 1831 to 1917 housed the Moscow English club, and now the State Museum of Contemporary History of Russia is located here.
Triumphal Square
Triumphal square is named after the Triumphal Gate constructed in 1721. Peter the Great entered the capital through it after his victory in North War. Hereafter there were constructed few more wooden Triumphal arches, and all of them had burnt. And the only remained arch was built at the Tverskaya Zastava square; later it was moved to a new place near the museum of Borodino battle. Now the only triumph of this square is the theatres located here. One of them is the Tchaikovsky Concert hall. Formerly Meyerhold's theatre was placed here, but in 1938 Meyerhold was arrested, the theatre was closed and the building was given to the Moscow Philharmonic. The Theatre of Satire is located at the building of the former Circus.
Lanes around Tverskaya
While you may find Tverskaya itself too busy and too noisy, there are a number of pretty lanes with beautiful old apartment buildings and small gardens that are popular with expatriate.
Kamergersky
Kamergersky lane has lately become a pedestrian area, and it has a real chance to be included into the Guinness' Book of Records as a shortest pedestrian area in the world. House No 3 is now occupied by Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). The theatre traces its history since 1882, when the modern building of the theatre, former mansion of Prince P.I. Odoevsky and S.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, housed Russian Drama Theatre. In 1885 Savva Mamontov's Private Russian Opera made its debut here. In 1902 another Savva, now Morozov, paid for reconstruction of the theatre after Fyodor Shekhtel's project, and in 1902 MKhAT opened its doors for theatre-lovers.
Brusov
Brusov lane is remarkable for its red and white Church of the Resurrection of Slovushchy on Uspensky Vrazhek, which was built in the first half of the 17th century. This church is one of the few ones not closed during the Soviet period; it has retained its original interiors.
Stoleshnikov
Stoleshnikov lane leads from Tverskaya to Bolshaya Dmitrovka and then continues as a pedestrian lane to Petrovka. As many other streets in Moscow, it is named after the profession of the people who used to live here. "Stoleshniki", who occupied this area in the 16th-17th centuries, made table-cloths for the Royal Court ("stol" in Russian stands for "table"). House No 9 is famous for its outstanding dweller - "the first Moscow digger", Vladimir Gilarovsky. Gifted historian and talented writer, he was affectionately known and beloved by Muscovites. Here he was visited by Tolstoy, Gorky, Chekhov, Bunin, Mayakovsky.

36.

Children in Moscow::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Children in Moscow
Some Formal Issues
Children born abroad to expatriate parents may find their citizenship rights affected, either by laws in the country of assignment or those of their home country. It is, therefore, important to check on both sets of regulations well before the child is born. Your embassy should be able to provide you with all the information you need.
If the baby is born in Moscow you should contact your embassy to receive citizenship for your child and to apply for a passport.
Circumcision can be performed in a maternity hospital, but you should discuss this with your doctor before birth so that the necessary arrangements can be made.
If you are interested in adopting a Russian child, your first step for advice should be your doctor/medical clinic in Moscow. They should be able to provide you with contact details for reliable adoption agencies. The Russian Ministry of Education and Science has an official adoption website at www.usynovite.ru with detailed information on the adoption process and information on thousands of children in orphanages across the country that are up for adoption.
Education
There are over 1800 high schools and 110 colleges in Moscow. Beside these, there are over 200 institutions offering higher education in Moscow, including 60 state universities and the leading Russian University - the Lomonosov Moscow State University, which was founded in 1755.
Moscow has a number of international schools and nurseries, which are popular with the expat community. All schools are fee-paying. The fees depend on the grade level, period of enrolment and whether or not your child requires any additional support programmes. In general, it varies between 3000 and 7000 Euro. The admission procedures for all schools are quite complex and consist of several steps (application form, test, interview etc); therefore, it is better to begin to do it well in advance. The academic year lasts from September 1st to the middle or end of June with summer vacations from July 1st to August 31st.
Books
The majority of bookstores have vast sections of children's books but mostly in Russian. Luckily there are some bookstores offering a selection of children's books in English, German and French.
Shopping
In Moscow you may find anything you need for your child (from an infants to teenagers) as there are plenty of stores to buy children's goods in: from markets and small local shops to large shopping malls and boutiques offering branded children's clothes and shoes. Note that closing and shoes sizes differ in Russia, Europe and USA.
Clothing SizesAge (y.o.)
Height (cm)
Size 1-1,5
86
- Russia
USA
UK
Europe 13
7.5
n/a
24

37.

Communication & Postal Services::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Communication & Postal Services
POSTAL SERVICES
Russian post services handle all kinds of communications, including local and international postal services, registered mail (incoming and outgoing), stamps, telegrams, intercity and international phone calls, newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Box rentals, intercity and international call services may only be available at the Main Post Office. Post offices (pochta) are located all over Moscow; each neighbourhood has at least one.
Moscow's Main Post Office (Moskovsky Glavpochtamt) is located at Myasnitskaya ul., 26, metro Turgenevskaya or Chistye Prudy. It is open 24/7. A convenient, centrally located post office is the Central Telegraph (Tsentralny Telegraph) at Tverskaya ul., 7, just up the hill from the National Hotel. Moscow's Main International Post Office is located at Varshavskoye sh., 37, metro Nagatinskaya.
Sending and Receiving Mail
If you want your friends and relatives to send you mail from abroad to your home or work address, make sure you provide them with the complete address. One of the most important items in your address is the postal index (equivalent to zip code), which consists of six numbers. Find out the index of your home address from your landlord; that of your work should be printed on your business car. An incorrect index will result in your mail being sent to the wrong post office in Moscow, which will delay delivery as your mail will have to be re-sent to the post office that handles your area.
For incoming mail, it is okay if the address is written in English. Ask your friends to clearly print all letters. (Capital letters are best). You might also want to e-mail or fax them your address in Russian printed letters so that they can copy in onto the envelope. Outgoing international mail can obviously also be address in English, but it helps if you spell out the name of the country to which you are sending your postcard, letter or parcel in English and in Russian.
If you want to send a letter or parcel from Russia, you should address it as follows:
country (only for international mail, including that to the former republics);
index and city;
street, building number, entrance number, apartment number;
last name, first name and patronymic (the latter only if applicable).
Public mail boxes are blue with the word "Pochta" written on them in white letters. They are available all over town and each post office usually has one outside (attached to the wall) and one inside. Regular mail will be delivered to the mail box (pochtovy yashchik) inside your building or to your office reception.
If someone sent you a registered letter or parcel and you are not at home when the post office attempts to deliver it, they will put a slip of paper in your post box notifying you of its arrival. The paper will also say at which post office you can retrieve your mail. You must complete the back of the slip which asks for your name, address in Moscow, passport details (issued where, when and by which agency). You must then show your original passport to receive your mail. If you fail to show up within several days of the notification, you might have to pay storage charges.
The Russian post service is still a bit unreliable - an airmail letter from Moscow to another country can take anywhere from three weeks to three months to arrive; the same applies to incoming mail. Important items and documents should only be sent by registered mail. A registered letter is called "zakaznoye pismo"; a registered parcel is called "zakaznaya pasylka". The best (but also the most expensive) option will be express mail company.
COMMUNICATION
Making Phone Calls within Moscow
When dialed from your home landline, phone calls within Moscow are still free of charge. Unless you live in a residential compound or hotel, which might require you to dial a number such as 0 or 9 to get access to an outside line, you just pick up the phone and dial the number. The majority of landline phone numbers in Moscow consists of seven digits. As Moscow has two area codes (495 or 499), sometimes you have to dial eleven digits (if case with 499 code). The same applies to making a phone call to a federal mobile number.
Making Phone Calls to Other Cities in Russia
Phone calls to other cities in Russia are still quite affordable. To reach a phone number in another city in Russia, dial 8, wait for the tone, then dial 55 or 53, then dial the area code of the city you are calling followed by the local number. For example, to call someone in St.Petersburg, dial 8, wait for the tone, then dial 55 or 53, then dial 812 (the area code for St.Petersburg) and the local phone number.
Making Calls to Other Countries
It is fairly easy to make an international phone call from a standard Russian telephone line, and normally you will get through even to remote locations. To access an outside line, dial 8 and wait for the tone. Then dial 10, followed by the country code, the city code and the local phone number you want to reach. For example, to call a number in the US, dial 8, wait for the tone, then dial 10 followed by 1 (the country code for the US) followed by the area code and local number.
If the city code starts with a 0 (e.g. in the UK and Germany), do not dial the 0 and start with the first non-zero number after it. For example, to call London, you would dial 8-10-44-208 followed by the local number (instead of 8-10-0208). When giving friends abroad your phone number in Moscow, remember to tell them the country code for Russia is 7 and the area codes for Moscow are 495 or 499. Your landlord will for sure tell you your area code. If you have a seven-digit home or office number or a direct Moscow mobile number, they need to dial +7 495 111 11 11.
Information on international dialing codes
Mobile Phones and Mobile Communication
The mobile phone market works slightly differently in Russia than in other countries, particularly the US. Service companies do not throw in the handset for free as part of your sign-up package. When you sign-up for service, you will receive a SIM card, which contains all of your account information. The card can be inserted into any unlocked handset (the great majority of handsets on sale in Russia are unlocked). When you purchase your SIM card and phone, be sure to keep all of the paper work that you are given in a safe place. If you lose your phone, call your service provider immediately so that they can freeze your account. In most cases, they can reissue you a new SIM card and you can retain your old number, service package and account balance. Mobile phones are available from numerous stores and shops all over town. At most of them you can get your new phone connected on the spot through the provider of your choice. There are 3 major phone operators in Moscow: Beeline, Megafon and MTS. They all offer a wide range of services and payment plans.
Two different kinds of mobile phone numbers are currently available in Moscow: a direct number and non-direct/federal number. A direct number is a seven-digit number, just like any other Moscow number, and can be accessed from any home, office or other mobile phone. A federal number consists of the number 8 followed by a three-digit area code such as 916, 926, 960 and a seven-digit number. Service charges for a direct number are more expensive than for the non-direct/federal number option. All major phone operator in Moscow offer an international roaming.
If you want to send an SMS to a direct Moscow mobile number you need to enter +7 495 followed by the seven-digit number.
You can top up your mobile phone in a variety of ways:
You can purchase mobile phone cards, that are sold everywhere from supermarkets to kiosks.
You can use multi-kassas - special devices that are on every corner and that look a little bit like ATMs. Usually when you pay with multi-kassa, you have to pay extra commission about 2-5%. In some mobile phone shops (like Svyaznoi) there are multi-kassas without extra commission.
You can top up your phone in any mobile phone shop. No commission is taken.
You can pay by your credit card directly via ATM.
You can top up your phone transmitting money form your bank account via Internet-banking.
Pay Phones
A pay phone is called a "taksofon" in Russian. You will find several different types of pay phones in Moscow. Some work with tokens, which are sold in kiosks and in metro stations; others work with pre-paid phone cards. Some allow you to make local, national and international calls while others are only for local calls. A particular kind of phone card will only work with particular kinds of pay phones, i.e. there are no universal pay phone cards.
Internet Service & Satellite TV Providers
There are many internet service providers in Moscow offering high-speed broadband internet access, as well as ADSL high-speed access with Akado, Stream and Corbina being the most popular ones. Prices for internet access are moderate compared to Europe and USA with the cheapest tariff rates starting from about 250 Rbs. Moscow features lots of free Wi-Fi hotspots available in restaurant, cafes, clubs, hotels and other public places, though internet cafes with wired internet access are also at your service. Satellite TV is getting more and more popular in Moscow. Major satellite TV providers are listed here.

38.

Soviet Union (1920-50s)::The History of Moscow::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

In December 1922 the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics was proclaimed; Moscow became capital of the new state. Within a very short time the Bolsheviks had shown that they cared about democracy and civil rights as much as the tsar, ignoring the existing Constitution, establishing the dictatorship of the proletariat (in fact the dictatorship of the Communist Party), and setting up one of the most frightening and blood-thirsty secret services in the world history, the CheKa (the ancestor of KGB).
The first person to govern the Soviet Union was Vladimir Lenin. Being a charismatic speaker, he managed to captivate millions of souls with his obsessive communistic ideas. For many decades Lenin was almost God to Russians; the entire nation went crazy: songs were written about Lenin, thousands of monuments to him were erected all over the country and icons were replaced with Lenin's portraits.
After Lenin's death in 1924, Iosif Stalin took his position as General Secretary of the Communist party. A real paranoiac and sadist, Stalin gradually removed all his enemies and possible rivals. Most of his comrades-in-arms ended up in prisons, labour camps or were simply executed. Several waves of purges brought millions of innocent people to labour camps, where most of them died of inhuman treatment and starvation.
Meanwhile in the countryside the collectivisation of agriculture began. Peasants were obliged to give up their land and property to collective farms and work for them for a small salary or even for no salary. People were forced to give up all corn that they had; that caused famine in 1931-32, when more than 10 million starved to death.
Stalin's regime encouraged denunciation and spying. People were afraid to speak in their own houses, always waiting for a neighbour to overhear something and tell the CheKa. Secret agents could come in the night and take anyone with them without explanation; people arrested by the CheKa were mourned as murdered victims.
The Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)
Stalin put too much into his dirty business dismissing more than three quarters of army officers. The Great Dictator got the chance to regret it when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. In 1939 a secret Non-Aggression Pact was signed by Germany and the Soviet Union therefore the Soviets were caught by surprise by the summer invasion. While the country tried to summon up its powers, the Germans advanced rapidly and by December of 1941 they were already near Moscow. But Hitler, just as Napoleon 130 years before, underestimated the harshness of Moscow winter and outstanding courage of Russian soldiers. After a famous battle, partly ruined, Moscow escaped destruction. So did Leningrad (former St.Petersburg) but it paid a horrible price: the city was besieged for more than 900 days; almost no food supplies were left and people were dying of hunger in the streets. More than two thirds of city's population never saw the end of the siege.
In 1943 after the battle of Stalingrad it was already clear that the victory of the Soviet Union was only a matter of time. In 1945 victorious Soviet Army occupied Berlin and on May 8 Germany signed capitulation. The war of 1941-1945, which caused death of more than 20 million Russian people, is known in the history of Russia as the Great Patriotic War.
But while the whole world celebrated the victory over the Nazis, Stalin got the wheel of repressions going again, as he wanted to get rid of those who had seen what it was like in so called capitalistic world. The terror lasted until his death in 1953.
These new times brought new major changes to Moscow architecture: in 1935 the General plan of the Moscow reconstruction was accepted. Its aim was to change the appearance of Moscow according to the new political doctrine. At the same time tens of churches and cathedrals were being destroyed; new times brought new religion: the belief in Soviet "bright future".

39.

Moscow Neighbourhoods::Arbat::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

A wonderful area situated around one of the most ancient streets of Moscow. From the late 18th and 19th centuries, this area was dominated by the home-estates of nobles; in the second half of the 19th century, this was the place where one would find the majority of Moscow's intelligentsia. For a long time Arbat was the haunt of artists, musicians, poets, writers and intellectuals who created an indescribable bohemian atmosphere in this area of rambling streets and overgrown courtyards. Arbat along with its surroundings was almost a sacred place for many generations, an essence of this city, one of the symbols of Moscow.
Arbatskiye Vorota Square
Khudozhestvenny cinema is the first to attract your attention here with its garish posters. It was built in 1909 and in 1913 was rebuilt by the great architect Fedor Schechter, the author of such masterpieces of Moscow Moderne Style as Ryabushinsky house on Malaya Nikitskaya street and Morozov's residence on Spiridonovka street. Here the first Soviet sound film was shown and young Shostakovich worked as pianist.
Stary Arbat ("Old Arbat")
The first time Arbat was mentioned in the chronicles in 1493 and it kept its name through all these centuries, even during Soviet times when nearly every street was renamed after some communistic hero. The name Arbat is of eastern origin and it means "suburbs". The road from Moscow to Smolensk laid via Arbat and Vozdvizhenka streets and this road connected Moscow with Western Europe.
For Muscovites, it's not just a street, but a special "piece" of the capital, a kind of "Moscow within Moscow", with its own history, identity and traditions. The street's image is created by its residents. It was always "a closed world", full of exceptional people: the aristocracy and intellectuals. The list of famous Arbat people "arbatovtsy", works written, masterpieces created and scientific discoveries made in this place could serve as information for an encyclopedia. This is also the reason why many memorial museums and memorial flats are placed here. Arbat has always been one of the most beautiful streets of the city. Gradually, century after century, the street emerged with its own unique architectural style. It boasts original ancient mansions with moldings, balconies and caryatids, small cozy streets, laced lamps, stone paved roads.
During the Soviet government, Stary Arbat changed irreversibly: in early 1960s, it became the laid back street of the new modern avenue - Novy Arbat. This led to the destruction of many 18th and 19th century monuments; nevertheless, Arbat has not lost its charm. In 1986, Arbat became a pedestrian street. Today over forty embassies and ambassadors' residences are located here.
House No 2 in the beginning of Arbat is one of the best Moscow restaurants called "Prague". First it was a common inn but later it turned into a fancy place with exquisite cuisine. It was very popular among Moscow artistic bohemia. Here Chekhov was honoured after the first night of "Three Sisters".
Almost every old street has connection with Pushkin. Arbat is not an exception: in the house No 53 Pushkin and his beautiful wife Natalya Goncharova lived for a while after marriage. Nobody paid attention to this refined blue house for a long time; it was a communal flat until 1986 when Pushkin Museum was finally organised. Several years ago Arbat was presented with a sculpture of this famous couple.
The Tsoy's Wall at the corner of Arbat and Krivoarbatsky lane was an alternative to official monuments. First inscriptions and graffiti appeared shortly after the death of Victor Tsoy, Soviet rock legend of the 1980s. His fans keep coming and adding new signs expressing their emotions.
Another memorial flat is located in the house No 55. Here poet Andrey Bely, one of the greatest representatives of Symbolism in Russian literature was born. It has the same entrance with the Pushkin museum.
Arbat is a street for souvenir hunters. Different kinds of matreshkas from traditionally made ones to the ones looking like Gorbachev or even Osama Bin Laden; Russian fur hats, famous decorated shawls or Moscow views are always for sale. Antique and art shops offer wide range of precious souvenirs. After getting tired of choosing presents it is nice to have lunch in one of Arbat's numerous pubs and restaurants or listen to one of the impromptu street concerts given by just another undiscovered talent.
Arbat Lanes
The first thing that one notices in the area of Arbat is that there are almost no straight lines. It is a fanciful combination of curved lanes, gardens and courtyards. Wandering about cosy and quiet little streets might become a pleasant adventure.
In Krivoarbatsky lane a fence hides a true treasure: a strange looking house in the shape of two interlocking cylinders with more than 60 six-sided windows which was designed by the world-famous Soviet architect Konstantin Melnikov. One of the best representatives of Constructivism built this experimental house for his family and that allowed him to use all his imagination. But architect pursued a practical end as well: the house was planned to be a prototype for future housing developments.
Krivoarbatsky lane is connected to Plotnikov lane. In the 17th century it was inhabited with carpenters and joiners, and here is the origin for its name ("plotnik" stands for "carpenter"). An apartment house No 4/5 built in 1907 attracts attention with an interesting sculpture frieze picturing Turgenev, Gogol and Tolstoy surrounded by mythological figures; surprising poses of the writers' sculptures caused many rumours and malignant remarks among Muscovites. Originally sculptor Andreev made this frieze for some museum, but for unknown reason it was split into parts and put on the walls of this house.
One of the most famous lanes of Arbat - Sivtsev Vrazhek - boasts a residence of the count Fedor Tolstoy known as The American. This man with a fame of a cardsharper and troublemaker took part in the first Russian round-the-world trip with admiral Kruzenshtern. For some nasty jokes the American was left on one of the Aleutian Islands and had to walk his way home through Siberia getting covered with tattoos on his way which later allowed him to shock noble ladies in Moscow. Across the street in the house No 27 there is a memorial flat of Alexander Herzen, a radical Russian writer and probably the first Russian political emigrant.
Novy Arbat ("New Arbat")
Novy Arbat is a perfect example of resoluteness and implacability of Soviet leaders. This monster street appeared after Nikita Khruschev's visit to "The Island of Freedom" - Cuba. He fell in love with avenues and sky-scrappers in Havana and decided to build a similar street in Moscow. An entire block of old Moscow with its little streets and beautiful houses was destroyed. Today Novy Arbat is an entertainment and shopping street with numerous nightclubs, boutiques, restaurants and shops. The only sad reminder of the old days is the Church of Simeon Stolpnik. It is the oldest building in the area and the only sample of 17th century architecture. Among those giants it looks more like an expensive souvenir.

40.

Arbat::Ancient Times and Rise of Moscow (5th-15th centuries)::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Arbat
A wonderful area situated around one of the most ancient streets of Moscow. From the late 18th and 19th centuries, this area was dominated by the home-estates of nobles; in the second half of the 19th century, this was the place where one would find the majority of Moscow's intelligentsia. For a long time Arbat was the haunt of artists, musicians, poets, writers and intellectuals who created an indescribable bohemian atmosphere in this area of rambling streets and overgrown courtyards. Arbat along with its surroundings was almost a sacred place for many generations, an essence of this city, one of the symbols of Moscow.
Arbatskiye Vorota Square
Khudozhestvenny cinema is the first to attract your attention here with its garish posters. It was built in 1909 and in 1913 was rebuilt by the great architect Fedor Schechter, the author of such masterpieces of Moscow Moderne Style as Ryabushinsky house on Malaya Nikitskaya street and Morozov's residence on Spiridonovka street. Here the first Soviet sound film was shown and young Shostakovich worked as pianist.
Stary Arbat (Old Arbat)
The first time Arbat was mentioned in the chronicles in 1493 and it kept its name through all these centuries, even during Soviet times when nearly every street was renamed after some communistic hero. The name Arbat is of eastern origin and it means "suburbs". The road from Moscow to Smolensk laid via Arbat and Vozdvizhenka streets and this road connected Moscow with Western Europe.
For Muscovites, it's not just a street, but a special "piece" of the capital, a kind of "Moscow within Moscow", with its own history, identity and traditions. The street's image is created by its residents. It was always "a closed world", full of exceptional people: the aristocracy and intellectuals. The list of famous Arbat people "arbatovtsy", works written, masterpieces created and scientific discoveries made in this place could serve as information for an encyclopedia. This is also the reason why many memorial museums and memorial flats are placed here. Arbat has always been one of the most beautiful streets of the city. Gradually, century after century, the street emerged with its own unique architectural style. It boasts original ancient mansions with moldings, balconies and caryatids, small cozy streets, laced lamps, stone paved roads.
During the Soviet government, Stary Arbat changed irreversibly: in early 1960s, it became the laid back street of the new modern avenue - Novy Arbat. This led to the destruction of many 18th and 19th century monuments; nevertheless, Arbat has not lost its charm. In 1986, Arbat became a pedestrian street. Today over forty embassies and ambassadors' residences are located here.
House No 2 in the beginning of Arbat is one of the best Moscow restaurants called "Prague". First it was a common inn but later it turned into a fancy place with exquisite cuisine. It was very popular among Moscow artistic bohemia. Here Chekhov was honoured after the first night of "Three Sisters".
Almost every old street has connection with Pushkin. Arbat is not an exception: in the house No 53 Pushkin and his beautiful wife Natalya Goncharova lived for a while after marriage. Nobody paid attention to this refined blue house for a long time; it was a communal flat until 1986 when Pushkin Museum was finally organised. Several years ago Arbat was presented with a sculpture of this famous couple.
The Tsoy's Wall at the corner of Arbat and Krivoarbatsky lane was an alternative to official monuments. First inscriptions and graffiti appeared shortly after the death of Victor Tsoy, Soviet rock legend of the 1980s. His fans keep coming and adding new signs expressing their emotions.
Another memorial flat is located in the house No 55. Here poet Andrey Bely, one of the greatest representatives of Symbolism in Russian literature was born. It has the same entrance with the Pushkin museum.
Arbat is a street for souvenir hunters. Different kinds of matreshkas from traditionally made ones to the ones looking like Gorbachev or even Osama Bin Laden; Russian fur hats, famous decorated shawls or Moscow views are always for sale. Antique and art shops offer wide range of precious souvenirs. After getting tired of choosing presents it is nice to have lunch in one of Arbat's numerous pubs and restaurants or listen to one of the impromptu street concerts given by just another undiscovered talent.
Arbat Lanes
The first thing that one notices in the area of Arbat is that there are almost no straight lines. It is a fanciful combination of curved lanes, gardens and courtyards. Wandering about cosy and quiet little streets might become a pleasant adventure.
In Krivoarbatsky lane a fence hides a true treasure: a strange looking house in the shape of two interlocking cylinders with more than 60 six-sided windows which was designed by the world-famous Soviet architect Konstantin Melnikov. One of the best representatives of Constructivism built this experimental house for his family and that allowed him to use all his imagination. But architect pursued a practical end as well: the house was planned to be a prototype for future housing developments.
Krivoarbatsky lane is connected to Plotnikov lane. In the 17th century it was inhabited with carpenters and joiners, and here is the origin for its name ("plotnik" stands for "carpenter"). An apartment house No 4/5 built in 1907 attracts attention with an interesting sculpture frieze picturing Turgenev, Gogol and Tolstoy surrounded by mythological figures; surprising poses of the writers' sculptures caused many rumours and malignant remarks among Muscovites. Originally sculptor Andreev made this frieze for some museum, but for unknown reason it was split into parts and put on the walls of this house.
One of the most famous lanes of Arbat - Sivtsev Vrazhek - boasts a residence of the count Fedor Tolstoy known as The American. This man with a fame of a cardsharper and troublemaker took part in the first Russian round-the-world trip with admiral Kruzenshtern. For some nasty jokes the American was left on one of the Aleutian Islands and had to walk his way home through Siberia getting covered with tattoos on his way which later allowed him to shock noble ladies in Moscow. Across the street in the house No 27 there is a memorial flat of Alexander Herzen, a radical Russian writer and probably the first Russian political emigrant.
Novy Arbat (New Arbat)
Novy Arbat is a perfect example of resoluteness and implacability of Soviet leaders. This monster street appeared after Nikita Khruschev's visit to "The Island of Freedom" - Cuba. He fell in love with avenues and sky-scrappers in Havana and decided to build a similar street in Moscow. An entire block of old Moscow with its little streets and beautiful houses was destroyed. Today Novy Arbat is an entertainment and shopping street with numerous nightclubs, boutiques, restaurants and shops. The only sad reminder of the old days is the Church of Simeon Stolpnik. It is the oldest building in the area and the only sample of 17th century architecture. Among those giants it looks more like an expensive souvenir.

41.

National Holidays & Celebrations::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Russian Holidays
January 1: New Year
January 7: Russian Orthodox Christmas
February 23: Defenders of the Fatherland Day
March 8: International Women's Day
May 1: Holiday of Spring and Labour
May 9: Victory Day
June 12: Day of Russia
November 4: National Unity Day
Non-Working Days in 2024
New Year and Christmas holidays: January 1-8, December 29-31
Defenders of the Fatherland Day: February 23-25
International Women's Day: March 8-10
Holiday of Spring and Labour: April 28 - May 1

Victory Day: May 9-12
Day of Russia: June 12
National Unity Day: November 3-4
Russians love to celebrate and take most of their national holidays very seriously. New Year is the most widely celebrated holiday, followed by Orthodox Easter (which is not an official holiday), and Orthodox Christmas. Remember, though, that over 100 ethnic groups live on the territory of the Russian Federation and that each of them has their own colourful holidays and celebrations. Western holiday and festivals, such as Valentine's Day and Halloween are also gaining popularity in Russia, although they are not marked by days off work. When National Holidays fall over weekend dates, one or more adjacent weekdays will usually be declared as Public Holiday(s) - but the decision on which days is often not announced until a month beforehand. Shops and supermarkets don't usually observe any National Holidays except New Year's Eve, however.
NATIONAL HOLIDAYS
New Year
The biggest Russian holiday is New Year and is celebrated on the night of December 31st to January 1st. Many Russians have what foreigners usually call a "Christmas tree" for New Year (either a real tree or an artificial). The tree is called a "yolka" in Russian. You may buy trees outside of metro stations at a so-called Christmas tree bazaar, at IKEA (natural fur tree), the Detsky Mir shopping center and many other places across town. At midnight, the President's New Year speech is broadcast on all national TV channels, preceded by lot of musical shows and followed by show-biz variety programming until morning. Most Russians exchange gifts on New Year's Eve. This means that you will be purchasing New Year's gifts for your Russian friends - instead of Christmas gifts. Celebrations on the night of December 31st continue until the early morning of January 1st. January 3rd, 4th and 5th are public/bank holidays. In combination with January 1st and 2nd and January 7th, Russia enjoys an entire holiday week at the start of the New Year.
As this holiday is children's favourite, special shows for children called "yolki" are organized throughout town in the weeks around December 31st. On New Year's Eve, some parents hire a Grandfather Frost or "Ded Moroz" and his assistant Snow-Maiden or "Snegurochka" to visit their homes to deliver previously purchased gifts to the children. The way this usually works is that Snegurochka arrives first, preparing the children for the arrival of Ded Moroz. The children then call for Ded Moroz, who arrives with a bag full of gifts. The children only get their gifts after singing a song or reciting a poem for Ded Moroz or after solving one of his riddles. If you want to order such a service for your children, make sure to place your order in advance.
Normal service is suspended in most restaurants and cafes on the evening of 31st December, and you can only get a table that evening by pre-booking (often several weeks before) and by pre-buying a "ticket" for their New Year's Eve programme - which includes a multi-course meal (usually a set menu), drinks and live entertainment. The prices often bear no resemblance to the usual prices on any other day of the year, but there is intense demand nonetheless - book ahead or go hungry. Those not inclined to spend their New Year's Eve this way often choose to gather in the city's larger open public spaces - Red Square, Poklannaya Gora, etc. - and celebrate in impromptu street parties - these can often be packed too, and in recent years police have limited crowds in Red Square in the interests of public safety, so go early.
Russian Orthodox Christmas
January 7th is Russian Orthodox Christmas. After Easter this is the biggest Christian religious holiday. It is traditionally celebrated at home - families and friends will gather on the evening of 6th January, to mark the festival's arrival at midnight.
Defenders of the Fatherland Day
February 23rd is non-official Men's Day. This public holiday is officially called "Defenders of the Fatherland Day". All men in Russia are liable for call-up to military service, so they all consider themselves celebrities to a certain extent. On this day women usually give men small gifts.
International Women's Day
International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8th. In 1910, German socialist Klara Zetkin proposed an International Women's Day. Instead of men treating women nicely, the women went on strike and marched through the streets. On March 8th 1917 Klara Zetkin and her Russian counterpart Alexandra Kollontai, held a women's strike "for bread and peace" in St. Petersburg. This was soon followed by a general strike that triggered the March Revolution which brought down Tsar Nikolai II. Today the holiday has lost its political significance and has become popular for other reasons. Men are supposed to give women gifts on March 8th. They are also supposed to do all the housework on this day - at least in theory. Gift-giving to female colleagues and co-workers is considered largely obligatory.
May Day - Holiday of Spring and Labour
May 1st is the Holiday of Spring and Labour. During Soviet times, huge demonstrations were staged on this day, and everyone was obliged to show their loyalty to the state. (It's widely, but wrongly, thought that May Day in Russia is the day with the big parades, but in fact these come on May 9th - see below).
Victory Day
May 9th is Victory Day. This is the day on which Nazi Germany capitulated in 1945 after the war with the Soviet Union and other countries. A minute of silence is announced on Central TV in memory of the deceased at 21:00 and fireworks are held thereafter. Large May Day parades are held each year, but, for most part, they are not open to the public - instead grandstand places are by VIP invitation. The public can then watch the Parade as it leads away through the city. Usually the entire city center in Moscow is closed to traffic. The best place for non-VIPs to view the Moscow Parade is the section of Tverskaya nearest to Red Square - go early to grab a place. The holiday continues all day with open-air music, street events, and culminates in an enormous firework display, usually at 22:00. (In the rest of Europe, this day is usually called "V-E Day"; "Victory in Europe Day" and is marked on May 8th. Russia celebrates on May 9th because due to the time-difference between Moscow and Berlin, the late-night announcement occurred in the early hours of May 9th by local time in Moscow. The USSR remained engaged in military conflict after May 9th 1945, playing a crucial role against Japan - but Russian military historians name the subsequent hostilities "The Eastern War", and consider that WW2 ended on May 9th for the Soviet Forces.) In contrast the sombre Ceremonies of Rememberance in Western Europe, Russia celebrates May 9th as a huge victory and celebration - this may come as a surprise to foreigners. The Parade crowd can usually be heard chanting "spa-see-bo!" ("thank you!") to the ranks of veterans as they pass.
"The May Holidays"
The fortunate proximity of the May 1st and May 9th holidays above - especially if they fall luckily over weekends - offers many Russians the chance to take an entire week off work whilst only using 1-2 of their days of annual holiday allowance - and over a week usually associated with nice spring weather. This prompts a huge burst of vacationing both in Russia and abroad, and travel prices over this week can be extortionately more expensive than in the adjacent weeks - flights to popular destinations will usually sell out long in advance. Getting any kind of paperwork processed in a Govt organisation over this period usually comes to a dismal standstill.
Day of Russia
June 12th is Day of Russia, also referred to as Independence Day. This became an official holiday in 1994. No particular traditions or festivals are associated with this day.
National Unity Day
November 4th is National Unity Day. This new holiday was introduced in 2005. It replaces the Day of Accord and Reconciliation formerly called the Day of the October Revolution, which was traditionally celebrated on November 7th.
CELEBRATIONS WHICH ARE NOT DAYS OFF
City Days
Every city in Russia has its own City Day, usually celebrated on a date associated with some happy occasion for the city in question - each city has the right to choose its own date. There is usually some kind of parade, open-air music and merry-making, and a firework display after dusk. Some cities have unusual or unique events linked to the date in question - Moscow, for example, has a recreation of the Battle of Borodino, a turning-point in the war against Napoleon, whilst St. Petersburg has a naval display.
"Catholic Christmas"
Although much of the rest of the world is celebrating Christmas on 25th December, the Russian Church calendar dates Christmas as 7th January (see above, "Orthodox Christmas"). Russians name 25th December as "Catholic Christmas" (even though other faiths are also celebrating too) but it is not a public holiday in Russia. Believers often go to their own church services, and these can be the centre of some expat social life too. Bear in mind that branch offices of non-Russian companies (including airlines) may close in any case on 25th -26th December, or operate an emergencies-only service. Since many Russians choose to go away for the New Year holiday, the 25th-26th December closure of foreign Consulates for Christmas adds to the difficulty of getting visas for the great New Year getaway for some. Some expats feel somewhat deflated that 99% of Russia doesn't even realize that 25th December is a major holiday elsewhere - you may want to make your own plans, and nightspots and restaurants catering to foreigners will often have parties anyhow. The good news is that getting a table and paying the regular prices are no problem at all on December 25th, which is "just another working day" in Russia.
Old New Year
The Old New Year is celebrated by many on January 13th. Before the revolution of February 1918, Russians used a different calendar. The difference between the Julian (European) calendar was 13 days. After the Soviet government adopted the Gregorian calendar, Russians started to celebrate many holidays twice: once according to the old style, but with many still choosing to celebrate on the day when the holiday would have fallen prior to the Calendar Reform... the "old" New Year.
Maslenitsa (Whitsun)
It is a traditional Russian spring celebration also referred to as "Pancake Week" or "Butter week". It comes right before the seven-week Orthodox Lent. The word "maslenitsa" refers to the Russian word "maslo" meaning "butter". It refers to the fact that numerous different foods, including butter, cream and other fats, had to be used-up before the start of the seven-week Orthodox Lenten Fast. Many Russians - not only believers - will observe this Fast, and eat an entirely vegan diet - most cafes will offer an alternative Lenten Menu. Originally a pagan holiday celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of spring, pancakes were baked as a form of worship of the life-giving sun. Today this colourful celebration is once again gaining popularity, and numerous celebrations are held during this week.
Easter
Right after Maslenitsa comes the seven-week Lent leading right up to Easter. Orthodox Russians who take this fasting period very seriously will not consume any milk, eggs, or meat, with fish being eaten only on special occasions. Believers attend a very long and elaborate midnight church service that starts on the evening before Easter Sunday. The traditional greeting, if translated from Russian, says "Christ had risen from the dead/is alive". The reply to this is always "He has truly risen from the dead/is truly alive." Special round-shaped sweet Easter cakes are baked. Around Easter these cakes (called "kulich") are on sale in nearly every bakery and supermarket bread section. Eggs are coloured, with a red egg being considered the symbol of Easter. The red colour is achieved boiling the eggs with beets. To colour eggs yellow, boil them in onion husks.
April Fool's Day
April 1st is Fool's Day, literally meaning Day of Laughter. This is a day of fun and laughter but not a public holiday. People tell jokes to each other and newspapers and TV publish/run funny stories and jokes. The motto of this day is "Don't trust anyone on April 1st".

42.

Shopping::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Shopping
Food Shopping
Shopping in Moscow could be done day and night and you can find anything you want. Food shopping is very easy, and the choice of supermarkets - both Western and Russian - and products is huge. There are a number of shopping opportunities, ranging from small convenience stores located close to apartment blocks and metro stations to huge shopping centers found everywhere, including the city outskirts.
For those who like to shop in supermarkets, there is a variety of different chains, offering a wide range of products, including some that are popular particularly within the expatriate community. There are also farmer's markets where you can buy fresh goods directly from the producers.
Last but not least, you will find numerous smaller "kiosks" (small booths or stalls) all over town. Concentrations are particularly high outside metro stations. Some sell a variety of beverages, cigarettes and chocolates while others specialize in bread, fruit and vegetables, meat products, or toiletries. Some sell products made by a particular factory (meat and sausages in particular).
Many supermarkets are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Smaller food stores and food markets are also usually open seven days a week but many close around 9 or 10 p.m. Payment is accepted in rubles only, some of the larger supermarkets accept credit cards (usually they will ask for some photo-ID document). Along with food items and beverages, most supermarkets also sell a variety of other household items - from toiletries, cleaning liquids, detergents, and small selections of kitchenware to pantyhose, magazines and toys.
You should be able to find most of the items you're used to in Moscow. In addition to the locally produced goods, vast numbers of imported food products, and beverages are readily available here. Russian bread, milk products, sausage meats, salads, pancakes and frozen food (such as pelmeni, filled pancakes, vegetable patties, frozen dough, etc) are of excellent quality and taste great.
Carrying large bags, satchels, briefcases or similar bulky items is not allowed in most shops - small lockers are provided near the entrance, which you should use. In some supermarkets there are no lockers but at the entrance you will find a man or a woman with plastic bags of different size - you are supposed to put your bags (satchels or briefcases) in the plastic bag that will be sealed with a special device, and keep it with you while shopping. Most supermarkets charge a tiny fee for carrier bags - others provide very poor ones for free, while offering more substantial ones for a small price. Few Russians have heard of the issue of voluntarily limiting the use of plastic bags for ecological reasons.

Food Markets
What is a Russian "rynok" (market)? This word refers to a typical Russian farmer's market. These markets are located throughout the city and vary in size and pricing, but they all operate year round, seven days a week (except public holidays). Most farmer's markets have separate smaller buildings for such staple crops as potatoes, cabbage, onions, and carrots and for marinated garlic, cucumbers and wine leaves. The main hall usually has plenty of fruits and vegetables, spices, herbs, milk products, honey, fish, meat and poultry. Note that the word "rynok" can also refer to a wholesale market, which mostly has canned, boxed and pre-packed foodstuffs along with various household items; to a clothing market; or to a building materials market.
Things to Remember while Shopping at Markets
Bring a basket - you'll probably end up buying more than you planned.
Many vendors will offer you a sample of their product. Bear in mind that fruit and vegetables at the market have not been washed if you accept this offer.
Make sure you understand whether the price is for a kilo (za kilogram) or for one item (za adnu shtuku).
Don't forget to bargain, especially when buying fruit and vegetables. Many vendors at the market come from the Caucasus, where bargaining is an essential part of shopping.
Be careful when purchasing meat in the summertime - it is often not refrigerated.
Check you change - mistakes can and do happen.
Markets tend to be crowded, so beware of pickpockets. Do not carry your keys, passports and money in a lady's purse. Stow them away in a safe place. Never put documents, keys or money in the back pocket of your pants.
Buying Caviar
Be aware that black caviar (sturgeon caviar) is now under very tight legal controls which make it effectively impossible to purchase in Russia - Russian policy has changed, and they now take the Endangered Species of sturgeons very seriously. Do not get involved in buying it - in addition to the moral issues involved, you can end up in jail. Red caviar (salmon caviar) on the other hand is completely legal to purchase (and to take abroad with you) and is just as delicious.
Sweets
Russia produces a large variety of chocolates, bonbons, other candy, and cakes. Large supermarkets often have a separate section selling cakes. While Russians prefer to buy entire cakes, many stores now sell individual pieces. The most famous Russia chocolate factories are Krasny Oktyabr, Rot-Front, Babaevsky. Russian chocolate is of highest quality.
Alcohol
Wines, whisky, and other quality alcoholic beverages are now widely available in Moscow - but only from shops. Street kiosks and stands cannot sell anything stronger than beer by law. Russian-produced wines may be different to the taste you are used to, but you might like to try them - there are no bargains here, and the cheapest ones are cheap for a reason. In addition to a dazzling array of vodkas, Russian-produced cognacs can be enjoyable - once again, avoid the low-priced stuff if you can.
Reading Expiration Dates
Figuring out expiration dates for food products and beverages can be tricky affair in Russia. The vast majority of imported products have the expiration date stamped, printed or engraved on either the top or bottom of the container or can or on the lid. Some (for example, baby food) have both the production and expiration data. Some local producers have already switched to this system. However, you need to be aware of the fact that some Russian companies still print the production and not the expiration date on their products, which can cause confusion. In such cases you will find the production date printed and a message saying: "This product can be kept for 'x' months/years from the production date" somewhere on the can, container or packaging. This most often applies to eggs, Russian canned goods, Russian chocolate, some milk products and pre-packaged bread. Yet other products (for example, some Russian juices and milk products) may come with both the production and expiration data). As everywhere in the world, check the dates if you are suspicious
Peculiarities of Communication with Vendors
You may find that vendors become impatient when you are unable to explain to them what you want. Please don't be offended - this is not because they don't like you personally. Shop assistants are paid to serve the public, but not to be especially polite or charming to the customers - don't take their offhand attitude personally. In privately-run shops, or at kiosks being run by the owner service can sometimes be charming, especially if you become a "regular" - you may even begin to enjoy "privileges" such as them keeping-back the best fruit for you, or saving something for you in case you drop by.
Clothing and Accessories
Clothing, shoes and accessories can also be purchased everywhere, with the options ranging from everyday affordable to designer and haute couture. The most expensive outlets such as Chanel and Hermes are located on Tretyakovsky passage and Stoleshnikov lane; while the less expansive clothing lines, such as H&M, Zara etc. can be found in many Moscow shopping centers, e.g. Mega Mall, Stockmann, Metropolis. In the last 2-3 years a range of city-centre shopping malls have opened where you can find franchises of international chains like Fat Face, Benetton, Marks & Spencers, Uniqlo etc. The two largest malls are Evropeisky (adjacent to Kievsky station) and Atrium (adjacent to Kursky station) - these have substantially superceded the previous generation of malls, whose weary ranges are still on sale to those who haven't yet found the better places.
Among the great variety of shops, boutiques, fashion salons and galleries in modern Moscow there are those that enter the "must see" category. Along with Kremlin and the Red Square they head the list of the main tourist attractions. Among them are GUM, TsUM, and Okhotny Ryad.
GUM (Main Universal (Department) Store)
Known before the Revolution as Upper Trade Rows, GUM has been "a shopping center" of Moscow for ages. Its luxuriant edifice houses three arcades of shops under a glass roof. Recently renovated, it lost all the traces of Soviet stagnation and now houses some top Western trade chains along with speciality shops and boutiques. GUM's image has mutated considerably from soviet grot to opulent elegance - it's now a location for premium brands. Russians coming to Moscow from other cities still come to GUM to shop, but Muscovites have mostly moved-on from GUM's overpriced and somewhat snooty outlets. It is worth coming here to see the extraordinarily beautiful building itself, and perhaps have a coffee in one of the upper galleries - but there are better places for actual shopping these days.
TsUM (Central Universal (Department) Store)
Another large department store of Moscow, TsUM, traces its history since 1880s, when Scotsmen Archibald Merilees and Andrew Muir founded the branch of their trading company "Muir and Merilees" in Moscow. In 1892 "Muir and Merilees" department store welcomed the first customers in the new building on Petrovka street. The modern building was erected in 1908 after a project by Roman Klein; that time it was considered to be a technical breakthrough and an architectural masterpiece. Moscow tour guides usually classify it as "one of the last samples of European Gothic, slightly influenced by Art Nouveau". Completely reconstructed in 1997, TsUM now complies all international standards of service, though it's too expensive for most ordinary Muscovites. Muscovites in-the-know generally consider TsUM better than GUM as an upscale retailer of premium-priced branded goods - but no-one does their daily shopping at either.
Okhotny Ryad
Located right near Kremlin, this underground three-storeyed shopping palace serves also as one of the main tourist sights. Plenty of shops and boutiques, offering wide range of goods, are located in this shopping centre. World most famous brands, such as Mexx, Calvin Klein, Tissot, along with less famous but also less expensive, are represented in "Okhotny Ryad", satisfying taste and requirements of customers of different personal income. The noisy and hot, sticky atmosphere isn't appreciated by all, although a teenage public likes to hang out there. But most shoppers are increasingly attracted by the much wider range of shops, and nicer facilities and services, at Evropeisky or Atrium, or the out-of-town malls like Mega.

43.

Taxes :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Every foreigner coming to work in Russia has numerous points of interest regarding the Russian social security and personal income tax consequences that may arise for him and his employer as a result of his assignment. Here is a brief overview of many of the requirements in Russian tax law that need to be considered with regard to an individual assigned to work in Russia. However, the Russian tax system is fluid, requirements apparent in the law may not be what happens in practice, and there is wide scope for different interpretations by different chief accountants, tax inspectorates and tax inspectors. There is therefore, a real need to avoid assumptions and to check carefully before determining the likely tax consequences of any particular event.
Tax Residency, Rates and Scope
The starting point for analyzing an individual's Russian tax position will tend to be his tax residency status. This affects both the scope of income subject to tax, and the tax rates to be applied in Russia. However, there is a problem in this area, in that practice is not consistent with the Law. Under the Law, a tax resident is a person who is physically present in Russia for more than 182 days during a consecutive twelve month period. There is provision for absences caused by situations such as medical illness to continue to be counted as presence in Russia. However, the tax authorities view residency as determined with reference to presence in a calendar year (which was, interestingly, the old rule before the Law was changed).
Therefore, based on the tax authorities' current interpretation of the residency rule, if an individual spends at least 183 days in Russia in a calendar year, then he is tax resident and is taxable in Russia on most types of his worldwide income at the resident tax rate of 13%. Otherwise, he is a non-resident taxable in Russia at the 30% non-resident tax rate on his Russian source income.
Russian source income is generally defined as income arising from assets in Russia, or earned in Russia, irrespective of where the income is paid. There is also some debate as to the definition of a day of presence in Russia. The conservative position would be that days of arrival do not count in determining total presence in Russia, whilst days of departure do. However, a number of letters from the Ministry of Finance indicate that a taxpayer is viewed as present in Russia on both days of arrival and departure.
Taxable Income
The general philosophy of the Russian tax system is that all income is subject to tax, but there are nuances beyond this. To create the general picture on what may be included in the taxable income for Russian tax purposes, the most common income items subject to Russian income tax are set out below.
Employment Income
Employment income consists of compensation, whether received in cash or in kind, including, but not limited to, salary, bonuses and various expatriate allowances and benefits. Tax residents are entitled to certain types of deductions from income. Sometimes, reimbursements, which might be viewed as business expenses in other jurisdictions can be viewed as taxable income in Russia. The only material tax exempt type of income is employer provided insurance, but the details of this need to be checked dependent upon the specifics of each employer's programs.
TAXATION OF EMPLOYER-PROVIDED STOCK
Options and Equity Programs
Based on general tax principles, at the time of exercise of an employer-provided stock option, an employee recognizes income equal to the excess of the fair market value of the stock over the exercise price. Stock Grants are generally viewed as received for tax purposes at the point that all restrictions are lifted, and the value at that date is used to determine income. However, there are no specific rules for the taxation of, or sourcing of the income from, equity programs, so great care needs to be taken with the specifics of each particular plan.
Self-Employment and Business Income
The income of individuals engaged in self-employment activities is subject to income tax. Tax is levied on the individual's annual self-employment income, which consists of gross income, less documented expenses associated with the performance of the work. Under certain circumstances, a simplified tax regime may apply.
Investment Income
Dividends received by residents are subject to tax at a rate of 9%. Russian dividends received by non-residents are subject to tax at a rate of 15%. At the time of writing, consideration was being given to removing the 9% rate and reverting to 13% for residents.
Interest income on bank deposits held in the Russian Federation that exceeds the Central Bank's refinancing rate increased by 5 percentage points on rouble deposits (or for foreign-currency deposits, interest that exceeds 9%), is subject to tax at a penalty rate of 35%. Most other bank interest is exempt from tax.
Capital Gains
Income from the disposal of assets is included in regular income and from this it is possible for tax residents to deduct costs related to the asset's acquisition and sale. Special, but similar, rules apply to income from the disposal of securities. A separate capital gains tax does not apply.
Withholding
Income received by foreign nationals working in Russia may be subject to tax withholding at source if delivered by a company registered in Russia. Under current tax law, all Russian companies, and foreign organizations operating in Russia through a representative office or a branch must act as a tax withholding agent, which usually means they must withhold the personal income tax at source.
The tax authorities view tax residency as ultimately being determined for a calendar year. However, for withholding, the tax agent must review the presence of the recipient of the income over the preceding twelve months. This potentially means that all newly arrived individuals are considered non-residents for Russian tax withholding purposes until they reach 183 days in Russia in the twelve months prior to a particular payment; thus, the non-resident tax rate of 30% applies to their income for tax withholding purposes. Individuals who arrived in Russia at the end of a previous year may be subject to 13% tax rate in the next year upon confirmation of their exceeding the 183-day period. However, future intention to stay in Russia for 183 days or more in the following twelve month period, even if he or she has a signed contract for this period with a company operating in Russia, does not allow an employer to use the 13% resident rate starting from the day of arrival of this individual. This rate can be applied only after the individual has actually spent 183 days in Russia in a 12-month period. At the time of each payroll payment during the year, the employer must verify the residency status of each employee and withhold income tax at the appropriate rate in accordance with the number of days the employee has spent in Russia in the 12-month period preceding the date of payment.
If Russian income tax is withheld from the expatriates' entire remuneration, then he may not be required to file a tax return in Russia, unless he has received other income subject to tax in Russia, but not subject to tax withholding.
Double Tax Relief and Tax Treaties
Russia has an extensive (and continuously expanding and revising) network of double tax treaties with many jurisdictions around the world.
Under these treaties taxpayers may be either exempt income from the payment of Russian tax or foreign tax paid may be credited against Russian tax payable, but the foreign tax credit may not exceed the Russian tax payable on the same income. To obtain an exemption or a tax credit, the taxpayer must submit a Russian tax return actively claiming the benefit, and present a certificate of residency from a country with which the Russian Federation has a double tax treaty, and a document certified by the tax authority of the foreign country proving that the income was received and the foreign tax was paid.
In practice, obtaining such reliefs can be problematical, and care needs to be taken in optimising the chances of success for any such claim.
DEDUCTIONS
The Russian Tax Code foresees standard, social, professional and property-related tax deductions available for tax residents.
Social Tax Deductions
These deductions include annual deductions for certain charitable contributions (up to 25% of income), education expenses for the taxpayers and their children (up to 50,000 Rbs per child per taxpayer), medical expenses for the taxpayers and expenses related to contributions to licensed Russian non-state pension funds.
Property-Related Tax Deductions
The most visible tax deductions are related to property. Income received from the sale of real property, which was in the ownership of a taxpayer for three years is effectively exempt from taxation in Russia, though this must be actively claimed on a tax return. If, however, this minimum holding period is not met, the gains derived from the sale of property are taxable in Russia as regular income (gross income less documented expenses). The ability to deduct costs or obtain special tax benefits tends to apply only to tax residents.
The taxpayer may alternatively elect to pay tax on the proceeds less a fixed annual deduction. In the case of real estate held fewer than three years, the maximum fixed deduction is 1 million roubles; in the case of other property (except securities) held fewer than three years, the maximum fixed deduction is 125,000 Rbs (250,000 Rbs starting January 2010). Income derived from the sale of securities is subject to special rules.
Income from the sale of a car which was owned by an individual for more than three years is no longer taxable from 2010.
Also, each tax resident individual claim a property-related tax deduction for the expenses incurred to construct or purchase certain real estate in Russia on a "once in a lifetime" basis. The deduction is limited to 2 million roubles. Mortgage and certain other interest payment are deductible in addition to the 2 million roubles.
Starting January 2010, tax residents are entitled to additional property-related tax deductions in the amount of interest on loans used for the acquisition of a plot of land, where residential real estate is located/constructed; in the amount of interest on the refinancing of loans used for the new construction/acquisition of a house; and in the amount of expenses incurred in connection with the preparation of design for residential real estate.
Tax Filing and Payment Procedures
The tax year in Russia is the calendar year. Tax returns must be filed by both tax residents and non-residents, who have at least one source of income subject to tax in Russia on which income tax has not been withheld by a tax agent. The final tax return must be submitted by 30 April of the year following the tax period with no extension available. The final tax must be paid no later than 15 July of the following year.
If a foreign individual plans to cease to engage in activities that generate income taxable in Russia and then leave the country, the individual must submit a departure declaration no later than one month before the individual leaves Russia. Tax due on the basis of the departure tax declaration must be paid no later than 15 days after the declaration is filed with the tax authorities.
Whilst there are no specific restrictions on amending tax returns, such amendments will inevitably attract attention, particularly, if the level of income is reduced, and the general course of prudence is to ensure that a return is correct before it is filed.
Currently, individual taxpayers pay taxes on a self-assessment basis. The Russian tax authorities are not obliged to issue official tax assessments. However, sometimes they do issue tax notifications (effectively the same thing), and very rarely, there may be some discrepancies between tax assessments made by the individual and the tax authorities.
Paying tax can be quite complex, and is best done directly from the personal Russian rouble bank account of the taxpayer directly to the accounts of the tax authorities. Importantly, companies cannot safely settle the personal tax liabilities of their expatriates, which presents logistical issues for those on net pay or tax protected or equalised compensation programs. There are numerous different accounts and other reference numbers and codes, and the taxpayer needs to make sure these are correctly included on the payment order. Payments often go missing within the tax authorities' system, and it is worthwhile checking that they have been properly credited to the taxpayer's account a few weeks after the payment is made.
Sanctions for Non-Compliance
There are certain fines established for non-compliance with the tax rules. Failure to submit tax returns after the filing deadline would result in a fine of 5% of the tax due under the return for each full or partial month of delay for the initial 180 days of delay and accelerating to 10% of tax due per full or partial month thereafter with no cap. Fines of 20% or 40% can also be imposed for under-declaration of income dependent upon whether this was accidental.
Late payment interest is charged for each day of late payment of the tax and is calculated as the amount of underpayment multiplied by 1/300 of the current Central Bank refinancing rate (currently 1/300 * 10%) per day.
Social Security Contributions
Under the current Russian law, all Russian companies or foreign organizations operating in Russia through a representative office or a branch, which make payments to individuals (including foreign individuals) under the employment or civil-law agreements are obliged to pay Unified Social Tax (UST) from the income delivered to the employees. The tax is paid entirely by the employer and there is no concept of matching employee contributions in Russia.
Due to the recent changes in the Russian law, starting January 2010, the UST will be replaced by social security contributions to the Russian various statutory funds, including the Pension, Medical and Social Insurance Fund. However, the remuneration paid under employment agreements and civil-law contracts to foreign citizens temporarily located in Russia (most expatriates on assignments in Russia who do not hold temporary or permanent residency permits) will not be subject to social contributions, since such foreign citizens are not entitled to the relevant benefits financed by the social funds.
In addition to the UST (or social security contributions starting January 2010), an employer must pay separate contributions to the Social Insurance Fund on behalf of all its employees, including foreign employees, insuring against accidents at work and professional diseases (the rate depends on the class of the professional risk for specific employer and vary from 0.2% to 8.5%). For most office employees the rate is 0.2% and this will continue for foreign nationals under the new regime.
COMMON PITFALLS
In current Russian tax system, there are various pitfalls, which the unwary may encounter. Some of the most common of these are set out below in what is a far from comprehensive list.
The 183 Day Myth
There is common understanding that no tax would apply if an individual stays in Russia for fewer than 183 days. This may or may not be true. Non-residents are still taxed in Russia on their Russian source income. If all income subject to tax in Russia delivered through the local payroll, then tax would be withheld at source with no further need to submit tax return. If, however, the individual is paid by an offshore employer for his work in Russia, then it may be necessary to submit a Russian tax return.
No tax would apply if the individual's assignment and pay structure satisfies certain provisions of the relevant Double Tax Treaty (if this is the case). However, even in this situation, tax relief technically needs to be applied for by means of tax return submission. In order to claim a relief, an individual has to go through the long procedure of submission of various documents without any guarantee of the positive result.
Russia Only Has 13% Taxes Myth
This is not true. The tax rate for residents is 13%, but it is 30% for tax non-residents. Given that the definition of a tax resident is a matter for technical debate, great care is needed to ensure that the 13% rate will apply, particularly, for expatriates in the year of their arrival or departure. Whether a person arrives in the second half or the year or leaves in the first half of the year, achieving the necessary presence in Russia to be a tax resident can be logistically impossible. Many expatriates are also surprised to find that, even where they qualify for the 13% rate for a particular year, they do not receive the benefit of this immediately through payroll, at least in the early part of their assignment, but, instead, have to wait until they have been physically present in Russia for over 183 days. They then receive the refund of the "over-withheld" 17%, but the cash flow disadvantage can be an unpleasant surprise.
No Tax Deductions for Non-Residents
The current Tax Code does not foresee tax deductions for tax non-residents. These are available for tax resident individuals only. In this connection, tax non-residents cannot benefit from the most visible deductions related to the purchase or sale of a property in Russia. This is a particularly unpleasant surprise for persons disposing of property after they have left Russia, especially, where they have been waiting to qualify for the three year exemption before selling. There is a significant difference between paying no tax at all, and paying 30% on the full proceeds of sale without even a deduction for what one originally paid for the property.
Investment Income is not Tax Exempt
Offshore income received by Russian tax residents can be relieved from Russian tax in case the individual is either a tax resident in another jurisdiction or has paid tax there and a relevant Double Tax Treaty is in place. Depending on the situation, Russia might have the right to only tax income earned in Russia, or may give a credit for foreign taxes. However, offshore income is not just "tax free" as of right, and care needs to be taken to manage liabilities in this regard.
Equity Income May be Taxable in Russia, but No-One Really Knows How
There is great uncertainty as regards the taxation of various different types of employee equity plans. Such plans are usually operated by the employing group, but often by a (non-Russian) entity (or employee benefit trust) other than the actual employer. It is very rare that such programs are managed locally with tax withholding through Russian payroll. This places the requirement to determine tax treatment onto the individual, and he will have difficulty determining how much income he has received, when he receives it and to what duties this income relates. It is hard to determine the "right" answer to these questions as whatever arguments could be used could be countered through different logic. In reality, many taxpayers have used the arguments that suit them best, which would tend to analyses that suggest they have no receipt of income, or that the income has nothing to do with Russia, or that the level of that income is as low as possible. This has led to something of an urban myth that income from equity programs is exempt from Russian tax, but this can be a dangerous assumption. There is increasing transparency in Russia with regard to the allocation of the costs of corporate equity programs; hence, aggressive or even non-compliant tax filing positions that may have proved successful in the past are no longer safe.
How Will They Know?
In a self declared, self assessed tax system, where tax scrutiny tends to fall upon those who file tax returns rather than those who do not, some individuals may well ask the question of why they should file a return and what tools the tax authorities may have to find out about non-compliance if they do not.
There has been a general drift to improved compliance in recent years, particularly, amongst expatriates. This has been partly driven by corporate policy of good governance, but also because with its low tax rates, declaring income and paying tax in Russia has proven good tax planning in assisting with the avoidance of tax on that income in other jurisdictions. This does mean the tax authorities have been improving their knowledge, because they are seeing more. The quality of the record keeping at the tax authorities is also improving, and becoming more computerized (the authorities are asking for individual tax returns for 2009 to be submitted with an electronic copy, as well as the traditional paper forms), making data easier to find.
However, greater risks arise through the increased transparency of accounting and corporate recharging, where the costs of an expatriate's remuneration paid outside of Russia need to be made more explicit and clear at the level of the host Russian business so as to minimize the level of risk of that business being denied a corporate tax deduction. Whilst the specifics of tax cases are different, the general trend has been for corporate taxpayers to win in court, where the documentation for recharged costs is clear and open, but to lose where it is opaque and the costs of expatriates remain more obscure. Hence, an assumption by an expatriate that the authorities will not know about his offshore paid income is dangerous, as his employer may well be providing documentation that specifically evidences this.
Recent years have also seen a significant rise in the level of contact between the Russian tax authorities and other jurisdictions, with voluntary sharing of data about persons with tax affairs in both. Particular contact has been noted with France, Germany and Finland, with countries using the mutual co-operation provisions of tax treaties to help them identify potential tax evasion. This trend echoes a more general global pattern, and whilst Russia remains well behind many other jurisdictions in the sophistication of its tax control, it is improving quite rapidly. Non-compliance is increasingly risky, whilst the tax cost of actual compliance is low, even if the administration of it remains burdensome.

44.

Moscow Neighbourhoods::Kitai-Gorod::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

"Kitai" in Russian means "China", but Kitai-Gorod is not China-town! There are several theories explaining the origin of this name: according to the most popular one the word "kita" in Old Russian meant a "fence" and this area was in fact surrounded by a big wall; another theory claims that Italian builders brought the word "citta"("city") to Moscow. People started to settle here already in the 11th century. By the 14th century it was an area densely populated by craftsmen and merchants. In order to protect people of the Kremlin and Kitai-Gorod from Tatar and Lithuanian invaders Elena Glinskaya, mother of Ivan the Terrible, decided to dig a moat around the district. Later the moat was replaced by a big stone wall which was constructed in 1538 and destroyed in Soviet time. Inside the walls numerous shops, stores and markets appeared; thus Kitai-Gorod turned into a very important business and trading centre. Three main streets of Kitai-Gorod (Nikolskaya, Ilyinka and Varvarka) split duties a long time ago.
Nikolskaya
Nikolskaya street may be called the "Place of Enlightenment". It was the location of countless bookshops and "residence" of famous second-hand booksellers where you could find everything from an ancient manuscript to a recent edition of some famous writer. And it was not by accident: in 1564 the first ever Russian printed book "Apostol" came into the world here, in the first ever Russian printing-house run by Ivan Fedorov. A monument to Fedorov is located in Teatralny passage. Later the Institute of History and Archives was built on the place of the first printing-house; in its ornamentation it is still possible to detect motives typical for the old printing-house.
The first Russian high school opened on Nikolskaya street in 1687. Students of Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy could find any book on Nikolskaya and could study diligently. Greeks were professors of the academy and they raised future "father of Russian science" and founder of the Moscow State University - Mikhail Lomonosov.
The shortest street in Moscow, Tretyakovsky passage, embellished by a beautiful arc in Russian style, connects Nikolskaya street and Teatralny passage. Today it is a centre point of the fanciest and most expensive boutiques.
Ilyinka
The central street of Kitai-Gorod, Ilyinka, has always been a commercial street. First it was the location of the biggest Moscow market that offered wide range of products; that is well seen in the names of local lanes (Rybny lane ("Fish lane"), Khrustalny lane ("Crystal lane"), Vetoshny lane ("Old Clothes lane"). In the 19th century Ilyinka also became a business centre when biggest banks in Russia and Moscow Stock-Exchange ("Birzha") opened here. Today the imposing Classical-style building of Birzha houses the Russian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
In the beginning of Ilyinka there is one of the most important trading centres in Moscow - Gostiny Dvor. The word "gost" ("guest") used to have the meaning "merchant" and Gostiny Dvor, sumptuous creation of architect Giacomo Kvarengi, gathered hundreds of representatives of this profession.
Varvarka
The street was named after the Church of St. Varvara, the patroness of trade. The church stands in the very beginning of Varvarka since the 16th century. Imperishable relics of St. Varvara were said to cure people for serious diseases. Another famous Church of Maxim the Blessed was built in the 17th century and is known as "Moscow Pisa Tower" due to its sloping walls. Russia has always treated the so-called "blessed" people with a special care as they were believed to be able to prophesy.
One of the oldest civil stone buildings in Moscow is situated on Varvarka - it is the Old English Court. It was built in the 15-16th centuries by merchant Bobrishchev who was actively trading with Britain. Ivan the Terrible presented the chambers to British merchants but after 100 years of owning this house they were forced to leave it: Tsar Aleksey Mikhailovich was filled with indignation by the execution of Karl I in England and ordered to deport British merchants.
In the 16th century house No 10 belonged to boyar Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin-Yuriev, grandfather of the first Russian Tsar of Romanov dynasty - Mikhail Romanov. This family also owned Znamensky monastery; Znamensky cathedral has preserved to our days.
Other famous streets of Kitai-Gorod area are Pokrovka, Maroseika and Solyanka.
Pokrovka
Pokrovka street crosses the boulevard ring between Chistoprudny and Pokrovsky boulevards. At first Pokrovka was a small countryside road with the river Rachka, which was constantly bursting its banks and leaving everywhere a lot of mud and silt. This unattractive road led to Rubtsovo and Izmailovo, favourite estates of many Russian tsars, and later many grandees from the tsars' retinue settled here. Obliging noblemen tried to make royal trips as pleasant as possible, that is why Pokrovka was "ennobled", the road was paved and new beautiful houses were built. In the end of the 19th century noblemen were ousted by merchants, and countless shops and little markets flooded the area. When Kursky railway station was opened in 1860s, Pokrovka street became cluttered with cheap hotels, inns and workshops.
Some signs of Pokrovka's "noble" past are preserved till now. Magnificent blue-white palace, often called "the chest of drawers" is a rare sample of Elizabethan baroque designed by architect Ukhtomsky. A legend tells that Alexander Pushkin used to take dancing classes this very building, which by then belonged to his relatives Trubetskiye. In 1861 a gymnasium opened here; it brought up such outstanding students as the father of modern theatre Konstantin Stanislavsky and the founder of Soviet aviation Nikolay Zhukovsky.
Maly Kazenny lane, once famous for a hospital for the poor, runs parallel to Pokrovka street. Here in the middle of the 19th century doctor F. Gaaz, "the holy doctor", helped hundreds of people in need. Gaaz was also the head doctor of Moscow prisons, and criminals adored him for his love of people and kindness to outcasts. His motto "Don't be late to do good" is written on the monument to this great person.
Maroseika
Pokrovka originally was longer, but in the 17th century it was divided into two parts, one of them kept the old name, the other became Maroseika street. Actually it was called Malorosseika (Malorossiya is an old designation for the Ukraine), but later the name changed a little bit. The Ukraine joined Russia in 1654 and many Ukrainians migrated to the new capital. They were (and still are) humorously called "khokhly" ("tufts of hair") due to their extravagant haircuts: they used to shave heads leaving a long tuft of hair on the top. Local street names still remind us about them: Khokhlovskaya square, Khokhlovsky lane, Church of Trinity in Khokhlovka. Ukrainian commanders, hetmans, used to stay in Maroseika during their visits.
Embassy of another neighbouring country, Byelorussia, occupies magnificent palace with beautiful stucco mouldings and sumptuous interiors. It was built in 1780-1796 after a project by Vasily Bazhenov for field-marshal Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, hero of Russian-Turkish war. Across the street, right opposite the Bazhenov's palace, there is the Church of Kozma and Damian by Kozakov. Another church stands in the beginning of Maroseika, the Church of St. Nikolay in Blinniki. Its name has a rather appetizing story: once the smell of pancakes spread around the neighbourhood making people's stomachs rumble, as pancakes-sellers came here with their tasty goods ("bliny" means "pancakes"). This traditional Russian food gave the name Blinniki to the area and later to the church.
While walking along Maroseika check Starosadsky lane with the magnificent Ivanovsky convent. Lost in Moscow courtyards, it was founded in the 16th century by Ivan the Terrible's mother Elena Glinskaya. This convent served not only as a shelter for nuns, but also as a prison. It remembers mysterious Princess Tarakanova, claimed to be the daughter of Tsarina Elizabeth and Count Razumovsky. Tsarina Catherine the Great regarded her as a threat to own power and kept Princess Tarakanova in solitary confinement for many years.
Another famous prisoner of this convent was Darya Saltykova. This serf owner showed incredible "creativity", making up new kinds of tortures for her serfs. In the 20th century this prison tradition was carried on, this time the CheKa brought here its victims.
The Maroseika area is the one to keep in mind while choosing the apartment. Despite its proximity to the city center and being dominated by offices and retail stores, this district is surprisingly quiet and very convenient. Most of the apartments in this area are spacious and have high ceilings.
Solyanka
Once Solyanka laid among beautiful royal gardens, but the growing city had no mercy for those green plantations. Houses supplanted trees, exhaust replaced oxygen and fresh air, and quiet countryside road became a busy city street. The name Solyanka literally means "Salty Street", and it was the "saltiest" street indeed: many salt warehouses were located here.
Not only gastronomically important objects were found in Solyanka. House No 14 was once occupied by the Board of Guardians; orphanages, hospitals, almshouses, and banks in Russia were under its jurisdiction. Sumptuous and monumental, the building is a marvellous sample of Moscow Empire Style, built by architects Gilardi and Grigoriev. Today it houses the Academy of Medical Science.
One of the foundling hospitals, managed by Board of Guardians, was once in the next house. It was established in 1763 with special permission of Her Majesty Catherine the Great. Children-orphans studied different subjects, reading, writing, drawing, later some of them were sent to work in workshops and factories; others continued their academic carrier in university, Academy of art, medical schools; most talented ones were sent to study abroad. The motto of this institution is depicted in two allegorical figures, guarding the entrance, "Charity" and "Education".
Kitai-Gorod adjoins the Taganka area.
Taganka
The district "Taganka" is located between the rivers: Moscow and Yauza. In 1632, this settlement combined 93 courts. But the street Taganskaya itself has an earlier origin - from the 14th century. It was a part of the road to Kolomna, Ryazan and other cities. After a fire in 1812, many large and beautiful stone houses were built along the street. Some of these houses were converted to factories by their owners. In 1867, more than 60% of the houses belonged to merchants, some of whom were at the time already bestowed the title of honorary citizen. Taganka acquired industrial features and the first decade of the 20th century finally turned Taganka into one of the largest industrial areas of Moscow. Although, by that time, the inhabitants there were no longer merchants, but the working class. After the revolution, the area was called "the Proletarian" up until 1936, when it was named "Taganskaya".

45.

Palace Revolutions and Catherine the Great (18th Century)::The History of Moscow::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Palace Revolutions

From the death of Peter the Great to the beginning of Catherine the Great's reign, Moscow throne was occupied by six different monarchs who came to power after dirty palace intrigues and palace revolutions. Two of them - Ivan Antonovich and Peter III - were deposed by force and assassinated. This period was the time of political instability, when the country was mostly ruled by women and minors (so-called "The Petticoat Period"). They all thought little of country's prosperity, paying attention to balls, luxury and fun; although that was good for Russian architecture: many palaces were built and some interesting architectural tendencies were introduced. That concerned mostly St.Petersburg as monarchs preferred to live in this Europeanized city. Only Elizabeth the First (1741-1761), daughter of Peter the Great, decided to live in Moscow periodically, presenting the former capital with a flurry of new buildings. This fun-loving empress is also the one to thank for the foundation of Moscow State University in 1755, the first University in Russia. She was guided by Russia's 18th-century Renaissance man Mikhail Lomonosov, the poet and the scientist in one.
Catherine the Great

In 1762 the wife of Peter III, a German princess, planned a conspiracy, as a result of which her husband was dethroned and killed. Under the name of Catherine II she proved herself as an energetic and intelligent leader. She was one of the most educated monarchs of her time, art and literature lover, even Voltaire and Didro were among her correspondents. Catherine the Great was known to share views of the Enlightenment ideologists, but in fact she was an adherent of Absolutism, Russia under Catherine the Great became a perfect example of an absolute monarchy. Catherine aimed to continue the centralization of power using rough methods, she liquidated self-government in the Ukraine, suppressed many peasant rebellions (Pugachev's Rebellion for example), made territorial gains at the expense of Turkey and Poland. At the same time she carried out a progressive reform of education in Russia, reform of Russia's legal system and some other innovations.

46.

Moscow Neighbourhoods::Zamoskvorechiye::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Zamoskvorechiye
The area in the city centre beyond the Moscow River - this should be the shortest definition of this area. Zamoskvorechiye (literally it really means "beyond the Moscow River") with its peculiar spirit of old Moscow outskirts stands apart from other Moscow districts. For a long time this area had not been a prestigious one, as every spring it was vastly overflowed. In the 16-17th centuries Zamoskvorechiye was mostly occupied by artisans and craftsmen, who lived in small separate settlements - the so-called "slobody". Each sloboda took its name from the main business of its inhabitants: for example, Sadovaya ("Garden" where gardeners lived), Ovchinnaya ("Sheepskin"), and so on. The names of now non-existent slobodas gave the names to contemporary streets and lanes: Ovchinnikovsky lane, Kosachiy ("Cossack") lane and others.
Zamoskvorechiye began to change rapidly in the late 18th century, when Vodootvodny ("Drainage") channel was constructed. Since that merchants began to build their mansions here; for a very short time they managed to set up quite a new district with a peculiar patriarchal spirit. Those of nobles who preferred solitude to sumptuous balls or those who had no money to live in the centre also settled here; for example, young Lev Tolstoy used to live on Pyatnitskaya street.
This area is composed of buildings of different types, both old and modern. There are also a lot of museums and churches in the area. Thanks to the flat topography and low building height, the Kremlin hill is clearly visible to the southern outskirts of the city. With a sharp bend of the river, from the coastal hills to the South-West and South-East of the Kremlin, it offers magnificent views. The significant development that took place in this area up until 1917 contributed significantly to the erection of many a building in the area. After 1917, Zamoskvorechiye was very densely populated; all the old mansions and apartment houses were turned into communal apartments. Nationalized by the Soviet power, Zamoskvorechiye always had the glory of the industrial district. In the last decade of the 20th century extensive work on the restoration and reconstruction of the Zamoskvorechiye was done, with the aim of preserving and revitalizing the architectural appearance of the area.
Now many Russian banks have their headquarters here and there are some great new residential buildings in this area. A number of cultural attractions are located here, including the world-famous Tretyakov Gallery.
The Embankment of Moscow River
In 1783, when the spring tide caused damage to Bolshoi Kamenny bridge ("Great Stone bridge"), Moscow River was drawn aside its bed to the specially constructed channel to repair the piers of the bridge. This event gave birth to one of the most picturesque sites of Zamoskvorechiye - the island between Moscow River and Vodootvodny channel.
Crossing Moscow River via Bolshoi Moskvoretsky bridge ("Great Moscow River bridge"), we come to Bolotnaya ("Swamp") street. To the left there is Balchug street; its name comes from the Tatar "balchuk", which stands for "mud". It was really muddy here till Vodootvodny channel drained the surrounding swamps.
The popularity of this place rose steeply in 1552, when under Ivan the Terrible the first "kabak" (Russian equivalent of what we now call "pub") in Moscow was opened here. "Kabak" also functioned as a pawn-shop, and alcohol-lovers here had a unique opportunity to drink away not only their money but even clothes.
Times passed, the street became dryer and, as a result, much more prestigious. In 1898 sumptuous Balchug Hotel was built here to become the main site of contemporary Balchug street.
Sophiiskaya embankment lies between two bridges: Bolshoi Kamenny and Bolshoi Moskvoretsky; it got its name from the Church of St. Sophia dated late 17th century. Placed right opposite the Kremlin, it provides a brilliant view of its churches and towers.
Bolotnaya square (literally "swampy square") earlier was called simply Boloto ("Swamp") due to the regular floods occurring here. In winter it used to be covered with ice; in the 16-17th centuries fisticuffs were held here. Fisticuffs were a very special affair of pre-revolutionary Russia: neither a sport affair, nor they were aimed to harm anyone. It was simply a way to relieve the stress and "relax" for the mighty Russian men. Sometimes even tsars came to Boloto to observe the daring fighters. In the 17th century the square was drained; here in 1775 Yemelian Pugachev, the head of anti-tsarist rebellion, was executed. Now the best sight of the square is the monument to Repin, the famous Russian artist.
Across the road, on Serafimovicha street, there is more than huge house No 2, designed in 1928 by Boris Iofan. It consists of several residential parts (totally 24 porches with 5050 flats), also houses food store, Estrada Theatre and Udarnik Cinema. Here lived Members of Soviet Government, marshals, admirals and other members of the Soviet elite. It is hard to say whether they were happy to live here: all flats were furnished with absolutely identical state furniture; all the phones were tapped. 1930s was the time of troubles for this house: most of its inhabitants became victims of Stalinist repressions. The walls of this house carry more than 20 memorial plaques: more than anywhere in Moscow.
"House on Embankment", as Yury Trifonov called house No 2 in his book of the same name, still has many secrets. For example, porch No 11 had been always closed and it is known that there is not a single flat in it. The purpose of this porch remains a thrilling mystery.
Right near the "House on Embankment" the Chambers of Averiky Kirillov look tiny and not so impressive; it is a rather beautiful Old-Russian Style building though it also has its bloody history: in the 16th century Maluta Skuratov, the most dreadful executioner Russia ever knew, lived here. In the 20th century large underground rooms with various torture devices were found nearby; historians believe that they also belonged to Skuratov. Near the chambers there is the Church of St. Nicolas the Miracle Worker on Bersenevskaya embankment built in the same style with the chambers.
Bolshaya Ordynka
It was long ago, in the 14th century, when Prince Ivan Kalita began to unite the principalities of former Kievian Rus, conquered by Mongols, under his dominion. He got a right to gather the tribute himself, not accompanied by Mongol tribute-collectors. That time the road to South appeared to convey the gathered goods to Golden Horde ("orda" in Russian).
Now only the name Ordynka reminds us of those severe times when this street was the main road to the Mongol capital. Poorly settled in medieval times, in the 17th-19th centuries it was rapidly occupied by rich merchants and nobles, who didn't want or had no money to live on the other side of Moscow River.
The first remarkable sight on the street is the Church of Resurrection in Kadashi. Five green onion domes of this Baroque building are visible from all over the neighbourhood. Presumably designed by Sergey Turchaninov in 1678, it presents a very special style of church building, rarely seen in Moscow and more widely presented in Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod. Airiness and grace of the church are related with Western Gothic, although here this spirit is created by quite different technique. This church, along with neighbouring Kadashevskaya bell tower of the same style, was paid for by rich merchants Kondraty and Longin Dobryniny who lived somewhere nearby. Now the building houses All-Russian art and restoration centre.
Church of the Consolation of all Sorrows was paid for by Dolgovy, another rich merchant family, who lived in the opposite Neo-Classical mansion dated 1770. Dolgov's son-in-law, architect Vasily Bazhenov, designed the belfry and the church itself in 1787; later, in 1833, it was reconstructed in Empire style by Osip Bove, a chief architect of Moscow reconstruction after the fire of 1812. Yellow round church surprises with its rather "civil" architecture: its facade brilliantly suites any noble's mansion. The belfry and refectory remained unchanged since the late 18th century: in Soviet time it was under the patronage of Tretyakov Gallery, and its staff did their best to preserve the church.
Passing through Bolshoi Tolmachevky lane you will come to Tretyakov Gallery. The gallery was gifted to Moscow and Muscovites by wealthy merchant Pavel Tretyakov; it still remains the largest collection of Russian art. Close to the gallery stands the Church of St. Nikolay in Tolmachi, where Pavel Tretyakov's funeral service was held.
The house No 34 hosts several buildings of Marfo-Mariinskaya Cloister. The main sight here is the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God. It looks extremely old and reminds medieval churches with their mighty walls and black domes. In fact it was built in 1908 by Alexey Shchusev.
The church was donated by the Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna, sister of Empress Alexandra. After her husband was assassinated on the Senatskaya square of the Kremlin in 1905, she became abbess of Marfo-Mariinskaya Cloister. She spent all her life and money for charity and had an indisputable authority over all the Muscovites. But Bolsheviks didn't take it into consideration: in 1918 she was murdered. Along with many other relatives of tsar's family, Elizaveta Fedorovna was blindfolded, thrown into a mine and bombarded with grenades. In 1992 she was canonized by Russian Orthodox Church.
Malaya Ordynka
The unpretentious wooden house on Malaya Ordynka street hosts the Museum of Ostrovsky. Nikolay Ostrovsky, the famous Russian playwright, was born here in 1823. As he was the first writer to depict a unique spirit of this region beyond the Moscow River, he was often called "Columbus of Zamoskvorechiye".
Right opposite the Museum of Ostrovsky there is the Church of St. Nikolay in Pyzhy. It was constructed in 1670-1672 for Streltsy regiment headed by Bogdan Pyzhov; Streltsy themselves provided funds for construction. The church is lavishly decorated and the domes are covered with pure silver. The church's slender bell tower is one of the most beautiful ones in the city.
Pyatnitskaya
Pyatnitskaya street appeared in the early 16th century, when the Kremlin was enlarged and a new bridge over Moscow River was built. Part of the old road to Ryazan, Pyatnitskaya was named after the Church of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, which was formerly located at the place of contemporary hall of "Novokuznetskaya" metro station.
The Church of Ioann Predtecha pod Borom (literally "John the Baptist under the Pine Forest") at the corner of Pyatnitskaya street and Chernigovsky lane is the oldest building on the street. It was built by Aleviz Fryazin (his full name is Alvizo Lamberty da Montagniaco) in 1514. The name of this Italian architect is mentioned in chronicles extremely often: for example, only in 1514 he managed to erect about fifteen various buildings: this pretends to an absolute record in architecture.
Across the Chernigovsky lane there are two more attractive buildings: the Church of Mikhail and Fedor Chernigovskiye and 17th-century chambers. The Church of St. Clement the Pope, designed is an unusual example of the so-called "Elizabethan" baroque style. This five-domed red church was built in 1774 in honour of Elizabeth Petrovna's enthronement by Bestuzhev-Rumin, Russian chancellor and one of tsarina's favourites.

47.

Airports::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

GENERAL NOTES ON DOMESTIC FLIGHTS WITHIN RUSSIA
1) Your baggage limit is strictly imposed at 20kg and there is no discretionary limit. You will be charged Excess Baggage for even 1kg above your limit, and this will be collected in the most bureaucratic, time consuming way imaginable. It is strongly suggested that you try not to travel with more than your baggage limit if you want to avoid wasting time and_money.
2) Some domestic flights still have Unreserved Seating, which often results in pushing-and-shoving battles to get onto the plane first. You may have to participate in order to get your chosen seat.
3) You MUST KEEP YOUR BAGGAGE RECEIPT. You will only be allowed to reclaim your checked baggage in your destination if you can show the baggage receipt (usually printed on a piece of card) that you were given at Check-In.
4) Most domestic flights are non-smoking. Very few have any entertainment (music, film etc) during the flight- even on very long trips. It's wise to bring your own book, CD player, etc.
5) Many flights to distant or less-visited destinations now operate as "hub-and-spoke" from Moscow - you will change planes in another city en-route, very often Novosibirsk (Sibir' Airlines) or Krasnoyarsk. Your baggage must be reclaimed and re-checked at the transit airport, as it will not be tagged through to your end-destination. Some airline staff participate in a scam to overcharge you on baggage, by claiming that your checked baggage allowance is 15kg inclusive of your carry-on bag. This is an on-going problem that seems to operate with the collusion of the airline's management (particularly at Krasnoyarsk airport), and there is almost no way to avoid it, although a VERY severe argument and a lot of shouting has been known to work. In fact throughout Russia's provincial airports foreigners are seen as an "easy target" for over-charging on fake accusations of "excess" baggage, and you should assume that they will attempt to over-charge you, so prepare for this situation.
6) Forget any notion you had that you are a "customer". On Russian domestic flights, passengers - along with their views and their custom - are seen as slightly less important than hunks of meat, and are treated very much the same way, despite the high price charged for tickets.
Listed below are the main air terminals located in Moscow, along with the telephone numbers of their respective information desks and public transportation routes to each terminal.

48.

Work Permits :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Work Permits
Work Permit Quota Application
Companies wishing to employ foreign nationals in Russia must submit information regarding foreign labor needs forecast (quota applications) to the employment authorities by 1 May of the previous year. Such applications should be broken down by position and by nationality. So, companies have to go through a rather difficult exercise and predict far in advance whom they plan to employ during the next year, and in what role. The authorities would only allow those positions and nationalities that are indicated in the application and are officially allocated to this particular company as quota. This means that a company will be unlikely to be able to change its mind and, for example, seek to hire a French rather than an Italian manager, in the event that the quota application was for an Italian.
The local employment authorities responsible for reviewing these quota applications must, initially, advise failed applicants by mid July, and successful applicants prior to August. Each region then passes its consolidated approvals up to a Federal level, and the national quota is meant to be set (in a database listing each successful company, by location, by position and by nationality) by the end of October for the following year. Approvals made in August can be superseded by this consolidation process. Unfortunately, for the two years in which this practice has been operational, the procedure has not been followed exactly by the authorities. For 2009, the database was not published in the autumn of 2008, and the exact mechanisms for quota allocation were indeed not clear until well into the spring of 2009 itself. For 2010, most regions of Russia completed the summer 2009 rejection and approval notifications, with Moscow being a notable exception.
In early December 2009 the final database setting out the quota for 2010 had not yet been published. 2009 also saw some cuts to the quota during the course of the year, somewhat to the surprise of those companies affected. Companies that experience errors in their quota, or who are newly formed or have registered new divisions in new locations in Russia, or where there is a need to add or change the quota can apply to the Interdepartmental Commission on Migration matters for the region in question. A reserve level of additional quota is kept back at a Federal level to facilitate this, but good arguments do need to be made to the Commission if additional quota is to be granted, or the perceived error corrected.
Experience shows that cases are generally reviewed upon their merits, but the process can still take time, even where successful. The Law governing work permits also allows the authorities annually to publish a list of positions which are exempt from quota. These have in past years covered senior executive positions and one or two technical IT roles. However, this list does need to be annually renewed, and it is not always operational at the start of the year, but is rather disseminated at some point in spring. However, this can be a useful means of adding flexibility for persons whose roles are covered.
Draft Law 2010
The Draft Law concerning highly qualified specialists was approved by the Federation Council on May 13th, 2010 and has been sent to the RF President for signing. The Draft Law will come into force on July 1st, 2010. The Federal Law amending the Law on the legal status of a foreigner in the Russian Federation and Budgetary and Tax Codes has brought a lot changes to the existing system of working conditions of foreigners in the RF.
Work permits and permissions to employ foreign workers - based on the new system, highly qualified foreign workers shall be exempt from the quota application procedure. The new system would just require an employer to submit an application to the respective state body for such highly qualified workers. Such an application must be considered within 14 days. High qualification shall be determined based on the salary threshold (starting from 2 mln. RUR per year) and documents proving it (diploma, reference letters, etc.). It should be especially noted that the 2 mln. RUR should be received from Russian sources only.
The duration of the work permits is extended to 3 years for the highly qualified workers, in accordance with the period of the labor agreement's duration.
The registration procedure has been substantially simplified. An employer no longer has to notify the migration service every time its foreign worker leaves the city he is working in.
The list of professions (positions) that are exempt from the quota system will not be subject to change.
Highly qualified workers will have the right to obtain residence permits for themselves and their family members for the period of labor agreement's duration.
Work visas for the highly qualified worker will be issued for 1 year, with a possibility of an extension of up to 3 years.

One Window Approach
For members of certain business associations, the authorities have sometimes expedited regimes; whereby, applications fro work permits and visas can be submitted at some place and time with the Federal Migration Service, making the processing time significantly quicker than usual.
Non-CIS Citizens
Under the current provisions of the Russian immigration legislation, each employer engaging foreign nationals from countries for which visas are necessary to enter Russia, is obliged to obtain Russian individual work permits for them. The starting point is for the employer to register with the employment authorities and submit an initial report on job vacancies. In order to apply for work permits, the company must fulfil the following obligations in the following order:
1) Update information on job vacancies with employment authorities; wait one month;
2) Apply to the Federal Migration Service fora corporate permit for the engagement of foreign labor; the Federal Migration Service will then confirm with the employment authorities that the positions for which permission to hire foreigners is sought have been listed as vacant for one month, and that no appropriate Russian candidates have been found; one month later the corporate permit will be issued;
3) Apply to the Federal Migration Service for an individual work permit; one month later the individual permit will be issued.
At the third stage, the application will tend to need to include, for executive and technical positions, some sort of certification of the foreigner's competence to hold the position. This will be a professional qualification or a certificate of higher education, which will need to be apostilled in the home country and submitted with a Russian notarized translation. The foreign national will also need to submit certification of his health, including confirmation from a medical facility that he is free from an extensive list of conditions and diseases.
From start to finish, therefore, assuming quota exists, obtaining a work permit should take no less than three months, but in reality the process can be significantly slower, especially if all documents are not in exactly the right order that the authorities require. The precise details of what is required are also subject to change, which can make the process highly frustrating.
Any individual work permit (regardless of the citizenship of its holder) is valid only for the region within Russia where that foreign employee is going to work. It is also possible to apply for a multi-regional work permit. In this case, the company needs to register with the local employment authorities in each region for which the work permit is needed. However, each stage of the application then needs to be completed by each region concerned; this can cause delays.
Once the individual work permit is obtained and an employment agreement with foreign national is concluded, the employer is obliged to inform the following state authorities about fact of employment of a foreigner:
Tax authorities (within 10 business days);
Employment authorities (within 1 month);
State Labor Inspection (within 1 month).
The individuals themselves do not have such notification obligations.
CIS Citizens
As concerns most CIS countries for citizens of which visas are not necessary to enter Russia, the individuals themselves are obliged to apply for their individual work permits prior to applying for a job with any employer. The employer should not apply for a corporate permit for the engagement of foreign labor in respect of CIS nationals.
There are three possible options for CIS citizens to apply for an individual work permit:
apply in person;
apply through an organization officially authorized to assist foreign nationals with employment;
authorize a third party, to be a representative of the individual in applying for his/her work permit.
There are also notification requirements with regards to non-visa expatriates; whereby, companies should notify various state bodies, including:
Immigration authorities (within 3 days);
Tax authorities (within 3 days);
Employment authorities (within 3 days).
Exemption from Work Permit
Work permits are not needed for the following categories of individuals:
Citizens of Belarus;
Permanent residents of Russia (those who hold permanent residency permit);
Employees of diplomatic missions, consulates and international organizations;
Employees of foreign companies (manufacturers or suppliers) engaged in the installation, installation supervision, servicing, war ranty servicing and after-guarantee repairs of installed equipment (montage and chefmontage);
Journalists accredited in Russia.
RESIDENCE PERMITS
Temporary Residence Permit
Temporary residents reside in Russia on the basis of temporary residence permits. Such permits are issued for three years and empower foreign nationals to temporarily reside in Russia prior to obtaining the permanent residency permit. Temporary residence permits are issued subject to an annual quota established by the Russian Government. Some categories of foreign nationals, most notably those married to Russian nationals, are exempt from this quota.
There is a different registration requirement applicable to temporary residents; whereby, they should be registered at the address of their residence. Temporary residents must register on an annual basis. There is special type of visa based on which a temporary resident may enter the country. It is issued at the time of his or her registration as a temporary resident in Russia. Under this registration, they can obtain only a single-entry visa, issued for 4 months, which can then be prolonged for the period of validity of the temporary residency permit. However, the most important complication related to this visa, is that each time the individual leaves and re-enters Russia, he must apply for an exit-entry visa.
Temporary residents cannot change the place of their residence and work away from the region of Russia for which the temporary residence permit is granted. Temporary residence permits are valid for up to three years, but there is no procedure for their extension. The inherent assumption is that a temporary resident would progress on to becoming a permanent resident. The same procedures for work permit applications applies to temporary residents.
In summary, therefore, becoming a temporary resident confers no material advantage compared with persons who are temporarily located in Russia on work visas and work permits. Work permits are still required, and the visa regime is more restrictive rather than less so. The main advantage of a temporary residence permit is therefore that it enables the holder to apply for a permanent residence permit.
Permanent Residence Permit
A temporary resident can apply for the permanent residence permit, provided he resided in Russia for at least one year on the basis of a temporary residence permit. Permanent residents are allowed to travel in and out of Russia without any restrictions, as no Russian visa is required in this case. No work permits are needed for permanent residents, and they may therefore be employed by any employer within the region concerned without restriction.
Permanent residence permits are issued for five years and may be re-issued for a similar period an unlimited number of times. As with temporary residents, permanent residents are subject to annual re-registration in Russia.
Sanctions for Non-Compliance
Even for minor violations in the immigration area, the authorities have full rights to the draconian penalty regime set out in the Administrative Code. The obvious intention of the above is to reinforce the responsibility of the foreign nationals visiting and working in Russia, as well as their employers for staying compliant with the Russian immigration and labour laws. In practice, these fine levels are not always imposed, with lesser (though still substantial) levels often being used, but this is entirely at the discretion of the authority concerned.
Sanctions are imposed separately for each violation in respect of each foreign employee engaged unlawfully and include:
Sanctions for engagement by employers of foreign citizens without work permits (up to 5,000 Rbs for the individual, 50,000 Rbs for the executives, 250,000-800,000 Rbs for the company or suspension of activities of the company for up to 90 days);
Sanctions for engagement by employers of foreign citizens without a corporate permit to engage foreign labour (similar as above);
Sanctions for not notifying immigration/employment/labour/tax authorities on engaging a foreign citizen, or upon the early termination of a foreign national (up to 5,000 Rbs for the employing individual, 50,000 Rbs for the responsible executives, 400,000-800,000 Rbs for the companies);
Sanctions for violation of immigration related enrolment rules (up to 5,000 Rbs for the hosting individual, 50,000 Rbs for the responsible executives, 400,000-500,000 Rbs for the company).
Common Pitfalls
Immigration compliance in Russia remains a complex and frustrating area. The current situation at any time should not be assumed as a permanent one. The Russian immigration authorities tend to change the procedure and requirements of any application in the course of the application process, which, with tight time deadlines, can force companies to restart the procedures from the very beginning. Even if companies follow all requirements of the Russian employment and immigration authorities, this can never guarantee successful results.
2010 is likely to see an even worse environment, with a reduced overall quota approved, late publication of the detail, and increased scrutiny of the authorities in relation to work permit applications, supporting documents, notifications in respect of hiring and termination of foreign individuals, registration requirements, and an increased level of immigration audits. More and more foreign citizens are now looking for possibilities to apply for Russian temporary and then permanent residence permits to avoid the number of immigration related requirements and procedures.
Organizations should be prepared; the process will be time and resource consuming, sometimes undefined and varied, but should also remember that by now, most companies ma nage to achieve the required results, or a practically acceptable workaround. Individuals, in turn, should also be prepared for some unexpected additional requirements with regard to immigration documents, medical tests, their arrivals and departures to, within and from Russia.
The most common incorrect assumptions and practical problems include:
"Working" in Russia on a business visa is acceptable;
Persons obtaining an "Inosotrudniki" visa do not need a work permit;
It does not matter if you forget to complete the enrolment and de-enrolment procedures each time the expatriate enters and exist Russia;
Provided you have one work permit then you can fulfil multiple roles or work for multiple different group entities or locations;
Work permits can always be expedited provided you have the right contacts;
It is always the fault of HR/Admin/External Immigration Service Provider if something goes wrong.

49.

Snow Arena Polo World Cup Moscow :: The virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians, Moscow, Russia

Snow Arena Polo World Cup Moscow
February, 28-29
Central Moscow Hippodrome
Snow Arena Polo World Cup Moscow, to be held on February 28-29, 2004, in the Central Moscow Hippodrome, will be the first competition of its kind in Russia. Organized by the Moscow Polo Club, this will be a historic event in the sport of polo. Internationally renowned polo players and polo personalities have confirmed their participation. The list of invitees includes polo club owners, businessmen, politicians and polo fans from all over the world. One team from England and two teams from Italy will be battling for the honor of claiming to have won Russia’s first polo on snow tournament. The organizers expect this event to become an annual event and the final stop of the European polo on snow circuit which is played in France, Switzerland and Italy.
The aristocratic sport of polo has a long-established tradition in this part of the world. Russia’s first polo tournaments were held in the days of the tsars. However, the Bolshevik coup of 1917 caused a long break in this tradition.
Now, the Moscow Polo Club and its founding President Victor Huaco are reviving the sport of polo in Russia after nearly a century-long hiatus. The First Russian Polo Cup in 2003, which took place last September and featured some of the world’s best polo players, drew over 400 spectators. In that tournament, the ESN Group team emerged as the winner.
Snow Arena Polo World Cup Moscow will surely be one of the most exciting and spectacular events in Russia’s capital this year, in both the world of sports and the world of high society.
www.moscowpolo.com – the web site of Moscow Polo Club.
EVENT PROGRAM
SNOW ARENA POLO WORLD CUP MOSCOW
Date: Saturday 28th and Sunday the 29th of February 2004
12:00-16:00
TimeEvent12.00-12.30Arrival of the guests12.30-15.00 Officially announce the Opening of the tournament
Welcome of the President Moscow Polo Club
Polo teams parade
Players presentation
Games15.00 Closing the tournament
Prize giving

50.

Health Care::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Health Care
General Information
The Russian health care system has seen major improvements in recent years, both in technologies and pharmaceuticals. Moscow hosts a number of Western medical clinics that can look after all of your family's health needs. The clinics are spread out over the city; therefore, regardless of your location, there is sure to be medical provision in the vicinity.
When coming to Russia, bring a good supply of any prescription medicine needed. Ensure you can continue that supply from a local facility or that you can find a local substitute acceptable to your original prescribing physician.
Early in your stay - when there is no emergency - identify the closest medical facility with English-speaking personnel. Ascertain its working hours and its reputation, if possible. If in Moscow for the first time, bring a copy of your medical records with you to assist your new doctor in becoming familiar with your past medical history. The approach to the provision of medical care as a service to both the population and the individual may be quite different to what you are used to.
Unless absolutely necessary, as in major medical emergency, it is suggested that you do not go to the local hospital on your own without first contacting your medical assistance company; if you must, at least ensure you have a Russian speaker to assist you. Unsure that you have enough money to guarantee any admission fees that may be charged.
Many medications can be purchased here over the counter that would only be available by prescription in your home country. However, in most cases the manufacture is different and, therefore, the drug is identified by a different brand name. Know the generic (chemical) name of your medicines if you think you are going to need to restock locally. Bring the package insert from your previous prescription with you. Fraudulent drugs are not a major problem in Russia, but be careful and check the dispensed drug before you pay for it.
Some medications including controlled drugs and drugs of dependence (i.e., sedatives and hypnotics; medications to treat the hyperactivity disorders of children; strong pain relievers; and some drugs for diabetics and epileptics) are simply nor available in Russia. If you are on such a medication, please speak to your physician in your home country and a physician at one of the medical clinics in Moscow to find out how to best handle this situation.
Vaccinations
Russia has no vaccination requirements, but it is a good idea to keep your shots op-to-date. If you need a shot while here, please contact one of the medical centers in Moscow. The following vaccinations are recommended for individuals traveling to or living in Russia for linger periods of time:
Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG). Transmission of hepatitis A virus can occur through direct person-to-person contact; through exposure to contaminated water, ice or shellfish harvested in contaminated water; or from fruits, vegetables or other foods that are eaten uncooked and that were contaminated during harvesting or subsequent handling.
Hepatitis B, especially if you might be exposed to blood or body fluids (for example, health care workers), have sexual contact with the local population, or are exposed through medical treatment.
Typhoid. Typhoid fever can be contracted through contaminated drinking water or food, or by eating food or drinking beverages that have been handled by a person who is infected.
As needed, booster doses for tetanus, diphtheria and measles. Outbreaks of diphtheria have been reported in states of the former Soviet Union.
Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral infection of the central nervous system that occurs in the southern parts of the non-tropical forest belt in Europe and Asia, including Russia. Travelers are at risk who visit or work in forested areas during the summer months and who consume unpasteurized dairy products.
Rabies, if you might have extensive unprotected outdoor exposure in rural areas, such as might occur during camping, hiking or cycling or engaging in certain occupation activities.
Skin Care
Newcomers frequently have difficulty in adjusting to the dry air conditions in their apartments. Ladies complain of dry skin, broken fingernails, etc. Most women find that they use extra face cream. An electric humidifier helps a great deal. It is also useful to place pans of water around you apartment.
Eye Care
Dry, cold and polluted air is hard on eyes, especially if you wear contact lenses. Users are advised to give eyes a rest from contact lenses from time to time. It is advisable to have spare lenses or glasses with you. You can purchase all kinds and brands of imported prescription and non-prescription contact lenses (including Johnson & Johnson, Bausch & Lomb, etc), colored contact lenses, contact lens cleaners, glasses (including designer frames) and sunglasses at any larger optician's.
Most of them have qualified opticians or ophthalmologists and sophisticated equipment and will carry out a complete eye exam before fitting you with contact lenses or glasses. Fees for the eye exam are usually very moderate. Do not expect the ophthalmologists or consultants to speak English though. If you have just started you Russian lessons, take someone along who can communicate in Russian. Most pharmacies carry imported contact lens cleaners and moisturizing eye drops, while contact lens containers may only be available from specialist shops.
Digestion Care
Generally, it is advisable not to buy meat or diary products from anywhere other than a reputable market or shop. Meat purchased in the market should be inspected carefully to ascertain its freshness, and particular care should be taken in the summer months because of lack of refrigeration. Any meat bought at a market should be well cooked. Diary products bought at outdoor markets may not be pasteurized and should not be given to young children or consumed by pregnant women. All fruit and vegetables should be washed thoroughly before eating. Water from the tap is suitable for cooking, but people normally filter drinking water or use bottled water.
Health Care Insurance
Before coming to Moscow, make sure you have full medical and dental insurance coverage for yourself and all family members that will cover any emergencies (and medical evacuation) that occur during your stay in the Russian federation. Western medical and dental services in Russia are very expensive if you are not covered.
If you are not insured when coming to Russia, please contact several Moscow medical centers to find out whether they offer their own insurance plans, or ask them for recommendations of reputable companies in Moscow or abroad that offer health insurance for expatriates. If you already have insurance, call the medical or dental clinic you intend to visit to make sure that they accept and have a direct billing agreement with your insurance company and which, if any, restrictions apply in an emergency situation. If you are not insured or your insurance plan requires you to pre-pay all services for later reimbursement, check which credit cards are accepted or whether payment must be made in cash.
Note that coverage with foreign insurers must be purchased abroad, under Russian law it is illegal to sell insurance policies that are issued by an insurer that is not licensed in Russia. Before you choose a health care insurance provider, whether local or foreign, make sure you read the fine print and discuss any questions you have. Many insurance companies do not pay for health problems pertaining to pre-existing conditions, which might include any chronic health problems such as diabetes. If you use a foreign insurance provider, deductibles may apply. Since the cost of medical services in may medical centers in Russia is lower that abroad, the doctor's consultation fee may fall under deductible.
Most foreign health care insurance providers have contracts with a limited number of medical clinics in Russia. This could mean that through your insurance policy you are forced to use a certain health care provider in Moscow. Unless your insurance company has a direct billing agreement with the medical clinic you intend to use, you will have to advance the payment and then claim reimbursement from the insurance company later. Some providers require pre-authorization, meaning that you must contact the insurance company before using medical services in Russia.
Clinics and Dental Care
Several Western medical centers and dental clinics operate in Moscow. Most have at least some expatriate doctors and friendly English-speaking support staff and are equipped to handle both minor and major medical emergencies. Some also offer house calls and medical evacuation services. Most clinics are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week or at least provide emergency services during the night.
While most Russian hospitals are not up to Western standards, Russian doctors are generally very good. Several Russian hospitals in Moscow have special arrangements with GlavUPDK (the main administration for the foreign diplomatic corps in Moscow) and accept foreigners for checkups and treatments at more moderate prices that the Western medical clinics.
Psychological Care
Living in a foreign country is always challenging and stressful. Everyone - from the working partner to the spouse and children - can be affected, and there is absolutely no shame in turning to professional help, which is available in Moscow. Problems frequently experienced by expatriates on international assignments include stress, anxiety and loneliness. A problem specific to northern countries, such as Russia, is SAD (Season Affective Disorder). If you find yourself in any situation you feel you cannot cope with on your own, please call someone. This someone can be a friend, a member of your women's club's newcomer's team, a nurse or a doctor at your medical center or some professionals.
PREGNANCY AND GIVING BIRTH IN MOSCOW
General Information
If you are an expecting mother who is moving to or currently living in Moscow, you will need information and advice for the period of your stay in Moscow. One option is to join a "mother-to-be" support group to share experience and useful information. Contact details and useful information can be obtained through one of the international women's clubs in Moscow and - if you have older children that are attending school - through your school's community liaison office or school newsletter.
You can attend childbirth education classes for further advice on pregnancy, delivery, breastfeeding, and baby care and to learn about what to expect in Moscow. Most classes offered in Moscow are held in Russian, but you can contact any of the Western medical clinics in Moscow to find out about English-language pre-natal classes.
Hospitals and Doctors
Not all hospitals have maternity wards, and even less have neonatal care units. On the other hand there are several hospitals that cater exclusively to future mothers and their babies. A maternity hospital is called "roddom", meaning "house of birth". Most hospitals in Russia require visitors to wear plastic shoe covers. These are usually available from the concierge or at the coat check area near entrance for a small fee.
To make arrangements to give birth at a hospital in Russia, you will need to sign a contract and pay a deposit. Some Russian doctors speak good English (less frequently German or French), but if you need language assistance during labor and birth, you can make arrangements with an English-speaking healthcare provider in Moscow for an interpreter to be present during labor and childbirth. Make sure the hospital of your choice is aware of this arrangement.
Many things are done differently here than in your own country. The layout of the delivery room, for example, is different from those in American or European hospitals and usually offers less privacy.
Once you have chosen a doctor you will be issued a certificate regarding your pregnancy to carry with you. This certificate includes all pertinent information on your pregnancy and prenatal visits. Information on the birth itself and data for the newborn baby will be added later on. The certificate is issued in Russia, and it helps to avoid additional testing on admission to the maternity hospital. It provides the doctors and nursed with all the information they need to ensure a safe delivery and good prenatal care for your baby.
Hospital Stay
The usual length of stay in hospital is between three and five days; if you want to leave earlier you will be asked to sign a special form. After the baby is born you should contact your embassy to receive citizenship for your child and to apply for a passport.
Pediatrician
The Russian public health care system provides a local pediatrician for the first time home visit and a few follow-up visits by the district pediatric nurse. You can make an appointment for the well-baby visit in most family clinics. Some clinics in Moscow provide pediatric house calls. However, if you live a great distance from the clinic, please, check with your pediatrician if this service is provided.
Immunization
You can have your baby vaccinated through a private clinic or you can have vaccinations done for free (Russian-made vaccines) through the public health care system. Most expatriates prefer to use private clinics for their baby's immunizations where only Western-made vaccines from the world's leading manufacture are used. In Russia, a few days after birth a BCG vaccine is administered. You should discuss with your doctor whether you want this vaccination to be done or not. The immunization schedule in Russia differs from that in America and Western Europe - Hib, Varicella and Hepatitus A vaccinations are not on the national immunization calendar.
Private medical clinics will let you follow the immunization schedule from your home country, and most vaccines are readily available. Many local day care centers and play schools will ask you to provide your child's vaccination certificate, and many schools in Moscow test children for tuberculosis (PPD skin) on an annual basis.

51.

Moscow Neighbourhoods::Lubyanka::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Novaya Ploshchad ("New Square")
Novaya square forms a kind of border between Kitai-Gorod and Lubyanka. Long pale building in Pseudo-Russian style on Novaya square for many years has been a centre of scientific, cultural and social life, housing Polytechnic Museum. The edifice that we see today was created in 1874 by architects I. Monginetti, N. Shokhin and I. Mashkov. Polytechnic Museum became a place where public lectures were given, scientific experiments were demonstrated, conferences and debates were organised. In the 60s it also was a "centre point" of poetry: in its auditoria many fabulous poets of this "poetry boom" period (Evgeny Evtushenko, Bella Akhmadulina, Andrey Voznesensky) captivated people's souls with magic power of words.
At the end of Polytechnic Museum one can see a monument to heroes of Plevna, Turkish city famous for a crucial battle between Russians and Turks in 1877. Today this place is known to be a meeting point of gay scene. At the low end of the little boulevard Great Brothers Cyrill and Mephodius are holding a bronze book with their own Cyrillic alphabet.
Staraya Ploshchad ("Old Square")
Saint Brothers are standing on Staraya square. As many Moscow street names it deludes tourists: first of all it has nothing to do with a square and, secondly, it is actually newer than Novaya ("New") square. In the end of the 18th century Staraya square was a flea market, in the 19th century apartment houses appeared here like mushrooms after the rain. Today the Administration of the President occupies houses No 2-8 (former Moscow Merchant Association, hotel and a trading house). Among these buildings there is the Church of the Trinity in Nikitniki.
Lubyanskaya Square
Lubyanskaya square inspired several generations of Muscovites with fear and horror. House No 2 reconstructed by the author of mausoleum A. Shusev remembers almost all secret services in Russia. During the last 80 years it has changed name more than 10 times from CheKa to FSB and today the first thing that crosses the mind of any Russian when he/she hears "Lubyanka" is prison, tortures and pain. Here people were brought for interrogations, beaten, tortured and later sent to camps of GULAG (The Central Administrative of the Labour Camps) in Kolyma; millions of prisoners never returned. They were kept in special inner prison of this scary house and taken for a walk to the roof. As a result a sad joke was born: "What is the highest building in Moscow? - "Lubyanka, one can see Kolyma from its roof."
For a long time the statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the head of CheKa stood on Lubyanskaya square. In 1991 it was removed to the garden near the Central House of Artists and joined other statues of not-wanted communistic politicians. Instead of Dzerzhinsky Solovetsky stone was erected on Lubyanskaya square as a monument to all those who suffered from the totalitarian regime.
Bolshaya Lubyanka
Bolshaya Lubyanka street also knew bloody moments in its history. In the courtyard of houses No 7-9 one can still see boyars Khovanskiye's brick chambers built in the 17th century. In 1682 Ivan Khovansky headed the Streletsky riot ("strelets" was a member of special military corps in Muscovite Russia); when the rising was put down, tsarina Sofia ordered to execute Khovansky and many other leaders of the riot. On the basis of this story Mussorgsky wrote his opera "Khovanshchina". House No 14 is a magnificent mansion built in the late baroque style. This reconstructed house used to be the residence of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky - the hero of Russian-Polish war of 1612.
One of Moscow ancient monasteries is located on Bolshaya Lubyanka. Its name is Sretensky monastery and it was founded in the 14th century. As the legend goes this monastery was built on a place where in 1395 Muscovites came to meet the holy icon of Our Lady of Vladimir. The icon was brought to Moscow to help people in their struggle against Tatar invaders. The miracle happened - the Tatars suddenly left Moscow. After the October revolution many edifices in the monastery were destroyed. Only the Cathedral of Vladimirskaya Icon of the Mother of God erected in 1679 and monk's cells are preserved.
Myasnitskaya
Rather non-appetizing name (literally "butcher street") was given to this street after the representatives of this profession who lived here in the 16th-17th centuries. Myasnitskaya was "ennobled" in the 18th century when Tsar Peter's retinue began to settle here in hope to deserve majestic attention: Peter the Great used this road when he visited his favourite German village in Lefortovo.
At the corner of Myasnitskaya street and Lubyansky passage one of the most unusual museums is waiting for those who are curious to know more about bright and tragic life of the extraordinary Soviet poet Vladimir Mayakovsky.
House No 26 for more than 300 years allows people to keep in touch with their beloved ones wherever they are - it is Moscow General Post Office. It was founded in 1700 although modern building was constructed in 1912 by Munts.
Kuznetsky Most
Kuznetsky Most street connects Bolshaya Lubyanka and Neglinnaya streets. Once its name ("most" stands for "bridge") was perfectly suitable: this street used to be a bridge over Neglinka river. Today both the bridge and the river are history.
Kuznetsky Most used to be (and still is) fashion "heaven": all the noblemen would come here to buy a hat or a dress of the latest style. Mostly Frenchmen were owners of the shops and that saved Kuznetsky Most when Napoleon army set Moscow on fire before leaving the city: French soldiers had mercy on their compatriots. Now Kuznetsky Most is perfect for shopping: a large number of (mostly luxurious) clothing and shoes stores can be found here.
Frenchmen were trendsetters not only in fashion but in restaurant business as well. At the corner of Kuznetsky Most and Neglinnaya streets there is a house No 9 in which in 1826 Frenchman Trinkle opened the legendary restaurant "Yar". Alexander Pushkin and his friends were among its visitors. House No 11 is the right place for those who are looking for gifts and souvenirs. It is the Moscow House of Artist with a little market inside offering all kinds of knick-knacks.
Neglinnaya
Neglinnaya street replaced Neglinka river that was enclosed into an underground pipe in 1818. The legendary Sandunovskiye Banyas are located on Neglinnaya. They were founded in 1806 by the famous actor Sila Sandunov and they were popular from the very opening. The last owner decided to turn it into a true Temple of Cleanness with marble swimming-pool, majestic architecture and fabulous decorations. No wonder that people wait for hours to enjoy a hot bath at "Sanduny".

52.

Relocation Guide :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

The Pre-Move Survey
In order to obtain a detailed written quotation for your move, your moving company will offer you to carry out a pre-move survey of your personal belongings at your residence. This survey should be carried out by a qualified moving consultant; it should be free of charge and should not put you under any kind of obligation toward the moving company.
The purposes of the pre-move survey are to:
Provide your moving company with a good idea as to the volume and nature of your shipment (personal belongings, artwork and antiques, motor vehicles, pets, etc.).
Confirm the final destination (city and country) for your shipment and supply you with information on your destination country, including information on the import customs regulations.
Inform you of the various available shipping methods for your relocation, including approximate transit times to your destination country. Based on your personal requirements, moving schedule and budget, your international moving consultant will help you determine the best shipping method or combination of shipping methods.
Discuss your moving schedule, including your prospective packing dates, your personal departure date from Russia / your origin country), your personal arrival date in your destination country / Russia, and the required delivery dates.
Tell you about the customs formalities that are necessary to clear your shipment through customs at both ends of your move.
Explain the Ministry of Culture procedure for the export of artwork and antiques to you (if your move originates in Russia).
Answer any questions you might have regarding packing & packing materials, including special packing and/or wooden crating for fragile or high-value items.
Explain the insurance cover offered by your moving company.
Discuss any special requirements and answer any additional questions you might have concerning your upcoming move.
All of Allied Pickfords Moscow's moving consultants are completely bilingual (English / Russian), with some also speaking German and French. In fact, all of our moving consultants around the world speak English - in addition to the language of their native country.
Please contact the Allied Pickfords Moscow anytime at (+7 095) 796-93-25, or send an e-mail to relocations@alliedpickfords.ru to set up a date and time for a free survey of your personal belongings. If you are moving to Russia from another country, please also contact our Moscow. We will then put you in touch with a qualified moving consultant from our office in your origin country.

53.

Driving in Moscow::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Driving in Moscow
General information
There are over 3 million cars in the city on a daily basis. Recent years have seen a significant growth in the number of cars, which has lead to traffic jams and unavailability of parking space. Driving in Moscow can be a daunting experience for the uninitiated. Traffic accidents (and resulting deaths) are more numerous that in North America and most European countries - despite the fact that there still are fewer cars). Russian drivers regularly ignore traffic lights, road signs and traffic regulations as well as pedestrians, so you have to be very careful and drive defensively at all the time. Random stop-n-checks by the Traffic Cops are regular, and you need not have committed any kind of irregularity to be (legally) pulled-over in this way.
Many Russian drivers have not obtained their driving license in an official way - it is, unfortunately still relatively easy to "buy" a driving license in Russia. For all of these reasons, many expatriates choose not to drive in Moscow. They often make use of a driver provided by their employee, hire a private driver, or use public transportation.
Moscow Road System
Road conditions in Moscow are not too bad but they get worse as you leave town. Generally little attention is paid to paving, maintenance and roadside facilities. Moscow has a complicated road system with three major ring roads: the MKAD or Moscow Ring Road, which goes all the way around Moscow; the Garden Ring which encircles the city center and the Third Ring in-between the MKAD and the Garden Ring. There is also a smaller half-ring road (half because it doesn't form a closed circle), which is called the Boulevard Ring and is located in the city center. The city center consists of a complicated network of smaller streets and lanes, many of which are one-way streets. The Fourth Transport Ring is to be built in the future.
Documents to Carry with You
Drivers must always carry the following documents with them:
Passport (foreigners must also have their original Russian visa and migration card)
Driving license
Registration certificate
Motor vehicle insurance
A Power of Attorney if the car does not belong to you. If you are driving on office are, the Power of Attorney will normally only be valid for several months at a time and must be renewed on a regular basis.
Technical inspection card
Things to Keep in Mind
Many street signs are in Russian only and finding as address can be tricky. It is better buying a good Moscow street atlas, preferably a larger one that shows all individual buildings. You can also now obtain reliable GPS devices covering Moscow and surroundings.
The whole streets can be closed off when the president or another important person is expected to drive by. Rubevo-Uspenskoye shosse, Kutuzovsy prospect and Novy Arbat are especially prone to these situations, as are the roads to international airports if a major dignitary or delegation is arriving or leaving.
You should take travel routes to and from work into account when looking for an apartment or house in Moscow.
GIBDD
The GIBDD (State Inspection for the Safety or Road Traffic) is the Russian traffic police. Formerly called GAI (State Automobile Inspection), they are still referred to as such by many. The GIBDD is a separate police entity and has nothing to do with the regular Russian police. A traffic police officer is commonly referred to as a "gaishnik". Despite the official difference between the GIBDD and the Militia, their emergency phone number is the same - 02.
Arbitrary checks by traffic police are frequent. They can stop you to check documents, make sure your technical inspection card has been renewed, etc. While fines for minor violations, such as not wearing a seatbelt, are extremely rare, other violations, such as crossing a solid white line are subject to hefty fines (by Russian standards). Technically, you can also be fined for not having a first-aid kit or a fire extinguisher in your car.
The GIBDD frequently stops drivers on weekend and Monday mornings for alcohol checks. If you fail the breathalyzer test, you will be required to give a blood sample for further analysis. In such instances you want to include one or more sterile syringes in your first-aid kit. Procedures for paying fines are subject to frequent change. Any GIBDD officer must introduce himself (there are almost no female GIBDD officers in Russia) with his title (e.g. sergeant) and his last name upon request, he must show his badge.
Driving Licence
To be on the safe side, you should obtain an International Driver's Permit (IDP) before coming to Russia. Foreigners staying in Russia for less than six months can use their national driving licence, but must have the licence translated into Russian. The translation must be notarized. Foreigners intending to stay in Russia for longer than six months must obtain a Russian driving licence.
Normally any foreigner wishing to apply for a Russian driving licence must provide the following documents:
His/her passport and valid Russian visa with the OVIR registration stamp
A medical certificate (available from any major health clinic)
His/her national driving licence, a notarized photocopy of the licence, and a notarized translation
If the original (national) driving licence is still valid, the applicant only has to take and pass a theoretical driving test. If the applicant's licence has expired, he/she must also pass a practical driving exam before a Russian licence can be issued. Exams must normally be taken in Russian.
If you do not have a driving licence, you can obtain one in Moscow. However, in order to do so, you must be fluent in Russian: the theoretical and practical instruction is conducted in Russian. Some schools may allow you to bring an interpreter, but this may be difficult. Before enrolling in a local driving school, make sure that the school is recognized by the GIBDD and will register the students for the state driving exam. Getting a driving licence in Moscow is still quite affordable when compared to the West.
Obtaining a first-time driving licence in Russia involves enrolling in a local driving school, passing a medical test, going through two months of theoretical and practical driving instruction, and taking (passing) state driving exams. The exam is the same for both Russian nationals and foreigners, but foreigners have to take the exam in a different place.
Accidents
If you are involved in an accident and there is serious damage to your or the other side vehicle(s) and/or people are injured, stay right where the accident took place - even if you are in the middle of a busy intersection - and wait for a GIBDD officer. You will either have to call the GIBDD yourself (possible only if you have mobile phone and you speak Russian) or ask somebody else (e.g. the other driver involved in the accident, your office, your friend to call them. Do not expect the GIBDD officers to speak English.
To report an accident, call the police at 02 and provide them with all details of the accident (location, number and kind of vehicles involved, injuries, etc.) If necessary, call an ambulance at 03. Remember that leaving the site of an accident in which someone was injured is a criminal offense.
If the damage is small, you may settle the dispute with the other involved party on the spot. Many people prefer doing so as filling a police report even for a traffic accident can be a major nuisance in terms of lost time and formalities. Bear in mind that repairing a foreign car in Moscow can be expensive. If the damage is extensive, you must wait for the GIBDD. If you leave the scene of the accident without a detailed, written report from traffic police, you will have no chance of recovering money for damages to your and other side vehicle from your insurance company.
If you decide to involve the GIBDD in an accident, they will draw up a detailed accident report that will include sketch of the scene. If you do not speak/read/understand Russian, call your office and ask for an interpreter to be sent to the site of the accident as soon as possible. You will be asked to sign the accident report, but you should not do so if you do not understand what it says; you will need it for your insurance company. It may be wise to very discreetly take down the officer's name and badge number.
Note that it can take a long time for the GIBDD to arrive at the scene of an accident - even if the accident is causing major traffic problems. Provided that no personal injuries were reported, the officers often don't seem to in a hurry. However, once they arrive, they are usually quite good at handling the situation. If you are hit by another car and that car drives off, do not chase it. Stay, call the police, and file the report. Disputes over accidents have to be settled in court.
Insurance
On July 1st, 2003, mandatory car insurance was introduced in Russia. According to this new law, every car owner must have an insurance policy certifying that he/she is insured against third-party liability. However, as this mandatory insurance policy only provides coverage up to certain mount and does not include coverage for car theft and vandalism, it is advisable to purchase additional (voluntary) insurance. Ideally, you should purchase both mandatory and voluntary insurance through the same company.
Licence Plates
Most cars in Moscow have white licence plates with black letters. Red licence plates with white numbers and letters are reserved for diplomatic cars. A "CD" on such a licence plate stands for "Chef de Mission Diplomatique", a "D" for diplomat, and a "T" for "Trade". Blue licence plates with white numbers and letters are reserved for Russian officials and the police.
Traffic Jams
Moscow heavily suffers from the traffic jams. Many people have even missed their flights because they didn't plan on getting stuck in traffic on the way to the airport. Major traffic jams occur regularly on all larger thoroughfares leading into and out Moscow, as well as on the ring road mentioned above. Traffic is particularly heavy going into town on weekday mornings and to the suburbs on weekday afternoons and evenings. The Garden Ring (Sadovoe Kol'tso) suffers from traffic jams all day long, although they are usually worse from about 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. and then again from about 4.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. on weekdays.
Late spring to mid-autumn is dacha season in Russia. The outbound dacha traffic starts early Friday afternoon and can last well into Saturday morning, with the return traffic starting Sunday afternoon and often lasting into the late night. Monday mornings are also problematic during this season as many people go to work straight from their dachas, therefore, if you live on or along one of the large highways leading into/out of Moscow, expect to face this problem on a weekly basis for about five months every year.
Another problem related to the dacha season are the so-called "podsnezhniki". These are drivers who do not touch their cars all winter long. The word means "snow-covered" and stems from the fact that many drivers leave their cars outside covered by snow throughout the winter. These drivers and their cars can be a traffic hazard because the cars are old and because many of these people do not drive at least half the year and are out of practice come spring.
Parking
Parking is another consideration if you own a car. Since cars can be the target of break-ins in Moscow, it is important to have a secure parking space, which can be very difficult, particularly if you live in downtown Moscow. Many streets and lanes are very narrow, and you may not be able to park your car in front of or in the yard of your residential building, or - for that matter - your office. Things get worse in winter when snow piles up on the sides of the street.
Some apartment buildings have a small parking lot where parking spaces are allotted for tenants. If possible, negotiate the parking space at the same time you negotiate your apartment lease. Some of the newer buildings have underground garages; others have guarded yards. Residential complexes, such as Pokrovsky Hills and Rosinka, have private garages.
Buying a Car
Unless you are a fully accredited foreign diplomat, it is very difficult and expensive to import a car to Russia. In many cases your moving company will not be able to assist with the import customs clearance of your car, and you will have to pay very steep import duties.
If you can not live without a car, you can purchase one in Moscow. However, several difficulties are involved in this. If you have a foreign passport and want to buy a car, you can register the car in your name, but you will have to de-and re-register it each time you receive a new Russian visa. The other option is to register the car in a Russian friend or colleague's name and then have that person provide you with a general Power of Attorney allowing you to drive and sell your car.
You can either purchase a new car or a used vehicle. In either case make sure you purchase the car from a reputable car dealership. If you want to purchase a used car from a private individual, have it checked very thoroughly at a good car service station before buying it.
Also keep in mind that it will be difficult for you to re-export a car from Russia (unless you are a fully accredited foreign diplomat).
If the car is registered in another's person's name, you will first have to sign a sale contract with that person (so that you can prove that the car is actually ours). You must then re-register the car in your name and de-register it before it can be exported from Russia. You will also have to carefully check what the requirements for the import of motor vehicles in your destination country are.
Maintenance
Before winter arrives, have your car protected with extra undercoating and fitted with heavy-duty batteries, heavy-duty shock absorbers, and winter tires. Do not wait until the first snow - that's when most drivers remember and lines at service stations will be very long. Have your car checked on a regular basis. A number of good car maintenance services are available in Moscow. Many of them specialize in one or more vehicle brands (e.g., Volkswagen or BMW).
Petrol
A gas station is called a "avtozapravka" or "A Ze Es" for short. Gas stations are almost not-existent in the city center, particularly within the confines of the Garden Ring. Therefore, if you live in the city center, make sure you know where the closest gas stations are located. You should only fill up at reputable gas stations, such as BP (British Petroleum), TNK (Tyumen Oil Company), Yukos, or Lukoil.
The price for petrol in Russia is still significantly lower than in Western Europe and North America. Most Russian cars run on 92 or 95 petrol; foreign cars normally run on 95. Since there has been an increase of Russians driving foreign cars, this type of higher-octane petrol is readily available.
Technical Inspection
All cars on the road in Russia have to undergo a regular technical inspection, called a "tekhosmotr" in Russian. Currently, cars that are under five years old have to be inspected every two years; cars that are over five year old have to be examined once a year. The last number on your car's licence plate indicates the month in which your car must undergo the inspection. For example, if the last number is a 9, your technical inspection will be due in September.
The process is a bit complicated for people who do not speak Russian. Unless you know exactly what needs to be done, ask a driver of someone from your office to help you. If your car has passed all tests successfully, you will be issued a plastic technical inspection card, called a "talon tekhosmotra". Whoever is driving the car must carry this document with him/her at all times - along with all other necessary documents. Failure to undergo the technical inspection and/or not having the card may result in confiscation of your car or at least a heavy fine.
Towing
If you are caught driving while intoxicated; refuse to take an alcohol test; cannot produce your driving licence, your car registration papers, the documents confirming ownership of the car, or a valid Power Attorney; have illegally stopped or parked your car in a non-stopping and non-parking zone; or if your car has faulty brakes or a faulty steering system, traffic police can impound and tow your car. If your car is towed, you will have to pay a fine for the offence you have committed; pay for the towing costs; and pay an hourly fees for the time your car was impounded. These costs can amount to 10,000 Rbs or more very easily, and you will need cash to pay - no cards are accepted and there are no ATMs at the "Special Car Park". If you are not present when the car is towed, you may find it very difficult to retrieve/find it later.
Winter Driving
Driving in Moscow in winter can be a tricky and dangerous affair, especially if you are not used to such weather conditions. If you have never driven on snow, slush, ice, you may want to take a few driving lessons with an experienced driver before hitting the roads on your own. Due to huge piles of snow lining the sides of streets and yards, parking in winter is even more difficult than in summer months. Whereas a street may have two lanes, it may be reduced to one lane in winter, again because of the snow. Driving through small streets in the center can become very difficult, and cars going in opposite directions often get stuck because nobody is willing to back up.
Things to keep in your car during winter include a good heavy-duty snowbrush, a defroster for locks, and a roll of paper towels in case condensation builds up on the windows inside the car. You should also carry an extra canister of anti-freeze liquid in your trunk at all times.
Do's on the Roads
Do carry all required documents with you (along with your passport, visa, and migration card). Traffic police can make stop you anytime to check your documents. You are obliged to carry the original documents with you at all times - photocopies are not acceptable.
Do make sure that you have a first-aid-kit (including a sterile syringe, which is not mandatory), a fire extinguisher, and a sign for emergencies in your car. The traffic police can fine you if you fail to produce any of these during a roadside check.
Do drive on the right hand side of the road. This takes some getting used to when you are arriving from a country where driving is on the left.
Do drive defensively.
Do adhere to the speed limits of 60 km/h (37mph) in built-up areas and 90 km/h (55 mph) elsewhere.
Do fasten your seatbelts at all times. While regularly ignore buckling up is mandatory in Russia, you can be fined for not wearing a seatbelt. You can also be fined if your passengers are not wearing seatbelts.
Do turn your headlights when going through a tunnel.
Do look out for potholes - they can cause serious damage to your car. They may also cause drivers to weave dangerously in attempt to prevent damage to their cars.
Do stop when the GIBDD (traffic police) motions you to do so. (This can be a patrol car, but more usually a pedestrian officer at the roadside with a baton). They can stop you just to check your documents. Failure to stop can have very serious consequences, including being fired upon by the officers (who have the right to do so).
Do watch where you park in the center of town. Cars may be towed away or clamped.
Do be careful where you leave your car at night - break-ins do happen. Do not leave anything lying around the car. Put things that must stay in your car into the trunk.
Do make sure that your car is properly insured through a reputable insurance company. Carrying the Insurance Certificate with you at all times is a legal requirement.
Do remain flexible.
Do keep your license plate clean - you can be fined for a dirty/illegible license plate.
Do Not's on the Road
Don't drink and drive! Russia has a 0.3 pro mil in blood (0.15 with a breathalyzer test) alcohol policy for drivers and police are very strict about this. The GIBDD has the right to check your blood alcohol level on the spot. 0.3 pro mil of alcohol is about one bottle of light beer, but remember that alcohol effect different people in a different way. The more well-grown the person is, the faster alcohol digests. So, you never know if you have exceeded the norm or not. It is better not risk.
Don't turn left or do a u-turn unless this is clearly specified. You must drive until the next U-turn sign, no matter how far it is, to turn around, then come back and make the right turn.
Don't ever cross a solid double white line - you can have your driving license revoked for several years for doing so.
Don't turn right on a red light - this is illegal in Russia.
Do not allow children under the age of 12 to travel in the front seat.
When approaching circulatories ("roundabouts") incoming traffic has priority over cars already on the circulatory, who must give way to them. This is a considerable difference to many other countries, so take note.

54.

Moscow Neighbourhoods::Pushkinskaya Square::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Pushkinskaya Square
Pushkinskaya square is situated at the intersection of Tverskaya street and Tverskoy boulevard. Up to 1932 Pushkinskaya square was called Strastnaya after Strastnoy Monastery, which was demolished after the revolution, like all other churches on Tverskaya. Now on the place of the former monastery one can see a monument to the greatest Russian poet Alexander Pushkin; it is beloved all over Moscow and serves as a usual place for meetings. The idea to create it appeared already in 1837 just after Pushkin has lost his duel with Dantes. It required three competitions of sculptors to choose the finally realized project by A. Opekushin.
Now "Pushka" (informal name of the square) is in not only the place of historical interest; it is literally filled with different cafes and small restaurants. The huge building of Pushkinsky cinema never leaves cinema-lovers in peace: it possesses the biggest screen in Western Europe, and almost every show here is a national premiere. If you prefer noisy and fussy meals, the first and the biggest MacDonald's restaurant in Russia is waiting for you here.
Bolshaya Dmitrovka
Bolshaya Dmitrovka street runs parallel to Tverskaya from Okhotny Ryad to Strastnoy boulevard. The part of the ancient road to Dmitrov, it was named after this old Russian town. In the 18th-19th centuries members of aristocracy, who didn't grudge money for their sumptuous mansions, chose to settle here. Unfortunately, few of their houses survived till now; nevertheless the remnant part still provides an opportunity to imagine how this street looked like before.
In 1970s the entire pavement was covered with special black glass. It looked like a regular asphalted pavement, but it was quite a special affair. Unfortunately, later for some reasons glass was removed. In the 1990s various boutiques, shops, restaurants and small cafes rapidly spread around it, and the spirit of luxury returned to Dmitrovka.
Before the revolution House of Unions was occupied by quite an opposite organization - Moscow Assembly of Nobility. Balls given here were famous all over Moscow; Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Liszt and other remarkable composers used to arrange their concerts here. Magnificent building in Classicism Style was erected in 1780 by Matvey Kozakov; in 1790 it was completely reconstructed, enlarged and the celebrated Column Hall was added.
Bolshaya Dmitrovka is lucky with theatres. One more home of Melpomena is located at No 17: it is the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko musical theatre. Originally built for count Saltykov, governor-general of Moscow, in 1839-1909 it was a place where the members of the Merchants' club had their meetings. Merchants' club was second in popularity after the famous English club; here rich merchants used to gamble their money and eat out in luxury restaurant, famous all over Moscow for outstanding cuisine. After the revolution this building was occupied by the Dmitrovsky theatre; since 1926 troupes of Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko used this stage together; these two troupes finally united in one musical theatre in 1941.
Malaya Dmitrovka
Passing two blocks from Bolshaya Dmitrovka via Bolshoy Putinkovsky lane, you get to Malaya Dmitrovka, a cosy narrow street, although a bit noisy. White hip-roofed Church of Nativity in Putinky stands right in the beginning of the street. Despite rather small size, it usually arrests attention of architecture lovers with a splendid lightness of the snow-white walls. It was the last church in Moscow employing the spire architectural style, before it was banned by Patriarch Nikon.
The building next door to the church is one of the best Moscow theatres - Lenkom (Theatre of Lenin's Komsomol). The building was erected in 1909 by Ivanov-Shitz for the Merchants' club, which moved here in 1909 from Bolshaya Dmitrovka.
Bolshaya Sadovaya
Not far from the corner of Tverskaya and Bolshaya Sadovaya streets there is a charming "Aquarium" garden. Formerly there was a "Chicago" garden here; after its reconstruction of 1896-1898 a lot of little fanciful fountains, artificial springs and waterfalls appeared here. All of them flowed into a big aquarium, from which the garden took its name. In the Soviet time after constructing a new building of the burnt Mossovet Theatre all of the water inventions disappeared, and the name Aquarium lost its sense. During the preparations to the Moscow's 850th anniversary the garden was at last rebuilt and now houses two theatres: the above-mentioned Mossovet Theatre and the Variety-Theatre.
The house No 10 on Bolshaya Sadovaya street has the well-known flat No 50. Mikhail Bulgakov lived here in 1921-1924, and this very flat he described in his famous novel "Master and Margarita". The walls and the doors of the porch are covered with very interesting inscriptions and the flat itself is a place of endless pilgrimage. There is a kind of Bulgakov's museum there, supported by alms and kept by enthusiasts.
Petrovka
Petrovka street was once a bank of Neglinka river and it was not exactly a pleasant place for a walk: in the spring overflowed river would make this street a big puddle of mud. But Neglinka was put under the ground and Petrovka became a fashionable shopping street. Petrovka was named after Vysokopetrovsky monastery which looks a bit lonely surrounded by 19th and 20th-century buildings. Prince Dmitry Donskoy founded it in 1380 after the legendary "Battle of Kulikovo". As the legend goes Donskoy had a vision of a high mountain covered with white snow; he considered it to be a divine sign and decided to build a cathedral which later became the main church of the monastery. Vysokopetrovsky monastery was under special patronage of the Naryshkiny family, in particular mother of Tsar Peter the Great Natalya Naryshkina. And the architectural style of the monastery is known as "naryshkinskoye" baroque.
House No 25 is one of the best samples of Moscow Classicism. Build in 1790 by architect Matvey Kozakov, this beautiful mansion was occupied by Kreisman's gymnasium which was famous for accepting students that had been expelled from other schools because of their free-thinking. Today it is a museum of Modern Art headed by Zurab Tsereteli.
Probably the most famous building on this street is house No 38. The phrase "Petrovka, 38" brings to mind signals of police cars and oaths of captured criminals. This used to be Moscow Criminal Investigation Department immortalized in one of the most popular Russian movies "Place of a Meeting is not to be Changed" starring Vladimir Vysotsky.
Karetny Ryad
Karetny Ryad street is Petrovka's continuation. Once it was a street where wagons were made. Progress went on, crude wagons were replaced by elegant carriages ("karety") and this street got its name. The main sight here is Hermitage Garden. It was opened in 1894 by Jakov Shchukin, former servant who had become an entrepreneur, and used to be a place where theatre performances, shows and fetes were arranged. It was here that in 1896 Muscovites could see the famous train arrival in the first ever movie by Lumier brothers. And in 1898 the premier of the play "Tsar Fedor Ioannovich" commemorated the beginning of Moscow Arts Theatre. Today there are several theatres, one opera theatre in "Hermitage" and in winter a skating rink with several cafes.

55.

The History of Moscow::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

The History of Moscow
The first reference to Moscow dates back to 1147 when Yuri Dolgoruky called upon the Prince of Novgorod-Seversky: "come to me, brother, to Moscow". Nine years later, in 1147, Prince Yuri Dolgorukov of Rostov ordered the construction of a wooden wall - which was to be rebuilt multiple times - to surround the emerging city. The city replaced Tver and became the capital of Vladimir-Suzdal during the reign of Ivan I. In 1480, Ivan III won a great victory against the Tatars and made Moscow the capital of the new Russian Empire that soon included all Russia and Siberia. Despite destruction by fires and Mongol and Tatar invasions, Moscow expanded until it became the national capital in the 16th century - when Ivan IV, Prince of Moscow, took the title "tsar". Peter the Great moved the capital to St.-Petersburg in 1712, and a consequent period of decline followed in Moscow. The city was burnt down again in 1812 during the war with Napoleon's France but was rebuilt and expanded rapidly as an industrial and communications center. After the 1917 Revolution Moscow again became the national capital in 1918 and has continued to grow in both size and influence, particularly since the end of WW2, to become the country's leading industrial, cultural and political center.
Ancient Times and Rise of Moscow (5th-15th Centuries)
Ivan the Terrible and the Times of Troubles (16th-17th Centuries) The Origin of Romanovy Dynasty (17th Century)
Reign of Peter the Great (Late 17th-18th Centuries)
Palace Revolutions and Catherine the Great (18th Century) Russia in the 19th Century
October Revolution (1917)
Soviet Union (1920-50s)
From Thaw to Perestroika (1950-90s)
Present Times

56.

Moscow Neighbourhoods::Boulevard Ring::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Today boulevards are Moscow integral part, and it is difficult to imagine that only two centuries ago there were no trees and park benches but an assailable fortress wall, the wall which surrounded the area of the Kremlin and Kitai-Gorod. It was built of white stone, therefore the enclosed city was named Bely Gorod, or "White City". For many centuries this wall, built in the end of the 16th century, scared away the enemies with its imposing size - 10 metres (33 ft.) high and 5-6 (16-19 ft.) metres thick. By the 18th century it had lost its defensive significance and started to dilapidate; that is why it was dismantled and replaced with the Boulevard Ring.
The Boulevard Ring is comprised of the following boulevards: Gogolevsky Boulevard, Nikitsky Boulevard, Tverskoy Boulevard, Strastnoy Boulevard, Petrovsky Boulevard, Rozhdestvensky Boulevard, Sretensky Boulevard, Chistoprudny Boulevard, Pokrovsky Boulevard, Yauzsky Boulevard. It forms a semi-circle around the center of Moscow and is ideal for leisurely strolls. A walk along the boulevard ring's park-like areas is a great way to explore the city center, undisturbed by traffic. The park strip is situated in the middle of the road, in-between traffic lanes. Scores of beautiful old buildings are located along this route (and down the side streets leading off the Boulevard Ring), and there are plenty of benches to sit and relax on along the way. It is also well worth venturing into some of the side streets branching off from the ring - you will find lots of pretty lanes with interesting buildings there.
Gogolevsky Boulevard
Gogolevsky Boulevard is the only one that preserved some features of former Moscow landscape: boulevard's inner side is much higher than its outer side. It is a lovely place for a promenade and a favourite place of dating couples. Close to Arbat there is a monument to one of Russia's greatest writers - Nikolay Gogol, whose name was given to this boulevard.
At the corner of Znamenka street and Gogolevsky boulevard there is a reconstructed mansion of Apraksiny, one of the richest families in 19th century Moscow. Their house was famous for its theatre where some of Russian greatest actors appeared on stage for the first time. In 1812 French officer of the Napoleon army Henry Beil stayed in this house. This officer was to become the world famous writer Stendhal. House No 10 is famous for secret meetings of the Decembrists (the first Russian revolutionaries). Today it is occupied by Russian Chess Association.
Petrovsky Boulevard
Petrovsky boulevard was named after the Vysokopetrovsky monastery. But buildings here are not as old as the monastery. The oldest one is dated 1786. Once it was a palace of count Tatishchev, noble grandee of Catherine the Great. Magnificent balls attracted all Moscow aristocrats here and even Tsar Pavel I favoured Tatishchev with His Majestic visit. Elegantly looking house No 17 was built by R. Klein. Probably once it attracted as many people as Tatishchev's balls: it was a famous wine-shop owned by Dupret.
House No 14 at the corner of Neglinnaya street and Petrovsky boulevard is a "permanent address" of Melpomene and Thalia - famous Moscow theatre "School of Modern Play". Before the revolution it was an institution more appropriate for a residence of the Cooking Muse: beloved by Moscow intellectuals restaurant "Hermitage" offered its delicious dishes here. Petr Tchaikovsky enjoyed it enough to organise his own wedding here in 1877. And the whole Russia must be grateful to the chef of this restaurant Lucien Olivier for inventing a salad later known in Russia as "Olivier" and in the rest of the world as "the Russian salad": a mixture of potatoes, eggs, meat, cucumbers and plenty of mayonnaise. And another fine tradition began here: the day of Tatyana, students' day, was celebrated here for the first time.
Petrovsky Boulevard runs into Trubnaya Square. In the 17th century there was once a deep hole in the wall of the White City: Neglinka river used this hole to carry its waters to the White City and the square used this hole or pipe ("truba") as a name. In 1840s the first pet market ("Ptichy rynok", literally "bird's market") appeared here and brought a nice tradition: every year on the Annunciation day people would let doves free.
Rozhdestvensky Boulevard
Rozhdestvensky boulevrad is the next link in the chain of boulevards. Once it was a steep bank of Neglinka river. The boulevard was given its name after ancient Rozhdestvensky convent which is situated at the corner of the boulevard and Rozhdestvenka street. It is said to be founded by Prince Ivan Kalita's daughter-in-law, countess Maria in 1380s. She was the proud mother of Vladimir the Brave who was a hero of the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. Many wives and widows of those who had taken part in the battle helped to build this convent.
Most of the ancient buildings have not preserved because of numerous fires that the convent had been through, but some churches survived. The Cathedral of the Nativity of Mother of God was erected in 1501-1505 and in the 19th century one lady donated a sum of money which allowed architect Kozlovsky to add a bell-tower to the architectural ensemble of the convent. In the beginning of the 20th century Fedor Schechter himself was involved in the construction works. When communists came to power they closed the Rozhdestvensky convent to organise communal flats, police office and a club for policemen here. 70 years later it was returned to the Orthodox Church.
Sretenky Boulevard
Rozhdestvensky boulevard used to be a part of Sretensky boulevard but it split off and Sretensky boulevard became the shortest boulevard in Moscow (it is only 214 metres (0.1 mi.) long). Historically, this area was a home for market and trade, with craftsmen living and working here. Nowadays, there are a lot of reconstructed old buildings in that part of Moscow. So, if you are interested in living in the "old city", you should choose the Sretenka street area. In the 17th century, the area of Sretenka was built up by benches of dealers and workshops of handicraftsmen - a new, large Sretensky village. The length of the whole modern Sretenka is only 800 meters (0.5 mi.), but it is literally cut up by lanes: on the left side of the street there are seven, and on right - nine. There are also lanes that do not lead directly to Sretenka, but are in immediate proximity. The area of Sretenka is characterized by a big number of reconstructed buildings, which have in most parts kept the historical facades that are typical for old Moscow. The paradox of the area is that there are a considerable amount of dilapidated buildings, often adjoining modern and reconstructed structures. The area's buildings are concentrated along the streets Sretenka, Trubnaya and Tsvetnoy boulevard, where coffee houses, restaurants and shops are located.
Chistoprudny Boulevard
People come to Chistye Prudy ("Clean Ponds") searching for "Moscow idyll": cosy boulevard, lime-trees and lilacs, boats sliding over the pond and children feeding swans and ducks. A couple of centuries ago everything was quite different. Those "clean" ponds were once a big dirty puddle and butchers, who inhabited the district, used them as a sewage place. Logically the first unofficial name of these ponds was "Foul Ponds".
In the 18th century Alexander Menshikov, Peter the Great's favourite, became owner of this area. His delicate scent couldn't bear terrible stench coming from the ponds, so Menshikov ordered to clean them; since then they have been known as "Clean Ponds". In summer people come here to swim in a boat, and in winter the pond turns into one of the most popular skating-rinks with lovely illumination.
Chistye Prudy gave name to one of the cosiest Moscow boulevards - Chistoprudny boulevard. As well as other Moscow boulevards, in 1820s it replaced the brick walls of the ancient White City. It begins with a monument to one of the best Russian playwrights Alexander Griboedov. He was a person of versatile talents: he sang, brilliantly danced, was successful in studying all the fields of knowledge; he was a master of fence, dashing horseman, and a gifted writer (his most famous play is "Grief from Mind").
To the right from the monument one can see a pink bell-tower with something like a golden cone on the top. It is the Church of the Archangel Gabriel on Arkhangelsky lane. The man who had cleaned the ponds, Alexander Menshikov, ordered to build a cathedral higher then the Ivan the Great's Bell Tower in the Kremlin. At that time it was regarded as an unbelievable impertinence and impudence. Moreover, Menshikov bought a gigantic chiming clock and placed it on the wall of the church. Such arrogance was punished very soon: during a storm lighting hit the tower and the burning debris fell down, crippling and killing the innocent parishioners. Couple of years later Menshikov became seriously ill and fell into disgrace.
Chistoprudny boulevard and its surroundings was a residential area for Moscow nobility; many of their mansions are still seen here. In Bolshoi Kharitonievsky lane there is an imposing 17th century house with fabulous cast fence, which once belonged to a wealthy grandee Yusupov. Yusupov was famous for his fantastic collection of art, not less fantastic collection of mistresses in his harem and his extravagant behaviour.
Considerable part of local buildings appeared in the late 19th - early 20th century. One of them, former apartment house No 14 is a remarkable example of Moscow Art Nouveau. Here architect S. Vashkov tried to revive the spirit of pagan Russia, placing mysterious mythological creatures on the facades. Once this house belonged to the Church of Trinity on the Mire, named after its location on the muddy banks of the Rachka river. During its tercentennial history this church has survived many destructions and reconstructions; as a result of all this it has unfortunately lost its dome. In another former apartment house, No 23, the great film director Sergey Eisenstein, who influenced not only Soviet but also the world's art of film making, lived from 1920 to 1934.
Pokrovsky and Yauzsky Boulevards
Quiet and cosy, they lead down to the Moscow-river; now it is hard to imagine that not far from this peaceful and pleasant area once was situated Moscow underworld, criminal headquarters, true inferno. The district between Pevchesky and Petropavlovsky lanes, known as Khitrovka, inspired fear and horror into the entire city. Thieves, murderers, prostitutes, convicts and fugitives inhabited dark lanes and dirty dens, and even policemen were afraid to step down into this hell. Only in 1923 Soviet police organised a massive raid to Khitrovka and managed to get rid of this pit.

57.

Charities::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Charities
Private charities were outlawed during the 70 years of communist power. When the Soviet Union began to collapse, and the social safety net unravelled, Russians found themselves scrambling to build an NGO culture from scratch. Expats have been involved in a big way - and many have specifically come to Russia to help out. Others who are already here see overwhelming needs every day that they cannot ignore. Here's how to get involved.
If language is a barrier, volunteer or fund raise through any of the myriad of community or religious organizations.
Russian speakers can go directly to a Russian charity or help an expat group find new projects to support.
Beware if you are moved to write checks at the site of photos of needy children staring helplessly from the front of a slick brochure. Sometimes the most effective Russian charities can't afford Madison Avenue and some of those who can may not be what they seem.
Some do's and don'ts
Do realize that the Russian tax law doesn't grant NGOs the kinds of benefits they enjoy in the West. Thus, instead of creating a project to fill a need, charities target needs that the law allows them to address.
Don't donate money without thoroughly checking out the recipient organization. NGOs that balk at transparency may not be what they seem.
Don't assume that because an NGO is based abroad it is more effective than a home grown Russian NGO. Often the opposite is true.
Do network.
Moscow is a home to a large number of charitable organizations that are always happy to welcome new volunteers. If you want to volunteer or if you have furniture, clothing, shoes, bedding, toys, kitchenware, appliances or items you no longer need, please contact one of the charitable organizations listed below. Many are always looking for in-kind donations for the projects they support. Some may be able to pick up your donations from your home or office.
AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW)
AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) is a Dutch, non-governmental, public health organization working in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) to reduce the impact of HIV among vulnerable populations. AFEW has developed a system of replication, which adapts successful international HIV programmes, based on best practices to the local conditions in other countries across the region. Currently, AFEW carries out programmes in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Tel: 250-6377
E-mail: info@afew.org
Web: www.afew.org
AMUR - Working to Save Russian
Tigers and Leopards from Extinction
AMUR is an Anglo-Russian charity promoting the conservation of Amur (Siberian) tigers and leopards and was officially launched at the British Embassy by the former British Ambassador, Sir Roderic Lyne, in May 2001. The Amur tigers and leopards are extremely endangered with only about 450 adult tigers and 35 adult leopards living in the wild in the Russian Far East. AMUR works to raise money and awareness for conservation projects in the Russian Far East, where these two extremely rare big cats live. Amongst other things, AMUR is working to create new protected reserves, promote eco-tourism, carry out education projects and help with much needed research. Volunteers can get involved by joining the AMUR Committee, holding fund raising events (all money raised will go directly to projects in the field), helping organize events, making a donation, etc.
Address: Myasnitskaya ul., 35a, office 46
Metro: Chistie Prudy
Tel: 768-8065
E-mail: e.newman@amur.org.uk
Web: www.amur.org.uk
Action for Russia's Children (ARC)
Action for Russia's Children (ARC) is an all-volunteer charity dedicated to helping children - particularly the under-privileged, disabled and homeless - and supports Russian initiatives that offer an alternative to institutional care. ARC works with day centers, therapy centers, specialist schools, a foster family project and toy library to establish alternatives to the internat system and to support parents who have made the difficult decision to keep a special-needs child at home. ARC's volunteers give support to ten projects helping children and young people in Moscow who have all kinds of special needs: physically and mentally disabled children, orphans, the homeless, and those of mixed race who suffer from discrimination.
E-mail: actionarc@yahoo.co.uk
Web: www.actionarc.com
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)
Charities Aid Foundation is a non-commercial organisation committed to efficient giving. It works to raise the profile of giving, lobby for tax breaks and provide an increasingly broad suite of services to charities and their supporters. The Russian office of the Foundation - CAF Russia - has been a successful charity in Russia since 1993. In close collaboration with the leading Russian and international companies and foundations, it realises around 40 programmes a year. Since the beginning of its work, CAF Russia realised over 300 initiatives aimed at the resolution of a considerable range of social problems, from aiding organisations for the disabled to developing local foundations in 26 regions of the country. Over 44 million dollars went to such ends. The total value of the projects supported by CAF exceeds 120 million dollars.
Address: Tverskaya ul., 24/2, str. 1, podiezd 3, floor 5
Metro: Pushkinskaya
Tel: 792-5929
E-mail: cafrussia@cafrussia.ru
Web: www.cafrussia.ru
Diema's Dream
Diema's Dream was founded in 1998 as a result of Mary Dudley's charitable work with orphanages in Moscow while she first lived here from 1994 to 1997. It was during this time that she met Diema, a charming little boy who had hydrocephalus and was paralyzed from the waist down. When Diema turned 5, he was sent to an Internat for children from the ages of 5 to 18. The founder had lost Diema in the system. Through her search to find Diema, Mary met Leonid Mogilevsky. Diema was one of the lucky children to have been saved by Mogilevsky from one of the worst internats in Moscow. Today Diema's Dream is a non-profit, all volunteer US and UK foundation providing financial medical and educational support for physically and mentally disabled children in Russia and the former Soviet Union states. The larger goal is to support changes in society and government in order to create social and medical support programs that will allow parents to raise their children at home instead of living in institutions. Diema's Dream has sponsored educational seminars for the staff and teachers of the Charity House Program.
Address: Borisovskiye Prudy ul., 16, korp. 4
Metro: Kashirskaya
Tel.: 340-0100
E-mail: info@ddfund.ru
Web: www.ddfund.ru
Downside Up
For decades Russian children with Down syndrome had no early intervention services, and their needs were ignored. In 1996 Downside Up, a Russian-British charity, began its daily free programs for Russian families that raise children with DS. Downside Up provides free educational and social services to several hundred Russian children with Down syndrome and their families. Volunteers are involved in charity fundraising events, such as an annual bike ride in Moscow and a Kilimanjaro Climb, and do volunteer work with the children at the center.
Address: 3rd Parkovaya ul., 14a
Metro: Izmailovskaya
Tel: 8 499 367-1000
E-mail: downskteup@downsideup.org
Web: www.downsideup.org
Greenpeace
Address: Leningradsky prosp., 26, korp. 1
Metro: Belorusskaya
Tel: 988-7460
E-mail: info@greenpeace.ru
Web: www.greenpeace.ru
Guide Dogs - Dogs as Assistants to Disabled People
Guide Dogs is an independent non-profit charity called "Dogs as Assistants to Disabled People" that provides a free humanitarian service to disabled Russians. The volunteer trainers train both guide dogs for the blind and help dogs for physically or mentally disabled people. Those who receive dogs get them for free. New dog owners also receive free instruction to learn how to work with their four-legged companions. The guide dog services are provided free of charge, but since Guide Dogs Dogs receives no governmental assistance the center relies on donations to continue its important work.
Tel: 8 499 145-2261
E-mail: guidedogs@guidedogs.ru
Web: www.guidedogs.ru
Hope Worldwide
Hope Worldwide supports orphans, disabled children and pensioners, veterans of World War II and the elderly. Volunteers are always welcome.
Address: Botanicheskaya ul., 33, korp. 5
Metro: Petrovsko-Razumovskaya
Tel: 977-7375
E-mail: info@hopeww.ru
Web: www.hopeww.ru
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
IFAW's mission is to improve the welfare of wild and domestic animals throughout the world by reducing commercial exploitation of animals, protecting wildlife habitats and assisting animals in distress. IFAW seeks to motivate the public to prevent cruelty to animals and to promote animal welfare and conservation policies that advance the wellbeing of both animals and people. Today IFAW's programs include a campaign to save the critically endangered Western population of Gray whales at Sakhalin Island, the IFAW Mobile veterinary clinic that spays/neuters and treats stray dogs and cats, the IFAW Orphan Bear Cubs Project that rehabilitates bear cubs orphaned after the cruel winter den hunt.
Address: Smolenskaya pl., 3, Smolensky Passage
Metro: Smolenskaya
Tel: 937-8386
E-mail: info@ifaw.org
Web: www.ifaw.ru
International Women's Club (IWC) Charities
The International Women's Club of Moscow supports many different charitable projects with the assistance of a group of dedicated volunteers. These projects fall into different areas that include baby houses and internats (orphanages), children, the elderly, families and individuals, foster families, handicapped and hospitals, soup kitchens, street children, the homeless, women's issues and a donations office. Volunteers are always needed and very welcome! The IWC Charities Group holds regular general meetings at which you can find out more about the work of the group and the many projects the IWC supports.
E-mail: iwcmoscow@yahoo.com
Web: www.iwcmoscow.ru
Kidsave International
Kidsave believes that every child needs a family. Consistent with its mission to end the harmful institutionalization of children, Kidsave has been working since 1999 to help move orphaned and abandoned children into permanent families. Volunteers are always welcome to help.
E-mail: Tatiana@kidsave.org
Web: www.kidsave.org
Kitezh Children's Community
Kitezh was established to place children from Russian orphanages into loving adoptive families living in an idyllic village some 300 km southwest of Moscow in the Kaluga Region. This therapeutic community is recognized nationally and internationally for the outstanding work that it does in healing traumatized children. Ten years ago, Kitezh was virgin forest. Slowly, a village of log cabin homes and a school came into being. The school is fully recognized by the government, and there are classes in computing, English, art and icon painting, personal development, as well as Russian, math, history and geography. The children learn traditional Russian dances and perform musicals such as "My Fair Lady" and "Jesus Christ Superstar" in the original English. Some of the first children to come to Kitezh from orphanages ten years ago are now university students - an outstanding testament to the loving success of this community.
Tel: 8 916 9751603
E-mail: kitezh@kaluga.ru
Web: www.kitezh.org
Maria's Children
The Maria's Children studio was established in 1993 when director Maria Yeliseeva began her volunteer work with orphans. Kids from different orphanages in Moscow attend the art studio to team art and life skills. They create murals, paintings and other artwork that has been exhibited in Russia and abroad, and their teachers practice art therapy and musical therapy with children challenged by disabilities. The studio also has a psychologist who works with the children. Maria's Children provides an atmosphere where children learn trust, love and friendship. They learn to paint and in doing so, are empowered to change their lives. Every year, Maria's Children sells adorable postcards and wall calendars. Volunteers who are interested in doing artwork with children are always welcome.
Address: Dmitrovsky per., 2/10
Metro: Okhotny Ryad
Tel: 692-4870
E-mail: mariaschildren@yandex.ru
Web: www.mariaschildren.ru
METIS Inter-Racial Children's Charity Fund
The mission of METIS is to improve the lives of mixed-race children through humanitarian assistance, education and training programs, and other avenues of social advocacy and support. It is the only organization of its kind in Russia. Current METIS programs and projects include computer classes; English and French language classes; donations of food packages to needy families; financial support to individual families; monthly ethnic gatherings for children and families excursions to theatres, museums, and other cultural venues; distribution of a semi-annual newsletter; holiday celebrations for children and families; donations of clothing, toys, and household items, summer camp sponsorship etc. Volunteers are always needed for the above programs and projects.
Tel: 343-0813
E-mail: metis2001@mail.ru
Web: www.fundmetis.narod.ru
MiraMed Independent Living and Social Adaptation Center (MILSAC)
Since 1991 MiraMed has been assisting displaced and orphaned children in Russia, helping them make the transition from state-run institutions to society. The organization's social protection programs for Russian orphans include humanitarian aid, education and training at MiraMed Centers for Social Adaptation in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Uglich that help orphans re-enter society with the skills they need to live a safe and meaningful life. MiraMed's short and long term volunteer programs give adults from around the world the opportunity to live and work in Russia and make a personal difference. MiraMed founded the Angel Coalition, the first and now the largest, most successful anti-trafficking coalition in Russia whose members provide public education and training and support for the rescue, return and rehabilitation of trafficking survivors. There are opportunities to work with pregnant single young mothers, single moms with young children, teenagers, and young adults, or with a professional staff of teachers and psychologists.
Address: Kotelnicheskaya nab., 1/15, korp. B, office 52
Metro: Kitai-Gorod
Tel: 915-4614
E-mail: erics@miramed.org
Web: www.miramedinstitute.org
Moscow Animals
Homeless dogs and cats are a big problem in Moscow. There are still no Western-style SPCAs in Moscow. The aims of Moscow Animals are to provide in-kind and financial support to a number of private and semi-private dog and cat shelters in Moscow and to assist the shelters and private individuals that rescue animals off the street in finding new homes for their furry friends. Volunteering at animal shelters in Moscow is possible, though operating conditions will usually be nowhere near those in Western countries. If you would like to adopt a dog or cat, please visit the dog and cat pages on the Moscow Animal website.
Tel: 763-0012
E-mail: info@moscowanimals.org
Web: www.moscowanimals.org
Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy (MPC)
The Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy funds and operates soup kitchens that serve hot lunches to hundreds of Moscow's elderly each weekday in a number of locations around Moscow. In addition to running soup kitchens, the MPC distributes groceries to African refugees and underprivileged foreign students and prepares food packages for families from METIS, an inter-racial children's charity fund. Volunteers are always welcome.
Tel: 8 499 143-5748
E-mail: mpchaplaincy@gmail.com
Web: www.mpcrussia.org
Nastenka Foundation
Nastenka Foundation is based at the Institute of Pediatric Oncology and helps children suffering from cancer by providing their families with medical, financial and psychological assistance. Nastenka tries to help by providing the families with financial assistance; raising and providing funds for the purchase of medications, prostheses and medical equipment; providing funds for the treatment of individual children; providing the children with additional nutrition; providing the children with clothing and toys as well as educational supplies; arranging parties and entertainment at the hospital and excursions for the long-term resident parents; and involving volunteers in all aspects of the Foundation's work. Nastenka is always looking for volunteers to assist with fundraising, distribution of donations and raising awareness about their cause.
Tel: 585-4101
E-mail: mail@nastenka.ru
Web: www.nastenka.ru
"NAN" - No to Alcoholism and Drugs
Founded in 1987 by a group of psychiatrists who specialize in drug related problems, NAN now has more than 40 different chapters across Russia. The fund concentrates on developing, testing and approving various spiritually oriented methods of preventing alcoholism and drug-use, venereal diseases and AIDS. It works with abandoned "street" children. NAN has been a leader in NGO development in Russia and played an active role in preparing various federal and Moscow city laws regulating charities. NAN is a recipient of the Euro-American Award for Democracy and a Civil Society.
Address: Shvernika ul., 10a
Metro: Akademicheskaya
Tel: 8 499 126-3475
E-Mail: nan@nan.ru
Web: www.nan.ru
Operation Smile
Operation Smile is a leading international charitable medical organization which provides free, high quality, reconstructive facial surgery to children around the world born with cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial deformities. Founded in the United States in 1982 by plastic surgeon Or. William Magee and his wife, Operation Smile has since operated on almost 80,000 children in 22 mission countries free of charge. Operation Smile donates medical equipment and supplies to in-country host hospitals. All Operation Smile doctors are volunteers, donating their time and services. Operation Smile has been recognized by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as the largest organization of volunteers in the world. Nominated by former US Ambassador to Russia Thomas Pickering, Operation Smile was awarded the first Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize in 1996.
Address: Smolenskaya pl., 3, Smolensky Passage, office 708
Metro: Smolenskaya
Tel. 933-8377
E-mail: irina.tulyakova@operationsmile.org
Web: www.operationsmile.org.ru
Russian Children's Welfare Association (RCWS)
The Russian Children's Welfare Society is dedicated to assisting disadvantaged Russian Children improve their lives. Our organization was formed in 1926 to assist Russian children and families who emigrated to the West. Today the RCWS focuses on helping to improve the lives of children at risk in Russia. During the 2007-2008, the Society disbursed approximately 2 million dollars in direct aid to children in Russia by supporting orphanages, homeless shelters, hospitals, rehabilitation centers for disabled children and schools. More than 20,000 children have been helped by the Society, and over 600 grants have been made to children's organizations.
Address: Bakuninskaya ul., 81/55, str. 1
Metro: Elektrozavodskaya
Tel: 8 499 261-1868
E-mail: rcwsmoscow@gmail.com
Web: www.rcws.org
Russian Orphan Opportunity Fund (ROOF)
ROOF is a pioneer in providing high-quality education for children and young adults from Russian orphanages with programs aiming to eradicate traditional prejudices against this group by integrating them into society and enabling them to take care of themselves. ROOF needs volunteers to help with fundraising, translating materials, raising awareness about the problems faced by orphans in Russia, etc.
Address: Voznesensky per., 8
Metro: Pushkinskaya
Tel: 629-5100
E-mail: roof@roofnet.org
Web: www.roofnet.org

Taganka Children's Fund (TCF)
Taganka Children's Fund supports over 1,200 of the most disadvantaged children and single parents in Moscow to prevent children from entering institutionalized care or ending up alone on the city streets. Taganka Children's Fund is always looking for volunteers to assist with fundraising, PR grant writing and development projects. Much of the work can be done in English.
Address: Bolshoi Rogozhsky per., 10, korp. 2
Metro: Marksistskaya
Tel: 911-7449
E-mail: tcf@comtv.ru
Web: www.charity-tcf.ru
Therapeutic Riding Society
Therapeutic riding is a physical and a social activity that helps cure or ease many diseases and problems and that brings together the healthy and the handicapped. Equestrian therapy lessons include creative games and sports and contribute to a sense of well-being and self-reliance. The society is a non-profit charitable organization that aims at giving comprehensive help to disabled people. The program of rehabilitation and social adaptation provides riding sessions; rehabilitation exercises; lessons in clay modelling; embroidery; drawing; singing; pottery; ceramics; woodcarving; as well as playing sessions, lessons in basic horse grooming, stable keeping and horse tending. Members of the club regularly take part in national and international riding competitions. As the assistance the society provides to the disabled is free of charge, it relies on donations and grants from national and international organizations and private individuals.
Tel: 781-4668
E-mail: rboomkki@mail.ru
Web: www.hippotherapy.ru
United Way Moscow
United Way Moscow is a community-based, non-profit organization dedicated to improving people's lives in Moscow and eventually in Russia. The United Way marshals volunteer monetary resources to make a positive impact on the lives of children, teens and seniors. It also lobbies for government policies in Moscow and throughout Russia and promotes the concepts of philanthropic giving in Russia.
Address: Nizhnaya ul., 14, str. 1
Metro: Belorusskaya
Tel: 780-9717
E-mail: info@unitedway.ru
Web: www.unitedway.ru

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Russia
Founded in 1961, WWF is one of the biggest non-governmental conservation organizations in the world. WWF's mission is to stop the accelerating degradation of Earth's natural environment and to help its human inhabitants live in greater harmony with nature. Established in Russia in 1994, the main programs that WWF Russia is working on include forests, climate change, rare species, nature protected areas, ecological legislation development, education, and toxins. The WWF needs volunteer help in their office.
Address: Nikoloyamskaya ul., 19, str. 3
Metro: Taganskaya
Tel: 727-0939
E-mail: russia@wwf.ru
Web: www.wwf.ru
Although we believe all of the charities listed above to be reputable organisations, please bear in mind that a listing does not guarantee the bona fides of the organisation concerned.

58.

Public Transport::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Public Transport
MOSCOW METRO
When it first opened in 1935, the system had just one line. Today, the Moscow metro contains 12 lines, mostly underground with a total of more than 175 stations. The metro is one of the deepest subway systems in the world. It is a great, fast, efficient, and cheap way to get around town, with stations close to most major places of interest in the city center. Trains run every couple of minutes from early morning to late at night. They can get very crowded during morning and evening rush hours. Stations that are always crowded are those adjacent to railway stations and bus terminals (for example, Kievskaya, Belorusskaya).
Many of Moscow's metro stations were designed and embellished by prominent Russian architects, artists and sculptors and are incredibly beautiful - especially those in the city center and the ones on the brown circle line, which connects seven of Moscow's nine railway stations to each other. When you start exploring Moscow on the metro, take some time to get off at each station to have a closer look. The metro runs from 05:35 to 01:00. Intervals between trains during the day are usually no more than a few minutes but can be longer in the early morning or late evening.
Brief History of the Moscow Metro
The story started in the beginning of the 20th century. The first and very unusual project of the underground was offered by engineer Peter Balinsky in 1902. According to his plan trains were supposed to pass across the Red Square over the heads of the astonished people in horse-carriages, but this project was rejected as well as many others. Only in 1931 the dream of many architects and progress adherents came true and the construction began. On May 15th 1935 the first line covering the distance from Sokolniki to Gorky Park was opened for public use. The lucky owner of the ticket No. 1 presented this precious piece of paper to the Museum of Moscow Metro.
Finding a Metro Station
Metro entrances are easy to find - they are indicated by big red letters "M", which are illuminated at night.
Metro Tickets
Fare: 26 Rbs per ticket (as of June 2010). Children under the age of seven travel free of charge.
The fee for 1 trip is fixed, i.e. it does not depend on the length of your journey, you can make as many line-changes as you wish, and stay down in the metro as long as you like - it is valid until you exit the metro system. Tickets are available for 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 60, 70 rides and there is also a common ticket for 70 rides in all kinds of transport. You can also buy season tickets of different kinds: season tickets with limited number of rides for 5 days (1, 2 rides), season tickets with limited number of rides for 45 days (5, 10, 20, 60 rides), season tickets with limited number of rides for one calendar month (70 rides) and season tickets with unlimited number of rides: for 30 days, for 90 days and for 365 days.
Metro tickets can be obtained from the "kassas" (ticket booths) that are located inside each metro station. The tickets come in the form of smart cards. To enter the metro system, touch the yellow circle on the turnstile with your ticket. After you touch the yellow circle, the other circle a bit lower will show in green light how many rides are left (or illuminate in green if you have the season ticket). The red light on the ticket-barrier will go out briefly, and you can now enter through the turnstile.
If your ticket is not valid, the turnstile will make a buzz sound and the red circle will be still on. If you are sure that your ticket is valid, but the turnstile won't let you in, do not be desperate; just touch the yellow circle of the same turnstile one more time. Normally, if the ticket is valid, the turnstile will work. You don't need your ticket to exit the metro.
Moscow Metro Peculiarities
In one way the Moscow metro is definitely different from all other underground railways in the world: it was planned not only as a comfortable and easily accessible transport but also as powerful means of propaganda. The idea was to immortalize the greatness of socialism; as a result Moscow underground became one of the most grandiose phenomena of the Stalin era. Its pompous architecture and sumptuous designs allow Moscow metro to remain one of the most popular tourist attractions.
Each central station has its own unique style. For example Teatralnaya station is decorated with majolica bas-reliefs picturing folk dances. In the niches of Ploshchad Revolutsii there are 76 bronze statues imaging the creators of the communism. Kievskaya and Belorusskaya are adorned with national ornaments of Ukraine and Belarus.
Among other sumptuous metro stations Mayakovskaya is a true pearl of underground architecture. It is included in the UNESCO List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Silvery steel columns match beautifully with red and pink shades of rhodonite. The ceiling has 36 mosaic panels made of coloured glass created by very famous Soviet-era artist Alexander Deineka.
As money becoming tighter during the 1960s and 1970s the opulent designs of new stations were sacrificed in favour of better geographic coverage and investment into rail technology - the stations of this era look far more prosaic by comparison. However, in the Medvedev era funds are being found to build new stations - some of which are built in a "fake-Empire" style glorifying Russia's 19th-century past (e.g. Trubnaya), while yet others illustrate contemporary minimalist design styles (e.g. Vorobyovy Gory). Money is now finally being found to restore the first-generation stations (such as Mayakovskaya) to their original glory - and to invest in new rolling-stock and track.
Finding your Way around the Metro
It is not very difficult to find your way around on the metro. For convenience, each metro line has its own distinct colour. Information boards on the station walls show the stations that are served by the particular line you are on. They also indicate all possible transfers to other lines. Signs inside metro stations are in Russian only. Each train car has a metro map close to one or more of the doors. These maps are bilingual (Russian, English).
When you are on the train, the driver will make the following announcement "Ostorozhno, dveri zakryvautsya, sleduyuschaya ostanovka (for example) Smolenskaya". This means "Careful, the doors are closing. The next stop is Smolenskaya". You should be able to understand the station names. In case a station has transfers to two or more other lines, stay calm and try to find the information board indicating the needed station. If it doesn't work, ask someone for assistance.
Many stations have two or more exits leading onto different streets. The exit signs list nearby streets, places of interest, department stores, etc. It helps to find in advance whether you have to get off at the first or last metro car to get to your destination. When meeting someone inside the metro, make sure you are very clear about where exactly you will meet. Some stations are very big and can be very crowded, which can make finding someone a difficult task.
Light Metro
Since 2004, Muscovites are able to enjoy new means of city transportation - the light metro (monorail). The first line is in Butovo and can be accessed from metro Bulvar Dmitriya Donskogo. The second line is in northern Moscow and runs between metros VDNKh and Timiryazevskaya. The tracks are an elevated structure with an average height of 7.5 m (25 ft). Each train can hold about 300 passengers. The average speed is 40 km (25 mi) per hour.
BUSES, TROLLEYBUSES, AND TRAMS
In view of the fact that metro stations outside the city centre are far apart in comparison to other cities - up to 4 km (2.5 mi) - an extensive bus network radiates from each station to the surrounding residential zones. Also, Moscow has a several bus terminals for long-range and intercity passenger buses, with a daily turnover of about 25000 passengers serving about 40% of long-range bus routes in Moscow.
Moscow has an extensive tram system, which first opened in 1899. Its daily usage by Muscovites is low (approximately 5%), although, it still remains vital in some districts, especially, in the centre for those who need to get to the nearby metro station. Increasingly tram-lines are the victims of road-widening schemes, and the tram-system's coverage is steadily decreasing. Buses and trolleybuses run from about 06:00 to 01:00, trams from about 05:30 to 01:00.
Public Transportation Ticket Options
One ticket covers one-way transportation on only one bus, trolleybus or tram (regardless the distance). If you transfer to another bus, trolleybus or tram, a new ticket will be required. Tickets for public transportation can be purchased from kiosks on the street. They are typically grey in colour and have a big sign saying "Proezdnyue Bilety" meaning "Public Transportation Tickets". These kiosks can be found outside many metro stations.
Bus, trolleybus, and tram tickets cost 24 Rbs for 1 ticket; 48 for 2 tickets, 90 for 5 tickets; 180 for 10 tickets, 369 Rbs for 20 tickets, 700 Rbs for 60 tickets (as of June 2010). The more tickets you buy, the cheaper the individual ticket gets. If you plan on frequently using public transportation, you may want to purchase a so-called "yediny" which costs 2140 Rbs. This pass is valid for one month and can be used for up to 70 rides on the metro and unlimited tram, bus, and trolleybus rides.
Another option is to purchase a so-called TAT or "proyezdnoi". The letters TAT stand for Tram, Autobus (bus), and Trolleybus. A TAT costs 830 Rbs (as of June 2010). As TAT tickets are not valid for the metro, you will have to purchase metro tickets separately.
You are strongly encouraged to obtain your bus/tram/trolley tickets before you travel. However, you can obtain a ticket on-board, in return for some practiced tutting and grumbling. If you buy a ticket directly from the tram, bus, or trolleybus driver, it will cost you 28 Rbs (as of June 2010). The drivers only sell the tickets during scheduled stops, and you should try to have the exact change on hand.
To enter the tram, bus or trolleybus you have to use a turnstile entrance within the vehicle, located past the driver's seat. All buses, trolleybuses and trams required you to enter through the front door and exit through the back door.
Microbuses
Hundreds of routes in Moscow are served by microbuses (small passenger vans). In Russian these are called "marshrutnoye taxi" or "marshrutka" for short. Their only similarity to a taxi is that they can - in theory - be hailed at the roadside without having to be at a stop, and they can drop you off anywhere along their (fixed) route that the driver considers safe. The routes normally start outside metro stations, and the drivers will stop anywhere along their route at passenger's requests. These small buses often go to places where there is no metro, such as many micro-neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Moscow. They often run long after the metro has closed - but with no guarantees, as the drivers are free agents, and can pack up and go home if it is a quiet evening with few clients.
While these small buses often are a quicker alternative to regular buses, their drivers are often overworked and/or drive recklessly. Accidents involving microbuses are frequent. Pricing on board is entirely up to the companies offering the route - usually they are posted on the buses' windows, along with information on the route and the micro bus number. A very large number of marshrutkas are offering a "private" alternative to specific public bus or tram route - and number themselves the same as the bus- or tram-number they are cloning. Since the public services are not-for-profit anyhow, they rarely complain about this competition - which relieves congestion on already-groaning main routes. Marshrutka offers travelers a slightly quicker journey, less crowding on board, and a guaranteed seat instead of having to stand (no standing is allowed in marshrutkas, for safety reasons). You have to tell (i.e. holler to) the driver in advance of where you'd like to stop.
COMMUTER AND LONG-DISTANCE TRAINS
Moscow has nine large train stations. All of them serve long-distance trains as well as short-distance commuter trains called "elektrichkas" that go to various suburbs of Moscow.
Commuter Trains ("Elektrichkas")
When visiting a location outside of Moscow, make sure you know which train station your elektrichka departs from. Not all elektrichkas travelling to the same destination will spot at all of the smaller stops in-between. Large boards on the main platform usually list the trains that are going to be leaving within the next couple of hours, and they normally mention whether the train will stop everywhere or not. If in doubt, ask! Suburban trains run relatively frequently and are usually on time.
If you plan on frequently travelling to the same destination by suburban train, you may want to purchase a timetable for that particular route; they are very cheap and available at the ticket counters. Generally there are more trains during morning and evening hours when people travel to and from work, and on summer weekends when entire families travel to and from their dachas. During summer the trains can get very crowded, and seating is limited. Note that most of these trains have no toilets; neither do the majority of the small station stops along the way.
Long-Distance Trains
Moscow's nine rail terminals (or vokzals) are:
Belorussky
Kazansky
Kievsky
Kursky
Leningradsky
Paveletsky
Rizhsky
Savyolovsky
Yaroslavsky
They are located close to the city centre, each, dealing with trains from different parts of Europe and Asia. Tickets in general are relatively cheap.
If you contemplate a long-distance or overnight train journey make sure you buy a first or a least second class ticket. Some short- and medium-distance trains till have a third class, called "obshchy vagon". This is a carriage without any compartments, and you might end up sleeping next, above or under a noisy party of travelers - or military recruits on their way home on leave.
There are also different categories of train: "skory" ("fast", an outdated title in most cases, as it is rarely the fastest option), "express", and "firmenny" ("flagship service" - the highest category). Tickets cost more on better trains. You cannot buy a ticket merely specifying the route you want - you have to specify the train and time you intend to use, and you will be given an assigned wagon and seat (or berth, if the train is a sleeper). All long-distance routes longer than 24 hours are "compulsory sleeper" services - there is no "couchette" option. Firmenny trains are not only faster - they have greatly increased levels of comfort on board, nicer restaurant-wagons, and clean toilets, usually modern "airline-type" toilets. A useful "rule of thumb" when choosing trains - if you only know their numbers - is that the lowest-numbered trains are usually the best ones (firmenny). Faced with a choice of train 9 or train 371 on the same route, you'd be best to pick train 9. Some routes (e.g. Moscow - St. Petersburg) have competing commercial train operators, offering you a wider choice of services and prices.
Toilet facilities on non-firmenny Russian trains are not great, and it is absolutely essential to bring your own toilet paper and small pre-packed moist towelettes (the kind you get on airplanes). You might also want to bring some food and drink, especially if you are going to on longer trip. Routes longer than 24 hours always have a dining car - these tend to be either "nice but prohibitively expensive" or "cheap but grim" - almost all of them are nowadays operated as franchised businesses. Russian standard cafe fare is usually the extent of the menu - vegetarians are likely to fare quite poorly, even on better trains.
When travelling overnight, make sure you lock your compartment door. Keep an eye on your belongings, especially your passport and your wallet - thefts on trains can and do occur.
Most expatriates prefer not to use trains for long-distance travel; it is much easier and faster to fly. Overnight train rides to St. Petersburg, however, are a great experience, especially if you travel on one of the luxury trains (there is a choice of 5-6 premium-end train operators).
TAXIS
Apart from using public transportation, official and private taxis are the safest way to get around town. There are two different kinds of taxis in Russia, all of which are commonly referred to as "taxi": official and private taxis, and gypsy cabs.
Official and Private Taxis
Taxis come in various shapes and colours. The main feature of an official taxi is the presence of a meter, together with an official taxi sign either on the roof and/or on the doors. Official taxi drivers are supposed to switch on their meter when they pick you up and should charge you according to a "per km" rate (with a certain minimum charge), but many prefer not to do so. You may, therefore, have to agree on the fare before getting in. The same applies to gypsy cab drivers.
Note that in contrast to many countries, you cannot just get into an official taxi in Moscow and expect the driver to take you where you want to go. He may not be interested in taking you, particularly if you are going somewhere far from the city center.
Official taxis can be difficult to catch on the street - there aren't that many. If you expect that you will need a taxi, order one ahead of time. Private taxis will normally only pick up passengers who have ordered a car by phone or over Internet. Many of these cars also have taxi sign, but they usually do not have a meter.
Private taxi companies usually have a fixed charge - usually per 20 minutes. The taxi company should inform you of the charge when you order a car. Unless your company has a contact with a particular taxi company, you must pay a driver in cash. Few companies accept credit cards. If you need an official receipt, ask whether one can be provided before placing you order - not all companies provide this.
Gypsy Cabs
In Russia, the difference between hailing a cab (taxi) and simply hitchhiking is vague. Generally,
wherever you are, at any time of day or night, you can get a "cab" in a matter of minutes or seconds by holding out your hand. Normally, you tell the driver where you are going and negotiate an amount, with you naming the first price. For many locations, giving the closest metro station is the best. Keep in mind though that very few drivers speak English. "Chastniki" (gypsy cab drivers) drive their own cars that do not have any taxi signs on them.
Taxi Rules
To flag down a taxi or a gypsy cab, stand on the curb of the street and hold out your hand.
When a car stops, make sure that there are no other passengers in it.
Tell the driver where you want to go (e.g. name the street and the closest metro station). You will then be asked how much you are willing to pay for the trip.
If the driver is happy with your offer, he will say "Sadites" or "Poyekhali" (meaning "Sit down" or "Let's go").
Gypsy cab drivers often don't need instructions on how to get to your destination.
Few taxi drivers speak English or other foreign languages, so if your Russian is limited, ask someone to write your destination down for you in Russian and mark on a map so that you an show it to the driver.

Cars
There are over 3 million cars in the city on a daily basis. Recent years have seen a significant growth in the number of cars, which has lead to traffic jams and unavailability of parking space. The MKAD (Moscow Circular Car Road), along with the Third Transport Ring and the future Fourth Transport Ring is one of only three freeways that run within Moscow city limits. However, as one can easily observe from a map of Moscow area, there are several other roadway systems that form concentric circles around the city. You might want to rent a car to explore Moscow as a driver. Try one of the following car rental companies.
RIVER TRANSPORT
Moscow has two passenger riverboat terminals (South River Terminal and North River Terminal or Rechnoi Vokzal), serving regular ship routes and cruises along Moskva and Oka Rivers. Due to winter ice, the rivers are navigable from early April to mid-October for passenger transport, and for cargo - a little longer. Cruise ships, connecting Moscow with St. Petersburg, Astrakhan, Rostov-on-Don and other cities of the Volga region depart from the North River Terminal (Severny Rechnoi Vokzal). From the South River Terminal ships depart to Ryazan & Konstantinovo, on the Oka River to Nizhny Novgorod; ships for the Volga River leave from Severny Rechnoi Vokzal. Additionally the suburban ships "Raketa", "Moskva" serve Severny Rechnoi Vokzal to the recreation area of the reservoirs of the Moskva Canal, and on one-hour excursions on the Khimki Reservoir.

59.

Moscow-at-a-Glance::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Moscow-at-a-Glance
Moscow is a city of contrasts, and its fascinating history offers its inhabitants and guests a variety of adventures - business, economical, cultural, recreational and much more. Moscow is the capital of the largest European country and is situated in the heart of what is known as European Russia. Consequently, this capital city, being the epicenter of life for people of different nations and parts of the world, takes the best of east and west. Moscow has seen foreign invaders come and go. It was the capital when Mongol Tatars overran the Russian lands. The Crimean Tatars destroyed the fledgling city in 1751, as did Poles in the 17th century. During the war with Napoleon, three-quarters of the city was burned in the wake of the French occupation - but as a result, a stately Empire-era city arose in its place, still studded with the remains of the city's medieval splendour. Two further upheavals have helped shape the city's extraordinary appearance - the wave of "suprematist" monumental architecture undertaken during the "boom" period of the Communist era, and the corresponding oil-funded "rebuilding boom" that followed the fall of Communism, and continues today.
The City's Name
Moscow was named after the Moskva River (in Russian the name of the city is pronounced as "Mosk-va"). The origin of the name itself is unknown, although several theories exist. One of the theories suggests that the name originates from the ancient Finnic language, in which it means "dark" or "turbid". Yet another theory tells that the name comes from the ancient Slav language and means simply "wet". Either way, the etymology of the word is related to water.
Geographic Area & Size
The size of the city is about 1100 sq.km (425 sq.mi), with the central part of the city - over 800 sq.km (309 sq.mi) situated inside the Moscow Outer Ring Road.
Location, Streetplan, and Arterial Road Scheme
Moscow is located directly at the centre of European Russia at the northwest segment of Russia's most densely developed and populated region. The Moskva River crosses through the middle of the city and is itself a tributary of the Volga River.
Like the cross-section of a tree with its yearly rings, Moscow has grown outward from the Kremlin since the 12th century. There are five concentric "rings" that shape the city's streetplan - the most central being the former moat of the Kremlin, Moscow's medieval citadel. Beyond the Kremlin, the oldest ring is the Boulevard Ring Road; closest to the center, it contains the Kremlin within it, and the oldest part of the city. The Boulevard Ring is not a complete ring, but more a horseshoe shape with both ends terminating at the Moskva River. A middle ring road, the Garden Ring (Sadovoe Kol'tso) forms a closed circle around the downtown areas - a massive 6/8-lane highway that carries the huge bulk of Moscow's traffic, and at rush-hours becomes a gigantic circular stationary gridlock of frustrated motorists.
The city's Outer Ring Road ("MKAD" - the Moscow Circular Car Road) diverts intra-national traffic away from the city centre and was intended as a "city boundary for the 21st century" - but the city keeps expanding and some new settlements that are located outside of the MKAD also count as Moscow. The MKAD is located about 28 km (7.4 mi) from the city center and is 100 km (62 mi) long. The newest ring is called the Third Ring Road, once again forming a circle, running between the MKAD and the Garden Ring, conveniently connecting some of the densely populated but not so central parts of Moscow. Most of the Third Ring Road is built as a flyover.
Population:
Moscow city: 10.5 million (as of July 01, 2009)
Moscow region: 6.7 million (as of January 01, 2010)
The official population of Moscow slightly exceeds 10 million, but as in so many other world cities, the actual number of the population is much bigger. The whole Moscow conurbation is probably home to nearer 15 million - the discrepancy is due to official "city limits" that fail to encompass the new housing estates on the outskirts; former suburban towns which have effectively been "swallowed" by city-creep; and a huge unrecorded transient population of visitors, short-term visitors, migrant and seasonal workers, "unofficials", semi-legals and illegal immigrants, on whom there are no official stats.
The vast majority of Muscovites are ethnically and culturally Russians - well over 80%. As the country's most affluent city (unofficial estimates claim that 80% of the country's wealth is in Moscow) it is a magnet for newcomers wanting to further their careers and get the high-paying jobs on offer - many of the Russians living in Moscow have moved here from elsewhere in the country, and "native Muscovites" have a certain pride about having been born in the city.
Moscow is home to many other nationalities, especially Armenians, Georgians, Asiatic Siberians, people from the Caucasus regions and many others whose families migrated to the capital during the Soviet era, when it was all just one large country. Their cultures and languages, and especially their cuisines are all part of the rich melting-pot of Moscow life. Native-born Muscovites often have a pronounced local accent which marks them out, and which is frequently the butt of jokes made about the capital's population throughout the rest of the country.
It ought to be mentioned that there is no great love for Moscow among many Russians from other cities - who habitually associate the city with the imagined misrule and economic inequalities they blame on Moscow and its rulers. In fact, this is a historical tendency - exactly the same was said of St. Petersburg when it was the capital in the 19th century.
Climate
Moscow has a humid continental climate. The average temperature of the year is 5.4 degrees Celsius (°C), with an average temperature of -9°C in January and +18°C in July. Moscow's climate really consists of two extreme seasons: winter and summer. Spring and fall are often negligibly short.
Average temperatures are based on 30 years observation period. Table values are in degrees Celsius (°C). T,°C
Monthly average
Variations Jan
-10
-10...-9

60.

Residential Complexes :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Moscow Oblast, as the Region is called, surrounds the city of Moscow. Combined with the city, the total population is estimated at 12 to 14 million making it the largest and most exciting) city in all of Europe. As Moscow takes its place on the world stage, it is experiencing all the growing pains along with the opportunities.Out-of-town housing has become the housing of choice for well-to-do Russians. Expats have followed them in search of clean air, peace and quiet, and the opportunities that a healthy lifestyle provides. The abundance of new shopping centers includes supermarkets, movie theatres, and an amazing list of internationally known brands.Why live outside the center?Increasingly people choose to live outside for the same reasons as any other major world center: quality of life. The air is fresh and clean, nature is close by, and security concerns are much less. And there is space; space to play with your kids, space to walk the dog, space to relax and the homes themselves are usually bigger than anything in the center. And, it is quiet.Away from the noise and space constraints of the city, children can ride their bikes and enjoy their friends. Cross-country skiing, swimming, horseback riding and tennis are all readily available. The coaching and trainers in Moscow are second to none. Ballet, gymnastics, or the martial arts are all taught in the great Russian sports tradition.Schools are available to kids by school bus or carTwo major schools: The Anglo American School and the school at Rosinka are both located on major residential campuses. This provides a safe learning environment for your kids. School bus transport is available depending on where you live. Shopping is growing rapidlyMany new malls and supermarkets are opening monthly and almost weekly. Out of town locations are easily accessible and have become retailer’s first choice in Moscow. The availability of internationally-known brands is readily comparable with the world’s other great cities.Commuting is comparable to any world capitalThere are morning and evening rush hours. If you leave before or after these times, your commute will be pleasant. Most out-of-town locations are close to the city in terms of actual distances. Take local holidays and seasonal trends into consideration when planning your schedule and all will be well.
The availability and quality of out-town-homes varies widely. Chaotic development, a construction boom, and strong demand make finding the proper community difficult. Traditional dachas are usually stand-alone wooden (old) or brick (new) and are numerous in style and price. However, a word of caution: they come unfinished with little or no support services. Increasingly, dacha communities are springing up trying to address minimum levels of services or security in a slightly more organized fashion.Rosinka, your home in RussiaAlso in the countryside, but just 24 km from the Kremlin is Rosinka, a family-oriented community. We have nearly 270 families from more than 30 nations living on our 54 hectares (140 acres) of countryside. Surrounded on two sides by a National Park and a Federal Forest Reserve, Rosinka is anideal choice for those seeking a healthy lifestyle in a secure and beautiful setting.
Our homes are of the highest quality ranging from 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms to 5 bedrooms, with 5.5 bathrooms. We are clearly the leaders in the suburban residential market. Our motto is that our clients come first - and we have a committed team dedicated to this goal. Rosinka is home to more than 400 children. In 2002 we built a brand new building for our more than 50 pre-schoolers. It is equipped with six classrooms, plus an art-room, playroom, and a kitchen for cooking lessons.
Our Pre-School is adjacent to a beautiful 13,500 square meters (145,000 square feet) Sports Center. There’s a 25-meter heated indoor pool,world-class tennis courts, squash courts and weight room. Kids and their parents can enjoy international level instruction in ballet, gymnastics, karate, judo, yoga, aerobics, swimming, tennis and other sports and activities. A medical doctor has offices in the center and is available round the clock.
For more information on Rosinka Complex contact: Russia, 143442, Moscow rural, Krasnogorsky region, village Angelovo. Tel: (+7 495) 730-3200, Fax: (+7 495) 730-3232 E-mail: info@rosinka.ru Web: http://www.rosinka.ru

61.

The Russian Mind-Set::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

The Russian Mind-Set
For most Russians, transitioning into new democracy with its associated freedoms has not been an easy task, and for many particularly members of the older generations, the change was not a welcome one. The failure of communism brought with it freedom that many were not prepared to exercise. Not all have welcomed the substantial restructuring of the social order that followed the implosion of the USSR - for mainly apolitical reasons (worsening of conditions for pensioners, state health care patients, educational institutions, cultural organizations, etc).
Russian Personality
Because the Russian personality has so many faces, it is difficult to define. Defeated by harsh weather, a tumultuous history and the general malaise that ensued, Russians seem to value the status quo and are reluctant to change. Security, stability, and conservatism were always held in high regard; but at the same time you will see new phenomena such as the absence of concern about the future, free spending and easy and quick adaptation of foreign practices in the younger generations in larger cities. Many foreigners find the Russian people an enigma - surprisingly nostalgic about their past yet cautiously optimistic about the future - patient but curious about the possibilities of freedom.
As some things in Russia are almost impossible to explain, there is a very good saying that you will hear over and over again as first response to your questions: "Rossiyu umom ne ponyat" which can be translated as "Russia cannot be understood with your mind" (a quotation from the poet Tyutchev).
Russians are strong people, able to endure hardship and extreme climate with submission and patience. Generally, Russians are very well educated and have a sound knowledge of literature, history and politics. The majority of the country's population lives in European Russia (the part of Russia lying west of the border with Siberia) with the largest population centers being Moscow and St. Petersburg. Most families have no more than one or two children, who are the center of the family focus.
The Russian people have traditionally been molded and directed from cradle to grave, creating individuals who assumed little responsibility for themselves. They are slowly learning how to take charge of their own lives, but the chasm between the rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick and the skilled and the unskilled continues to widen.
Traditional Russian values and core beliefs include: love of children, respect for the old, sense of humour, strong people-orientation, importance of friendship, generosity, pride, patriotism, love of literature and arts, nostalgia, self-sacrifice, apathy, conservatism, aversion to change, caution, collectivism, pessimism and cynicism.
There is widely accepted notion in Russia that there is a "soul" that makes Russians different - a sort of sadness born of oppression that demands a different social order. Whether or not this proud melancholia is fact or fiction is arguable, but the belief is almost universally held with great pride. Acres of print have been devoted to the topic, with no very firm conclusions.
Russians love and value going to the theatre, opera, ballet and concerts. The arts are avidly devoured by all sections of society - the idea that plays or classical music could be "difficult" or unpopular is rarely encountered. They also enjoy attending readings of literature and poetry. Russians love reading everything from classical literature to translations of contemporary foreign authors. They read on the metro, while they wait, and at home. You will find that your Russian friends can easily recite entire poems or passages from their favourite books. They generally have a very good knowledge of world history, geography and the arts, and this is true regardless of the person's education or occupation.
Behaviours You May Find Puzzling
There are some behaviour patterns you may find very different from those you are used to. Some things may shock you initially, but they can usually be explained through Russia's history and your Russian friends will make efforts to help you understand why things are done the way they are. Always remember that what you consider normal behaviour may seem strange to your Russian friends.
Two things that newly arrived expatriates often find particularly troubling are the fact that Russians can seem very rude and that they rarely smile in public. Rudeness in public situations is still common. You may encounter it at supermarkets, at the post office, in public transport. Please do not let this discourage you and always remember that this is nothing personal.
Smiling at strangers is a rarity in Russia. 70 years of history taught people not to trust anybody and to guard their own territory. Just recall the famous Soviet poster "Ne Boltai" (Do not Chatter) and you will understand the roots of not smiling at unfamiliar persons. There is also an inherited notion from "village Russia" that people who smile for no reason must be simpletons. However, while people tend to be introvert or aggressive on the outside, you will find that they are extremely kind and helpful if you get beyond their first suspicion. Keep going to the same supermarket, the same bank and the same dry cleaners over and over again, keep smiling and do say "hello" and "goodbye" every time you arrive and leave - people will eventually start remembering you and most will start smile back. They are often not used to people being polite and nice to them and your efforts will be appreciated. It may just take some time, so don't give up.
Russians seem to have very different concept of what it means to stand in a line. They tend to be pushy while getting on public transport and in the metro you will find that people try to get on while others are still trying to get off. The same applies to lines at meat and cheese counters in supermarkets, where it can be difficult to figure out where the line starts and who is there first. When you go to pay utility bills at a Russian bank, you may find that when it is almost your turn one or two people show up who had "reserved" a place in the line and then took care of something else at another counter or just sit down while waiting for their turn. It is common practice to reserve a place in a line simply by telling the person in front of you "you are behind them" ("ya budu za vami"). This practice dated back to Soviet times when lines for just about everything were so long that it was impossible to get something done if you just occupied one single line.
Houses entrances, rest rooms and some other public areas may not be well cared for. You may, for example, see a beautiful apartment in a building with a dilapidated entrance and filthy staircase. In Soviet times, this was not the case: the streets and public areas were clean and littering was basically unheard of. Today people do not seem to care for anything that happens outside of the limits of their apartments. However, things are slowly starting to improve.
Drivers in Moscow are generally very aggressive, and you may find this pretty daunting if you come from a country where drivers are polite and abide by the rules. There seems a comprehensive spirit involved in driving - everybody wants to be the first one to take off from a red light.
Russians love to comment and give advice. Don't be surprised to get unsolicited advice on how to dress your children in winter or on the necessity of wearing a hat in cold winter.
People - both men and women - still drink beer in pubic. While this is not publicly frowned upon, the government is trying to change this habit, but so far the efforts have not led to any noticeable results. Restriction of shopping hours for alcohol was never previously known in Russia, but sterner measures have been introduced from 2009 onwards, mostly by individual cities - the results vary from strict (St. Petersburg, 23:00 total ban) via haphazard (Moscow region) to utterly invisible (most of the rest of the country).
While Russians devote considerable time and cost to their own personal wardrobe and grooming, they are relatively unjudgemental about others - figuring that a person' soul is the most important, and taking a very liberal line on allowing for differing customs elsewhere. An odd Soviet throwback, however, is a private habit of awarding unmentioned merit-marks to the quality and shine of the shoes other people wear. You can make a good first impression with very little effort in this field. Sports footwear is poorly regarded in general, and is often cited (by doormen) as fair reason to deny entrance to fashionable clubs or restaurants.
While Russians can be secretive when dealing with foreigners, they can also be very curious. You may find yourself in situations when people just met ask you how much money you make. In the vast majority of cases there is absolutely no criminal interest behind these questions, but you may still not want to divulge too much personal information about your family and yourself unless you know your conversation partner very well. Very often such questions arise from "fellow professionals" who are keen to know how their profession might be valued abroad.
When you come to a Russian home you will most certainly be offered tea or coffee along with something to eat. If you arrive around lunch and dinner time, you may be invited to join the family for the meal. When inviting Russian friends over your house for drinks make sure you have some good food to offer - drinks accompanied by cheese and grapes just don't do.
Concepts of Space and Personal Space
On the one hand, Russians live in the world's largest country and think big in many ways. They tend to make big plans, even if they know that they will never be able to implement them. At the same time, they usually stand very close to each other in conversation or when standing in line. This may be a remnant from the Soviet past when people had to be very careful about what they said and always made sure that no one else was listening. Standing close to each other allows you to speak more quietly and to feel that others aren't able to hear what you are talking about. When someone has something very important to tell you and you are speaking to that person over the phone, you may still hear them say that "this is not a phone conversation", meaning that they prefer to tell you in person because they are still afraid of someone else may be listening. The reason why people stand close to each other in lines is more difficult to explain. It might have something to do with a feeling of getting to the front of the line sooner as there is less distance to the "target". Touching, hugging, and kissing friends and close acquaintance is common. You may find this uncomfortable if you come from a no- or little- contact culture.
As people still pay very little money for electricity and hot water, these resources are literally wasted. Russians will do the dishes under running hot water instead of letting them soak in the sink. Nobody will complain if you take a hot shower for half an hour or a hot bath twice a day. At the same time that electricity is still very cheap, Russians seem to prefer dim lighting. You will notice this in the metro, on the streets, in staircase, and even in people's homes where the lighting could often be a lot brighter. Street lights are not very bright, and often entire yards have no lighting for weeks on end.
These days light bulbs in public areas of apartment buildings usually have to be replaced by residents, who are often hesitant about replacing something that is not for their own use exclusively. If you want the housing department or your neighbours to replace the broken light bulbs, you may be in for a very long (and dark) wait. If you encounter such a problem in your apartment building, just buy some light bulbs and replace the broken ones - Russia has no laws (yet) on expensive energy-saving bulbs, and regular clear-glass bulbs cost just pennies. You may win the friendship or respect of your neighbours if you occasionally mop the landing area between the lift and your door.
FAVOURITE RUSSIAN PASTIMES
Dacha
Dacha is a term that refers to a summerhouse and can stand for pretty much everything from a small wooden shack without running water, gas or electricity to a lavish multi-story house in the countryside. While not everyone has a dacha, most people have relatives, neighbours or friends who do, and everyone who can normally jump at the opportunity to leave the city on weekends and escape to cleaner air and nature. Dachas are usually big projects that require the involvement of the entire family. Most dachas are not used in winter, but as soon as the last snow has gone people set out to repair and prepare their dachas for the coming summer. The majority of people who have even a small plot of land still plant vegetables and herbs at their dacha and many also have apple trees and berries. These of course require constant maintenance all the way to late autumn when the plots and trees have to be prepared for the coming winter. In short, a dacha is often not a place to relax and lie in the sun but rather a second full-time job.
Shashlyki
Shashlyki (barbecues) are a very popular activity on summer weekends when Russians often invite friends to their dacha for a barbecue.
Banya
Over the centuries, the Russian banya (bath house) has served people not only as a place where they could clean themselves, but also as a place for restoring health. It is believed that by visiting the banya many health problems can be cured. Among other positive effects, the steam in the banya helps expel fat from the body, restores the tonus of blood vessels and clean pores.
The difference between the Russian banya and the Finnish sauna lies in the kind of steam. The steam in the Russian banya is humid, and in order to reach the best effect, hot water is poured onto hot stones. The temperature inside a Russian banya can reach 60°C (140°F). The steam in a Finnish sauna, on the other hand, is dry, and the temperature can reach up to 100°C (212°F). After having spent some time in the steam room, banya visitors will jump into a pool with gold water as a kind of contrast treatment.
A very important banya attribute is the "venik" (a kind of broom made from dried birch, oak or fir branches and leaves), which banya visitors beach each other with. Apart from a positive effect on health, the banya also is a place where friends get together to relax. While at the banya, Russians like to drink beer, which is often accompanied by "vobla" - a kind of dried fish. Sometimes people have too much fun at the banya - a great example of this is provided in the very funny and highly recommended Soviet comedy "The Irony of Fate".
Mushroom Collecting
It is a tradition dating back to ancient times. Russia has a lot of forest areas where different kinds of mushrooms grow in abundance. While mushrooms have always been an important component of the national diet, they have also become a substitute for meat during the Orthodox Christian Lent. Over 200 kinds of edible mushrooms grow in Russia. Apart from protein and fats, mushrooms also contain a number of minerals such as iron, calcium, and zinc. However, there are also about 25 poisonous types of mushrooms in Russia, so unless you are very experienced you should never collect and consume mushrooms without consulting with an expert in this field. You can tell that mushroom season has arrived when you see them being sold outside metro stations. While you should never collect and consume mushrooms that grow in Moscow or within a 30 km radius of the city, the Moscow region is considered relatively safe.
A mushroom collecting trip usually involves a long car or train ride to ecologically clean area outside Moscow. If you want to get there before others do, you have to leave home in the wee hours of morning. Remember that forest areas are very popular with mosquitoes so make sure you bring sufficient amounts of mosquito repellent and wear long-sleeved shirts. The most common kind of edible mushrooms are chanterelle, oyster mushrooms, porcini and yellow boletus. A mushroom-hunting trip is often an excuse for a fun trip to the country, and if you fail to find any you can always quietly buy some from sellers at the roadside, and claim you found them yourself. Be ready to cook them into dishes or freeze them when you get home - they won't keep more than a day without spoiling. The same trip can also be a good chance to pick some forest wild berries - blackberries, redcurrants, and many others flourish within just an hour of the city limits.
Cross-Country Skiing
It is a very popular winter activity that often the whole family participates in. Children learn this sport at school from an early age. You can engage in cross-country skiing in any of Moscow's larger parks.
Fishing
While you will see people fishing in the Moskva River, fishing is not recommended in Moscow due to highly polluted rivers and ponds. You can however go fishing at any of the larger water reservoirs river parts outside of town.
Grandchildren
Grandchildren are a very popular activity for any grandmother (and grandfather). It is very common in Russia for grandparents to take care of their grandchildren while their parents are at work. They will take the children for walks, take them to the playground, to/from kindergarten or school, will cook them lunch, and often even supervise their homework assignments. Many grandchildren spend the entire summer at their grandparents' dacha, giving the parents some time for themselves. While this may seem very convenient, it sometimes results in problems as parents and grandparents often have very different ideas on how to best raise a child. Russians traditionally lived in extended families in one big house until very recently, and many of the grandparents involved will have been raised in that way.
Ice Swimming
It is a less common, but nevertheless very interesting pastime. An extreme way of keeping fit, the ice swimmers (called "morzhi" - walruses in Russian) are very proud of their "sport" and consider it a way of life. Even babies and toddlers are subjected to short immersion in ice cold water to make them strong, and may people in their 70s and 80s still regularly engage in this invigorating activity on a regular basis. The roots of ice swimming date back to pre-revolutionary times and have links to the Russian Orthodox Church as a way of cleaning sin. Every winter during religious festivals, worshippers would submerge themselves in icy waters to erase all sins from their bodies. For contemporary "morzhi", however, ice swimming is part of everyday life rather than a religious practice. When ice forms on lakes and rivers, these enthusiastic sportsmen will cut swimming holes in the ice that are carefully maintained so that bathing is possible throughout the winter. Each session is very short but a challenging experience for the uninitiated. If you want to try ice swimming, please consult with your doctor before jumping into the icy water. While this is a stimulating and energizing activity, it can easily send your body into spasms and causes severe joint ache.
New Russians: Who are They?
As a result of the changes this country has undergone since the early 1990s, a class of so-called "new Russians" has developed. These people acquired a lot of wealth very quickly (whether legally or not is another question) and have become somewhat conspicuous consumers. Very western in their dress and manner, these new captains of Russian commerce are demanding and getting the attention of others who are not in the same position. People who do not belong to this circle of the chosen few usually (and understandably) do not approve of their flamboyance.
These are very influential people purchasing prime property in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Cyprus, France, and many other countries along with soccer clubs and other sports teams. If they don't own an airplane, they will fly first class. They go on dream vacations while their children attend top European private schools and universities. The best customers of Moscow's five-star hotels are Russians - not foreign businessmen.
While many wealthy people abroad try not to show off their wealth in public, rich Russians still like to show what they have and can afford - a habit that isn't always advantageous for them. You will see an amazing number of very expensive foreign cars in Moscow's streets and you may be stunned at the suburban houses these people build - complete with swimming pools, tennis courts, bodyguards and housing for staff. While the gap between rich and poor in Russia is getting wider all the time, recent years have seen the development of a small middle class. Its members are characterized by a good education, relatively well-paying jobs and entrepreneurial spirit.
With all it luxurious new VIP residential buildings, expensive stores and restaurants, you may be under the impression that people in Moscow are quite well off. In reality this is not the case. While the country's elite tends to settle in Moscow and there are a lot of rich people living here, the majority of Muscovites (and those in the rest of Russia) are struggling very hard just to feed and clothe themselves and their families. And just as New York isn't the USA, Moscow isn't Russia. If you want to see what the real Russia is like, you have to travel to the provinces and villages outside of Moscow, in Siberia and the Far East - although these regions have their own "new rich" too.
ATTITUDES
General Attitudes
The mindset of the younger Russian generation is not as much pro-anything, as it is anti-communist. Difficult times and general uncertainty are accompanied by the feeling that democracy is better. This does not mean that Russians are not complaining. While they are critical of the slow pace reform and of the new leaders, they are nonetheless loyal and optimistic about the future of their country.
Making the transition from a society completely dependent upon the state to one in which the individual shares responsibility has been a very difficult and traumatic process for Russia and her people, and the Russians don't yet seem to have a clear picture of their selves. The demise of communism has hugely affected life in Russia, and the sometimes-halting democracy that has taken its place is still developing. Under communist rule, the State was responsible for everything - even for piffling things. Today people must make decisions and take responsibility for them - not an easy task for those who have been raised to follow, not to lead.
Attitudes in the Workplace
The older generation of Russians - although for the most part well-educated, hard-working and disciplined - is a product of the communist system in which workers were not rewarded for personal incentives nor punished for being non-productive. Not having been raised to "get ahead" and to amass personal fortunes, they may respect these traits in foreigners but generally abhor them in their Russian colleagues. You may hear the phrase "initiative is punishable" from members of the older generations and it can be difficult to convince them that personal initiative and doing your own thinking is not only welcomed, but is a necessity in the new Russia.
The attitudes of the younger generations are for most part, very different. Achievements in the workplace are highly regarded. You will find many highly trained young Russians who, on top of having an excellent education, speak fluent English and/or other foreign languages. Many choose to further their education and qualifications voluntarily at evening classes at their own expense.
Attitudes toward Foreigners
Russians generally respect and admire the business expertise and technology skills and tools of European, North American and Asian companies and are interested in doing business with them.
In some quarters Russians tend to blame Western influence for the hard times brought about by reform. The economic disparity between foreigners and themselves may also raise the hurdle of understanding. Russians have historically feared and distrusted foreigners, but today's foreign community in Moscow lives in relative harmony with the locals. Some Russians may respect their presence, but most appreciate the efforts of foreigners to modernize the local economy.
While Russians are well aware of the fact that things in Russia aren't perfect, they do not appreciate it when foreigners criticize their country, or boast excessively about the alleged superiority of their homelands. Very often questions about how things are managed overseas will actually be a delicate appeal for some positive comments about how things are by comparison in Russia - a tactful reply, without toadying, will be appreciated. It is useful to have some pre-prepared compliments about some neutral topics - the affordability and frequency of public transport, the low cost of public amenities, etc.
Attitudes towards Women
The communists maintained the equal status of men and women in the classless society, and many women had (and still have) the dual responsibility of adding to family income through a full-time job and of caring (shopping, cooking, cleaning) for the family. In the workplace opportunities for women have been slow to surface. While women in Russia have always had the opportunity to pursue higher education and many have at least one degree, they do not typically fill leadership positions yet.
Foreigners working in Russia often find that Russian women who have reached managerial positions are more serious, harder working and more creative than their male counterparts. However, radical changes must occur for the Russian mentality to accept women in positions superior to men. The male network in business is unwilling to allow women to progress.
Foreign businesswomen might encounter some resistance. Conservative dress and demeanour and a serious attitude will be helpful in dealing with Russian men, keeping a certain distance rather than being too friendly is advisable. It is also best to ignore the inequality between the sexes that exists in Russia, instead behaving as if business were transacted in the west.
Men are still the "dominant" gender in Russia and many Russians are uncomfortable with very strong women. A woman who stays aloof will be respected, whereas overly friendly behaviour may be misinterpreted.
Attitudes towards Human Rights
Although the 1993 Constitution guarantees basic human rights, the progress toward internationally-recognized human rights for all citizens is by far not yet complete. Large gains have been made on the domestic side, but abuses have been reported within the military and police forces. Conditions in Russia detention facilities are far below acceptable standards. While reforms are ongoing, the process is slow.
Attitudes toward the Disabled
Moscow and Russia on the whole is not a great place for physically disabled or mentally challenged children and adults. If you have a child with a severe physical or mental disability, you should think twice before moving to Moscow.
Generally attitudes toward disabled people in Russia aren't very good. As there aren't many opportunities for the disabled, they usually stay at home. You will, therefore, hardly ever encounter disabled people on the streets. It is not uncommon to encounter disabled people begging on public transport - particularly military veterans. You may want to prioritise generosity over any feelings of "patronizing" them - they get little other help in their lives.
State assistance to people with disabled family members is very limited. Consequently, a large proportion of women who give birth to a disabled child decide to give it up right after the child is born. These children are then condemned to a sad existence in state-run orphanages and will receive little to no physical or mental development support.
Educational opportunities for disabled children and adults are extremely limited. Even the private foreign schools in Moscow will only accept children with very minor disabilities. It is almost impossible to get around Moscow physically in a wheelchair as building entrances; sidewalks and public transportation are mostly not wheelchair-friendly.
Russian Names and Titles
Russian names have three parts: a first name (forename), a so-called "patronymic" middle name, and a surname. The "patronymic" derives from the father's name followed by the suffixes. These are "evich" or "ovich" for a son (meaning son of) or "evna" or "ovna" for a daughter (meaning daughter of). Example: A woman's full name might be Tatiana Ivanovna Smirnova. This means that her father's first name was Ivan. Her brothers' name could be Sergey Ivanovich Smirnov. Patronymics refer strictly to the child's biological father, and would not change on the mother's remarriage, on adoption, etc. (In the old Russian villages, where perhaps just 2-3 families and their descendants made up the whole village (the law forbade peasants to leave their owner's employ or land - so people didn't travel) a person's surname was almost immaterial - it was more useful to say you were "Pavel, Ivan's son", or "Irina, Ilya's daughter" by way of introduction.)
An "a" is added to the end of most (but not all) surnames of Russian females.
It is common and considered polite to address people you do not know very well and/or that are older than you by their first name and patronymic. Russians rarely refer to each other by their first and last names, although some - especially the younger generation - will call each other by their last names. You might hear children shout something like "Hey Smirnova" or "Hey Smirnov". If you are trying to find someone and only know that person's first and last name, you can ask for "Gospozha Tatiana Smirnova" (Mrs. Tatiana Smirnova) or "Gospodin Sergey Smirnov" (Mr. Sergey Smirnov).
A Russian woman usually adopts her husband's last name after marriage, but there are exceptions.
Common female names are Anna (Anya), Ekaterina (Katya), Elena (Lena), Irina (Ira), Yulia (Yulya), Maria (Masha), Natalia (Natasha), Olga (Olya), Svetlana (Sveta), Tatiana (Tanya), etc. Names of females are often altered even further, especially in terms of endearment between close friends. Thus Masha can turn into Mashenka, Lena into Lenochka, and Anya into Anyuta. Lyuba can become Lyubochka, and Yulia is often called Yulka or Yulechka. Coining these "pet-name" versions is an art in itself, and the mutual freedom to use them is considered part of the friendship bonding process. You may find your own (foreign) name converted to a nickname version - don't be offended, it is a sign of warm friendship.
Common male names are Alexander (Sasha, Shura, Sanya), Dmitry (Dima), Eugeny (Zhenya), Ivan (Vanya), Mikhail (Misha), Nikolai (Kolya), Sergey (Seryozha), Victor (Vitya), Vladimir (Volodya, Vova), etc. Often the names in parentheses are shortened even further, Seryozha can turn into Seryozh or Seryoga, Mikhail into Mish or Misha.
A modern friendly jokey way of referring to friends (rather than merely "colleagues") at work (but not superiors!) is to employ 19th century habit of using a shortened version of their patronymic - the way 19th century employers would talk to their servants. Thus Nikolai Ivanovich might be "Ivanych" to his work chums, and "Elena Ivanovna" might be "Ivanovna". Wait until you are proficient in Russian before using this in practice. If you can pull it off in practice, it will win you friends. Obviously it has to be done with a sense of fun - or it would cause offence.
The shortened names given in parentheses are commonly used, but you should never use them without asking permission. Not every Elizaveta wants to be called Lisa and not every Vladimir likes being addressed as Vova - it would be considered as "excessive familiarity". Beware of using them to people "lower in the pecking order" than yourself - you might end up patronizing people instead of befriending them as you hoped.
The shortened names Sasha and Zhenya are used for both females and males.
Another important thing to remember is that the Russian language - much like French and German - has two separate pronouns for the second person singular, differing in degrees of politeness. Technically, there are two words for the second person singular: "ty", which is used in the same sense as the French "tu" and the German "du"; and "Vy". Note that this word starts with a capital letter, which is similar to the French "Vous" and the German "Sie". Except for children you should never address anybody with the personal "ty" without asking for their permission. The word for the second person plural pronoun is also "vy" but it is spelled with a small letter.
The best way to avoid unpleasant situation is to ask individuals how they would like to be addressed. If you would like to address someone as "ty" instead of "Vy", you should ask "Mozhno na ty?" ("Can I call you "you"?")
The most common form of address in today's international office environment is first names in combination with the formal "Vy"; colleagues occupying the same rank may also use the personal "ty".
Russian Customs, Etiquette, and Popular Superstitions
Even if you are not planning to be in Russia for long, you should make every effort to learn at least a few basic words and phrases in Russian. You colleagues, neighbours, friends, and others will be impressed and the gesture will be highly appreciated. Russians generally consider their language to be a very difficult one for foreigners to learn. With the exception of your Russian teacher, they will not expect you to become fluent in Russian, but they will be amazed if you are able to carry on a simple conversation a few months after your arrival.
Even if you fail to learn much Russian, learning the alphabet (there are only 31 letters plus two silent symbols) will make a quantum improvement in your ability to move around independently. Russian is laden with imported words from other languages - once you can decode the letters, these words ("bar", "restoran", "stadion", "musey") appear to you, as if by magic.
Never shake hands with or kiss someone over the threshold of the doorstep or you will quarrel with this person (an old superstition).
Take off your gloves when shaking hands.
Returning home if you forgot something brings back luck. If it happens that you must return for something, looking in a mirror before leaving again dispels the "bad luck".
Before leaving the house on a trip, it is customary to sit down on one's suitcase for a minute or so to reflect on the trip (silently, for 4-5 seconds) and to recall whether you have forgotten anything.
It you are not married, never sit down at the corner of a square table. If you do, you will not get married for seven years.
Spitting three times over your left shoulder prevents bad luck. (You my hear Russians say "tfu-tfu-tfu" - a "spitting" incantation against bad luck.) So does knocking on wood.
Do not put your hands in your pockets.
Do not sit with your legs wide apart.
Do not cross your legs with the ankle on the knee or put your feet on the table. It is considered impolite to show others the soles of your shoes.
Whistling is regarded as a sure way to guarantee that you will soon part with all your money.
Never light a cigarette from a candle. This is also said to bring bad luck.
Never pour wine backhanded. It is impolite and also signifies that you will "pour" your money away.
If you spit salt on the table, you will be plagued by bad luck unless you throw three pinches of salt over your left shoulder immediately.
Always bring a gift for the hostess if invited into a Russian home. A box of candy and/or flowers are traditional gifts for the hostess, as is a bottle of good wine, cognac or vodka for the host. Arriving "with empty hands" is considered the poorest manners.
Never give an even number of flowers to someone - even numbers are for funerals only!
When entering a Russian home, offer to take off your shoes. In most cases your host will provide you with slippers (called "tapochki" in Russian).
Be prepared to accept smoking.
Be prepared to accept all food and alcohol when visiting friends. Refusing a drink or toast is a serious breach of etiquette. An open bottle often has to be finished. However, Russians will understand if you do not drink at all (e.g. for health reasons or because of religious beliefs, or because you have to drive later).
Be prepared to give toasts at dinners and presentations. Do not say "Na Zdoroviye" ("To your health" - this is actually a toast only in Poland) - the correct form is "Vashe Zdoroviye" ("Your health"). Russian toasts can be very long and elaborate. For birthdays, weddings and other important events, friends and colleagues often write poems for the person they wish to congratulate. You don't have to do that of course, but it helps to be prepared to at least say a few sentences. While the toast is being sad, do not continue eating or drinking. You are expected to listen, regardless of the length of the speech. An easy and amusing toast a foreigner can make is that the host's fame has spread abroad, and they are now known in your country too. Chinking glasses with everyone else (or as far as you can reach) is considered usual.
At birthday parties, by tradition, all the toasts are to some aspect of the birthday boy/girl - try to think of some witty compliments. There may often be a toast to their parents, "who gave him/her to us" - even if they aren't present. If one or other of the parents is no longer alive, you don't chink glasses for this toast.
If you plan on visiting a Russian Orthodox Church, dress conservatively (no shirt skirts or shorts). Women must cover their hair before entering the church, so bring a headscarf. Men, on the other hand, must remove headwear (hats, caps). Some extremely severe monasteries may insist on women donning a wraparound long skirt - if so, these will be provided on free loan at the gateway entrance, and using them is obligatory. Better to wait outside if you don't wish to respect their dress code requirements.
On public transportation, younger men and women should give up their seat to mothers with small children, pregnant women and elderly people. Certain seats may be marked for the use of these categories of people anyhow.
Men should offer to carry parcels and heavy bags for women they accompanying. This is local custom, regardless of what you may be used to or believe in at home.
That conveniently free seat on the jam-packed tram or bus is for the conductor - you are not allowed to sit there!
When going to the theatre or a concert, you are expected to check your coat and any larger bags at the coat check. When squeezing past others into your seat, take care to face them as you pass - doing it "the way you are used to" is regarded as "shoving your ass in their face" in Russia, and is a social no-no.
Always emphasize the good and the beautiful things you like in Moscow and Russia, try not to criticize and compare. Russians know that there are a lot of problems in this country, but they are also very proud of their history and culture. They will highly appreciate it if you show them that you like it here - or at least like some of it!
Small gifts are much appreciated. Keep a list of people who have been nice and helpful to you, such as your concierge, parking lot attendant, your favourite vendor at the supermarket, a friendly neighbour, etc. Give them a small gift such as a box of chocolate or candy or a small souvenir from your home country for major holidays, such as New Year's. Only women are given gifts on March 8th and flowers will be much appreciated, along with a nice card. Pretty calendars and company gifts such as coffee mugs and pens are also good. And, of course, don't forget about your driver, nanny, housekeeper and other friendly helpers. Along with a "real" gift, they will also appreciate a cash bonus.
Along with your baggage, bring a good amount of patience, sympathy, tolerance, and your sense of humour. These should get you through most difficulties. Russians are used to long centuries of foreigners bringing their eccentric habits and peculiarities with them to Russia - and they will tolerate almost any accidental indiscretions if you can manage a friendly grin as you commit them.
Based on the materials from the book "Living in Moscow" by Barbara Spier.

62.

Real Estate Primer::Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Real Estate Primer
Rent
The majority of people who come to Moscow on a long-term employment contract are faced with the problem of finding a proper residence. You can opt for staying downtown and enjoying the entertainment, shopping and night life options the city has to offer. Families that come to Moscow with children would rather opt for staying in Moscow outskirts, the so-called cottage settlement, in order to provide safer ecological conditions for the children, sacrificing a considerable amount of time towards travelling to and from work.
Unlike many other larger cities, there is no real division between residential and business areas in Moscow yet. This means that wherever in the center you choose to settle, you will have easy access to shopping centers, supermarkets and cultural life. At the same time you will be able to enjoy the many smaller parks, quiet side streets and yards, and the historical charm of central Moscow.
In Russia, residential properties are categorized to the total number of rooms. Kitchen and bathrooms are not included in the room count (i.e. they are not counted as separate rooms). For example, a three-room apartment is an apartment with a living room and two other rooms (e.g. a bedroom and a study or two bedrooms), as well as kitchen and one (or more) bathrooms. Apartment size in Russia is indicated in square meters (m²). There are 10.7 square feet to one square meter.
In Russia, the concept of a ground floor is not common. Floor numbering usually starts from the very first floor, which may be residential or commercial. The first and the top are usually the least desirable, and rent should be cheaper that on the floor in-between.
UTILITIES
Electricity: The power supply is 220V AC, 50 Hz.
Gas: While gas heaters are quickly disappearing from Moscow's apartment buildings, gas is still commonly used for cooking.
Water: Water is piped and, although officially safe to drink, is better avoided.
Heating: The heating system in Moscow is central and turned off from mid-April to mid-October.
TYPES OF BUILDINGS
Pre-Revolutionary Buildings
There are many beautiful pre-revolutionary apartment blocks in the center of the city, and many of the apartments have been tastefully renovated. The apartments in the pre-revolutionary buildings are very popular among expatriates due to their spaciousness, charm, and character. The major attractive features of these buildings include their traditionally high ceilings and large windows.
Stalin Buildings
Specific features of these buildings include high ceilings, large windows, and green yards. They tend to be nice and warm in winter due to their thick walls. The Stalin Blocks include the so-called Stalin Skyscrapers, of which there are seven in Moscow. Four of them are apartment buildings. One is located right outside metro Barrikadnaya, close to the US Embassy; one is on Kotelnicheskaya nab.; one is right outside metro Krasnye Vorota; and the last one is part of the Radisson Royal Hotel (former Ukraine Hotel), located right at the beginning of Kutuzovsky prosp. The combination of their architecture, spectacular views, and good security make them popular with expatriates.
Ministerial Buildings
Most of these buildings were built in the 1970s and early 1980s and were considered the first VIP blocks in Soviet times. Today they are popular for their clean entrance, good security (most of them have a fenced-in yard and twenty-four hour security), secure parking, large windows and balconies, and lots of built-in storage space.
VIP Apartment Buildings
This new generation buildings include Western developments and newly-constructed elite compounds. These buildings usually have a concierge, nice entrance, as well as equipped kitchens, air conditioning, and electronic alarm and fire control systems. Many also feature twenty-four hour security, an underground parking garage, or a private fenced-in yard. Some have a gym, sauna, and/or swimming pool.
Western Developments
While some are located in the city center, others are located outside of the Garden Ring. They offer professional on-site property management and good security. Townhouses in gated communities catering to expatriates and the Russian nouveau riche are also available. There are bargains to be had. Rental prices can sometimes be reduced by 10 to 30% from the original price depending on how long the apartment has been on the market; what the landlord's main interest is (price or timing); the type of building and its location; and the season. The basic rule of thumb is that the closer you are to the center of Moscow or to a metro station, the more you will have to pay.
What You Can Expect to Pay for Rent
Rental prices in Moscow can range from $ 600 a month for a Soviet-style studio or one-bedroom apartment far from the city center to $10,000 and $20,000 a month for a luxury apartment in downtown Moscow. Generally, rental rates for Western-style housing in Moscow are very high and are comparable to those in downtown New York, London, or Tokyo. Prices also depend on whether the neighbourhood is industrialized and polluted or green with parks and trees. Remember to ask your real estate agent whether taxes, such as VAT, are included in the quoted rental price or not.
What You Should and Should not Pay for
Expatriate residential expenses in Russia usually consist of monthly (or quarterly) rental payments. Rent should include all municipal facilities such as water, heating, and building maintenance. Electricity, gas bills and the monthly phone line subscription fee are usually excluded from the monthly rent because the final sum depends on how much, e.g. gas or electricity you use each month. Charges for electricity and gas are still very low in Russia and shouldn't add more than a few dollars to your monthly rental costs. In addition to this, you will of course have to pay the phone bill for any inter-city and international phone calls, as well as the monthly subscription fee for satellite TV.
When renting an apartment through a real estate agency, be prepared to pay a commission fee equal to one month rent. When making the first rental payment to the landlord, you will usually also be expected to pay a one-month security deposit, which is then used as the rent for the last month of your stay in the apartment or house. When negotiating your rental contract, make sure it clearly states who has to pay for what in order to avoid problems later on.

63.

Parks & Estates:: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

Parks & Estates
There are ninety-six parks and eighteen gardens in Moscow, including four botanical gardens. There are also 450 sq.km (174 sq.mi) of green zones besides 100 sq.km (39 sq.mi) of forests. Moscow is a very green city if compared to other cities of comparable size in Western Europe and America. There are on average twenty seven square meters (290 sq.ft) of parks per person in Moscow compared with 6 for Paris, 7.5 in London and 8.6 in New York.
Moscow has many large and pleasant parks. Some are plain parks, others have ponds or beaches and yet others contain old palaces/estates or other places of interest. Some are great for hiking, cycling, rollerblading and/or cross-country skiing. Most parks are open daily from sunrise to sunset. Note that most neighborhoods also have smaller local parks, some of which have playgrounds.
PARKS
Aleksandrovsky Sad (Garden)
The capital's most central park runs along the Kremlin's western walls. Aleksandrovsky Sad is directly accessible from the metro station bearing the same name. Picturesque gardens with shady trees and broad lanes were designed and set up in 1821 by O. Bove, one of the chief architects of Moscow, who reconstructed the city after the Great Fire of 1812. First called the Kremlin Gardens, they changed the name in 1856 after the crowning of Alexander II. On the central square of the gardens you can see the "Ruines" grotto, a peculiar memorial of the revival of Moscow after the devastation in 1812. It contains the Grave of the Unknown Soldier and the Eternal Flame, where you can watch the hourly changing of the guards. To get to the garden, take the metro to the station Aleksandrovsky Sad; it is also just a 3 minute walk from the metros Teatralnaya, Okhotny Ryad, Ploshchad Revolutsii, and a 5 minute walk from Borovitskaya.
Metro: Aleksandrovsky Sad
All-Russia Exhibition Center (VVTs - formerly called VDNKh)
This huge exhibition center and park containing samples of monumental Soviet architecture and oversized statues was established in 1937. There are over 80 pavilions that used to display communism's latest achievements in science, agriculture, industry, and technology. Most pavilions have been turned into miniature shopping centers, but some still function as exhibits, for example the "Sadovodstvo" (Gardening) pavilion. Do not miss the impressive Fountain of People's Friendship (Fontan Druzhby Narodov) right in the center of the park. It consists of 15 gold-covered statues representing all 15 republics of the former Soviet Union. There is also a Museum of Astronautics; that is definitely what Soviet Union had reasons to be proud of. There are many legendary objects on display including first ever astronauts - stuffed dogs Belka and Strelka. The museum is located in the monument to the Explorers of Space. And, of course, recently restored Vera Mukhina's 24.5 meter (80 ft.) "Worker and Kolkhoznitsa" monument is a must-see sculpture. The VVTs features Russia's biggest Ferris wheel and many other attractions. When you get tired of wandering around this seemingly endless territory, you can sit down to enjoy a shashlik or plov at one of the many outdoor and indoor cafes. To get to the exhibition center, just take the metro to the station VDNKh - VVTs is a 3 minute walk from the metro.
Open: 08:00 - 22:00 (summer); 09:00 - 19:00 (winter)
Metro: VDNKh
Tel: +7 495 544-3400
Web: www.vvcentre.ru
Aptekarsky Ogorod (Apothecary's Garden)
This is Moscow State University's (MGU's) oldest botanical garden (founded in 1706 by a decree from Peter the Great). You can also visit the greenhouse and laboratory. To get to the garden, take the metro to the station Prospekt Mira, take a short walk along Prospekt Mira and turn to Grokholsky pereulok, the entrance to the garden is just a 1 minute walk after the turn. The entry price of 300 RUR. For children under school age the entry is free.
Open: 10:00 - 18:00 (winter); 10:00 - 21:00 (summer)
Address: Prospekt Mira, 26
Metro: Prospekt Mira
Tel: +7 495 680-6765 / 7222 / 5880
Excursions: +7 967 2089878 (10:00 - 18:00, 11:00 - 16:00)
Web: www.hortus.ru
Bitsevsky Les
This is a large park and silver birch forest in the south of Moscow. It has two ponds with beaches, and although swimming is not recommended, you can still enjoy the beach atmosphere. The park also features volleyball, basketball, and badminton courts; and you can hire a rowboat, paddleboat, or bike. Further into the forest there is an equestrian center. Great for sledding in winter. To get to the park, take the metro to the station Novoyasenevskaya (the park is just next to the station); the park is also accessible from the metro station Ulitsa Akademika Yangelya - once out of the metro, walk along Akademika Yangelya ulitsa for about 1 mile or take bus 680, 118 or minibus 566M to the station "Ulitsa Akademika Yangelya", then take a 3-4 minute walk to the park.
Address: Novoyasenevskiy tupik, 1
Metro: Novoyasenevskaya, Ulitsa Akademika Yangelya
Tel: +7 495 426-0022, +7 499 739-2705/07/08
Web: www.gpbuuc.ru
Botanichesky Sad (Botanical Garden)
Rose garden, arboretum with exotic trees and bushes, greenhouse with orchids, lilies and lotuses, Japanese Garden. Founded in 1945. To get to the garden, take the metro to the station Vladykino, once out of the metro, walk for about 200 meters (0.12 mi) to the main entrance. The garden is also accessible from the metro VDNKh - take trolleybus 73, 36 to the station "Botanicheskaya ulitsa 33", or minibus 324M to the station "Glavny Vkhod Botanicheskogo Sada".
Open: 10:00 - 20:00 (garden summer only, except Mon, Thu); 10:00 - 16:00 (hothouse except Thu, Sat, Sun)
Address: Botanicheskaya ul., 4
Metro: Vladykino
Tel: +7 499 977-9145
Web: www.gbsad.ru
Bulvarnoe Koltso (Boulevard Ring)
Bulvarnoe Koltso is comprised of the following streets: Gogolevsky Bulvar, Tverskoy Bulvar, Strastnoy Bulvar, Petrovsky Bulvar, Rozhdestvensky Bulvar, and Sretensky Bulvar. It forms a semi-circle around the center of Moscow and is ideal for leisurely strolls. A walk along the boulevard ring's park-like areas is a great way to explore the city center, undisturbed by traffic. The park strip is situated in the middle of the road, in-between traffic lanes. Scores of beautiful old buildings are located along this route (and down the side streets leading off Bulvarnoe Koltso), and there are plenty of benches to sit and relax on along the way. It is also well worth venturing into some of the side streets branching off from the ring - you will find lots of pretty lanes with interesting buildings there.
Metros: Kropotkinskaya, Chistye Prudy, Turgenevskaya, Tsvetnoy Bulvar, Pushkinskaya
Ekaterininskiy Park
Pond with ducks and boat rentals, tennis courts, the House of Culture, the Museum of the Soviet army with planes and military equipment and much more. Nearby there is a health center for veterans. Playgrounds are concentrated in the side. Amongst playgrounds there is a large-scale concreted area for bicycles, scooters and roller skates.
Open: 06:00 - 23:00 (summer), 09:00 - 17:00 (winter)
Address: Bolshaya Ekaterininskaya ul., 27
Metro: Prospekt Mira
Tel: +7 495 600-6460 / 6391
Web: www.ek-park.ru
Fili
Great park for walking, hiking, and cycling. The famous Gorbushka shopping center is located right outside metro Bagrationovskaya. Centrally-located Filyovsky Park runs along the banks of Moscow River and covers 266.6 hectares with 90% of it being perfectly green area. Once it was the estate of Naryshkiny noble family that owned the estate for 175 year. The restored palace of the 18th century is a beautiful reminder of those days. Filyovsky Park is a great place for both quiet contemplation of nature and active recreation. Different parts of the park are accessible from 4 metro stations: your options are to take the metro to the station Bagrationovskaya, once out of the metro walk for about 450 meters (0.3 mi) to the park along Barklaya ulitsa, or to choose the metro station Filyovsky park and a 0.3 mile walk along Minskaya ulitsa, or you can take the metro to the station Pionerskaya and walk for about 250 meters (0.16 mi) along Polosukhina ulitsa, and finally you can come to the metro station Kuntsevskaya and walk for about 600 meters (0.4 mi) along Rublevskoe shosse (duplicate).
Adress: Bolshaya Filevskaya ul., 22
Metro: Bagrationovskaya, Filyovsky Park, Pionerskaya, Kuntsevskaya
Tel: +7 499 145-5155 / 0000
Web: www.parkfili.com
Goncharovskiy Park
There are four playgrounds, fitness and dance floor, a stage for the holidays. The central object which attracts visitors here, is the place for squirrels. A renewed outdoor furniture and free wi-fi make this park convenient not only for recreation but also work.
Address: Rustaveli ul.
Metros: Timiryazevskaya, Dmitrovskaya
Open: 07:00 - 23:00
Tel: +7 499 908-3500
Web:www.liapark.ru
Gorky Park
Moscow's most famous park runs along the banks of the Moscow River. Gorky Park is truly one of the most popular places for families to spend their week-end. Numerous fairground attractions such as the Big Wheel, switchback (for unknown reason known in Russia as American Hills), swirling see-saw make children's heads go round of joy while their parents are screaming of fear. There are also horses, boats to hire and caf?s. An ice-skating rink operates in winter. To get to the park, take the metro to the station Park Kultury and cross the bridge over the Moscow River, or take the metro to the station Oktyabrskaya and walk for about 400 meters (0.2 mi) along Krymsky Val ulitsa.
Open: 24/7
Address: Krymsky Val ul., 9
Metro: Oktyabrskaya, Park Kultury
Tel: +7 495 995-0020 # 6
Web: www.park-gorkogo.com/en/
Hermitage Garden
Three theatres are located inside this very centrally located park - the Hermitage Theatre, the Novaya Opera, and the Sfera. Outdoor dancing hall and several open-air cafes. Lots of flowers and benches, alleys and the fountain create a special atmosphere of peace and quiet. To get to the garden, take the metro to the stations Chekhovskaya, Tverskaya, or Pushkinskaya and then walk along Malaya Dmitrovka ulitsa and turn right to Uspensky pereulok.
Open: 24/7
Address: Karetny Ryad ul., 3, str. 7
Metro: Chekhovskaya, Tverskaya, Pushkinskaya
Tel: +7 495 699-0849 / 0432
Web: www.mosgorsad.ru
Izmailovsky Park
Izmallovsky Park consists of a vast area of parkland (over 1500 hectares) and a large forest consisting of pine trees, birch woods, and ponds. It is 6 times larger then the central park in New York. This is where the Russian tsars once had their summer estates and hunting grounds. Other attractions include a large skating rink in winter. The park is great for family picnics in summer. It is located adjacent to Izmailovsky Vernisazh - Moscow's famous outdoor souvenir market. The park also features a wide variety of attractions for children. To get to the park, take the metro to the station Partizanskaya (the park is just next to the station) or take the metro to the station Shosse Entuziastov, once out of the metro, take a 3 minute walk along Elektrodny proezd.
Address: Alleya bolshogo kruga, 7/A
Metro: Partizanskaya, Shosse Entuziastov
Tel: +7 499 166-6119
Web: www.izmailovsky-park.ru
Khamovniki Park
Khamovniki is one of the greenest and most picturesque areas of Moscow. Here is park named Mandelstam, another name is the Estate of the Trubetskoy family in Khamovniki - well-kept green area with a playground, pond, tennis courts and an aviary for protein. Park "Novodevichy ponds" is nearby, the sport and recreation complex "Luzhniki" and the famous Neskuchny Sad (Garden) are along the bordering area of the Moskva River.
Open: 09:00 - 21:00
Address: Usacheba ul., 1A
Metro: Frunzenskaya
Tel: +7 495 637-0048
Web: www.okdit.mskobr.ru
Krasnaya Presnya Park
Open: 09:00 – 22:00
Address: Mantulinskaya ul., 5
Metro: 1905 Goda, Vustavochnaya
Web: p-kp.ru
Krylatskie Hills
Located in the West of Moscow in one of the capital's few ecologically clean areas, this park has grassy slopes that are great for cross-country skiing and sledding in winter. Good hiking trails and a challenging cycling track are ideal for summer sports. To get to the park, take the metro to the station Krylatskoye and take a 5 minute walk from the metro to the park.
Metro: Krylatskoye
Kuzminki – Lyublino
The park is located in Kuzminki Estate which traces its history from 1702. Muscovites call Kuzminki Estate "the Russian Versal"; this wonderful architectural ensemble was created by celebrated architects Matvey Kozakov, Vasily Bazhenov and the Gilyardi family. Church of the Vlakhernskaya Virgin is an outstanding architectural masterpiece. In winter you can ride a dog team here or take part in the traditional Russian amusements; in summer you can make a bike-excursion about the estate or sail over the Kuzminki ponds and watch splendid flowerbeds planted for the flower festival. You can also rent the picnic area or picnic point.
Address: Kuzminskaya ul., 10
Metro: Kuzminki
Tel: +7 495 258-4560, +7 495 377-3593
Web: www.kuzpark.ru
Losiny Ostrov
Russia's first national park used to be the nobility's favorite hunting ground. Some wild animals including moose, wild boar, and beavers still live here. There are three ponds with different kinds of fish. The park is also great for hiking. "Los" in Russian means "elk", and there are many elks in the park indeed. The visitors may watch them in their natural habitat. Excursions in English are available. To get to the park, take the metro to the station Shchelkovskaya, once out of the metro take trolleybus 23, or minibus 583, or bus 257 to the station "Uralskaya ulitsa 19", and then take a short walk to reach the park.
Address: Poperechniy prosek, 1G
Metro: Shchelkovskaya
Tel: +7 499 268-6045
Excursions: +7 903 7445855
Web: www.elkisland.ru
Milutinskiy Park (Garden)
Cozy courtyard is like old pictures. Roundabouts, sandboxes, playgrounds and wooden houses. The Center of aesthetic education is located in the houses where there are dozens of different clubs for children from 5 to 18 years.
Open: 07:00 - 21:30
Address: Pokrovskiy bulvar, 10, entrance from Khokhlovsky pereulok
Metro: Chistye Prudy
Tel: +7 495 917-9013
Moskovsky Park Iskusstv "Museon" (Moscow Park of Arts)
Founded in 1993, this open-air sculpture museum has a collection of over 700 sculptures. Here you will find many Soviet-era monuments that were removed from their pedestals in Moscow's squares and parks after 1991, including the controversial statute of the Soviet Union's first KGB chief Felix Dzerzhinsky that used to stand right in the middle of Lubyanskaya Ploshchad in the city center. The park is located next to the Central House of Artists, across the road from Gorky Park. To get to the park, take the metro to the station Park Kultury and cross the bridge over the Moscow River, or take the metro to the station Oktyabrskaya and walk for about 400 meters (0.2 mi) along Krymsky Val ulitsa.
Open: 24/7
Address: Krymsky Val, 10
Metro: Oktyabrskaya, Park Kultury
Tel: +7 495 995-0020 # 6
Web: www.park-gorkogo.com
Neskuchny Sad (Garden)
This garden consists of terraces sloping down to the Moscow River and provides scenic hiking trails. It houses a wooden playground, an open-air theater, and plenty of benches. The name of the park translates as "Never Boring Garden." Once a noble estate, it is one of the oldest parks in Moscow. In the 18th century there were three mansions which belonged to Prince Trubetskoy. All that is left is part of the park and a "Hunters' house". In the middle of the 19th century a new owner, Prokofy Demidov, built a palace here. Originally it was designed in Baroque Style, rebuilt in the time of Classicism and its interiors are typical for the Empire Style. Here on the bank of the Moscow-river one of the largest in Europe Botanic gardens appeared; among its trees several historical objects are found today: the house of Count Orlov (1796), a vaulted bridge, and the house with rotunda. You can get to this park either through Gorky Park or take the metro to the station Leninsky Prospekt and take a 2 minute walk to reach the park.
Metro: Leninsky Prospekt, Oktyabrskaya, Park Kultury
Tel: +7 495 995-0020 # 6
Web: www.park-gorkogo.com
Park of the 50th Anniversary of October
This densely wooded and impressive size park is the ideal place for picnics. Playgrounds are basic. No attractions. The cafe "Central Park" with friendly staff and tasty sandwiches works at the entrance to the park.
Adress: Udaltsova ul., 22A
Metro: Prospekt Vernadskogo
Park Pobedy (Victory Park)
This huge park, also referred to as Poklonnaya Gora was established in 1995 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Union's World Two victory over Nazi Germany. Once it was a hill where all important guests of the capital were met with a bow ("poklon" means a bow). It contains the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War, an art gallery, the Cathedral of the Great Martyr Georg, a mosque and a synagogue erected in memory of those Muslims and Jews who have perished in the horror of the war. Moscow famous sculptor Zurab Tsereteli has placed here one of his most monumental masterpieces: the statue of St. Georg spearing the dragon. Another thing that attracts visitors is the chain of fountains illuminated in bloody red in the evening; this symbolizes the floods of blood shed by Soviet soldiers. Skateboarders love to use perfectly smooth marble surface for their exercises. On May 9th (Victory Day), Muscovites gather here to celebrate the triumph over Nazi Germany. The park is great for walking, rollerblading, skateboarding, or reading a book. To get to the park, take the metro to the station Park Pobedy, the park is just next to the station.
Open: 10:00 - 18:00 (museum Tue-Sun)
Address: Bratiev Fonchenko ul., 7, Poklonnaya Gora
Metro: Park Pobedy
Tel: +7 499 148-8300
Web: www. poklonnaya-gora.ru
Perovskiy Park
Address: Lazo ul., 7
Metro: Perovo
Tel: +7 495 309-5342
Fax: +7 495 309-5163
Web: www.perovskiy-park.ru
Pokrovskoe-Streshnevo Park
Pokrovsky-Streshnevo is the former family estate near Moscow with an adjacent park.
Address: Ac. Kurchatova ul.
Metro: Shchukinskaya
Presnenskiy Park
The park with modern playgrounds, chess town, a sports complex and flowerbeds. The unique fairy-tale characters will not leave anyone indifferent!
Open: 07:00 - 22:00
Address: Druzhinnikovskaya ul., 9, str. 2
Metros Krasnopresnenskaya, Barrikadnaya
Serebryanny Bor (Silver Pine Forest)
This is a huge forest and park area that contains Moscow's most popular beaches. It features changing rooms, clean sand, beach volleyball areas, and boat, scooter and paddleboat rental. There are plenty of outdoor cafes and ice-cream stands. Note that the water may not be 100% safe for swimming. Serebryanny Bor is also great for cross-country skiing in winter. To get to the park, take the metro to the station Polezhaevskaya and take trolley bus 20, 21, 65 or minibus 65 to the stop "Serebryanny Bor", or you can take the metro to the station Oktyabrskoe Pole and then take minibus 15M to the station "4aya Liniya".
Open: 09:00 - 21:00 (beach)
Address: 4aya Liniya Khoroshevskogo Serebryannogo Bora
Metro: Polezhaevskaya, Oktyabrskoe Pole
Tel.: +7 495 789-2570, +7 929 9990415
Web: www.s-bor.ru
Severnoe Tushino Park
Table tennis, dance floor, video arcade and children playground with attractions. Bicycles, roller skates and rackets on hire.
Address: Svobodi ul., 56
Metro: Planernaya
Tel: +7 495 640-7355
Excursions: +7 926 5221596
Fax: +7 495 640-7354
Web: www.mosparks.ru
Sokolniki Park
This 600-hectare park surrounded by a forest is where the tsars used to bring their falcons (a falcon is called a "sokol" in Russian) to hunt foxes and other small animals. The first path was cut through the forest on the initiative of Peter the Great and since that all paths have the name "proseka" (cuttings). Today there are seven cuttings: Birch Cutting, Maple, Elm and others; they all form radial structure of the park. More than 500 kinds of plants and 70 kinds of animals inhabit this thicket. The international exhibition center in this park often holds large trade fairs. The spacious green areas with ponds, pavilions and playgrounds allow for nice walks. Fun fair, horseback riding, restaurant. To get to the park, take the metro to the station Sokolniki, and take a short walk along the alley.
Address: Sokolnicheskiy Val, 1, str. 1
Metro: Sokolniki
Tel: +7 499 393-9222
Web: www.park.sokolniki.com
Taganskiy Park
Park of clture and leisure "Taganskiy", a comfortable and eco-friendly island of fresh air, is located in the center of Moscow, in the heart of Taganskiy district. For the past years, the park is cultural, recreational and sports center of the district.
Open: 07:00 - 23:00
Address: Taganskaya ul., 40/42
Metro: Taganskaya
Tel: +7 495 912-2717
Web: www.parktaganskiy.ru
Troparyovo Park
A green oasis in the South of Moscow, this park has a beach, changing rooms, refreshment stands, a chess club, open-air stage, and ping pong tables. Canoes and paddleboats are available for rent. To get to the park, take the metro to the station Tyoply Stan, then walk for about 400 meters (0.2 mi) to reach the park.
Metro: Tyoply Stan
Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills)
Located adjacent to Moscow State University (MGU), this area is great for walking and rollerblading in the summer with a magnificent view of the city on a smog-free day from the platform across from the University. Birds have nothing to do with the name: in the 15th century one noble lady bought a village here from a priest called Vorobey. Vorobey's name has outlived the glory of the Great Soviet leader Lenin, whose name this hill wore in the Soviet times. In front of the facade of MSU facing the Moscow-river there is a big square and a lovely alley decorated with busts of famous Russian scientists. The alley leads to the best observation point of the city. Many newlyweds will visit this famous place after their official wedding ceremony. In winter you can also observe snow-boarders and alpine skiers on the hill underneath. On weekend nights, the roads between the platform and Moscow State University are the scenes for impromptu car races. Souvenir vendors are always on the platform. To get to the park, take the metro to the station Vorobyovy Gory, then walk up the hill to the observation point.
Metro: Vorobyovy Gory
Vorontsovskiy Park
The park is located on the territory of the former Vorontsovo Estate. Vorontsovo is the landscaped park with linden alleys, benches, woodpeckers, squirrels, and cascading ponds - the rare thing for a Moscow park design.
Open: 09:00 - 23:00 (summer), 10:00 - 22:00 (winter)
Address: Vorontsovsky park, 3
Metro: Novye Cheryomushki
Tel: +7 495 580-2678
Web: www.usadba-vorontsovo.ru
ESTATES
Abramtsevo
Abramtsevo was mentioned in official documents for the first time in the 17th century. In 1843 Abramtsevo became property of a famous Russian writer Sergey Aksakov and after Aksakov's death it was bought by a successful manufacturer and patron of arts Savva Mamontov. At this estate you can see a collection of ceramics made by Vrubel and exhibitions dedicated to the estate's famous visitors (Turgenev, Repin, Vrubel, and others). Today Abramtsevo occupies about 50 hectares (0.2 sq. mi) along with a park and picturesque outskirts of the Vorya River and comprises architectural monuments created in the 18-19th centuries. The museum's collection features more than 25,000 items: pictures, drawings, sculptures, arts and crafts, photographs and archives of previous owners. To get to the estate, drive along Yaroslavskoe shosse from the city center, reach the 60th km of Yaroslavskoe shosse, watch for Khotkovo direction sign and turn left or you can take electric train (elektrichka) from Yaroslavsky railway station to the station "Abramtsevo".
Open: 10:00 - 21:00 (park), expositions: 10:00 – 18:00, Sat until 20:00
Tel: +7 495 993-0033, +7 496 543-0278
Excursions: +7 916 2784542, +7 496 543-2470
Web: www.abramtsevo.net/eng
Arkhangelskoye Museum Estate
Arkhangelskoye is referred to as the Versailles of the Moscow region. At the beginning of the 18th century, the estate belonged to Prince D.M. Golitsyn. After his death, it was purchased by Prince N.B. Yusupov (1751-1831), one of Russia's richest noblemen. Prince Yusupov was a well-known art lover and collector and moved his art collection to Arkhangelskoye. It included over 500 paintings by European masters from the 17th to the 19th centuries, many of which are still on display at the estate today. The collection also includes rare books from the 16th to the 19th centuries, as well as sculptures, bronzes, clocks, furniture, porcelain, etc. The Church of Mikhail Archangel built in the 17th century stands on a high bank of the Moscow-river. There is also a theatre with decorations by famous artist P. Gonzaga, and, of course, The Colonnade. To get to the estate, go along Rublyovo-Uspenskoye shosse and turn right at the first traffic light after the village of Zhukovka onto llinskoye Shosse, drive 5 more km, or take the metro to the station Tushinskaya, then take bus 549, 541 or microbus 151 to the stop "Sanatory".
Open: 10:00-20:00 (Wed-Sun)
Metro: Tushinskaya
Tel: +7 (495) 363-1375
Web: www.arkhangelskoe.ru

Izmailovo Country Estate
Country residence of Russian tsars in the 17th and 18th centuries. The estate is located on the unique man-made island that was created at the behest of the tsar Alexey Mikhailovich, the father of Peter the Great. In 17th-18th centuries it was a summer residence of the tsar family where in 1666 Aleksey Mikhailovich organised an agricultural paradise with arable farming, bee- and poultry-keeping and other rural pleasures. Tsar's famous gardens became the prototype for future botanic gardens in Russia. The museum "Izmailovo and Russian Tsars" holds historical and dramatized excursions. The Mostovaya (Bridge) Tower, built in 1670, served as the main entrance to the Izmailovo estate and was part of an arched stone bridge across the Serebryany (Silver) Pond. The Tower's composition is typical of the middle-age architectural style of the second half of the 17th century and similar to some of the Moscow Kremlin towers. To get to the estate, take the metro to the station Partizanskaya, then take trolleybus 22 to the stop "Glavnaya Alleya".
Open: Exhibitions: Apr-Sep: Tue–Fri, Sun: 10:00 - 08:00, Sat: 11:00 - 19:00; Oct-Mar: Tue–Sun: 10:00 - 18:00. Mon – day off.
Address: Gorodok imeni Baumana, 1a
Metro: Partizanskaya
Tel.: +7 499 165-1236 / 0972, +7 499 782-8917/21
Web: www.mgomz.com
Kolomenskoye Open-Air Art Museum and Nature Preserve
The Kolomenskoye estate was once the royal summer residence of the Grand Princes of Moscow Vasili III and Ivan IV, and was turned into a museum and nature preserve in 1923. While the wooden summer palace was pulled down under Catherine II after it fell into disrepair, some of the churches built in the 16th and 17th centuries remain intact and serve as monuments to important stages in development of Russian church architecture. Among them are the Church of the Ascension (1532) and the Church of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan (1644-1670). Several examples of Russian wooden architecture have been moved to Kolomenskoye and are also displayed in the park, including the wooden house of Peter the Great dating back to 1702. The 390-hectare park is also famed for its alley of ancient oaks and linden trees - some purportedly more than 200 years old. It is ideal for family outings and picnics. Kolomenskoe, a small calm green island in the boiling ocean of the big city, has a very long history. The first known reference to Kolomenskoe village was found in the will-chart Moscow Grand Prince Ivan Kalita, dated 1339. But, according to archaeological evidence, the first settlement here was founded already 2.5 thousand years ago: it was so-called "Dyakovo Gorodische", the oldest settlement found on the territory of modern Moscow. Nowadays Kolomenskoe is included in the UNESCO List of World's Cultural and Natural Heritage. Among the other historical monuments in Kolomenskoe are the bell-tower of St. George (16th century), the Falcon Tower (1627) and Peter the Great's cabin (1702), brought here from Arkhangelsk. Some of the architectural monuments house the museum's expositions, changed from time to time. Various musical performances and festivals are arranged for numerous guests of Kolomenskoe. To get to the estate, take the metro to the station Kolomenskaya, then take a 10 minute walk along Prospekt Andropova.
Open: 24/7
Exhibitions: Apr-Sep: Tue–Fri, Sun: 10:00 - 08:00, Sat: 11:00 - 19:00; Oct-Mar: Tue–Sun: 10:00 - 18:00. Mon – day off.
Address: Prospekt Andropova, 39
Metro: Kolomenskaya
Tel: +7 499 782-8917/21
Excursions: +7 499 615-2768/71
Web: www.mgomz.com
Kuskovo Estate and Ceramics Museum
Entering the Kuskovo estate gates, you find yourself in a different dimension. It feels like you have come into the 18th century by a time machine. Kuskovo occupies the territory of about 32 hectares. Towards the 1750s, following new trends in lifestyle, Count Petr Sheremetev, an important member of nobility at the Russian Imperial Court, turned his family estate (dating from the 16th century) into a residence, or "chateau de plaisir", which amazed his contemporaries by its splendour. Up to 25,000 guests would flock here to lavish celebrations. Yet, Count Sheremetev had the mansion built as a recreational summer residence, as well as a focus for different art forms appreciated by connoisseurs. Exhibits displayed here form a large part of his vast collection of fine and applied art. Nowadays the museum stock counts some 34,000 items, including a huge collection of ceramics and glass from different countries, from antiquity up to the present day. Architectural composition of the estate unites the Palace itself, three pleasure pavilions in the shapes of a Dutch house, an Italian villa, a Chinese pagoda and some other buildings. Baroque gardens and park landscape are geometrically laid out in the English style near the Large Pond. The Neo-Classical style Palace is one of the best parts of the estate preserved till now. The dancing hall is the largest and most beautiful parlor in the palace. The whole interior looks very festive due to the white and gild decorations of the walls, mosaic parquet and crystal chandeliers. To get to the estate, take the metro to the station Ryazansky Prospekt, then take bus 133, 208 or minibus 157 to the stop "Muzei Kuskovo".
Open: 10:00 - 20:00
Exhibitions: 10:00 - 18:00
Address: Yunosti ul., 2
Metro: Ryazansky Prospekt
Tel: +7 (495) 370-0160, 375-3131
Web: www.kuskovo.ru
Kuzminki-Vlakhernskoye
This estate traces its history from 1702, when Peter the Great presented this land to his favourite Grigory Stroganov. Muscovites call Kuzminki Estate "the Russian Versal"; this wonderful architectural ensemble was created by celebrated architects Matvey Kozakov, Vasily Bazhenov and the Gilyardi family. Church of the Vlakhernskaya Virgin is an outstanding architectural masterpiece. Famous Peter Klodt and Ivan Vitali decorated the estate with their sculptures. In late 18th - early 19th centuries some landscape modifications took place: a "Star" park, English garden and a Chinese pond were laid out. The museum's exposition shows us life of the Russian nobility of the 19th century. In winter you can ride a dog team here or take part in the traditional Russian amusements; in summer you can make a bike-excursion about the estate or sail over the Kuzminki ponds and watch splendid flowerbeds planted for the flower festival. To get to the estate, take the metro to the station Kuzminki, once out of the metro take a 7-8 minute walk to reach the estate.
Open: 24/7, museum: 10:00 - 18:00
Address: Topolevaya alleya, 6
Metro: Kuzminki
Tel: +7 495 377-9457, +7 495 372-6066, +7 495 657-6585
Web: www.kuzminki-msk.ru
Lefortovo
Lefortovo park is connected with the history of a separate district in Moscow counting some 300 years. At first this area in the outskirts of Moscow on the bank of the Yauza River was called Nemetskaya Sloboda (German settlement). This district was created by Ivan the Terrible especially for foreigners standing on Russian service, so that they could keep their habits of living. Time went by; New Sloboda appeared in this area under Tsar Aleksey Mikhailovich, father of Peter the Great. Later on, this district beyond the Yauza River was named in the memory of Franz Lefort, a Swiss of French origin, close friend and fellow-champion of Peter the Great. The history of Lefortovo is also connected with the name of Yakov Bruce, the first Freemason in Russia and (as the legend tells) the offspring of Druids. In the 18th century Lefortovo was the residence of Russian Emperors and Empresses. Later Lefortovo became the base of some elite troops of the Russian army and a military school; military hospital was also built in this district. To get to the estate, take the metro to the station Baumanskaya, then take tram 37, 50 to the stop "Lefortovsky Most".
Open: 24/7
Exhibitions: Apr-Sep: Tue–Fri, Sun: 10:00 - 08:00, Sat: 11:00 - 19:00; Oct-Mar: Tue–Sun: 10:00 - 18:00. Monday – day off.
Address: Krasnokazarmennaya ul., 3
Metro: Baumanskaya
Lublino Estate and Park
This lovely park and palace are mysteriously little-known by even native-born Muscovites. In the 17th century the lands had been a hunting park owned by the infamous Godunov family. By the end of the 18th century ownership had passed through the Razumovskys to the Durasovs, who built the present palace in the first decade of the 19th century. You can take a picnic and walk about the banks of the extensive Lublino Lake which forms the centre of the semi-landscaped park. Although Lublino's territory is adjacent to Kuzminki, it's a different estate with a different history, and is most easily accessed from a different metro station: Volzhkskaya. There is an extensive series of light classical concerts on weekend afternoons in summer, and even (free) outdoor performances of complete operas. To get to the estate, take the metro to the station Volzhskaya, once out of the metro, take a 5 minute walk to reach the estate.
Open: 09:00-18:00 (park); 10:00-17:00 (palace)
Metro: Volzhskaya
Tel: +7 495 350-1553, +7 499 722-7189, +7 499 614-2083
Web: www.mgomz.ru
Ostankino Estate Museum and Park (closed for restoration)
Ostankino was mentioned for the first time in the 16th century, but the oldest preserved building, the Church of Trinity, is dated 17th century. This beautiful palace belonged to Count Sheremetyev and is located on the shore of a lake right near the Botanical Garden and the VVTs Exhibition center. In the estate one of the first theatres in Russia was organised; all the actors here were serfs. This theatre still has one of the best acoustics in Moscow; moreover, it is the only preserved theatre of the 18th century. A considerable part of the Ostankinsky Park is occupied by the main Botanic Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences with more than 2000 kinds of roses, 400 kinds of lilac, plenty of exotic plants, a 300-year-old linden alley and three ponds. The palace is not always open to visitors and is usually closed in winter months. Concerts in summer months. To get to the estate, take the metro to the station VDNKh, then take tram 17, 11 to the stop "Ostankino" or trolleybus 37 to the stop "Ulitsa Akademika Koroleva".
Open: 11:00 - 19:00 (museum in summer)
Address: 1aya Ostankinskaya ul., 5
Metro: VDNKh
Tel: + 7 495 602-1852
Web: www.ostankino-museum.ru/eng.php
Tsaritsyno Museum and Nature Preserve
The name of this estate and park comes from the Russian word "tsar" and is home to the romantic ruins of the unfinished palace that Ekaterina II (Catherine the Great) ordered in 1775. The architect fell out of grace with Ekaterina and the incomplete project slowly fell apart. Its trees overlook the waters of the Upper Tsaritsyno pond, which together with the Shipilovsky and Borisovsky ponds form the largest cascade of ponds in Moscow. Tsaritsyno is the largest museum-reserve and historical and cultural monument of the federal level in Moscow, occupying over 700 hectares. A tremendously rich complex of architectural objects is gathered here - the historic village sites, plowed fields, barrows dated from the VI thousand years B.C. to the beginning of the XII century. To get to the estate, take the metro to the station Tsarityno, once out of the metro take a 5 minute walk to reach the estate.
Open: 06:00-24:00
Museum: Tue–Fri: 09:30-18:00, Sat: 09:30-20:00, Sun: 09:30-19:00. Mon - day off. The entrance from 10:00.
Address: Dolskaya ul., 1
Metro: Tsarityno
Tel: +7 495 322-4433
Excursions: +7 495 322-4433 # 1142
Web: www.tsaritsyno-museum.ru

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International Dialing Codes :: Moscow's virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians

International Dialing Codes
Making Phone Calls Within Moscow
When dialed from your home landline, phone calls within Moscow are still free of charge. Unless you live in a residential compound or hotel, which might require you to dial a number such as 0 or 9 to get access to an outside line, you just pick up the phone and dial the number.
The majority of landline phone numbers in Moscow consist of seven digits. As Moscow has two area codes (495 and 499), sometimes you have to dial eleven digits (depending if you're calling between the two). The same applies to making a phone call to a federal mobile number.
Making Phone Calls to Other Cities in Russia
Phone calls to other cities in Russia are still quite affordable. To reach a phone number in another city in Russia, dial 8, wait for the tone, then dial 55 or 53, then dial the area code of the city you are calling followed by the local number. For example, to call someone in St-Petersburg, dial 8, wait for the tone, then dial 55 or 53, then dial 812 (the area code for St-Petersburg) and the local phone number.
Making Calls to Other Countries
It is fairly easy to make an international phone call from a standard Russian telephone line, and normally you will get through even to remote locations.
To access an outside line, dial 8 and wait for the tone. Then dial 10, followed by the country code, the city code and the local phone number you want to reach.
For example, to call a number in the US, dial 8, wait for the tone, then dial 10 followed by 1 (the country code for the US) followed by the area code and local number.
If the city code starts with a 0 (e.g., in the UK and Germany), do not dial the 0 and start with the first non-zero number after it. For example, to call London, you would dial 8-10-44-208 followed by the local number (instead of 8-10-0208).
When giving friends abroad your phone number in Moscow, remember to tell them the country code for Russia is 7 and the area codes for Moscow are 495 and 499. Your landlord will for sure tell you your area code.
If you have a seven-digit home or office number or a direct Moscow mobile number, they need to dial +7 495 111 11 11.
You can buy international prepaid calling cards (in kiosks around Moscow, notably the orange "A La Carte" kiosks) which offer considerable savings on calls. Some cards have optimized tariffs for different countries, so buy one which suits your needs best. The quality of connection can sometimes be spotty with the cheapest of these cards.
Paying your Domestic Phone Bill
Once a month you'll find a small slip of paper in your mailbox with some printing on it. That's your phone bill for long distance and international calls - no envelope, and very easy to miss in the clutter of junk mail.
To pay the bill:
You can go down to the local Sberbank and get in line;
You can use multi-kassas - special devices that are on every corner and that look a little bit like ATMs. Usually when you pay with multi-kassa, you have to pay extra commission about 2-5%;
You can pay by your credit card directly via ATM;
You can transmit money form your bank account via Internet-banking.
Once you've paid your bill be sure to save it. And if you wait too long to pay the service is cut off.
CountryCode
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Andorra
Argentina
Armenia
Anguilla
Antille
Aruba
Alaska
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bolivia
Bosnia & Gercegovina
Brazil
Bulgaria
Bahrain
Barbados
Bahamas
Bahrain
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Botswana
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Canada
China
Chile
Colombia
Congo (Zaire)
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czechia
Cambodia
Cape Verde Islands
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Christmas Island
Denmark
Diego Garcia
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Egypt
Ecuador
Estonia
Ethiopia
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Finland
France
Faeroe Islands
Fiji Islands
French Antilles
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Gabon
Georgia
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Gambia
Ghana
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guyana
Hawaii
Hungary
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Japan
Jordan
Jamaica
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Kiribati
Korea (North)
Korea (South)
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Liberia
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Liechtenstein
Lesotho
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malaysia
Mali
Malta
Morocco
Mauritania
Mexico
Moldova
Mongolia
Macau
Malawi
Maldives Islands
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Mayotte Island
Montserrat
Mozambique
Myanmar (Burma)
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Nigeria
Norway
Namibia
Nauru
Netherlands Antilles
Nevis
New Caledonia
Niger
Niue
Norfolk Island
Oman
Pakistan
Panama
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Palestine
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Reunion Island
Rwanda
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Singapore
Syria
Slovakia
Slovenia
Somali
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Sierra Leone
Sri Lanka
Suriname
Swaziland
Solomon Islands
Seychelles Islands
Tajikistan
Taiwan
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tanzania
Togo
Tonga Islands
Trinidad Tobago
Ukraine
United Kingdom
USA
Uzbekistan
Uruguay
Uganda
U.S. Virgin Islands
Venezuela
Vietnam
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Western Samoa
Wallis & Futuna Islands
Yemen
Yugoslavia
Zambia
Zimbabwe
61
43
994
355
213
244
376
54
374
1264
599
297
1907
880
375
32
591
387
55
359
973
1246
1242
973
501
229
1441
975
267
1284
673
226
257
237
1
86
56
57
242
506
385
53
357
420
855
238
1345
236
235
61
45
246
253
1767
1809
20
593
372
251
503
240
291
358
33
298
679
596
594
689
241
995
49
350
30
20
233
299
1473
590
1671
502
592
1808
36
509
504
852
91
62
98
964
354
353
972
39
225
81
962
1876
7
254
965
996
686
850
82
856
371
961
231
218
370
352
423
266
389
261
60
223
356
212
222
52
373
976
853
265
960
692
230
2696
1664
258
95
977
31
64
505
234
47
264
674
599
1869
687
227
683
672
968
92
507
63
48
351
970/972
680
675
595
51
974
40
7
262
250
966
221
65
963
421
386
252
27
34
46
41
232
94
597
268
677
248
992
886
66
216
90
993
255
228
676
1868
380
44
1
998
598
256
1809
58
84
678
39
685
681
967
381
260
263

Places

65.	Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce
Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce Registered Association Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce (FRCC) was founded in 1946. It is a non-profit organization, whose mission is to promote companies’ business and competitiveness as well as economic relations in Russia and Finland.

66.	Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences

67.	Russian State Library of Arts
Russian State Library of Arts

68.	Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)
Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

69.	Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation

70.	Russian State Library
Russian State Library Web: www.rsl.ru

71.	Museum of Russian Impressionism
Museum of Russian Impressionism Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 11:00 – 20:00 Wednesday, Thursday: 12:00 – 21:00 Ticket Office closes 30 minutes prior to Museum closing.

72.	Congress Centre of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Congress Centre of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Web: www.tpprf.ru

73.	Russian Academic Youth Theater
Russian Academic Youth Theater Web: www.ramt.ru Box-office: 11:00-15:00, 16:00-19:00.

74.	All-Russian Exhibition Center VVTs
All-Russian Exhibition Center VVTs Web: www.vvcentre.ru/eng Open: 08:00-22:00.

75.	German-Russian House Moscow
German-Russian House Moscow Web: www.drh-moskau.ru

76.	Russian Army Theater
Russian Army Theater Web: www.catra.su Box-office: 11:00-15:00, 16:00-19:00.

77.	State Museum of Modern Art of the Russian Academy of Arts
State Museum of Modern Art of the Russian Academy of Arts Web: www.mmoma.ru Open: 12:00-20:00, Thu 13:00-21:00. Closed: the last Monday of each month.

78.	Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery
Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery Web: www.rah.ru Gallery of Russian Academy of Arts. Open: 12:00-20:00, Sun: 12:00-19:00. Box-office: 12:00-19:00 Sun: 12:00-18:00. Closed: last Monday of each month.

79.	Russian Cultural Foundation
Russian Cultural Foundation Web: www.culture.ru

80.	All-Russian Grabar Artistic Restoration Center
All-Russian Grabar Artistic Restoration Center Web: www.grabar.ru

81.	American Center
American Center Web: www.amc.ru American Center is located on the third floor of the All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature.

82.	Albion Gallery
Albion Gallery Web: www.antik.msk.ru Open: Mon-Sat 11:00-19:00. Closed: Sunday. Gallery, antiques for sale, auctions. Consultations in Russian, English, German and French.

83.	Museum of Russian University for the Humanities
Museum of Russian University for the Humanities Web: museum.rsuh.ru Open: 10:00-17:00. Closed: Sun, Mon. Box-office: 10:00-16:00.

84.	Sovcom - Soviet Art Gallery
Sovcom - Soviet Art Gallery Web: www.sovcom.ru Russian, Soviet and modern art. Open: Mon-Fri 10:00-19:00.

85.	Pioner Cinema on Kutuzovsky
Pioner Cinema on Kutuzovsky Web: www.pioner-cinema.ru Films in original languages with Russian subtitles. Tickets: 100-350 Rbs.

86.	Fakel
Fakel "Moskino" company regularly screens original language films with subtitles in their cinemas. At the moment they are being shown in "Fakel" cinema. All films are displayed with Russian subtitles. Ticket prices in «Moskino» cinemas are the lowest in Moscow – from 150 to 250 RUR each.

Children Venues

87.

Museum of Russian Chocolate History

Museum of Russian Chocolate History
A fascinating journey into the World and Russian history of chocolate. A chocolate shop and a chocolate studio are located near the entrance to the museum. The standard admission tickets include four tastings, visitors can also mold their own chocolate. Kids love it (and parents too!). Guided tours in English, French and Russian are available. Open: Tue-Sun 11:00–19:00. Closed: Mon.

88.	All-Russian Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts
All-Russian Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts Woodworks, old Russian costumes, headdresses, samovars, ivory, bronze, malachite and lacquer miniature, porcelain, glassware (18th-20th centuries). Excursions in English are available. Open: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun 10:00-18:00. Sat 11:00-19:00. Closed: Tue, the last Mon of each month.

89.	Cafe Landrin
Cafe Landrin Wide range of desserts. "Academy of Sweets" - funny cooking lessons for children (Russian). Groups (10 kids) on Sun 11:00. "Restaurant Etiquette" course (Russian) for children of 7-16:, 5 lessons, 1.5 hour each. Custom-made sweets and cakes.

90.	Cambridge International School
Cambridge International School Nursery, primary school, secondary school. International English Curriculum and Russian National Curriculum. English and Russian are the languages of speaking and teaching. Foreign languages: French, Spanish, German, Turkish.

91.	Russian Costume Museum
Russian Costume Museum Web: www.kremlin-izmailovo.com Excursions in English are available. Open: 09:00-21:00.

92.	Russian Museum of Wood
Russian Museum of Wood Open: Wed-Thu 11:00-19:00, Fri-Sun 10:00-18:00.

93.	Russian Ice
Russian Ice Indoor. Open: Mon-Sun 11:00-23:00. Entrance fee: 200-250 Rbs. Rental: 150 Rbs.

94.	Russian Academic Youth Theater
Russian Academic Youth Theater Box-office: 11:00-15:00, 16:00-19:00.

95.	Moscow International Film School
Moscow International Film School Russian. Ages: 12-17.

96.	Model-357
Model-357 Special children's dance programme. Russian.

97.	All-Russian Exhibition Center (VVTs)
All-Russian Exhibition Center (VVTs) Open: 08:00-22:00 (summer), 09:00-19:00 (winter).

98.	All Russian Exhibition Centre and Park
All Russian Exhibition Centre and Park Open: (winter) Mon-Fri 09:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 09:00-20:00; (summer) Mon-Fri 08:00-22:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-19:00.

99.	Krasota
Krasota Home hairdressers. Kid's haircuts. Russian only. Open from 06:00 till 23:00.

100.	Pioneer Cinema
Pioneer Cinema Films in original languages with Russian subtitles.

101.	Valday Service
Valday Service Russian agency. Nannies, governesses, teachers, domestic staff.

102.	Car Museum
Car Museum Russian and foreign historic cars. Motorcycles, crush-test items.

103.	Little Angels Kindergarten
Little Angels Kindergarten Open for 1,5-6 year olds. Native English speaking teachers. French, Russian.

104.	Family Care
Family Care Recruitment services for expat: nannies, housekeepers, drivers, Russian teachers. References.

105.	Buratino-Pinocchio
Buratino-Pinocchio Dolls, books, theatre shows (Russian). Take extra shoes. By advance appointment only. Open: 10:00-17:00.

106.	Ogo-Gorod
Ogo-Gorod Early years programmes, entertainment area, children's psychologist, family cafe, shop. Russian.

107.	Ostankinskaya TV Tower
Ostankinskaya TV Tower Observation deck - 337 meter. Excursion (Russian only). Advance appointment on the website. Open: 10:00-19:00. Closed: Mon.

108.	Polly Sad
Polly Sad Cooking lessons for children (Russian) on Sat at 12:00 (5-12 y.o.). Children's animators on weekends.

109.	Timofeeva Dance School
Timofeeva Dance School Ballet-oriented classes for children (ages +3) and adults. Jazz, hip-hop, club dancing. Russian. Regular seminars with foreign choreographers.

110.	Znaika
Znaika Half-day /full-day nursery, primary and secondary school. For children from 2 up to 17 years old. Small groups and classes. Native English-speaking and Russian teachers.

111.	Magic World Kindergarten
Magic World Kindergarten Open for 2-7 year olds. English, French, Russian, art-aesthetic programs, physical development. Psychologist. speech therapy classes.

112.	Traversa Babysitter Childcare Agency
Traversa Babysitter Childcare Agency Russian agency under the language school. Nannies, teachers, nursery nurses.

113.	International School of Moscow
International School of Moscow English National Curriculum. Open for 2-12 year olds. Native English speaking teachers. French, Russian.

114.	Feya (Fairy)
Feya (Fairy) Old Russian agency offers multi-language: nannies & governesses, housekeepers & drivers, gardeners etc. Trained domestic staff in Moscow since 2003. Speak English.

115.	Chitaika Children’s Center
Chitaika Children’s Center Preschool educational center and mini-nursery. Small groups. Open for 1,5-7 year olds. Classes in Russian and English.

116.	Montessori School of Moscow
Montessori School of Moscow Upper Elementary, Elementary, Casa dei Bambini, Toddler and Parent Infant programs, English and Russian Speaking AMI standard teachers.

117.	Moscow International Preschool
Moscow International Preschool Open for 2-6 year olds. Up to ten children per group. Art, music, dance, birthday parties. Native-speaking and Russian teachers, psychologist, speech therapist, extra-activities.

118.	Molodezhnaya Montessori School
Molodezhnaya Montessori School Toddler (14 m - 36 m) and Casa dei Bambini (3-6+ years old) programs. International staff, AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) diplomas. Languages: English, Russian, French.

119.	Slavic Anglo American School
Slavic Anglo American School Elementary, middle, high school. Open for 6-17 year olds.International staff. English and Russian are the working languages. German, French.

120.	Moscow Swing Dance Society
Moscow Swing Dance Society Swing dance school. Russian. Regular workshops with foreign teachers. Multiple locations.

121.	Greenwood (Montessori) School
Greenwood (Montessori) School Montessori Method plus the English National Curriculum. Classes in Russian and in English.

122.	Magic Castle English Nursery School
Magic Castle English Nursery School Compehensive programme based on International Primary Curriculum. Half-day and full-day stay. Art, music, dance and sports. Other languages - Russian, Spanish, French and Chinese. Three locations - Novoslobodskaya, Tsvetnoi Bulvar, Polezhaevskaya m.st.

123.	Tchik Tchik
Tchik Tchik The first American style children's hair salon in Moscow. Patient, child-friendly hairdressers. Specialized children's chairs. Cartoons (in French, English, Russian) and video games. Open: 10:00-19:00. By appointment only.

124.	Piccolo School
Piccolo School Private bilingual kindergarten for children 2-7 years old. Open: 24 hours. Small groups and classes. Full-time and part-time groups. Native English-speaking and Russian teachers. Art, music, dance, fitness, yoga, theatre.

125.	Baby Club
Baby Club Learning through creative play for children aged 8 months to 14 years. Montessori and Zaitsev systems, adapted for children's age and language ability groups. Up to eight children per group. Also art, music, dance, chess, fitness, birthday parties. Native-speaking and Russian teachers.

126.	Anglo-American School
Anglo-American School Elementary, middle and high school. Experienced educators, principally from the US, UK and Canada. International curriculum, a solid grounding in English/Language Arts, mathematics, science and social studies. Russian, French or Spanish, art, music, computer skills and physical education.

127.	Cooperation School
Cooperation School English immersion nursery and kindergarten for children 2,5 – 7 years old. New Preschool in the centre of Moscow. Native English-speaking teachers and British national curriculum ( EYFS, KS1). Newly-constructed building with spacious classrooms, swimming pool and observatory. Russian lessons on request. No entrance fee!

128.	St. Louis Catholic Church
St. Louis Catholic Church Services in English, French, Russian, Latin, Polish, and Vietnamese. First Holy Communion classes and Confirmation classes. To sign up, or to request more information, please write at contact@saintlouisinmoscow.ru.

129.	Chitaika Children’s Center
Chitaika Children’s Center Preschool educational center and mini-nursery. Small groups. Open for 1,5-7 year olds. You can leave your child for an hour or for half a day from 10:00 to 14:00 from Monday to Sunday. Infant, Toddler and Primary programs. Music, dancing, sport, art, Russian as a foreign language, theatre performances, creative workshops. Week-end programmes for the whole family.

130.	Fakel
Fakel "Moskino" company regularly screens original language films with subtitles in their cinemas. At the moment they are being shown in "Fakel" cinema. All films are displayed with Russian subtitles. Ticket prices in «Moskino» cinemas are the lowest in Moscow – from 150 to 250 RUR each.

131.	Fakel
Fakel "Moskino" company regularly screens original language films with subtitles in their cinemas. At the moment they are being shown in "Fakel" cinema. All films are displayed with Russian subtitles. Ticket prices in «Moskino» cinemas are the lowest in Moscow – from 150 to 250 RUR each.

132.

Russian State Children's Library

Russian State Children's Library
Holds the largest repository of literature for children from one to fifteen years. There is a dozen and a half of subscribers' departments and reading halls and various kinds of entertainment and diversion, which open the children's eyes wide such as the room of fairy tales, the literary drawing-room, the music drawing-room in this vast specially designed building. Many studios, hobby groups and clubs work in the library, where boys and girls of various age indulge in drawing, sculping, playing on the stage, discussing books and writing themselves. There is a great department of the literature of foreign languages (more than 20). The stock of literature in English, French and Deutch is the largest.

Phone Directory

133.	Russian Banya
Russian Banya

134.	R2F (Russian to Foreigners)
R2F (Russian to Foreigners) Russian language courses. Social Russian, Business Russian. Individual and corporate study.

135.	Learn Russian language. Russian language learning. Learning a foreign language. Russian language course.Learning Russian. Russian language lessons. Learn to speak Russian. Language schools.
Learn Russian language. Russian language learning. Learning a foreign language. Russian language course.Learning Russian. Russian language lessons. Learn to speak Russian. Language schools.

136.	Stage for you
Stage for you Russian language courses. Russian through Theatre. Small groups - 6 to 8 students.

137.	Translation agencies. English to Russian translation. Russian translation services. Translator services. Interpreting services. Translation companies. Russian translators. Document translation. Apostille
Translation agencies. English to Russian translation. Russian translation services. Translator services. Interpreting services. Translation companies. Russian translators. Document translation. Apostille

138.	Visa to Russia. Russian tourist visa. Russian visa support. Russian visa.Visa Russia. Visa services. Visa for Russia. Russian visa application.
Visa to Russia. Russian tourist visa. Russian visa support. Russian visa.Visa Russia. Visa services. Visa for Russia. Russian visa application.

139.	MyPoppet
MyPoppet Meet beautiful Russian women interested in marriage and romance. Find your Love in Russia. Beautiful women are waiting for you. Russian dating and marriage agency is offering romance calls to Russia, introduction and translation services. Talk with your Lady from Moscow and any other russian cities.

140.	Center for Russian, English and French Studies (CREF)
Center for Russian, English and French Studies (CREF) French and Russian as foreign languages. Standard or intensive course. Individual or group training.

141.	Russian as a Foreign Language for Everyday Speaking
Russian as a Foreign Language for Everyday Speaking The essential level of Russian. Programme of learning for every level.

142.

Visa to Russia

Visa to Russia
Complete Russian visa support: expert Russian / CIS visa processing, single, double and multiple-entry business visas, same-day tourist Russian visa invitations, registration upon arrival in Moscow and St-Petersburg, worldwide consular services: express courier service in Washington, New York, San-Francisco, Seattle, London, Edinburg, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Bonn, Munich, Hamburg, Rome, Prague, Tokio, Seoul, visas to all CIS countries via direct arrangements with local authorities.

143.	Romanenko & Partners
Romanenko & Partners Business law, corporate law, labour law, real estate transactions, tax consulting, migration law, etc. Firm's experts have a profound experience in handling projects for both Russian and foreign companies. Provided legal assistance for Russian Railways, Gazprom, Avtovaz, Siemens, etc.

144.	Russian banya Moscow. Banya Moscow. Russian Banya. Russian sauna. Sandoony.
Russian banya Moscow. Banya Moscow. Russian Banya. Russian sauna. Sandoony.

145.	Petit Cref
Petit Cref Trilingual (French, English, Russian). Ages 2-6. Half and full days. Groups split by age. Art, music, drama. Also extra-curriculum activities everyday 16.30-18.00: yoga, arts and crafts, theatre, music, geography, cooking, Russian folklore, karate and circus art and animation. Weekend daycare from 10:00 to 18:00. Play area, birthday parties are organised.

146.	American Russian Dental Centre
American Russian Dental Centre 10% discount on first visit, includes X-Rays, teeth cleaning. The Russian dental clinic ARDC was founded in 2001 by dentist Giovanni Favero as a branch of his clinic at Sacramento, CA. Excellent preventive dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, implantology, orthodontics by Dr. Garo, and dental hygiene. Emergency care 24/7. More details about discounts on the web-site.

147.	Russian Antiques Gallery
Russian Antiques Gallery

148.	Aeroflot Russian Airlines
Aeroflot Russian Airlines

149.	Russian International School
Russian International School

150.	Russian Fur
Russian Fur Fur and leather. Open: 10:00-18:00.

151.	Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce
Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce

152.	Russian Bibliofil
Russian Bibliofil Second-hand and antique books.

153.	Russian Ice
Russian Ice Indoor. Open: Mon-Sun 11:00-23:00. Entrance fee: 200-250 Rbs. Rental: 150 Rbs.

154.	Intensive
Intensive Russian language courses. All levels.

155.	Global Link
Global Link Russian language courses. All levels.

156.	Red October
Red October Famous Russian chocolate factory and sweetshop.

157.	American Airlines
American Airlines Russian and English speaking operators.

158.	Ruslingua
Ruslingua Group and individual Russian language teaching.

159.	Russian National Group
Russian National Group Visas, tours, excursions, air tickets.

160.	Admiral Center
Admiral Center Foreign and Russian cars repair and maintenance.

161.	Tom's House
Tom's House Russian language courses. Other foreign languages. All levels.

162.	Russian National Group
Russian National Group Visa support tours, hotel, tickets.

163.	Inlingua
Inlingua Russian language courses for expatriates. English and other languages upon your request.

164.	Iyengar Yoga Center
Iyengar Yoga Center Instructors speak Russian and English. All levels.

165.	All-Russian Center of Disabled People Readaptation
All-Russian Center of Disabled People Readaptation Mobility aid sale and rentals.

166.	Green Wood Pre-School
Green Wood Pre-School Russian nursery. Art, sport, English language.

167.	Russian State Humanities University (RGGU) Internet cafe
Russian State Humanities University (RGGU) Internet cafe Open: daily 10:00 - 20:00

168.	CDC Inter Training
CDC Inter Training Russian, German, English, French and Spanish as foreign languages.

169.	ExpatCPA
ExpatCPA Personal tax services, Russian and US tax returns (CPA). Serving Moscow expatriate community since 1994.

170.	Visa House
Visa House Russian visas for businesspeople and tourists. Consultation and assistance in obtaining necessary documents.

171.	Family Care
Family Care Recruitment services for expat: nannies, housekeepers, drivers, Russian teachers. References.

172.	Moscow Linguistic Center
Moscow Linguistic Center Russian Language Courses. Evening classes for the expats. European languages.

173.	Xfit Russian Tennis Club
Xfit Russian Tennis Club 5 outdoor courts (surfaces: 2 - hard, 1 - regupol, 1 - plastic grating). Lighting.

174.	Aardvark Enterprises
Aardvark Enterprises Russian full-range provider of translation, interpreting, desktop publishing and related services.

175.	BKC-Globus
BKC-Globus French, German, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian as a Foreign Language.

176.	Avakov, Tarasov & Partners
Avakov, Tarasov & Partners Payroll services for Russian legal entities, subsidiaries of foreign companies and sole proprietors.

177.	Tet-a-Tet
Tet-a-Tet Our agency operates in Russia and aims at helping Russian women and girls intending to have a family and build serious relations with men from abroad.

178.	Kva-Kva Park
Kva-Kva Park 7 water slides 90-120 m long, Tsunami slide, hydro-massage, Russian baths, sauna, hammam, restaurant, bar, SPA-salon. Open: 10:00-22:00.

179.	Usadba
Usadba Renting and selling top-quality properties in Moscow and its closest suburbs. Investment consulting services on Russian real estate market.

180.	Grint Centre for Education and Culture
Grint Centre for Education and Culture Russian language and culture classes. All levels.

181.	White & Associates, Attorneys at Law
White & Associates, Attorneys at Law American visas. American citizenship for Russian spouses of U.S. expats.

182.	Magic World Kindergarten
Magic World Kindergarten Private kindergarten-lyceum for children ages 2 to 7. English, Russian.

183.	White & Associates, Attorneys at Law
White & Associates, Attorneys at Law American visas. American citizenship for Russian spouses of U.S. expats.

184.	Global Assistant
Global Assistant Full-scope administrative and business support to expats in Russia. Great experience in the field of assistance and recommendations from well-known Russian and foreign businessmen.

185.	ITEC Language School
ITEC Language School Russian Language Courses in the historic center of Moscow. Special offer for the expats!

186.	English Baby Club
English Baby Club Russian kindergarten for children from 1,6-2 years. English speaking staff and native speakers.

187.	Russian Post
Russian Post Domestic and international letter correspondence, packets and parcels, first-class mail, express-mail.

188.	Fit Olympics
Fit Olympics Russian fitness aerobics federation club. Gym, aerobics, individual training, massage, tanning booth.

189.	1one Design
1one Design Interior design from residential to commercial spaces, English, German, Russian, and Hungarian speaking staff.

190.	Bukbuk.ru
Bukbuk.ru Fiction, non-fiction & educational literature in English, Chinese, Spanish, German, Czech, Italian, French, and Russian.

191.	Country of Tourism
Country of Tourism Russian combat jet flights, space holidays, extreme tours, and traditional cultural tours in Russia.

192.	DPD
DPD Domestic and international parcel shipping, door-to-door delivery, 3,500 destinations within the Russian Federation as well as 220 countries and territories worldwide.

193.	Reisebuero Welt
Reisebuero Welt Hotel directory, Russian visas, air tickets and train tickets, conference facilities, sightseeing, transport services.

194.	English School Sunny plus
English School Sunny plus Russian & English language courses. General and Business. All levels. Individual or group study. Corporate classes.

195.	Language Link
Language Link English, French, Russian and Italian as foreign languages (variety of courses). Translation and proofreading. Language study abroad.

196.	Moscow Economic School
Moscow Economic School A bilingual school (Russian/English) with one foreign language (German, Spanish or French). Under the International Baccalaureate curriculum.

197.	Autobam
Autobam Th installation of additional equipment on foreign and Russian car. Tune, installing car alarms, audio-video systems, xenon and spetssignalov, insulation, etc. English speaking. Multiple locations.

198.	G-Nius
G-Nius G-Nius is an originally Dutch recruitment agent, working on the Russian market since 2006. Their clients are foreign companies for whom we recruit throughout many different sectors and functional areas.

199.	Novikov Catering
Novikov Catering The best chefs - experts in European, Russian, Japanese cuisines. Premium class service. All types of celebration. Capacity - 1000 persons in sitted affair, and up to 3000 guests regarding buffet.

200.	Munro Productions
Munro Productions English-Russian company. Video production services across Russia. English-speaking crews with equipment. News, documentaries, music videos, promos.

201.	Bene-Dictus
Bene-Dictus Languages: Russian as a foreign language, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese. Education form: mini-groups and individual lessons, in-company classes.

202.	Little Angels
Little Angels An International English medium kindergarten for children ages 18 months to 6+years with French/Russian language optional. All our teachers are professionally qualified experienced native English speakers.

203.	Be Happy International
Be Happy International Discover thousands of beautiful Russian women looking for a relationship abroad. Video profiles are also available for selected ladies. Phone translation, gift delivery and tour arrangements to name a few extra features that are available to current members.

204.	Liden & Denz Language Centre Moscow
Liden & Denz Language Centre Moscow Russian language courses in Moscow, Russia. Special expatriate rates.

205.	Nord Outsourcing
Nord Outsourcing Payroll services for Russian legal entities, for representative offices of foreign legal entities, for sole traders.

206.	International Kindergarten Little Angels
International Kindergarten Little Angels International English medium kindergarten for children ages 18 months to 7 years with French/Russian language optional.

207.	Way to Russia Guide
Way to Russia Guide A guide to Russia and travel services directory: Russian visas, transport, tours, destination guides, travelers' forum.

208.	Way to Russia Guide
Way to Russia Guide A guide to Russia and travel services directory: Russian visas, transport, tours, destination guides, travelers' forum.

209.	Intelligent
Intelligent Russian as a Foreign Language, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Greek and other foreign languages, corporate language training.

210.

Bank of Cyprus

Bank of Cyprus
On October 31, 2008 the Bank of Cyprus Group acquired an 80 percent stake in Uniastrum Bank for $567 mn. Established in 1899, the Group is a major international holding commanding leadership positions in the banking and financial services sector in Cyprus and Greece and over 30% of the domestic banking market. As a result of the transaction, Uniastrum’s charter capital increased by $50 mn. The Group’s purchase of an 80% interest in the Bank remains the biggest investment in the Russian banking sector by a Cypriot or Greek financial institution. The transaction was finalized once permission was granted by the central banks of Cyprus and Russia, as well as by Russia’s Antimonopoly Service. On November 19, 2008, against the backdrop of official talks between the Russian President, Dmitri Medvedev, and the President of Cyprus, Demetris Christofias, Uniastrum Bank and the Bank of Cyprus Group signed a Memorandum to implement a joint three-year (2009-2011) SME lending program in Russia worth 15 billion rubles. Many branches in Moscow. Find the appropriate on the web site.

211.	Hellevig, Klein & Usov
Hellevig, Klein & Usov Practical solutions for business administration needs as well as clear guidance for risk management in Russia and Ukraine. Legal issues facing a company and its executives operating business on the Russian and Ukrainian markets.

212.	IT Partner
IT Partner Microsoft Gold Certified partner and HP Preferred Partner 2010/2011. English- and Russian-speaking certified engineers.

213.	Big Ben
Big Ben Russian language courses. A course for kids and teenagers with any language level; A course for adults with any language level; corporate teaching; individual classes.

214.	Magic Castle English Nursery School
Magic Castle English Nursery School Compehensive programme based on International Primary Curriculum. Half-day and full-day stay. Art, music, dance and sports. Other languages - Russian, Spanish, French and Chinese. Three locations - Novoslobodskaya, Tsvetnoi Bulvar, Polezhaevskaya m.st.

215.	Spa Club Dvoryanskaya Usadba
Spa Club Dvoryanskaya Usadba Turkish bath, Russian banya, spa body treatments, skin care, nail services, body contours enhancement. Belly dance studio, aerobics, yoga and body ballet classes.

216.	Rufit Consulting
Rufit Consulting A joint German-Russian company specialized on business consulting and supporting. Accounting/reporting, management consulting, business set-up, legal address/office space.

217.	Haynes & Boone
Haynes & Boone Gaining access to the Russian markets, raising capital on foreign debt and equity markets, world's capital markets, international mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances.

218.	Globus International Language Centre
Globus International Language Centre Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language (General, Intensive and Business Courses), English, French, German and other foreign languages, corporate language training.

219.	Kimberly-Land
Kimberly-Land Two swimming pools, small pool for infants, aqua-aerobics, Russian bath, Turkish bath, Finnish sauna, ice pool, pool with geysers, bar on water. Open: 10:00-22:00.

220.	Montessori School of Moscow
Montessori School of Moscow Open to children aged birth to 6+ years old and offers three programs: Parent Infant Class, Toddler Community and Casa dei Bambini. Teachers and staff are fluent in English and/or Russian, have international work experience and/or education and speak other languages.

221.	GMS Clinic
GMS Clinic A premier multispecialty diagnostic and inpatient facility. Western trained multilingual staff. Direct billing agreements with major Western and Russian insurers.Full range of lab services and functional diagnostics. 24/7. Pediatrics. Emergency, house calls, ambulance.

222.	Finnish School
Finnish School Language of instruction is Finnish. On the lower and higher level of comprehensive school there are 36 pupils, of which part is bilingual (Russian-Finnish). 660 sq. meters. Sport field, playing field, computer classes, hot meal.

223.	Radeus Language Services
Radeus Language Services Full range of translation and interpretation (consecutive, simultaneous) services. Notary services, apostille, certified translation, proof-reading, tour guides. Language courses and Russian tutors.

224.	Russian Business Travel
Russian Business Travel Business travel arrangements and corporate travel management.

225.	Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences Full range of lab services, endoscopy, radiology, ultrasound and functional diagnostics. Cutting-edge medical equipment, world-renowned English-speaking specialists. Ophthalmology (glaucoma, cataract surgery, etc.), Orthopedics, Traumatology (hip, knee replacement, arthroscopic surgery, etc), IVF Treatment.

226.	Ranet
Ranet Based in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other regions of the Russian Federation. Maintenance and cleaning of premises. Carpet cleaning and crystallization of marble floors, granite, stone, terracotta. Rehabilitation after work and cleaning property. Cleaning offices, specific cleaning shops, medical offices and beauty salons.

227.	Counseling Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Coach
Counseling Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Coach Counseling psychologist, client-centered psychotherapist and co-active coach. 10 years of experience. Offer counseling, psychotherapy and coaching both in Russian and in English. Work via skype and in-person (in Moscow). Kirill Kryuchkov

228.	Moscow Service For Psychological Help
Moscow Service For Psychological Help Personal and Family psychotherapy for English/Russian speaking people by psychologist working for the Moscow Service For Psychological Help. Individual, couple and family appointments. Supervised by European Family Therapy Association specialists.

229.	Nordway Travel Company
Nordway Travel Company Group and individuals tours, tailor made tours, cultural and ecological tours, cruises by Russian and Ukrainian rivers, business trips, VIP services, professional guides and interpretors, transportation services, hotel reservation, seminars, parties and special events, excursion services.

230.

Flightman & Priest

Flightman & Priest
Moscow-based boutique law firm with a strong focus on supporting foreigners in Russia. Offers exceptional legal expertise coupled with thorough understanding of the Russian and international business and political environment. Can assist you on a vast majority of legal issues in the field of labor, tax, corporate, real estate law, as well as wealth planning and dispute resolution.

231.	Cambridge International School
Cambridge International School Cambridge International Curriculum for children from 3 to 18 years old. We provide education in English with elements of Russian programme. Native English teachers. Completely modernized school building. Afterschool activities: Music, Arts, Sports (football, karate, ballet).

232.	American Clinic Dental Art
American Clinic Dental Art Part of Global Medical System Clinics and Hospitals. Western trained multilingual staff. Direct billing agreements with major Western and Russian insurers. Full range of dental services: implantology, oral surgery, prosthetics, orthodontics, X-ray Diagnostics on site, laser dentistry. Dental emergency -24/7.

233.	The Vip Moscow Taxi
The Vip Moscow Taxi Reliable, low-cost, English speaking taxi/transfer service. All Moscow airports including Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo at any time of day at no extra charge. English-, Turkish- French, Russian -speaking operators. Online order. English version of the website.

234.

Wordsmiths Communications

Wordsmiths Communications
Business, legal, technical and other translations, editing texts both in Russian and English, page making and design, printing and publishing, notary certification of translations, legalization, apostil, simultaneous and consecutive interpreting, archive of translated national standards GOST and SNiP (construction norms and regulations); translating diagrams in AutoCAD format; translation of web-sites.

235.

ESL

ESL
All vehicles are insured and free of unconditional franchise and daily mileage limits. Managers speak fluent English, and the rental agreement is made both in Russian and English. Office is located 10 mins drive from Sheremetyevo airport. All vehicles are brand new and are equipped with full comfort set: automatic-climate-control, CD/Radio with steering wheel controls, fully electric windows and mirrors, etc.

236.

Psychotherapy and Counselling Services

Psychotherapy and Counselling Services
Work with individuals, couples, families and kids. Successfully treat: Depression, Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Personal and Emotional issues, Eating and Psychosomatic disorders. Life and Career Coaching to bring you certainty and make you naturally efficient and successful in life. Over 10 years of experience, MA in Counselling, BSc (Hons) in Psychology. Sessions can be given either in English or Russian. Contact Andriana.

237.	Smithbridge Advisory Services Ltd.
Smithbridge Advisory Services Ltd. Corporate and investment Consultancy. Russian market entry and presence consultancy, Investment planning, buying and selling existing businesses services, transaction advisory, corporate law, work permits, accounting and payroll services, visa support, trade mark registration, contracts.

238.	Great British Nannies
Great British Nannies Great British Nannies is a British Nanny, Governess and Tutor agency located in London and Moscow. They specialize in placing experienced, highly skilled, native English speaking childcare educators in to high profile Russian families in London, Moscow and other worldwide destinations.

239.	Smithbridge Advisory Services Ltd.
Smithbridge Advisory Services Ltd. Corporate and Investment Consultancy. Russian market entry and presence consultancy, Investment planning, Buying and Selling existing businesses services, Transaction advisory, Corporate Law, Work permits, Accounting and payroll services, Visa support, Trade Mark registration, Contracts.

240.

Sweet Home Abroad

Sweet Home Abroad
Apartments and Villas in Europe. A fully bilingual apartment rental service, catering to travellers on vacations, short-term visits and business trips to the major cities of Europe, North America and Israel. All apartments, houses and villas are carefully selected and maintained by registered management companies. Customer support is available in English, Russian and Spanish (select destinations).

241.

P'titCREF

P'titCREF
Trilingual kindergarten, where kids flourish in three languages and cultures with teachers-native speakers (English, French and Russian). P’titCREF1905 welcomes children of all nationalities from 2 to 7 years old. Small groups, cozy environment and spacious, secure park! During summer and other holidays the school is functioning as a camp, offering to kids fascinating leisure time full of excursions, interesting projects and workshops and much more in English and French.

242.

Dr. Charles Register BA, DC

Dr. Charles Register BA, DC
Dr. Charles Register is a doctor of chiropractic practicing in Moscow since 1993. Graduate of Life College of Chiropractic (Marietta, Georgia) 1992. Carson-Newman College (Jefferson City, TN) 1988 BA Biology/ BA Chemistry. Member of International Chiropractic Association and World Chiropractic Alliance. Dr. Charles speaks Russian, Arabic and his native language English.

243.	Enex Movers
Enex Movers Russian moving company located in Moscow. International moving services and shipping of personal effects. Full door-to-door moving services: Professional packing and custom crating; disassembly and re-assembly of furniture; land, air, sea shipping. Full and part loads; custom cleareance at origin and destination.

244.

Shiny

Shiny
Shiny is an innovative booking platform for connecting individuals looking for household services with English-speaking top-quality, fully vetted and trained professional cleaners. With a seamless 60-second booking process, and secure payment, Shiny is the easiest, most convenient way to book home services in Moscow. Shiny Customer Service is available in Russian, English, German, Italian and French. Get 30% off the first clean with a promo code "Expat.ru".

245.

International Crisis Line

International Crisis Line
Free Psychological Help Line, daily from 8:00 until 23:00. The help line is a free confidential phone-in service, providing professional counseling in a discreet, comfortable atmosphere. This service is provided by an international team of psychologists and psychotherapists who are experienced in counseling on different relational and personal issues, handling trauma and crisis, career counseling and psychotherapy. Counseling is available in English, Russian, French, and Polish.

246.

Kursky Railway Station

Kursky Railway Station
Long-distance trains to Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine. Russian destinations include Kursk, Orel, Perm, and Vladivostok and other southern and southeastern and eastern destinations in Russia and the CIS countries. Commuter trains to Balashikha, Elektrostal, Fryazevo, Kupavna, Noginsk, Petushki, Reutovo, and Vladimir (all belong to the "Gorkovskoye" direction); Chekhov, Podolsk, Serpukhov, and Tula (all belong to the "Kurskoye" direction); Nakhabino and Volokamsk ("Rizhskoye" direction); and Golitsyno, Mozhaisk and Zvenigorod ("Smolenskoye" direction).

247.

US Dental Care

US Dental Care
US Dental Care has been providing professional dental services in Moscow since 1994. The American Board-certified dentists and hygienists provide all forms of general, specialty, and children's dentistry, including cosmetic procedures, orthodontic care, implant surgery and restorations, oral surgery, periodontics, hygiene, and emergency care. US Dental Care maintains only the highest standards of sterilization in a family-friendly environment. Direct billing with many worldwide and Russian insurance companies, corporate membership, and individual health plans are also available.

248.

Morgan Stanley Ltd.

Morgan Stanley Ltd.
Since 1994, Morgan Stanley has been building relationships and expanding its product offerings in Russia. Morgan Stanley did not leave Russia after the 1998 financial crisis, and its uninterrupted presence has fostered trust and credibility with key governmental and corporate decision makers. In addition to its long-existing representative office, Morgan Stanley has recently established a local trading platform and opened a Russian subsidiary bank in October 2005 allowing it to provide a full suite of financial services to its clients in Russia.

249.	Moscow hostel. Cheap hotels. Moscow hostels. Hostels in Moscow. Russian hostels. Cheap hostels.
Moscow hostel. Cheap hotels. Moscow hostels. Hostels in Moscow. Russian hostels. Cheap hostels.

250.

Absolut Bank

Absolut Bank
Absolut Bank was established in 1993 and since 2007 is a member of a major international financial group KBC (Top-5 in Central and Eastern Europe). The Bank offers a wide range of banking services including deposits, VIP banking, free consulting on personal finance management etc. English-speaking managers are available. Absolut Bank has an extensive network in Moscow, the Moscow Region and 23 other regions of Russian. ATM network exceeds 2000 machines in Moscow and other cities of Russia conveniently placed (including the metro stations). Please find the appropriate location on the: web site.

Dining Out

251.

Gadget Studio

Gadget Studio
Gadget Studio is the world first gadget pub made by a famous Russian tech lover and journalist for people who love technologies. We have special gadget menu where you can order for free powerbank, headphones, selfie stick and many more gadget accesoires. It's three venues in one: restaurant, small cinema and lounge, with lots of TV screens. Broadcasting all major hitech events and football games: Gadget Studio is official restaurant of Russian football champion Lokomotive Moscow.

252.	Ultra
Ultra Russian and European cuisines.

253.	Russkie Sezoni (Russian Seasons)
Russkie Sezoni (Russian Seasons) Anatoly Komm's gastronomic restaurant.

254.	Gratzi
Gratzi Mediterranean cuisine with a variety of International and Russian dishes. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

255.	LavkaLavka
LavkaLavka The first Russian locavore restaurant with a delightful seasonal menu. All ingredients from local farmers. The main idea is to stay traditional but add something modern not to be old and boring.

256.	Syostry Grimm (Sisters Grimm)
Syostry Grimm (Sisters Grimm) Intelligent serving European, Italian, Russian, French cuisines. Every Monday from 17:00 until 21:00 two burgers at a price of one.

257.	Staraya Bashnya (Old Tower)
Staraya Bashnya (Old Tower) Three-storeyed reconstructed tower, part of the ancient Kitai-Gorod wall, built in the XVI century. Russian cuisine. Bar.

258.	Stolle
Stolle 'Stolle' cafe-pies network specializes in pies baked with traditional Russian receipts.

259.	Savoy Restaurant
Savoy Restaurant The renowned Savoy Restaurant, designed to mirror the elegance of Versailles Palace, offers guests a distinctive fine dining experience with its authentic Russian and European culinary delights.

260.	Grand Alexander
Grand Alexander Named after the beloved Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, Grand Alexander features French and other European cuisines. Open for dinner.

261.

Mumiy Troll Music Bar

Mumiy Troll Music Bar
A music bar right in the heart of Moscow, within walking distance from the Kremlin. Open 24 hours. The Mumiy Troll Music Bar in Moscow is part of Ilya Lagutenko's (frontman of Mumiy Troll band) project for an international chain of live music bars. The first of these has been successfully running in Vladivostok since 2011. It's a great place for meeting friends and having a good time.The house specialty is Pacific cuisine, including Pacific whelk, sea cucumber, laminaria, fernbrake sautéed with meat and veggies pacific style and other delicacies. The international bar offers a unique selection of Asian drinks such as Korean beer and soju, Chinese lagers and Japanese whisky. Meals are available 24/7, including early breakfasts. Free wi-fi. Menu in Russian and English. Get taxi service. Live performances by Russian and foreign bands every night. DJ programs. Superb live sound and a broad selection of performers from the Asia-Pacific region and Russia's Far East. How to get here: Metro "Okhotny Ryad", "Teatralnaya", follow the direction to hotels The Ritz-Carlton and National, Ermolova Theatre, Central Telegraph. Just 1 min walk.

262.	Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe Breakfasts, business lunches, happy hours, live music, late night dancing. First Russian restaurant of the world-famous chain. Classical and special American cocktails. Every Thursday at 22:00 - Hard Rock Live.

263.

Clumba Club

Clumba Club
With an impressive list of wild gigantic oysters from Russian Pacific depths and open kitchen inside huge quadrangular bar counter, Clumba Club is all set to bid for the Guinness World Records book as the biggest oyster bar in Europe. We don’t know for sure about that claim, but reasonable prices for planted oysters from France, with Fin de Claire #2 $2,5 a piece, make Clumba Club a must go spot for a dedicated sea-food fan.

264.

BBcafe

BBcafe
Breakfast from 07.30 until 11:00, business lunch from 12:00 until 16:00. Menu presents dishes of Sicilian cuisine, popular Russian dishes as well as homemade dishes from all over the world. BBcafe has its own bakery to bake bread and Italian cookies, make jam, nougats, jellies, homemade yogurt, fruit drinks, compotes, soft drinks. Special thrill - Siberian dishes, the recipes of which have been handed down in the family of one of the owners of the establishment. Charming summer terrace.

265.

Osteria della Piazza Bianca

Osteria della Piazza Bianca
There are two chefs working on Osteria Bianca kitchen, who speak three languages (Italian, English and Russian). They gladly come out to the hall and communicate with guests friendly. Decor made by impression of Italian Riva boat, so everything in the restaurant is an exact copy of this boat. Main hall was built as prow of the boat, with compliance of every ships specific detail. There are two kitchens in the restaurant: open one, surrounded by bar, on which you can sit and watch the preparation of pizza and pasta; and closed one, that you can see through a big porthole.

266.

Chugunny Most

Chugunny Most, a stylish gastro-pub on Pyatnitskaya, found a neat way of grabbing some publicity late last year. After PM Dmitry Medvedev publically lamented that it was difficult for him and his fellow bureaucrats were on the look-out for a suitable place to celebrate their New Year’s party, the owners immediately invited him to drop in and check out what they could offer. After all, with the state seemingly eager to support Russian business in these straightened times, it should have been a good deal for all.
Sadly Dmitry Anatolevich and his eminent companions didn’t manage to get a festive booking together in time; those who do get it together for a visit can expect a fine feeding from the latest venture of the people behind the well-regarded ‘Krylashki and Nogki’ venues that brought the whole gastro-pub concept to Moscow a couple of years back.
That story was shared over a serving of a classic ‘herring-and-potato’ salad that goes a long way towards explaining what Chugunny Most is all about. The food is – for the most part – simple and unpretentious, the kind of thing your babushka would make. But it’s presented with the quality and imagination that lifts it above the mundane stodge of so much everyday Russian food, and the menu demonstrates a sharp awareness that contemporary Russian cuisine doesn’t need to restrict itself purely to Russian food traditions and can draw on ideas from around the world without sacrificing its identity.
Chugunny Most – which means ‘cast-iron bridge’ takes its name from the bridge that carries Pyatnitskaya over the water toward Balchug and the city center. Today, admittedly, the bridge itself is a 1960s concrete affair and Pyatnitskaya is no longer the commercial heart of Old Moscow, but as the region reinvents itself as a more recreational district with a largely pedestrianized area around the metro stations the cafe is well placed to attract discerning diners.
The menu is extensive and imaginative, offering a wide range of snacks for sharing over a glass of wine as well as bunch of heartier dishes if you’re looking for a full-on feed. The accent is eclectic, with an emphasis on subtly reworking some old classics or presenting new flavor combinations. In keeping with the whole gastro-ethos, close attention is paid to sourcing good, fresh ingredients and serving them in an affordable format. It’s another welcome addition to the range of middle-ground restaurants in Moscow that are steadily bridging the gap between ‘pafosny’ overpriced nonsense and alarmingly basic canteens.
What does that mean in practice? Well, it means soups like the ‘mushroom cappuccino’, pitched somewhere between a mousse and a souffle and rich in warm, earthy flavors of fungus. It’s a million miles away from traditional Russian soups, or even the tins of Heinz cream of mushroom that popped up in my childhood … and it’s much better than either. It means exploring what can be done with the Mimosa salad when you ditch the sorry, stale ingredients left over at the back of the fridge, replace the sad, dried, unidentifiable fish with ocean-fresh crab and think through the presentation to ensure that an old familiar cannot be taken for granted.
Elsewhere on the menu, it’s hard to beat a simple starter of tomato and quinoa – just for the explosion of fresh flavors that accompanies every mouthful. Even a committed meat-eater with a deep-seated suspicion of anything that smacks of a salad should find something to enjoy here.
The urge to highlight how ordinary food can be enhanced with some culinary TLC also transforms the golubtsy. These parcels of meat cooked in cabbage leaves can so easily come out as a formless mess, so it’s reassuring to see it arrive on the plate with foliage that still packs a bit of crunch when you bite into it. Swimming in a rich, creamy sauce also makes this one a winner.
One of the most popular dishes from Dmitry Zotov’s kitchens at ‘Krylashki I Nogki’ has made the trip over the river to Zamoskvarechiye – the turkey falafel is on the menu here and matches up to its colleague. This has become one of the foodie favorites around Moscow and is a welcome addition here.
Not everything was a hit, of course – the bruschetta on offer were solid rather than spectacular, and the same criticism might be applied to some of the desserts. But even if a Chugunny Most disappoints slightly, that is more a reflection of the high overall standards here.
While we were guided through the menu by our host, and got to sample a fair selection of what was on offer, there’s still plenty on the list to encourage future visits. The Moroccan soup and the baked goat that were on offer when we visited certainly caught the eye, while there’s a frequent rotation of dishes to ensure that there’s always something new to nibble on.

267.

Khacha Puri

Poorly-run and over-priced Georgian Cafe
The idea ought to be a winner - delicious Georgian cuisine, in a warm friendly atmosphere, with a great location a few minutes off Pushkin Square. Unfortunately, very little of the promise is delivered. I ought to say that on the evening of our visit, a large table of “VIP” guests was commanding the attention of the restaurant staff, and we struggled to get the attention of waiters. I’d gone with a Russian friend - the waitress conversed entirely in Russian with her, and ignored me completely - even having my friend “translate” for me (although my Russian is up to TV-interview standard). I found this extremely rude.
“Khacha Puri” (named after the famous Georgian cheese breads) is an informal cafe arranged on two floors, with a minimalist steel-and-glass design that avoids the usual cliches of Georgian cafes. Seating is cramped and hardly relaxing - the whole cafe is very smoky. There is some naff live piano music that conjures up the atmosphere of a funeral. The menu comprises a shortlist of Georgian classic dishes - rather shorter than you will find in most other Georgian restaurants in Moscow, in fact. Mostly these dishes are adequately prepared - but there is nothing at all special to justify prices that are averagely 30-40% higher than in other Georgian cafes.
We began with house-speciality cocktails - a Pomegranate Mohito (290 RUR) that was refreshingly tangy (although not really much like a Mohito), and a rather horrible Grape Mohito (260 RUR) which went undrunk after a few sips. We ordered a khachapuri each, and decided to share the rest of the dishes, in usual Georgian fashion. The Red Lobio (bean salad, 270 RUR) was dry and lacked flavouring - the usual tart-plum sauce was missing. The same was true of the Eggplant Pkhali (320 RUR) - obviously prepared by a garlic-hating puritan who was being parsimonious with the olive-oil. Considering that you can pick-up a portion of delicious pkhali from a Georgian deli for half this price, I was feeling very short-changed at this point.
The food took an age to come. In fact everything took an age, and we’d been sitting in the restaurant for forty minutes before even the first items (home-made lemonade 90 RUR, home-made Tarkhun soft-drink 120 RUR) arrived. There’s no evidence of any management in the restaurant. The Grilled Vegetables (200 RUR) were very nicely prepared and presented - although they lacked some kind of sauce (of which Georgian cuisine has dozens) to accompany them. The Lamb Chops (490 RUR) were excellent, and juicily delicious. We also tried a Salmon Khinkhali (one piece = 90 RUR) - passable if unremarkable.
Finally the khachapuri cheese breads arrived - we took an Imeretian khachapuri (one of the simpler kinds, for 190 RUR), and an Adzharian khachapuri (240) with the traditional egg topping. Since these are the house speciality, there was every reasonable expectation that they ought to be good - and indeed they are, if a bit on the small side.
The service isn’t just slow - it’s shoddy. I had popped into “Khacha Puri” on a previous occasion (when they were nearly empty, at 10pm on a Sunday night) and had found the service brusque. This second visit was by way of giving them a second chance, but frankly it was no better.
If you’ve lived in Moscow for any time, you’ll almost certainly already have a favourite Georgian cafe or restaurant. I lived opposite one for eight years, and every visit was always a pleasure - smiling waiters, genial hospitality, great food, and a warm atmosphere. If those are your criteria for a Georgian meal, you’ll be sadly disappointed by Khacha Puri. I struggled to be more positive about this restaurant, but couldn’t find much to praise. After a long wait for indifferent food, we couldn’t be bothered to wait still longer for desserts or coffees, and left to have a coffee along Tverskaya instead.

268.

Mio

Fruity Daytime Clubbing Experience
Having been briefed to specifically review Mio's food, rather than its music or ambience, I decided to make a reservation for lunch rather than in the evening in the hope that I wouldn't be distracted by the atmosphere and could therefore concentrate 100% on the food. I should imagine the place is really quite buzzing at night. Reservations are essential on Friday and Saturdays and recommended at all times for larger groups.

Mio, fashionable among the young trendy Russian set, launched itself as a DJ cafe, but is now trying to establish itself as a worthy eatery too. One method of food marketing they have adopted is a weekly mail out of lunch menus to regular customers, who also include diplomats from the nearby French embassy. Slightly apprehensive about hanging out in a nightclub during daylight hours, imagining dingy, smoky surroundings, I was pleasantly surprised by the light, fresh and clean restaurant area. The comfy sofa we collapsed onto was very welcome.
As lunch was scheduled for the Morning After The Night Before, Natasha and I were both in need of detox so ordered fresh carrot and apple juices (140rbl). We then studied the very extensive menu which includes summer dishes, meat, fish, pasta, salads and the inevitable standard page of sushi. The cuisine is mostly Italian and French (with the token Japanese) and it is perhaps worth noting that the menus are only in Russian at the moment, although they are in the process of being translated into English.
I sampled the Duck Salad with Pineapple (210rbl) which was fruity and yet light and filling. It included cranberries, lettuce and tomatoes and had that too-good-to-be-true yummy but healthy taste; always an unlikely combination and one I can never quite trust. Natasha opted for a Caesar Salad with Salmon (220rbl). The dressing was wonderful and the parmesan good, although apparently the salmon could have been a little less chewy.
I then chose Pork Shashlik (120rbl) which was deliciously tender and just the right size as the main course of a light lunch. I personally think garnish is a waste of time, but my shashlik was accompanied with the most exotic looking carrot gratings I've ever seen. They looked far too glamorous to actually eat.
Natasha's main course option brings me round to a common complaint of Moscow restaurant reviewers: Why can't the Muscovites leave sushi to the experts? Her tuna rolls (170rbl) were mediocre, while her salmon sushi (80rbl) and yellow tail fish sushi (210rbl) were really below average, and one even had to be returned to the kitchen with a comment that the fish may have been off.
I am loathe having to grumble about this because I honestly enjoyed my Mio meal and would like to recommend the place, however I do feel obliged to warn any potential patrons to avoid the sushi there.
My advice is to stick to the modern European options, and your experience should be good and definitely worth the slight challenge of finding the venue.

269.

Cheapside

Russians who learned their English with the help of Jane Austen (or more likely the smouldering Colin Firth as Mr Darcy) probably know Cheapside best as a London location sneerily dismissed amid the snobbish banter of the Bennett sisters. The issue was its connection with ‘trade’, a lowly pursuit inappropriate for persons of true wealth and breeding, even though they had no scruple about buying goods in what was once London’s most fashionable shopping street.
Today, of course, trade has fewer negative connotations outside of the blue-blooded aristocracy, and the commercial hub in Belaya Ploshchad is one of Moscow’s more conspicuously busy business districts.
As a result it’s also picked up a cluster of bars and cafes – including a few representatives of Moscow’s burgeoning gourmet fast food trend – to feed the Stakhanovite shock troops of the new economic era in between vigorous sessions on tablet and Mac.
Cheapside Josper Bistro, the latest addition to the Coffee Mania portfolio, fits this branding well. The decor, described in one Russian magazine as ‘restaurants for successful men’ is loft-inspired: the kitchen, like at the owners’ Italian restaurant Barmalini, is open, although staff slaving over a hot grill make for a less exciting show than the dough-juggling pizza chefs at the partner venue. Elsewhere its bare brickwork, a retro fan and a large communal table dominating the room with a scattering of side tables for slightly more privacy. The restaurant seats 52, but there’s an expectation that people will hunker down together rather than isolate themselves on individual tables.
The menu is similarly unpretentious: meat and fish, cooked over an open flame. Pride of place goes to the burgers, with a wide assortment of diverse approaches to the old beef-in-a-bun formula. We went for the Mexican (700 RUR), which was a surprisingly unspicy affair, even allowing for Russia’s general wariness of hot food. However, this wasn’t really the aim: instead of powering up the chili and letting rip, the chefs aimed to create a more subtle combination of flavours with a hint of fresh lime giving an unexpected lightness to the palate. Not quite as expected, but pleasant. The meat was good, among the best I’ve tried in Moscow and certainly tasty enough to encourage repeat visits to explore the other burgers on offer. Prices might be uppish compared with the old favorites at Starlite Diner or Beverly Hills, but there’s more imagination in how the burgers are put together and – on this evidence, at least – the service is a bit more attentive than can sometimes be the case as the longer established chains.
Unlike most burger joints in town, sides are ordered separately; there’s no standard burger set slapped down whether you like it or not. So, if you want fries, make sure to order them for an extra 150 RUR. Coleslaw (250 RUR) is one of the options and it also opened up one of the great mysteries of Russian kitchens. Cabbage and carrot are key features of local food. Few Russian salads are complete with a generous slathering of mayo. So why is it that coleslaw, that stable of carrot, cabbage and mayo, always comes out very different here? This one was an impressively healthy, low fat option with just a hint of mayo to keep it together. Once again, not bad, but not quite as expected.
There’s also a small grill menu offering meat and fish. The salmon (800 RUR) here was a success, the duck (800 RUR), sadly, was unavailable. Vegetarians who don’t eat fish might struggle to find much on the menu to attract them, however. There’s no veggie burger and meat-free options are limited to a few salads and starters. This is a kitchen that knows what it wants to cook and is happy to focus strongly on that alone.
That straightforward ‘I know what I like’ approach is part of what makes Cheapside work. Rather than try to cover too many bases, it focuses on a small group of dishes that it can do well and chases a clientele that will go for it. Ultimately Cheapside Josper Bistro is a very masculine place to eat. Maybe it’s the plate-glass surroundings of Belaya Ploshchad, redolent of the thrusting world of smart-suited business conquistadores. Maybe it’s the meat-heavy menu. Maybe it’s the TV sport quietly playing in the background.
Whatever, this isn’t really the kind of place you’d pick for a girlie cocktail night even if there are three basic cocktails listed on the menu. Indeed it’s probably not the place you’d pick for a night out anyway. This has the feel of a lunchtime haunt; a cut above fast food or the dubious merits of the bizniz lanch, without burdening itself with the pretentions of a full-blown restaurant experience. That’s where it performs most strongly, and is likely to be the root of its future success in this location.

270.

Shchisliva

Shchisliva
The name? Well, it's an untranslatable weary pun, mixing the colloquial word for “bye!” with the name of cabbage soup. It's one of those extremely contrived jokes that you hate the moment you hear it, and it gets worse with repetition – particularly since “bye!” (rather than maybe “hello!”?) is weak name for any kind of eaterie. But though it's hard to swallow – we don't have to eat the name.
The location is superb – directly opposite the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum – if you'd come here two centuries earlier, the artist Tropinin would have been living next door, where he had his studios too. It's even located so that you can see an exhibition, saunter down the small side-street where the Museum's exit is located, and topple through the front door (take care when crossing the road, however). Unlike the Pushkin, across the road – which is mainly Western art, with a bit of Russian – Shchisliva mainly features traditional Russian dishes. However, they are served with a loving delicacy and lightness of approach, that you'd hardly recognise them if you've been bombarded with their greasy canteen counterparts. This is Russian food prepared with aplomb, and served with the aesthetic beauty the neighbourhood inspires.
They don't – yet – have a liquor licence, although they're allowed to serve you beer (they have a good range of international beers, in fact). If you want anything stronger, you can bring it yourself (a grocery street around the corner on Lenivka), and they charge a 500 RUB corkage charge per bottle. There's a range of home-made lemonades – the pear-flavoured one (250 RUB) was quite pleasant, and a large glassful, instead of the usual thimbleful.
The décor is minimalist-Scandinavian – primarily geometric pine furniture and avocado-green fabrics that add a probably unintentional 1970s feel to the place – you expect to see Diane Keaton waiting for Woody Allen to show up? And rather like Greenwich Village in the 1970s, you have to go outside if you want to light up – it's a 100% no-smoking venue, which suits me fine. Wi-Fi is free, has no fiddly passwords, and goes like the clappers.
Following our established pattern, Emilia cross-examined the waiter about the most complex and outlandish dishes on the menu - whereas I prefer to see how they cope with established classic dishes. The result is usually that Emilia gets left with some outré experiment while I tuck into something nice – but the tables were turned today! The idea of Anchovy in Spicy Battered Leaves of Sage (240 RUB) sounded like something from a fish-and-chip shop to me - but it arrived as elegantly light tempura-style wafers without a hint of grease to them at all. However, if I'd been expecting a Russian-Railways style “salat” (i.e. “leftovers in mayonnaise”), I was delighted to find that Salad of Herrings & Mustard Sauce with Cherry Potatoes (260 RUB) was a tangy and light collation, with lots of crispy Cos lettuce leaves, al-dente potatoes, and delicious herring as the magma core of this extensive volcanic portion. I particularly enjoyed the contrasting textures of crispy lettuce alongside smooth potato, and the mustard sauce was the tongue-tingling masterstroke that brought it all together. I could quite happily have cut straight to the coffee and the bill after that, and felt more than satisfied.
However, our lunch was only just beginning. Although Shchisliva was pretty full for a weekday lunchtime, service was enviably brisk and charmingly shy. With seamless refills of our drinks in hand, we'd decided to try a sampler portion of Okroshka (250 RUB) – Russia's beloved summer soup. It's usually assembled at the table, and can be made with either kvass, or kefir. We tried a little of both, and Emilia came down firmly in favour of the kefir version – which is home-made, the waiter confirmed, although the menu doesn't say so. Since Emilia is something of an okroshka maven at hope, it was a testing moment to discover if they could make it as she likes it? Happy smiles and eager enthusiasm resulted, and the restaurant's reputation was instantly confirmed.
On to the hot main dishes, and once again, I'd chosen a taster portion of two different dumpling dishes. Dumplings with North Sea Fish (440 RUB) were tender and very pleasant, but a bit monotonous on their own – they really needed the foil of some kind of side dish? However, the Fried Dumplings with White Oyster Mushrooms (360 RUB) were my star find of the day, and served in a creamy savoury sauce that sets new records for calorific content. As a Brit reared on my mum's pie and gravy, this was like a Freudian regression into childhood bliss - and I even minded my manners and didn't talk while I was eating it. Culinary satisfaction was in evidence on the other side of the table too – with the arrival of Home-made Smoked Duck with Mashed Parsnip (470 RUB). Although it looked a little bare on the plate, the duck was deliciously tender – although visually the decoration of cranberries might have been better replaced with some kind of jus of them instead? The parsnip easily won the Best Supporting Vegetable Award – creamy, buttered, and just the way your mum made them.
And at that point, we had to admit defeat. It had all been so delicious that we'd sent the plates back scraped clean of every last morsel. The desserts all sounded tempting - but they'd have had to send us home on wheels if we'd given in to temptation.
Shchisliva serves reliable, appealing food without any silly pretentions, in a pleasant and modern setting with attentive service. The prices are rather less than we expected for such a ritzy location, and the atmosphere is relaxed and laid-back, with no particular dress code at all. The strict non-smoking policy is slightly unusual for Moscow, but we found it a major plus.
Shchisliva has an appetising line-up of items for breakfast, and instead of a “business lunch” promotion it offers 20% discount on the entire menu from 12-4pm on weekdays.

271.

Laffa Laffa

Having a Laffa
Moscow’s cafe culture has been transformed over the years: after years of over-priced ‘see and be seen’ affairs or mediocre fast-food chains a welcome range of new openings in the past 18 months or so has taken us back to basics. Finally the city is embracing a kind of street food culture that values quality cooking and fresh ingredients ahead of pafosny posturing.
Laffa Laffa is the latest in this wave. It has two sites – one on Malaya Bronaya, the other on Neglinaya – and specialises in Middle Eastern cuisine. That means plenty of hummus and falafel, two dishes that have recently become fashionable across Moscow, but the star of the show, undoubtedly, is the shawurma.
Whatever experiences you might have had with shawurma before, rest assured that this is far removed from the old-school kiosk food that has largely disappeared from the city as mayor Sergei Sobyanin cut his swathe through the dubious vendors thronging every metro station.
Here the emphasis is absolutely on quality: meat and veg are freshly sourced each day and the ‘laffa’ flatbread that gives the cafes their name is baked to order at blistering speed. It all takes a bit longer than a minute to put the dish together – not quite the fastest food in town, but a more than fair compromise between time and quality.
Although Middle Eastern in aim, the concept was inspired more by the 15 years the owner of the business spent living between Moscow and London. Like many people familiar with both cities, she noticed that one had a vibrant, multi-national culinary scene and the other had, well, dodgy kiosks next to metro stations or ultra-pafosny posing palaces with next to nothing in between. Laffa Laffa aims to fill that gap.
Key staff were recruited from Lebanon and Syria to ensure authentic recipes – head chef Ali Al-Tikriti comes from Lebanon with several years’ experience of restaurant in his native Beirut and in Dubai; many of his colleagues arrived from Syria. Zen has come up with a menu that is both simple enough not to risk running astray but sufficiently varied to ensure that either of the two cafes would bear regular visits from nearby workers heading out on lunch breaks. The signature shawurma can be served with lamb or chicken, or falafel for vegetarians. There’s also a choice of sauces, from traditional hummus to a seldom seen (in Moscow, at least) amba sauce, a fruity confection based on mangoes that goes especially well with the chicken. Although advertised as spicy, Western palates may feel it’s a Russian take on spice, but that arguably helps the flavour come out and complement the meat rather than overpowering it beneath a big hit of chili.
It’s also worth exploring the dips: aside from hummus, there’s a good selection of rich, smoky vegetable mixes that just cry out to be scooped up on a hunk of laffa bread and wolfed down. The mukhamara, with a nutty after-taste, is certainly worth closer inspection. Once again, it’s a menu with plenty of choice for vegetarians – another selling point in a city where meat-free dishes are not always very easy to find. At present menus are only available in Russian, and the staff’s English is somewhat nervous, but the choices are straightforward enough to suggest that a fairly elementary grasp of Russian will be sufficient to place your order.
Neither cafe is large, and the tend to have a busy, lively atmosphere – especially at lunchtimes. The décor, informed by the street food concept, has a pop-art, graffiti-like vibe that fits in nicely with the ‘urban-trendy’ audience. It’s some distance from the pastiche Middle East of Sindibad, the long-serving restaurant from that region; it’s a bit edgier and cooler than that, and there’s no sign of rugs, curtains or shisha pipes anyway to be seen. That’s not to say it’s exclusively a hipsters’ paradise: both branches have become popular with some locals, particularly the Malaya Bronnaya site, which is even building an audience among the privileged pensioners around Patriarshiye.
Will it be a success? It deserves to be. Prices are reasonable for city-centre eats; a shawurma snack is 310-390 roubles depending on filling, dips and sambusiki (small parcels of stuffed savoury pastry) are 250 a serving and the whole thing, complete with a coffee and maybe a nibble of pakhlava compares favourably with a trip to Starbucks, making it a competitive city centre option. Laffa Laffa is also starting out at a good time, capitalising on the popularity of the hummus and falafel stalls that did a roaring trade in city parks and food festivals during the summer and offering them a more permanent home.
Admittedly, we’ve seen a few food fashions come and go – the brief Tex-mex craze that flickered and then died on a pyre of rising rents and falling sales springs to mind – but this project has a more enduring feel about it. First, the commitment to high quality food augurs well. Second, it seems apt to expand an existing market rather than trade purely on novelty. And third, as the rapid rise in sushi bars has proved in the past and the rise of cheap-and-cheerful Georgian joints is currently demonstrating, it is possible to pitch for that middle ground gap here, even with foods traditionally associated with a full-on restaurant experience or an expensive foreign holiday.

272.

Jolly Dog Pub

In Search of a Jolly Dog in Moscow
Rarely do I venture further past two metro stations past the ring line in Moscow, unless I am going to an airport or on a train out of town. Call me lazy, but it is just the routine I have settled into. I don’t drive in Moscow anymore, don’t like paying more than 200 Rbs to get anywhere (because you pay the same amount or more back), and am either suffocated or frankly just depressed these days by the Moscow metro (especially after LA Times correspondent Megan Stack’s op-ed in The Moscow Times a few weeks back about stray dogs in the metro). So it took a little coaxing to venture to the VDNKh region to sample what I was informed to be an English Pub, the Jolly Dog.
A quick aside as I am always pre-occupied with names of establishments (“What’s in a name?”)… I am not a Brit, so may be missing some literary or pub culture reference every good Englishman knows, but Jolly Dog? On my way there I could not get out of my head the commercial jingle for “Lucky Dog” dog food as a kid in the US, and then - thinking about my daily rides in the metro – about how no dogs in this town are very jolly in the least (again, the op-ed mentioned above comes to mind). However, this pre-occupation with the pub’s name subsided to my pre-occupation with actually finding the Jolly Dog….
Jolly Dog is located in the north of Moscow, quite peculiarly located in the basement of a Ssang Yong car dealership – which is equally peculiarly located on a large meridian traffic island of an arterial interchange – just north of the RamStore off of Sheremyetevskaya Ulitsa (there is definitely a story behind the odd location that I still need to find out). Knowing all of this will actually help you find it with GPS accuracy, but getting there for the first time was a challenge that even Google maps on my iPhone could not help with. I took the metro to Timiryazevskaya with the intent of flagging a car, but ended up taking a marshrutka (an adventure my date of course just loved) as no gypsy cabs were in sight. Getting dropped off at the lonely cross street near the Jolly Dog was almost like an existential experience – comparing the address written on your crumpled piece of paper and the addresses on the surrounding buildings, I looked around and knew it should be there, but it was not. I felt cold and alone, and that my trip north had no meaning, but a friendly voice answering my call for guidance told me to head for Ssang Yong, who gave me hope.…
….and food, and a good beer. Descending into the Jolly Dog made me feel I was back in central Moscow again, and by some stretch of the imagination perhaps in a London pub. Lots of leather booths, varnished wood, and paintings adorning the walls quickly warmed my soul. Opening the Russian language menu (no English menu offered just yet), complete with the listings of exact metric proportions of each dish, I quickly found the drinks section and ordered a pint of Bowman’s (220 Rbs), while my Polish date ordered a Finnish Lapin Kulta (140 Rbs). Overall the menu could be considered an inspiration to Anglo-Russo relations, a harmonious compromise between the two where each seem to share a common cultural space. Not fully English, and not fully Russian.
Cold starters ranged from 140 Rbs (herring) to 350 Rbs (fish plate), with salmon carpaccio (260 Rbs) and cheese plate (350 Rbs) in between. We skipped the cold starters, though, as soon as we spotted a wide selection of yummy, greasy bar food – fried cheese (150 Rbs), nachos (180 Rbs), onion rings (150 Rbs), fried calamari (180 Rbs) as well as more higher-end bar food such as warm mussels (490 Rbs). We opted for the fried calamari rings, but regretfully did not try the sampler plate. The calamari came out within minutes, hot and greasy, albeit a bit over fried – but no matter as I was hungry; existentialism be damned – I felt alive with each greasy, fishy bite!
Salads were not your garden variety – literally. Most of the salads in the selection were made from some type of meat (I recall a tongue salad for 290). However, the salads that we did try – those that had some greens – were excellent and some of the best salads I have frankly had in Moscow. Really. My Polish date for the evening had the chicken heart salad (250 Rbs), and commented it was one of the best salads she has had since coming to . I had the Scottish salad, a delicious salad of greens, ruccola, goat cheese, and toast tips (290 Rbs) and was also quite impressed. The ruccola was fresh-picked fresh.
Already feeling quite warmed by the surroundings and excellent service, we skipped the selection of soups were (160-180 Rbs, standard fare of mushroom, chicken, pea, etc.) and moved on directly to the main courses which covered at least four pages ranging from basic club sandwiches (240 Rbs), homemade sausages (220-460 Rbs), seabass (950 Rbs), and pheasant stuffed with walnuts and red whortberries (brusnika) at 440 Rbs which was my first choice, but alas they were out of pheasant and unwilling to improvise with other poultry meats at my suggestion. The menu had a whole page dedicated to beef, including T-Bone steak (850 Rbs) and “21st Day Veal” (950 Rbs), a dish whose name I really don’t want to understand.
Like the good Polyachka she is, my date ordered the homemade sausages and said they were the best she has had east of Warsaw (again, neither of us are English, so London not our first point of reference). I felt a suddenly strange onset of Russophilia in the English surroundings, and opted for the chicken tabaka (250 Rbs). The whole chicken was succulent, moist, and most incredible of all – boneless! A whole, flat baked chicken before me, with barely a wingbone to gnaw on. My compliments indeed to the culinary talents of the chef.
I’ve read other recent reviews of new and tasty neighborhood restaurants opening up outside the ring that are worth a visit, and the Jolly Dog is indeed one of them. I still marvel at its most unique location, but once there you do indeed forget about how you got there (and how to get back). The food was extremely fresh, and the service very prompt and polite. The Jolly Dog maintains a bit of its Russian character, but is quite a jolly good place to go. Call ahead for reservations as they tend to book up days in advance on the weekends, and go ahead and book a taxi too.

273.

Kolbasoff

When I was asked to do a review for Kolbasoff, mostly I heard one thing: "beer" in the form of a question. I said "Oh, yes!" Then I went online to find out more about what I would be having to eat that night, which was, as the restaurant's name not-so-subtly implies, sausages. Now - I am an omnivore at heart, and I eat meat, but to tell you the truth, the whole idea of sausages, especially of what potentially goes into them, sort of scares me a little. But then, at the bottom of the restaurant's website, I was met with a challenge I could not refuse. Kolbasoff claims that their sausages are "real manly food" and that in the future men are going to start craving more and more sausages. They hasten to add, however, that women may also eat sausages as long as there's beer to be had. Man's food, you say? Food for men? Well, I'll just see about that!
Kolbasoff has two main halls. We were seated in the larger hall, which features a large bar near the entrance and segues into several sections of booths and other tables by the window. The lights were dimmed (drinking beer in brightly lighted places is never a good idea) and the far wall features a collection of various beer bottles and mugs from around the world. The design looks new and spotless, which made me a little suspicious - I'm more accustomed to much darker, dustier and not-so-spotless watering holes. But Kolbasoff is no mere watering hole! It is a restaurant, with food even! And so we set about checking out the menu. I was presented with the English version of the menu, while Mr. Polly requested the Russian original.
Upon opening the English menu, I saw that I was invited to order the "firm supper" and try "any firm sausage our restaurant." Firm sausage you say? Of course this meant firmenny, or the restaurant's own trademark delicacies, but it's always nice to see that there's plenty of firm sausage on the menu. I was bombarded with options and had no idea at all what to order! Should I try the "crust small triangle" or the "fried in crackers pork ears" for a hot appetizer? Or might I be better off with "the fried cheese tubules from the test"? Should I choose the "creamy cream soup" or the "wild mushrooms with creamy"? The choices were endless and baffling, so I cheated and looked at the Russian menu.
We decided to try the Kolbasoff salad, which is made of - you guessed it - sausages! And potatoes, pickles, beans, onions and radishes. We also ordered the meat carpaccio, which somehow appeared on our table as the salmon carpaccio, and the "beer shrimp" allegedly prepared in a "spicy mash." For entrees, we decided to try some nice firm sausage, namely Kolbasoff sausage platters #1 and #2. Number one is made with herbs and spices, while number was described as hot and spicy. It was my job to try the spicy dish since we all know that Russians can't really handle (or judge) true spicy hotitude.
We were served our first two beer selections (Paulaner Oktoberfest and Spaten Oktoberfest) with the carpaccio, shrimp and Kolbasoff salad all at once. As we somehow got salmon instead of meat (I guess myasnoye can sort of sound like lososevoye), I gave it to Mr. Polly since I don't dig fish too much. I did try it though. It was pretty salmony, and if you're into salmon you'd probably like it. Mr. Polly immediately began ripping the bug-eyed heads from several beer shrimp while I examined the Kolbasoff salad. All I could think of was "there is a bunch of sausage on this plate in the guise of a salad, and after that, they're going to give me "more sausage!"I wasn't sure I could eat all that sausage. I began to doubt myself. But then I remembered -men should not be able to have a food that is all their own! I must prove that women can also eat sausage! So I sucked it up and tried the salad.
Mind you, the Kolbasoff salad - at least on the English menu - is described as "piquant." This is a good salad to order for your Russian friends who think that black pepper is hot so that you can have a good laugh, because - actually "this salad is pretty hot' n' spicy!" It doesn't taste half bad, either. I enjoyed eating it. Slowly. Yet as someone who truly appreciates a nice piece of lettuce, I must say I think it's almost a sin to call this dish a "salad." I might even humbly suggest that Kolbasoff could stand to add some more lettuce-y items to their salad menu. Anyway, I enjoyed giving some to Mr. Polly after warning him "be careful, it's spicy!" He tried some and said "no it's not!" About three seconds passed before he was grasping for his beer. "Nevermind! It's spicy!" Since the menu claims the beer shrimp are cooked in a spicy mash, I wanted to know if they, too, were truly spicy. There was no mash, spicy or otherwise, visible on Mr. Polly's plate of beer shrimp, and while he said they were not spicy (which means not at all, he has a very low "spice" threshold), they had apparently been prepared in some sort of tasty sauce and he liked them a lot.
We ordered two more small beers while we waited for the entrees to arrive: Duckstein amber and Hofbroeu. I was unable to discern any difference in beer taste for a while after the salad, so suffice it to say that the Hofbroeu was Mr. Polly's favorite beer of the evening, while Duckstein was his least favorite. I will take a moment to note that Kolbasoff's beer prices range from 60-320Rbs (with options of 0.33L, 0.5L and 1L) with an average 0.5 beer price of 150Rbs. Their draught selection includes a variety of German, Czech and Belgian beers, and I must say I was disappointed to see that the only bottled beers were Corona (*ahem*) and some pretend beer with no alcohol. Why oh why, when there are so many different yummy bottled beers to be had?
Our entrees arrived as promised - two large sausages each with what I presume was sauerkraut and mashed potatoes, a couple of gherkins and a marinated tomato. I say that I presume it was sauerkraut only because I have never eaten sauerkraut before, nor did I eat much of it that night. While the Kolbasoff #2 was definitely not as "firm" as the menu had led me to believe, it was obviously very fresh and handmade. Although it was not fire-in-your-mouth-hot, it was indeed spicy and tasty. Mr. Polly was extremely pleased with his choice of Kolbasoff #1, and although he has never been to Oktoberfest or Germany, he assured me that it was the real thing: authentic German sausage. He also liked the sauerkraut and enjoyed referring to what the sausages resembled. We washed the sausages down with a third round of 0.33s - Krombacher and Altitude 6 (unfiltered). We finished the evening by sharing a delicious piece of almond cake, which thankfully had no sausage in it.
The place was pretty full at eight o'clock, mostly with men gettin' their sausage on. One table nearby was served with a beautiful plate of fresh crayfish. We also noticed that you apparently may bring small dogs with you, as one young lady did that evening. While I am not an expert and tastes do vary, I understand that the following information is very important for some expat men: I would say that roughly half of the waitresses were "cute" and at least one of the cute ones was "stacked."
The manager dropped by our table to let us know that Kolbasoff will be having one more round of Oktoberfest celebrations, complete with contests and prizes, on Saturday, October 2nd. The previous festivities on September 18th were a big hit and included many a beer-related contest; including breaking open a wooden keg of beer. It's going to be packed on October 2nd, so be sure to reserve a spot!
After some reflection, I must admit that although everything we ordered at Kolbasoff was very good and presented nicely, sausages just might actually be man's food after all. I cannot speak for all women; I can only speak for myself when I say, men, you may have your sausage. I will stick with beer.

274.

16 Tons

Upstairs / Downstairs. But How To Dress?
Founded on 31st October back in 1997, 16 Tons is already an established expat hangout, and indeed I ran into a couple of friends there who were amazed that this was my first visit, citing the place as a "Landmark of Moscow". In fact this was my first visit to any pub here - and my, what a culture shock. It was really, really English, with its home brewed ale and dark green ceiling and inexplicable fake dead fish hanging on the walls.
Our waitress had clearly been briefed that we were coming, and she was immaculate, attentive, helpful and smiley. I spent some time peering round the stained glass which separated the table booths, trying to spy on other tables to see if they were receiving less attention, but no, it seemed they were also enjoying a similar level of service.
The menu offered a wide enough choice, without being too intimidating for the indecisive. For starter I opted for the Cream of Mushroom Soup (120 rbl) which came complete with its own little pot of croutons. Croutons always seem to make soup taste better. Natasha started with the Salad with Artichoke (250 rbl), described as a comforting yet fresh and healthy successful combination of ingredients. It was also the first artichoke salad spotted in Moscow, to date.
I have to say, being in a pub, I had a real craving for scampi & chips, but alas, this was not on the menu so I settled on a beautifully presented and very filling Fillet of Chicken, served under Ground Nuts Sauce with Cuscus and Vegetables (285 rbl). Natasha chose Pork Ribs on Birch Coal (330 rbl) which (stop reading vegetarians) was about the size of half a pig. Actually, it proved to be a little difficult to eat, but because by this stage we'd probably drunk too many glasses of French house red wine (130 rbl/glass) this didn't really seem to matter any more.
We finished our downstairs experience with coffee (50 rbl) and then mentally changed gear from English Pub to Moscow Underground Culture as we ventured upstairs past the glowering face control.
16 Tons, as well as being a pub and restaurant, prides itself as being an award winning live music venue. They have music upstairs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and sometimes also on Wednesdays and Sundays. They have a very strict music policy with rock, rather than pop, played at weekends, and more experimental music, such as electronic, playing on Thursdays. Indeed, when we were there, the legendary Russian artist and urban philosopher Evgeny Grishkovets was playing his latest things.
Despite the fact that 16 Tons is hardly a new kid on the block, it is still keen to further links with the expat community and I can see why. If you opt for an evening there, I recommend you do the whole experience. Go for some wholesome pub nosh downstairs before some alternative indi-bopping upstairs. Your only problem will be deciding what to wear.

275.

Oldich Dress & Drink

According to the PR blurb, Oldich's name is partly intended to evoke the ethos (although not, quite, the spelling) of London's Shoreditch, while carrying an air of retro chic. Adverts for staff have demanded a bilingual Russian-English work-force with a keen interest in classic fashion and quirky originality. And the "Dress and Drink" bit handles the two facets of a venue which is a vintage clothes store up top, and bar below. With an active program of live music and DJs, plus themed parties and literary evenings, it's pitching for the same crowd which currently sees the Krasny Oktyabr hub as its preferred point of pilgrimage - news that is likely to distress as many as it delights.
Setting prejudice aside, though, the bar/restaurant section has plenty going for it - once you get in. Arriving in the evening, when the upstairs shop is winding down, the bar possibly takes its 'hidden' vibe a bit too seriously - you'd be forgiven for missing it completely from the street, and even after gambling on plunging into the shop, there's scant evidence of what lies beneath. The management likes to reference Alice in Wonderland and its magical rabbit warrens; those of us who aren't acquainted with Mad Hatters may struggle to keep up.
Still, a willfully obscure location didn't dampen the popularity of the late, lamented Proekt OGI, and like that bunker venue, Oldich has character to burn. With heavy wooden tables and comfortable armchairs, it's a roaring open fire away from being the perfect place to gather for an intimate tete-a-tete over exclusive spirits and exotic cigars. Admittedly the sense of intimacy was heightened - uncomfortably so - by being the only diners on a dreary March Monday which seemed committed to denying any hope of spring returning, but even on a busier night it seems likely to be cozy rather than cramped. Plus, for a larger group, there's a separate room with a full-size dining table. There's serious attention to design detail as well: the crockery has been sourced from vintage markets in London, while the toilets feature retro-erotica wallpaper and voluptuous framed fabric over the pot - go pay a visit, and you'll see what I mean.
Given its Cool Britannia ambitions, it's only fair to note that the overall effect was reminiscent of one of my favorite restaurants in my former home town. OK, so it's not exactly fashionable Shoreditch, but the retro-fashion and underground feel carries well from the Thames Estuary to heart of Moscow. The menu, too, has more than a hint of the gastro-pub about it - and in the best sense of the word. Naturally, a few bar-room staples endure, with burgers and fish'n'chips taking their place despite protestations that the food here cannot be found elsewhere in Moscow. But there's also an honorable mention for a pleasing selection of Mediterranean finger food and some inventive desserts to complement them. The bruschetta with beetroot, artichoke and parmesan was a curious beast: at its base it could hardly have been more Russian, with creamy, mayo-slathered beets that might have come straight from the local stolovaya; the topping of parmesan and artichoke, meanwhile, was a taste of another world - almost literally - offering a fresh waft of Italian flavor. It's also one of relatively few wholly vegetarian options on the menu, although the "wine plate" of tempting tidbits works as a sharing dish as long as someone is willing to hoover up the Parma ham.
For mains we picked out the fish and chips (sufficiently meat-free to suffice) and the duck leg. The former was a genuinely decent attempt at a tricky Brit standard. The chips were actual chips, rather than fries, although they might have benefitted from slightly longer in the fryer; the fish came in a recognizable batter, and despite appearing as a handful of fishy goujon rather than the more traditional single large fillet, worked as well as any attempt at this dish I've seen outside of its homeland. The duck was well-cooked to the point where it slipped easily off the bone as the first gentle probing of a fork, but might have benefited from a more astringent partner than a serving of herb-spattered mash. A side portion of fruity sauce helped, but could have gone a bit further, perhaps.
The highlight, though, came with the dessert menu. Fig in a dark chocolate coating, studded with crunchy grains of sea-salt, was a perfect combination of sweet and savory: a simple idea which could easily become a classic. But the star turn was the pear tart with rosemary ice cream. Leaving aside the slight sensory confusion at confronting a pot of something which looked like it should be mint-choc-chip flavored and tasted entirely different, this was a triumph. The ice cream was a delight - fresh, unexpected and well-matched to the residual sweetness of the tart.
Another pleasant surprise was the bill - the whole thing, accompanied by a bottle of cider, came in at less than 3,000 rubles (albeit helped by a couple of freebies from the kitchen, including a flagon of iced tea). That seemed to give the lie to some of the complaints on Afisha.ru about high prices - generally speaking they seemed to be in line for this kind of market in Moscow. Admittedly, there's no sign of a cheap beer - it's all imported Brit brews at around 300 rubles a glass, rather than fizzy Baltika at 120 - and the clothes store proudly insists that its prices will be kept relatively high to distinguish "vintage" (a premium market) from second hand (with its slightly shabby connotations).

All in all, despite the hipsterish pretensions, Oldich has plenty going for it - and its downtown location makes it a great place for a pre-party gathering, whether you're planning to stay there all night or head on to another venue later.

276.

BQ Café

BQ Café
It was on a dreary and rainy October when BQ Café (BQ) appeared in my crosshairs for a dinner review. As always, I checked out BBQ’s website before heading out the door – metro Novokuznetskaya, and an area of Moscow that I do not know well. Thus, I fully expected to have a minor headache locating BQ once on the street.
Much to my surprise, however, BQ is extremely easy to find, even in the dark and cold rain. Novokuznestskaya has one exit – go up the escalator, exit, walk across the courtyard, and BQ is immediately in front of you about 50 m on the corner, behind the small statue and benches.
My dinner date had to cancel on me at the last minute. I called several friends with an offer to join, but the notice was either too short or “I’m not in Moscow right now”, so, that being said, I entered the BQ pit alone.
Upon entering, I was cheerfully greeted and told to proceed to the second floor. There is a bar on the first floor and second floor, as well as large table seating areas. And, on Friday, BQ is a busy place – to say the least, the tables were full, and, as such, I would recommend making a reservation prior to arriving.
To be honest and to save you time reading – BQ is fantastic, and I recommend it without reservation. The atmosphere and design are enchanting, the service excellent, the menu moderately priced, and the food five-star.
What differentiates BQ most of all, however, is a piece of a three-year recurring dream for me – being able to browse the menu, order, summon your server, and request your check from an iPad! Not your own iPad, but, yes, BBQ will give you one of their iPads loaded with the current menu offerings, in Russian and English. If you are familiar with an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, you will understand immediately how to browse. If not, your waiter or waitress will be more than happy to assist.
The software suite is well-thought out and including an easy switch between Russian and English is a huge plus. You click the “+” on the item that you want to order, and it goes into what is essentially your shopping cart. After making your choices, you push the “my order” button to see your shopping cart. From that screen, you can easily delete, add, or modify (through a text box) your order, and then send it. After your order is sent, your server will confirm it with you.
After slinking through the ordering process with ease, it was time to indulge in what I ordered as it came down the pike.
The first salvo was unfiltered BBQ microbrew beer (190 RUB, 500ml) and a pina colada (350 RUB) to complement my chicken quesadilla (410 RUB). Even if I was dining alone, I was still going to drink for two! The beer was flavorful and cold, the pina colada made Jimmy Buffet proud, and the quesadilla hungrily melted in my mouth.
The second salvo was the Spanish assortment of meats (850 RUB) from the Tapas Menu, mushrooms enoki wrapped in bacon (320 RUB), and eurovareniki (220 RUB). The Spanish assortment includes a wide array of tastes – Cheese Manchego, Marcon Iberico, Choriozo Iberico, Bayonne Ham, Stuffed Pappers, Green Olives, Croutons, and Lomo Iberico – and is one of the several Tapas plates that are great starters for a group meal.
The enoki mushroom dish is one of the “mushroom season” dishes being offered currently and was a refreshingly different taste served with fresh asparagus. I believe that the eurovareniki are available all year, and I enthusiastically recommend them. Served in a crisp housing of thin dough, they explode – simply explode – with flavor once you take a bite. On my return trip – and it will likely be this Sunday evening for live NFL football – I will definitely order the eurovareniki.
At this point in the meal, I was happily satiated, but I knew I still had my main course on the grill. I pushed the button on my iPad to summon my server, and politely requested a 30 minute break before the next salvo, as well as another BBQ microbrew beer (190 RUB, 500ml). I then sat back, read up on some news, and simply indulged in the staged changing from a sit-down restaurant to a dance floor restaurant a la Tema Bar.
The main course of BQ pork ribs and french fries (490 RUB) arrived on time and piping hot. I, however, was still on the sidelines satiated, so I pushed the button to request that they package it for me to take home. I can say that the ribs were excellent the next day for lunch since the sauce had soaked into them overnight. However, there are many attractive main course offerings on the BQ menu, and I will try something else on my next visit.
The total for the evening was 3020 RUB and is a bit skewed on the high side since I purposefully chose the 850 RUB tapas and indulged in a pina colada for 350 RUB. As such, a person can visit BQ for a fine meal and drink or two at a moderate price and indulge in the pleasant atmosphere that makes a person want to return again and again.
Atmosphere and other points to take into account:
BQ attracts a younger, hip crowd, so the music and surroundings reflect this; however, everything is done with good taste. The big screen televisions on my floor were showing a mix of sporting events and music videos, neither of which dominated my meal. I was told, as well, that the music and lighting changes several times per day – morning from 0800 to 1200 has a peppier, wake me up like coffee vibe, 1200 to 1600 is a mix of music to the 1990s, 1600 to 1800 is happy hour with a laid back feel, 1800 to 2200 is edgier cocktail, and from 2200 to the wee hours of the morning showcases a DJ or live music.
BBQ has free Wi-Fi and outlets that are the most readily available and numerous of any restaurant or café that I have seen in Moscow to date. This is a huge plus because BQ is a superb location for either a working dinner or after dinner wind down.
Happy hour is from 1600 to 1800 with attractive drink specials and replays of sporting events from previous days.
BQ offers a Weekend Lunch that is a rotating special menu from the chef for 1111 RUB that is enough food, generally speaking, for two .
BQ celebrates holidays – US, EUR, and RUS. For instance, Halloween runs from 21 October until 31 October, with thematic decorations and menu/bar offerings.
Loyalty card: Free with first visit and offers a 5-10% earned credit forward, not an immediate discount.

277.

Sindbad

The Golden Road to Samarkand...
Last week I was discussing mid-price restaurants with the editor of The Expat Site - who said that it was hard to find many that were really reliable. So off I went to Sindbad, where I had to eat my words, and a very dodgy Caesar Salad (180 rbls). Actually as a chicken mayo salad, served on chopped lettuce and sprinkled with grated Sovietsky cheese it is a quite decent appetiser - it just isn't Caesar Salad. Luckily our other starter, Piratsky Salad, (120 rbls) was delicious - a super-fresh mix of green veg and tomatoes in a chilli dressing that kicks butt.
The whole summer menu is geared towards the outdoor setting. Sindbad's oriental garden is set within a high wall - authentically like an Uzbek caravanserai courtyard, and has semi-open dining snuggeries for privacy in smaller groups, as well as tables fully in the open. The star attraction is food hot off the charcoal grill, and with this Central Asian cuisine, decor, and (ehem) authentically diffident service, it's easy to feel transported to downtown Bukhara for a few hours. Especially as the area's crawling with cops, due to MID being around the corner...
I stuck with house specials and took Salmon off the grill as my main course - a bargain at 150 rbls, although the portion size isn't huge. Sveta was unlucky twice running, and after a dud Caesar salad, got Chicken Wings (150 rbls) as a main that managed to be greasy outside whilst dry inside, and no hint of spice or sauce with them either. The side-order of Persian KooKoo was disappointing - instead of the fluffy egg pudding came a greasy omelette.
Sveta was so miffed at this point, having nibbled at the wings and discarded them, that we ordered a portion of Tiger Prawns off the mangal, and these were tip-top at 450 rbls. Coinciding with the garden lighting and water-run coming on, the evening took an upward turn from here.
For dessert we got Grilled Banana (120 rbls) and Grilled Pineapple (150 rbls) with liquer, which they brought nicely presented on a large dish, and these were undoubtedly the highlights of the evening - crisp outside, succulent inside, without added unwanted sugar to spoil the natural taste.
With liberal draught Baltika beer, some wine, a cocktail and great espresso we paid 1900 rbls for two. Without the emergency prawn reinforcements and the kookoo, we could have dined for 1300 rbls. For outdoor summer eating it's a super location - their garden is a real treat compared to many Moscow al-fresco operations. Stick to the Uzbek house specials and the grilled options, avoid the half-arsed pseudo-Russian/Euro choices and it's mid-price outdoor dining you'd go back to again.

278.

Chemodan (Suitcase)

By the mid-C19th, central Siberia was booming. Settlers rights, unlimited free land, freedom for runaway serfs, and tolerance for religious minorities banned in European Russia were just some of the reasons...a gold rush, diamond mines, the post-road to Moscow, and rumours of untold and untapped riches had even stronger appeal. In place of shady taverns and shoddy flophouses, fine eateries and respectable hotels sprang up to cater to Siberia's new bourgeoisie - mine-owners, factory magnates, railway tycoons and families like the Demidovs, whose commercial interests ran far and wide.
“Chemodan” isn't just a Russian-cuisine restaurant – it's specifically a Siberian restaurant, with a menu featuring the freshest river-fish from Siberia's vast rivers and lakes, game dishes from the riches of the taiga forests, pickles and preserves featuring mushrooms and berries that barely even have dictionary names in English. In fact “Chemodan” in Moscow is a branch of the same restaurant in Krasnoyarsk. Well-known actor Oleg Menshikov visited the restaurant there and went in for supper – and loved it so much, that he decided to open another in Moscow. Very frequently movie-actor-owned restaurants are great ideas that fail to work in reality – but in this case, the established know-how and local Siberian expertise that made Chemodan a success in Siberia has transplanted superbly to Moscow.
The individual triumph of Chemodan offering delicious cuisine at medium-high prices (certainly not cheap - but you could easily spend double on dross in Moscow) and without the vacuous ostentation of its rivals. If you want to treat your visiting relatives or business colleagues to fine traditional Russian food, then this is the new pretender to the throne. No waiters in fake C19th livery, no hokum chandeliers, and no twaddle with calling clients “Milord” - this is honest, excellent cooking, on attractive plain white porcelain, with charming and personable multilingual staff in plain black shirts. The dining-room echoes upright provincial excellence of the mid-C19th – no nonsense, but very charming and atmospheric, and a welcome relief from the Theme Park interiors elsewhere. The food is served with quiet, confident pride and expertise – some of the staff are Siberians themselves. The table staff can tell you which rivers the fish come from, and what gives each recipe its special flourish. Restaurants further round the Boulevard Ring will be looking to their laurels – Chemodan will keep them on their toes.
On our waiter's recommendation, we took some house specialities as appetisers – but be warned, some of these dishes come in Siberian-sized portions, and a single appetiser would easily feed two. Emilia instantly warmed to the tenderness of the Venison Carpaccio (490 RUB), while I dived into a truly Siberian experience – stroganina, cold cuts of naturally-frozen fish. I'd had it before in Siberia with friends, but the Chir – translated on the menu as Blue-Back Salmon Stroganina, 590 RUB – exceeded all expectations. With an accompanying dipping sauce and seasoning, this was truly delectable eating – fat-free, carb-free, and guilt-free. In fact lightness, delicacies are hallmarks of Chemodan's menu, in sharp contrast to what you may have expected.
Although there's an extensive wine-list, I strongly recommend you to leave it unopened – the correct accompaniments to Siberian food are plain or flavoured vodkas, or the fruit-flavoured alcoholic tipples found in Siberian homes of the nineteenth century. The menu not only lists them, but gives an insightful account, in endearingly wonky English, of how they are made, and the lore and traditions surrounding them. Even long-term expat stalwarts are unlikely ever to have tried Erofeich – but these potent liqueurs were the staple of the Siberian table from the C17th onwards... and pack a powerful 56-percent-proof punch. A superlative accompaniment to my stroganina, in every sense! However, with ladies present we restricted our other drinking to the fruitier tipples with marginally lower alcohol content – Emilia's Honeysuckle Nalivka(196 RUB) – 26-percent-proof and coming in at a mere was pleasantly tart, while my own Blueberry Nalivka (180 RUB) was attractively and authentically sweet.
Salads aren't part of the Siberian scene, and probably we should have gone with the delicious-sounding soups on offer instead. Emilia had a Salad with slightly salted Whitefish, Avocado and Sweet Pepper (490 RUB) – nice enough if you wanted it, but rather out-of-place amid the Siberian specialities. This dish wasn't really too different from what you might make yourself at home. We had a few reservations about the limp green lettuce-leaves, however. They also topped my Warm Salad with Tiger Prawns, Mussels, Mushrooms under Garlic-Soy Sauce (690 RUB), but were only there for decoration, and I didn't bother with them. Once again, we'd blundered into ordering food that isn't Siberian – unless prawns now live there?
But things were firmly back on an even keel with our waiter-recommended main courses. Steamed Siberian Whitefish (890 RUB) is one of the most delicate things I've tasted in many a year. In fact it's been smoked before steaming, and was both succulently tender and sophisticated in taste - I could happily eat this every day. And once again – easy on the waistline, served with mouthwatering mushrooms. Emilia found her Grilled Cutlets of Siberian Stag (890 RUB) a trifle too pink in the middle – but you may find them to your taste, or might request them more well-done? Delicious aromatic black bread came on the side.
For dessert we shared a Walnut Soufflé, especially as the recipe came from “Exemplary Cuisine of Krasnoyarsk, 1892” - the source of quite a few other house specialities. To go with it while we had very pleasant espresso, and a pot of Guan Yin Iron Bodhisattva Tea (390 RUB).
Fine food, fine service, and a warm, relaxed atmosphere – what's not to like? All the ingredients of a memorable meal in Moscow are here – the only thing missing is you. Word is already out about Chemodan, and the place was packed when we went midweek - so be sure to book in the evenings. Or pop along for their 450 RUB Business Lunch (12pm–17pm) instead?

279.

Maharaja

Spice Girl - Alice Experiments with Indian
Maharaja was faced with a challenge: to impress two busy girls-about-town who weren't in the mood for a curry, both attempting that Lent Thing, that Weight Thing and that Wild Friday Night in Moscow Thing.
Once at our table, Natasha and I welcomed a few minutes to take stock of our surroundings. The atmosphere was civilised, friendly and surprisingly calm. With the exception of the unattractive (yet unobtrusive) chairs, the decor was unremarkable at first. After closer inspection however, I noticed some truly beautiful Indian items of furniture: chests, screens, pictures and frames, all intricately decorated. Maharaja has the potential to be truly classy. Admittedly it is still ever so slightly reminiscent of a local curry house, but such quirkiness is endearing, and it clearly doesn't deter the new-Russian clientele who were evidently enjoying the place; despite the fact that the restaurant was full; I could only spot one Indian patron.
Feeling so comfortable in our surroundings, we both immediately forgot about the Lent Thing and ordered an Indian Kingfisher Beer (125 rbl) and spent some time studying the extensive menu. (There were no less than 18 items listed under the "Vegetarian" heading, for example). Following a slight personal exposure to proper Indian cuisine, I was determined not to be satisfied with korma and a naan. So with the assistance of Rawat, the ever present and ever helpful manager, we were able to choose a varied selection of generally mouth-watering dishes.
I must say, there are few moments during the Moscow winter when, if you shut your eyes, you can imagine yourself wearing a bikini lying under a palm tree. Surprisingly, sipping the soft orange House Mango Shake (160 rbl) was one of them. A very good start. We then tried the tandoori prawns (660 rbl) and the machli tikka (450 rbl) which is a fish tandoor so tender you can slice your knife through it, no problem. The flavours were fresh and enticing yet the taste wasn't imposing. We also tried the samosa pirozhki (60 rbl) which were ever so slightly dry and floury.
For our main course, we opted for a base of plain pilau rice and peshwari naan, and accompanied these with three dishes. Palan paneer (320 rbl) which can best be described as lumps of white cheese in spinach (sounds revolting but I promise is addictive) and mung palan (450 rbl) which is chicken in the same spinach based sauce. We also sampled Baigan Bharsa (320 rbl), a weighty charcoal roasted aubergine dish which had a surprising amount of kick to it.
We had both asked for our food to be "a bit fiery but not too much". This request had clearly been taken on board because I didn't at any point feel challenged by the spiciness of the food, merely by the quantity (conveniently forgetting about the Weight Thing). Suffice to say we left happily stuffed and therefore incapable of furthering any plans to go dancing, thus Maharaja also succeeded in destroying our Wild Friday Night Thing.
Not that we were disappointed at all, on the contrary, Maharaja was a pleasant surprise. Any visit with a willingness to experiment against ordering the norm should ensure not only an education of the taste buds but also a change in curry house habits. Maharaja rose to the challenge admirably.

280.

Noev Kocheg (Noah's Ark)

Before we begin the review itself, we would like to warn our readers about the disadvantageously placed decorative metal bars pyramiding up around the bottoms of trees along the sidewalk outside Noah's Ark. They are stealth-ninja metal bars that you may not see at first glance, but be careful, they may jump up out of nowhere, causing you to trip, or perhaps lose your balance, and crash to the ground. Mind you, these bars do not differentiate between people who are sober and those who have enjoyed a libation or two. If you are unable to avoid the evil metal bars and consequently end up in a pool of your own blood, never fear, the doormen have seen the metal bars attack many times and will kindly help you back up.
Once we were inside and had brushed ourselves off, the manager gave us a tour of the restaurant and a brief lesson in Armenian history. He began by showing us "the gold room," which is on the bottom floor. It is much smaller and more intimate than the main room upstairs, and features plush half-circle sofas instead of your typical wooden furniture. (If you want to impress someone, make reservations for this room.)
The owners of the restaurant have devoted a great deal of attention to the furnishings, decorations and details on both floors, made of metal, wood, fabrics, canvas and stone, nearly all imported from Armenia (although the chairs were from Italy). Even the fish pond at the entrance is shaped as a miniature Lake Sevan, which is apparently Armenia's most beloved body of water.
The main guest room is quite different from the gold room - it is more dimly lit, there are more people and there is just much more going on in general. If you have a larger group or a special occasion, you can reserve a special curtained area for more privacy. An open grill is set up directly across from the main arc into the second-floor dining area, so that you may verify the freshness of your shashlik, or so we were told. We were seated and given a complimentary warm drink of rosehip tea with honey and cinnamon. There were quite a few large parties, but none of them were overly loud, and the spaciousness of the restaurant meant that the place didn't feel hectic or crowded.
After confirming that we would indeed prefer to make our own choices as to what we would be ingesting that evening, we were given menus. They do have menus in English, but if you read Russian, we recommend getting the Russian menu since the English menu is more confounding than it is amusing. (Not so for the dessert menu, but more about that later.) The menu is long, one of those notorious 'tomes' that it will take at least a good 15 minutes to browse through before you've narrowed it down to 5 pages. If you are planning ahead, you might consider checking the menu online at www.noevkovcheg.ru, where you can find a list (and some pictures) of the menu selections.
After much page turning and mulling about, we decided to try Armenian beer (Kilikia, Kotayka, and Erebuni, 110 Rbs). Surok wanted to try the most unpronounceable item on the menu, the tzhvzhik, or veal liver (480 Rbs). Unfortunately for her, they were out of tzhvzhik that night. Instead she opted for kabachki s tarkhunom, or squash rolled with minced beef and walnuts (200 Rbs) and chose the sturgeon in a clay pot (580 Rbs) over the assortment of 5 different types of shashlik (720 Rbs - pork, lamb, veal, chicken and veal liver). I decided to try their spinach salad with walnuts (250 Rbs), the burum v lavashe (290 Rbs) and the tolma (350 Rbs).
The spinach salad was not a spinach salad as Americans know it - it was spinach cooked in matsun sauce (sour milk) with finely grated walnut, served cold. The flavor was very mild but fresh. It was quite a contrast in taste when compared with Surok's squash; to say that she was highly impressed with it would be an understatement. I also tried a bite, and was surprised to find something akin to tex-mex spices used in all the right ways in this surprising southern dish. (It almost made my spinach seem kind of boring) Surok noted that the matsun-tarkhun sauce really made the dish - the combination of sweet meat, strong herbs and the sour milk was just perfect.
The burum v lavashe came next. This dish is basically bits of beef, mushrooms, spinach and cheese rolled up in flat lavash bread. It seemed like a good idea. That is not to say that it was a bad idea - all of the ingredients were nice enough. But in the end, we both decided that none of the ingredients really did anything for the other ingredients. It was good, it was filling, but it didn't knock our noski off.
Next came the main dishes. Surok's sturgeon came in the pot as promised. The clay pot was sealed shut with lavash, an interesting touch that initially made it a bit of a challenge to actually get to the food. Inside was a hearty stew of fresh sturgeon, potatoes and mushrooms in a sour cream and sweet pepper sauce. It was a tasty, warm and filling dish, great for the wintertime. But again, the ingredients didn't complement each other 100%, and Surok noted she could have done without the mushrooms.
The tolma, or minced beef mixed with rice and wrapped in grape leaves (also called dolma by other nationalities), were a very pleasant surprise. I had been of the impression that there wasn't really much you could do for a tolma. True enough, this is fairly simple fare, but Noah's Ark really, really knows their tolma. I have never had finer tolma. The leaves were tender, not chewy or tough, and the meat inside was perfectly juicy without making anything soggy. The texture was just right, and the simple matsun sauce was the perfect complement.
We were then offered the dessert menu, in English, and proceeded to enjoy ourselves immensely. All of the ice cream is proudly noted as Baskin Robbins brand. You can opt for a "splendid potion" of various flavors, or fried Baskin Robbins ice cream, complete with a "testy crispy crust" (210 Rbs). There is also honey fondant, featuring a "light honey mouse" (220 Rbs). The muravejnik, or honey cake, was described as "a dessert made from short" (110 Rbs). Other noteworthy items include Italian "Philadelphia" cheese and Eral Gpey tea. The dessert menu was very sweet indeed.
Surok made her selections, which I promised to try, but I was too stuffed to order anything else after the tolma. Surok made the very wise decision to try the walnut preserves and quince preserves with some black tea. Anyone who is not allergic is urged to at least try the walnut preserves, which were not too sweet and not too nutty but actually just really a surprisingly nice, and rather unusual, treat. It is served with four young walnuts that don't budge if you poke your spoon at them, but are actually very chewy. Due to certain familial circumstances, Surok is a bit of an expert on quince preserves. While she had expected this to be something more like jam, and it was actually preserved fruit, she found it quite nice. She also tried one of the cognacs on the menu, the 6-year "Ani" (200 Rbs / 0.05L), which she found to be a fairly good, basic Armenian cognac, although she does tend to find Armenian cognacs a little sweet for her taste.
We found the service to be excellent over the course of the evening. There was no hovering whatsoever, which quite frankly I had been afraid of after the very informative "tour". The timing was right on, and our waiter was able to answer all of our questions. The manager kindly presented us both with a copy of Noah's Ark's own CD music mix, which is called something like "The Armenian wind instrument [duduk] in the music of world-renowned artists."
In conclusion, we enjoyed the evening and the dinner at Noah's Ark. Despite some slight culinary inconsistencies, this place gets a solid recommendation for friendly atmosphere, freedom from ear splitting music, and informative wait staff. We left content and well fed, albeit perhaps slightly more bruised from our very dashing entrance.

281.

Solyanka

Not the Solyanka Your Mom Made
I’ve frankly never been fond of the word solyanka. Perhaps it’s the phonetic way the word seems to crudely roll off the tongue when pronounced, or perhaps it brings back those lingering memories from the mid-90’s as a Russian language student living in St. Petersburg and asking my host mom what’s for dinner, only to hear again that it would be a solyanka of some mysterious sort. As in most kitchens across the world, solyanka – or stew – is merely a recipe to throw in a pot whatever you can find around the kitchen along with a pinch of salt, a bay leaf and some parsely. In my time I have fished out from various solyankas various inedible parts of a chicken including a foot, the inevitable sharp chip of bone, a roach, and even once a bolt.
Thus I accepted the invitation to go the new restaurant-bar-club in lower Kitai Gorod with keen curiosity yet perhaps some subconscious trepidation. Still, it was close to my apartment and I needed a good meal. I had recently recovered from food poisoning from a recent trip to Sochi for the recent gargantuan economic forum where everyone is goo-goo and ga-ga for the 2014 Winter Olympics and the gilded dreams of the buckets of money that comes with it (the culprit being a hotel restaurant; a notoriously worse offender than a rynok shwarma stand no matter how many stars on the hotel’s lobby wall). I was still a bit bleary eyed from the late nights at the “unofficial nightclub” of the forum (a surreal Mad Max-meets-Waterworld-meets-Dubai oil & gas themed club built on a mock offshore oil platform, complete with working oil derricks) and a bit weak from multiple days of a monotonous bread and white rice diet, so I was looking forward to having some real food and moving past my hang-ups over the club’s name – but knew that another chicken foot would do me in for good.
However, just seeing the sign for the club seemed to provide some reassurance. Just the font styling of the word solyanka in silver letters, something that seemed to resemble the old Zil label of the old Soviet party cars and ubiquitous Soviet refrigerators, showed some thoughtful design and intellectual ironic flair, a telltale of a smart and creative management - and hopefully cooks - that appreciate the details.
And indeed just the details of the restaurant interior design require some appreciation here. To be fair, solyanka does not just mean “stew” in the strict food sense, but more of a “mix” in broader descriptive terms. In this case solyanka means eclectic – very eclectic. The location is an old late 18th century kupecheski merchant’s mansion, with tall windows and antique ceilings. However, despite this neo-aristocratic setting the interior concept instantly struck me as a modern triangulation of So-Ho, Havana, and London. I think I was somewhat near the mark as the publicity director who came by our table described the place as a convergence of Miami, London, and a classic St. Petersburg apartment.
This seemingly pretentious mixture was balanced out and grounded with a crazy assortment – yet tasteful selection - of used furniture that could have come from Craig’s List, and in fact may inspire fond recollections of that old favorite couch you once had in the basement. The full space had approximately 4-5 rooms, with not one room or chair matching, and even each toilet room in the progressive unisex bathroom was wallpapered in a completely different style (yes, I actually checked). And, like a giant Transformer robot, the main room goes through a metamorphosis at 11pm – changing from an eclectically designed dining area to a theatrically lighted club dance floor complete with a stage and a wall of speakers and video screens. Somehow all of this ad-hoc yet well planned eclectic design concept works, earning kudos to the club’s designer who took the name and theme solyanka stylishly to heart.
And that’s what is so special about Solyanka – a theme that both subtly and surprisingly works. It is a restaurant, club, bar, clothing store (still unsure about that element), and gallery – all wrapped up in a packaging of different color wrappings and ribbons. I could have sat there for a while sipping on my beer (200 Rbs) admiring these details, but the menu of course deserves some mention here, too, as the food was the original intent of my visit and my writing here. I did see solyanka on the menu, although the menu itself is rather a solyanka of different cuisines ranging from Thai (-ish) with a peanut and coconut milk soup with crab meat (360 Rbs), an attempt at Southwest fusion with a chicken and mango quesadilla (230 Rbs) to reliable Russian standbys such as beet vinaigrette (190). However, before digging into these and other goodies, the waitress brought out cut carrot sticks, each in its own shot glass of very flavorful ginger sauce, to whet our appetites as compliments from the chef. A basket of bread then came out along with arranged buttered spoons – cleverly arranged silver spoons full of creamy butter – as another unique prelude to the meal, which made me feel as we were getting a bit buttered up ourselves.
I was in desperate need of flavor after days of bread and rice, and the Thai peanut and coconut milk soup with crab meat delivered in that department. The soup indeed had real crab meat, confirmed by the occasional bit of crab shell, and was quite tasty – albeit a bit salty and a bit thick. The chicken and mango quesadilla fell a little short of the mark as the mangos were not yet ripe enough for cooking, making them a bit bland and too firm. My date – who by the way was not so enamored with the hip collection of Craig’s List furniture but rather hooked by the in-restaurant clothing boutique “Twins” (yeah, really owned by twin sisters. Go after you eat, otherwise you may not have money for even a buttered spoon) – seemed satisfied with the vinaigrette, although it is hard to go wrong with that recipe but still challenging to make it too exciting (unless you throw in some goat cheese and pine nuts like one yummy restaurant in Moscow, nameless here).
For main courses we perused through the seafood items with interest including dorado (460 Rbs), steamed salmon (330 Rbs), and tuna steak (170 Rbs), quickly skipped over the pig leg (270 Rbs) and rib eye (680 Rbs), and settled on the risotto (280 Rbs) for the fashion loving lady and black squid ink spaghetti (490 Rbs) for the funky-furniture loving gentleman. The risotto was quite good but square and just a small step up from my recent rice recovery diet. I still am not sure what to make of the spaghetti as it seemed to be a combination of the soup and appetizer I had just ate. There was peanut sauce, bits of crab meat and crab shell, cilantro, and I swear some unripe pieces of mango. Was this actually the chef’s special solyanka by another name?
I admire bold and innovative dishes and the chefs that create them (we were told the chef had worked at the Hyatt Ararat), but this mixed solyanka was not as successful as the mix of interior decoration surrounding us. My taste buds were still feeling a little uninspired, but were awoken by an excellent vanilla creme-brule for dessert that had a perfect crispy, caramelized blow-torched crust. Yum.

We stuck around for a while to see the place transition from restaurant to nightclub. When we arrived at 8pm we were nearly the only clientele, but around 11pm people began trickling in. Given the relative emptiness inside at the time, we were a bit surprised to see a long line outside when we finally left outside the velvet rope. Yes, even a place with a name like Solyanka prides itself in its face control.
I left Solyanka more impressed with the interior and concept than the kitchen, but have already made it a local stop for drinks and creme-brule. Definitely worth checking out when in the Kitai Gorod area, even if for a business lunch (270 RBS) on weekdays if you have some business in Kitai Gorod other than clubbing on the weekends. Solyanka – a great club that knows life is in the details, and not afraid to experiment with peanut sauce. Thursday - hip-hop night, Friday - techno, and Saturday - Nu-Rave. See you there.

282.

Expeditsia

The Expeditsia restaurant which opened recently amid a good deal of publicity, is tucked away in an undisturbed part of the city, just off Solyanka.
The chef, Leon Ek, is of Night Flight fame, which has long boasted a tasty, inexpensive business lunch. But that's another restaurant-and another story.
Expeditsia is on the first floor of a pre revolutionary building. Once inside, you are struck by post-modern decor. As you make your way through the pine trees to your table, you absorb the subtle design and at the same time wonder why there is a helicopter at one end. Suddenly, you are aware that you are walking over a glass floor with a miniature river scene laid out below.
I ordered the Siberian Delicacy starter. My colleague chose the smoked Omul salad "Baikal". Which, we were informed, is a fresh water fish found only in Lake Baikal. It came very nicely presented with cedar oil but unimaginatively garnished with potato salad. My Siberian delicacy was a variety of small concoctions, burbot liver and damsons with aquavit, smoked fish and other salads. Again, well presented - but I was expecting the food to be as edgy as the decor and was a little disappointed.
They stock a reasonable selection of wines - Both new and old world. We settled on a bottle of Chilean Chardonay.
All of five tables were occupied the evening of our visit. Passable for 7pm on a Tuesday evening but the interior is so eye-catching that the lack of fellow diners doesn't distract you from the experience.
So, why the helicopter? The menu reflects the fare that can be hunted on a typical expedition to the Siberian wilderness, where you're either dropped off by the chopper to wage war on the wildlife, or you can hover overhead, picking off the game. , ducks, rabbits, wild horse etc. - are the critters likely to come into your cross hairs - and almost all are represented on the Expeditsia menu.
Pheasant and young wild horse followed. The pheasant was terrific. Very tender and cooked slightly pink. It rested on a lightly fried potato cake and was presented with cauliflower and celery purees with a ribbon of delicious pear, cognac sauce. It looked and tasted delightful.
I went for the roasted young horse from Yakutia. It was a bit of an attention-grabber served on a skewer and wooden board and looked as if it had been broiled rather than roasted as stated on the menu. The sauteed mushrooms in duck fat, were simple button mushrooms. At these prices I would have expected wild mushrooms at least. There was a celery, herb and cheese thing too. It was Okay, but not very impressive.
A lemon pistache mousse arrived for dessert. Pleasantly done but the pistache mousse had a little too much gelatine and was rubbery. The chocolate mousse was better. Nicely chilled and beautifully contrasted with hot parcels of baked apple wrapped in pastry.
The service was professional and attentive. And if your Russian is like mine (patchy), the staff will work hard to ensure things go smoothly.
The menu is well balanced and interesting, even though it leans heavily on raw fish, especially the starters. There are enough soups to justify a separate section to accommodate them and the main courses include various wild animals along side more familiar offerings such as steak and salmon. Creative desserts such as frozen cranberry with warm fudge and a homely Siberian berry pie are featured.
The bill was not cheap - around $130 US for two.
Overall, the decor upstaged the food but I understand that Leon the chef was off that night. Is Expeditsia just quirky, vying for attention in the over crowded Moscow restaurant scene? Probably, although its always going to be tough to make the food as appealing as the concept. Who can resist the lure of exploring Siberia and hunting in a helicopter? I recon they should sell those tours at reception - just a thought!
Robert Gollings is a
Consultant Chef in Moscow
robertgollings@hotmail.com

283.

Golden Apple

The great empires of antiquity clashed over a Golden Apple - the incident in which King Priams son Paris gave one to the Goddess Aphrodite prompted the Trojan Wars. And it was way back when Ajax and Agamemnon were still in short pants that if you wanted supper in Moscow, you went to a hotel to eat.
Positioning itself as Moscow???s entrant in the Hip Hotel stakes, the Golden Apple is a shrine of funky chic, tucked delicately off Pushkin Square on Malaya Dmitrovka. Could the Apple Bar & Restaurant flout the Road Warriors credo that the dullest supper in town is in your own hotel?
In a city already crammed with stuffy hotels modeled on Elvis Presley's bathroom the unrepentant modernism and contemporary lines of Golden Apple makes a welcome change. Strange then that the decor for the restaurant is an odd backdrop of silhouetted woodland at dusk? After the sleek modern minimalism of the lobby, this creates a more informal and restful dining area for those dining for pleasure.
The bar area (same menu available in both) reflects a more urgent and metropolitan mojo, and since all the tables there were taken we opted to dine in the woods. There are around twenty tables overall with a ratio of wait-staff to diners that is admirably generous.
And what staff they are, too...extensive knowledge of the nuances of the entire menu and seasonal specials with enviable command of stylistic English - a perfect balance between enthusiasm and helpfulness. Nor was there any cajoling towards the high-end dishes or wines, or to over-order. Whilst we pored over the menu a complimentary gazpacho cocktail appeared ??? piquant and very pleasant.
Apple Bar features a permanent menu of international dishes alongside a Specials menu that changes monthly. July???s theme was summer fruits so I pitched in with a Fruity-Cool cocktail (350 Rbs) that slipped down so easily that I had another before really noticing how potent the blend of vodka, banana liqueur, and fruit brandy was. Equally powerful was my friend Olga???s Cosmopolitan (280 Rbs) - but its concentrated intensity didn???t hit the mood, and it languished unfinished.
The prompt and cheerful service quickly rustled-up two contrasting salads alongside some delicious home-baked bread. Olga munched happily on a Crispy Frisee Salad with Deepfried Seafood on a Rasberry Coulis (360 Rbs), pausing only to lament the fate of the junior octopuses therein. My own salad was a shameless splurge, but worth every kopek of 750 Rbs for the self-righteous glow achieved from near-fatless Lobster-Mango Salad. A Classic Mojito came along (for 390 Rbs) to replace the unappreciated Cosmo, and this prompted the order of wine for the main courses. As usual our ideas on choosing red or white differed - but Apple Bar has a good selection of wines by the glass. With a beef entree in view Olga went for a luscious Concha y Toro Trio for just 240 Rbs. My white was 2005 Tavel Prestige des Lauzeraies with elegant crispness as a counterpoint to fish, but since I was already three sheets to the wind after the deadly Fruity-Cools - and moreover because the wine was 380 Rbs per succulent glassful - I limited myself to just one, with healthy gulps of Evian alongside.
We moved on to the entrees, and Olga followed the waitress's strong recommendation for the Entrecote (800 Rbs), which came magnificent presented with coriander and black pepper, with a gratin of potato and mushroom If you prefer your steak well-done then remember to ask them - the default order is lightly seared only. My misgivings that Salmon + Cod Baked in Filo Pastry (680 Rbs) might be dry were unfounded some nice Hollandaise kept things agreeably moist, and all light and delicate enough to leave space for dessert.
Following her more classical theme Olga chose a Classic Baked Cheesecake - a dish that is often dehydrated tvorog on toast in Moscow, but this one was spot-on for 250 Rbs. The same asking-price brought some very good marinated figs and the curtain came down on some Margentau loose leaf tea (160 Rbs) and my habitual Double Espresso (210 Rbs).
Clearly the menu-pricing is aimed at Business Travelers - and these were clearly 90% of our fellow diners. However the contemporary decor - and welcome absence of blaring Russian pop - earmark Apple Bar as an ideal place for continuing business discussions over an elegant supper. When entertaining clients the last thing you need is wrangles with the waiters, and the super service here makes it a strong recommendation on that score.

284.

Don Pedro

In a metropolis like Moscow where there are as many restaurants as there are Mercedes Brabus parked in front of them, it is unfortunate that I can only count a handful of eateries I would consider frequenting on a regular basis. I am pleased to say that the newly opened Don Pedro is one of them. Though this establishment has been deemed a cafe by the management, Don Pedro can give most of the "full fledged" restaurants in this town, a run for their money.
With a Spanish sounding name (the menu consists of French/Italian influenced dishes), an interior of "minimal, stylish gothic" (check out the futuristic wood burning fireplace!), the handsome golden sarong-shirted waiters, and the menu consisting of dishes with names such as Notes of a Hunter, your first impressions would likely be of yet another restaurant with an identity crisis, but everything seems to work in Don Pedro's favour.
Due to the fact that the perusal of the menu seemed to take an age, our waiter not only agreed to provide us with numerous "tasters" of dishes we wished to try, he then continued to describe each one with considerable knowledge! An establishment with proficient & friendly serving staff, quite a shock considering the usual scowls or blank stares I get from most waiters around this town.
My dining partner & I ended up ordering 4 salads, 2 cold & 3 hot starters, 2 soups, 2 entrees and 2 desserts....and let's not forget the mixed basket of fresh breads and the miniature individual butter dishes with silver domed covers that accompanied our meals.
If I was to write in detail about every dish we dined on, this would be far too long a review, so here were those we thought extremely worthy of mention: Of the 15 (!) dishes we tasted - and let me tell you that they were served in their full sizes not as amuse bouche as was expected - I was impressed with the concept of the cold starter "Sentimental journey", a modern take on the old standby at any Italian restaurant, prosciutto & melon - at Don Pedro these two partners in crime were paired with thin slices of passion fruit and lemon ice cream, which gave this dish a fresh, acidic, palette cleansing flavour. The Beef Tartare was of an excellent consistency, and wonderfully spicy - thank god that chef Edwardo shows this classic dish its due respect instead of just viewing it as "raw meat and egg", as many here in Moscow tend to do. My dining partner and I both raved about the aubergines with goat cheese/parmesan sauce and I loved the subtle flavours of the foie gras, bite size pieces served with raspberries - the most difficult thing in the world is to make things simple, and that is exactly what this dish was, simple presentation, wonderful taste.
Though Don Pedro has a lunch menu - 5 courses, 190 rbls - I would eat here almost everyday just for the soups!!!! The French Onion Soup, with it's smoky flavour and the slice of baguette with melted Gruyere was yet again simply but lovingly prepared and the Seafood Soup, with it's ochre colour, creamy texture and decorated with fried octopus slices and 1 oyster in the shell, was both tastefully prepared and had my dining partner raving for 10 minutes.
Of the 2 entrees we tried, "A Domani", the lamb chops which were cooked to pink perfection and served with a spinach and rice/wild rice mould, were tender and flavourful, and the duck was crispy, though could have been a little less tough. Lovely honey & berry sauce though. We barely had any room for dessert by this time, but we managed a few spoonfuls of the substantial Tiramisu - which was light, creamy and wonderful - & the Cheesecake, which we decided was more NY style than your normal, baked with -crust kind. A good choice for those who prefer A LOT of cream in their desserts.
My only qualm through the whole dining experience was the use of Russian Salad in 2 of the salads we ordered - not my idea of the French or Italian kitchen - and a lack of seasoning in a couple of the dishes. In any case it was an enjoyable experience.
The prices for all these substantial dishes range from 120 rbls - 200 rbls for salads, cold & hot starters, the Beefsteak being the most expensive meat entree at 750 rbls, and the Dorado Baked in Sea Salt being the most expensive fish entree at 550 rbls; we unfortunately didn't have the capacity to try the pasta or fish dishes, next time hopefully. The wine list consists of Chilean, French, Georgian wines and is surprisingly wallet friendly, instead of making you want to laugh hysterically when you peruse the prices. The house Sauvignon my dining partner tried was 750 rbls for the bottle - unfortunately there isn't a huge choice for wines per glass, but with the prices being so down to earth, that isn't a setback.
All in all, a very good dining experience in a casual, friendly environment. Don Pedro is well worth a visit - or two!

285.

Food Embassy

Celebrity chefs are steadily taking over the world’s eating habits – and Russia is no exception. But it’s not all about high profile openings from international brands, like Jamie Oliver’s recent arrival in Moscow. There’s also a strong batch of local contenders, with celebrated actress Julia Vysotskaya leading the way.
Vysotskaya comes from the ‘yummy mummy’ school of cookery, one of those domestic goddesses who manages to whip up delicious looking food on long-running TV shows while still looking effortlessly gorgeous in the process. The brand, which has long encompassed cook books, culinary tourism and signature kitchenware, also powers the Food Embassy restaurant – one of the flagships of Moscow’s post-pafosny food revolution.
The Vystoskaya brand seeks to promote an idealised yet attainable life – and that principle is obvious from the approach to the restaurant. It fits well into the switch in focus in the city’s dining scene, where an exaggerated homely vibe is steadily – and thankfully – replacing the overdressed to impress venues of recent years. As such Food Embassy, with its plain wooden interior and artfully arranged ‘babushka’s dacha’ knick-knacks cleverly plays on the illusions of what life might be like for Moscow’s middle class if it wasn’t stuck in cramped apartments in a sprawling metropolis. Even the weekend entertainment for kids is aspirational – clowns and balloons replaced by classes in Oshibana, a Japanese art of making pictures from pressed flowers, leaves and seeds. Large windows, lots of natural light and views of a botanical garden from the upper levels complete the effect – it’s not an unattainable Rublyovka mansion, it’s just a slightly nicer version of the family ‘cottedzh’ you might be able to afford yourself.
That’s very much the charm of the place. The menu, which has echoes of a gastro-pub that perhaps reflect the legacy of the English chef who helped set up the kitchen here, offers dishes that are interesting, and more complicated than you could be bothered to cook for yourself, but that nonetheless don’t leave you feeling lack a slack-jawed yokel in the presence of great sophisticates. And, after all, if you enjoy your dinner you can always buy the book, keep it in your kitchen and never quite around to recreating the feast for yourself.
Most importantly, though, the food is excellent. Whether the image strikes you as sublime or ‘Stepford Wives’, there’s no arguing about what arrives on the plate. The Rabbit in the Woods looked terrific, with a green foam of pureed fennel and clusters of berries creating a sylvan backdrop for the meat. And what meat! Tenderly cooked to perfection, sliding off the bone at the first touch of a fork and melting in the mouth. The recipe books, no doubt, suggest that this is straightforward; experience shows that serving any meat like this demands a chef on top of his game.
That dish alone would be worth returning for and its quality suggests that the rest of the menu deserves greater attention. However, the supporting acts also justified their place on the cast list. Warming, nourishing soups for the winter months – the Creamed Pea and Smoked Ham Soup was a rare treat, especially for someone who isn’t a big soup lover. A diverse range of salads that combines local favourites – herring, beetroot and potato could hardly be more stolidly Russian without being slathered in mayo – and international hits. That doesn’t just mean yet another Caesar; the list also includes Food Embassy’s take on the flagship Cobb Salad inspired by the famed 192 Notting Hill restaurant in London.
The drinks selection is also worth browsing – and this is a place that takes care to offer a good range of non-alcoholic drinks as well. My wife was intrigued and impressed with a halva-flavoured coffee, setting aside her common grumble that coffee should taste of coffee (and, by implication, halva of halva) for this unusual but effective combination. The ginger lemonade, a fairly common feature on Moscow menus, was also one of the best examples I’ve tried: a refreshing lemony kick to start with and a slow, warming tang of ginger in the after-taste rather than the oversweetened, under-flavoured offerings found elsewhere. For a lunch meeting or a designated driver, the soft drinks menu is a winner; for those on the booze, the cocktails come with a good reputation.
There’s an extensive terrace and, as mentioned above, it’s next to the botanical gardens on Prospect Mira. With our long-awaited spring finally looking like it might be here to stay, Food Embassy is coming into its own as a place for good food in the open air and is definitely worth checking out for a lazy weekend lunch or a convivial catch-up dinner with a group of friends.

286.

Lebedinoe Ozero (Swan Lake)

Rain, Rain Go Away…
This has been one of the rainiest summers I can remember in Moscow. I am not used to carrying around umbrellas in the summer, and unfortunately have a habit of constantly forgetting them when I do – already on my fourth one. Thankfully we finally now seem to be seeing real summer weather, providing this often grey city and its inhabitants the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and its many outdoor cafes that sprout up in summer like mushrooms after a, er, hard rain.
Lebedinoe Ozero, “Swan Lake,” is one such cafe worth a visit – even if the skies are cloudy. Nestled in a corner of Neskuchny Sad behind Gorky Park, on the bank of the Golitsyn Pond, Lebedinoe Ozero provides a quaint sanctuary from Moscow’s bustle, and a quiet, more civilized spot away from some of Gorky Park’s carnival atmosphere establishments and crowds. The fact that Lebedinoe Ozero is not easy to find is in fact one of its highlights.
Created by the same folks who brought this city Solyanka (see my past review) and the successful project club Kak na Kanarax of last summer that was moored a stones-throw away nearby on the Moscow River, Lebedinoe Ozero is a unique fusion mix of food and interior. Outfitted with rustic wooden furniture from Thailand, a tiki torch lighted walkway, sheet metal roof, bright fabrics and pillows, and even a small swimming pool, Lebedinoe Ozero recreates a summer vacation atmosphere of a small, hidden beachside hut you would retire to after a day of swimming in the surf, or – as we did – spending a relaxing rainy afternoon waiting for grey clouds to pass.
With summer sandals on our feet, my dinner companion – one of Moscow’s PR professionals (what’s with all the PR people in Moscow these days?) - and I enjoyed a recent cloudy Sunday afternoon under Lebedinoe Ozero’s tin roof contemplating our summer vacation plans. Although quite easily accessible by the pedestrian bridge connecting Neskuchny Sad with Frunzenskaya Naberezhnaya, we arrived via car (convertible in fact, courtesy of my PR companion, to add to the inner vacation experience) through a hidden driveway of off Leninskiy Prospekt and parked under said bridge (courtesy of a 100 ruble note to a park security guard who suddenly appeared).
The open-air restaurant is sheltered by a small thicket of trees, and appears as if a clearing in a small “jungle a la Russe.” We settled in at a slab wooden table overlooking the pond, an idyllic scene completed with weeping willows whispering in the breeze, a mother duck and her chirping ducklings, and the namesake swans gliding about on the water’s surface. The menu, not too surprisingly, resembled that of Solyanka’s, a mix of Asian, European, Russian-Caucasian (lyula kebab, 360 RUR, and Osetinskiy Pirog, 320 RUR), and Lebanese. As if an answer to my scorn for pseudo-Japanese cuisine in this city, there was – thankfully – no sign of Philadelphia rolls and other forms of ever-present Moscow sushi.
After ordering a pina colada (310 RUR) and a pot of tea (260 RUR) from their extensive cocktail & drinks menu (fresh juices – 280-390 RUR), we perused the eclectic selection of appetizers (160-640 RUR) including toast tips and salmon (240 RUR), tongue salad (360 RUR) and agreed on the hummus and pita bread (220 RUR) to encourage our appetites. The portion of hummus itself was in fact not enough for two, leaving us to cross swords of rather oily and chewy pita bread for every bit of the yummy bean paste goodness that, while tasty, was not quite at the standard of other hummus dishes around town.
I seemed to have lost that battle, but was soon consoled by what was perhaps some of the best okroshka (without meat – 250 RUR) – a perfect soup for summer (Russia at least does have soup right) - that I have had in Moscow. My dinner companion skipped ahead right to the main course of steamed salmon (420 RUR), a big succulent filet of pink fish flesh that received good PR at the table. Although the other main courses (290-470 RUR) of fish, chicken, and meat, were tempting, I gave into the appeal of a salad with sliced tuna (470 RUR) – another dish befitting summer.
The light summer meal made for an ideal way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon, and for a few moments I felt as if indeed I was thousands of kilometers away in waterside cafe in southeast Asia waiting for the rain to pass and the sun to appear – and in fact it soon did, but not warming us enough to take a dip in the pool by the bar. However, the on-site Thai massage service – administered by, what I was told, true Thai professionals – was an attractive post-meal option that we did, alas, forgo this time.
Now that the sun and weather do seem to be giving us a real summer, I intend to make a return trip – perhaps as a pre-club spot for a long weekend night. Lebedinoe Ozero offers a good menu of some tasty dishes, but its true appeal is its relaxing, casual atmosphere for an evening with friends or an afternoon of summer dreaming. Alas, in Moscow, summer goes by much too fast. Enjoy it while you can.

287.

Chito Grito

Hurray! The season of the shashleek is upon us! The weekend exodus of hordes of Muscovites, creating traffic jams as they head to and from their summer Dachas can mean only one thing: The smell of barbecued pork will pervade the country air for miles around! For those of us unfortunate enough to be stuck in the city, or for others who merely have an aversion to mosquitoes and grass in their food, the best way to satisfy the Shashleek urge is to head to one of Moscow's many Georgian restaurants. Last week I threw caution (and weeks of dieting!) to the wind, and opted for this urban version of the meaty feast.
As we all know, the wide variety of Georgian restaurants in Moscow ensures that both the quality of the food and the impact on the wallet (and the waistline!) can vary considerably, although it is generally possible to find good Georgian fare for very modest sums. With a prime location just off the Novy Arbat, it is no surprise that Chito Grito rates slightly higher than usual on the price scale, but did we get a juicier shashleek or a cheesier hachipuri for our money? Unlike the salad - the verdict was mixed.
Our hearts sank as we entered the restaurant and saw the all too familiar "table in a stable" type decor which seems to invariably define the Georgian dining experience. While I could ignore the cart wheel light-fittings and faux-rural wooden furniture, I chose to sit with my back to the stuffed yak's head which peered disconcertingly down onto the tables below. Call it "urban nonsense" if you will, but I like my dead animals stuffed with rice and mounted on a bed of greens, rather than suspended on the wall above me as I carve up their distant cousin for dinner. My companion and I eagerly diverted our attention from the decor to the (Russian language only) menu and were thankfully reassured by the wide choice of dishes on offer.
We selected some of the most traditional dishes in addition to a few of the house specials. Our stunningly beautiful Osetian waitress, elegantly dressed in traditional black gowns, was helpful and informative as she took our order, offering to start the preparation of our first courses while we continued to deliberate over our choice of mains. Much to our rumbling tummies delight, this system worked well, and our cold starters soon appeared with a steaming hachipuri hot on their tails.
The Green lobio with nuts (130Rbs) was tastier than many of the bland offerings I have tried in the past, but as usual, it was impossible to eat more than a few mouthfuls before tiring of the all too rich and thick consistency. The Chicken satsivi (190Rbs) on the other hand, was a delight to the taste buds: tender strips of chicken in a delicately spiced creamy sauce, chilled to perfection, providing a cool and refreshing dish perfectly suited to a warm summer evening. The Hachipuri (190Rbs) was served sizzling on a hot plate, and proved to be a fine example of this, one of the all-time favourites of Georgian cuisine. The Harcho soup (130Rbs) was nice albeit somewhat uninteresting; although the huge chunks of "melt in your mouth" beef which were to found hiding under the surface were a pleasant surprise indeed.
Being the self-confessed "cheese addict" that I am, the highlight of the dinner (and the ultimate halt of the calorie counting) came for me, in the form of the Fried sulugini "on a kesi" (120Rbs). Wow!! A "kesi" is a type of hot plate on which the strong and salty cheese is melted, then served bubbling and sizzling, ready to be scooped up with a spoon and eaten with such pleasure as is rarely afforded to cheese lovers in Russia! For those of you who have eaten a French raclette and wondered why you have to put up with the potatoes and sliced sausage, just to be able to have the melted cheese - then this one's for you! Believe me, it's sinfully good!!
Enough about the cheese! What about the meat? Well, we ordered a Pork shashleek (300Rbs) and a Lamb shashleek (450Rbs). The lamb was definitely the better of the two: It was tender and tasty, whereas the pork was overcooked and dry and tasted just like a chicken shashleek I had in Rostiks the other day! The portions were fair, and the sauces were tangy, though my favourite was the Adzhika sauce (70Rbs) which had more of a chilli kick to it. The fresh vegetable Georgian salad (250Rbs) we ordered to accompany the meat was an overpriced, disappointing bowl of chopped tomatoes and cucumbers - a boring array of vitamins, if ever I saw one! All in all - the main course did not live up to the promise of the starters.
We passed on desert (my guilty conscience suddenly got the better of me!) and went straight to coffees. As we sipped the rather good Turkish coffee (70Rbs) my companion and I decided that despite the substandard salad and pork (and of course, the aforementioned decor!), Chito Grito's good service, genuine Georgian recipes and reasonably sensible prices would leave most customers satisfied and coming back for more. And if it's a business lunch you're after, then I'm sure the 3 different options (140, 160 and 200Rbs) would be pretty hard to beat.
In any case: Forget the dacha! Forget the meat! Forget the diet!! I know where I'll be headed when I need my next fix of cheese.

288.

Assaggiatore

Il Assaggiatore Piace il Ristorante “Assaggiatore”
The title of this review is the extent of my ‘polite’ Italian, bit and pieces of which I mostly learned from my former Italian-American boss of my restaurant days years ago, Mr. Castiglione – a tall mustached man from the southernmost point of Italy, Calabria, which might as well be Sicily. A good man and a good boss, and with memorable habits such as walking around the kitchen near closing time with a loaded pistol noticeably stuffed in his back pocket. He always said he had a good reason for it, and when I finally I asked him I didn’t bring up the subject again. He taught me other useful words not for print, but they always came in handy back then to secure one’s place in the kitchen hierarchy. In exchange I told him about great Italians that shared his last name such as Giovanni and Baldassare Castiglioni of the Renaissance, to whom he strangely bore a faint resemblance.
Assaggiatore literally means “the taster,” and in this case that was me. Assaggiatore has an excellent location, right on Ostozhenka between Kropotkinskaya and Park Kultury metro stations. For the review I decided to invite my first restaurant review companion, a Russian-Irish girl who has proven to be the best zamestitel Assaggiatore yet.
Despite having a prime location, the restaurant seems to be one of those places that is overlooked. We visited on a Saturday night, but had the place nearly to ourselves. However, the attendance that night did not reflect on the food our service. Even though Assaggiatore share the same street with top-end dining spots such as Vanil and Vertinskiy, the restaurant has a more modest approach of a nice Italian cafe with a pleasant white-washed exposed brick interior and wooden chairs. The menu features a broad range of Italian dishes from traditional Italian antipasta appetizers (carpaccios of salmon, tuna, and squid 350-420 Rbs), thin crust pizzas (480 Rbs), variety of pastas (390 – 650 Rbs), seafood (such as Chilean seabass in rosemary sauce 830 Rbs or grilled fish of your choice), and meat dishes from a wood-fired oven such as lamb with herbs (860 Rbs), beef Florentine (950 Rbs), and filet-mignon (1050 Rbs). The menu also had an excellent selection of creative side dishes, such as spinach and pine nuts (160 Rbs). The restaurant, alas, also offers a sushi menu. I swear there must be some city ordinance requiring sushi in all restaurants in Moscow.
We began with the wine list of Italian, French, and Chilean wines ranging from 180-220 Rbs a glass and – predicting I may sample some of the seafood on the menu - settled on a glass of Italian Pinto Grigio. The bilingual menu provided some good reading material, so to start off we immediately ordered focaccia with tomatoes (130 Rbs) to hold us over. Inexplicably we received a focaccia with pesto which looked and smelled so good we argued about sending it back, an argument which I later regretted I won as the pesto version did look superior in comparison.
It was tempting to sample something from each menu category, but seeing we only had one evening we decided to focus on the salads, soups, pastas, and deserts. Of the salads, my dinner date chose the avocado and grilled prawn salad (380 Rbs), which was a nice summer dish, albeit light on the avocado. Amongst a tasty selection of soups I selected the asparagus cream soup with crab meat (390 Rbs), which included bits of fresh asparagus but would have benefited from more crab meat to add more flavor to balance the combination.
The choice of a main course was challenging amidst some very good options. Noting some good seafood selections on the menu, but not wanting to walk away from an Italian restaurant without trying their pasta, I settled on the spaghetti with mussels (550 Rbs) which had an excellent sauce of garlic, fresh basil, parsley, and tomatoes. The mussels were traditionally served in the shell and the portion was quite generous, but I found the mussels themselves to be a bit chewy and perhaps not as fresh as one would find in Italy. Seeing we are in Moscow, I allowed that as a pass. The pasta itself tasted homemade and well-prepared al dente, something one does not often find in a country where things are often over boiled. Even though I was pleased with my dish, I was a bit envious of my date’s gnocchi in “Assiaggiattorre sauce,” which was a nice fresh mushroom and vegetable ragu sauce, a unique change from the standard cream sauce gnocchi usually find themselves in.
After our main courses we were both indeed already full, but could not help but order desserts – Italian panna cotta (170 Rbs), and a dish of Italian pistachio and chocolate ice cream (80 Rbs a scoop) followed by Italian espressos (110 Rbs).
For some post-meal exercise, we were graciously given a tour of the restaurant and discovered a beautiful summer terrace in the back (too cold that day to enjoy it), and a basement VIP room suitable for banquets (what’s a respectable Moscow establishment without a VIP room?).
Service was prompt and polite, food quiet satisfactory, and atmosphere pleasant. Worthy of a return trip, and also an excellent spot for lunches given its prime location. Assaggiatore also stands out for a wonderfully diverse menu to encourage repeat customers. However, my main suggestion to the restaurant management is to drop the sushi from that diversity and be a true Italian restaurant. I can only imagine what Mr. Castiglioni would have said to me had I proposed added tuna rolls to the menu of where I worked; I certainly would not have mentioned it around closing time.

289.

Dome

I am not sure how to start in reviewing Dome and have been struggling to find “the good” in last night’s experience. As another reviewer on Expat.ru wrote about another place – “I wanted to like it, really I did.” That is how I feel about Dome precisely and my utter indifference grows with each minute.
To wit, this was not a vividly unforgettable experience or horribly forgettable experience. It was, quite simply, a comparative waste of time. Dome is indifferent to me and its customers; I too then am indifferent to Dome. If I were a paying customer, it would have been a very difficult situation since I would have felt good paying about a quarter of what the bill came to.
Dome has a tricky location for the casual diner, expat or Russian. I scoured the website that is really a blog – funky, trendy, edgy, cool, but still a blog. No narrative about “how to find us” – just a link to Google Maps. For those who have been to the Strelka neighborhood of Moscow, you then know that there are many dining establishments. For those of you who have not been to Strelka, it is on the island in the Moscow River on the grounds of a former and gargantuan Soviet chocolate factory.
Funky, trendy, edgy, cool neighborhood. However, I challenge anybody to find a restaurant whose signage is not good, no website narrative, and has one of the horrifying “/” addresses all too common in Moscow. Add a “stroenie” plus another “drob” to the address, plus icy Moscow streets, cold wind, and darkness, and you will probably be as charmed as we were in looking for it.
Note: If you do go there, look for Dome’s competitor, Zarya - the huge of red sign with your back to the Kremlin/Cathedral that you cannot miss. As you get closer, look for the – again - huge sign for the former chocolate factory - the small, unlit sign for Dome is below. You are near.
After finally finding Dome, I still had an open mind. Walked in, liked the lighting, smiled that there was a fireplace, and quickly were shown seats at a corner table with padded bench seating. So far, so good – I liked this place. Enchanting first impression of a warm oasis of high-ceilings and soft light in the middle of the Moscow winter with fast Wi-Fi.
Menus arrived with no explanation or even an attempt at one. Not a big deal – I thought that a laissez -faire approach could be expected in what a person, from the website/blog, would understand as an artsy restaurant.
For drinks, we went with raspberry and feihuoa lemonade (450 RUR) and a bottle of cold Corona for me (330 RUR). We chose a mix of appetizers – hummus with fire-grilled chicken (230 RUR), Spanish bread “krostini” with smoked tomato (170 RUR), mixed salad with smoked duck breast (390 RUR), and mixed salad with warm roast beef (390 RUR). I also ordered a bowl of a beef stew (440 RUR).
I love hummus and it pains me that good hummus is difficult to find in Moscow. I am not talking about five star, tell your friends how much you pissed away on smashed chick peas – just good hummus. Dome’s hummus was, and is, not good – I put salt in it to give the chunks some sort of taste; the result was salty chunks of blandness. Krostini were good. Smoked duck breast was good. My mixed salad with roast beef was very tasty. The beef stew was an unusual flavor, but it was unusual in an appealing way.
The flies, however, that appeared en masse with the food, were not good.
Entrees were skinless Murmansk cod fillets with mashed potatoes (420 RUB) for my girlfriend and a beef steak with french fries (1100 RUB) for me.
My girlfriend loves fish, seafood, and all other dining fare associated with water. She took 2 bites of her cod. I asked her, “How is it?!” since I was still finishing up my soup. She put her fork down and said, “Honestly, it’s horrible. Maybe some salt will give it some flavor.” Like my hummus, adding salt just gave birth to a salty plank of blandness. Better to leave it for the flies, and that is what she did, and that says a lot for somebody who loves fish and seafood.
My steak arrived shortly thereafter. In fairness, it was a nice cut of meat and good. I cannot say that I would not recommend it ceteris paribus. However, a restaurant needs to understand presentation – a small steak, regardless of how good it may taste, on a big plate at 1000 rubles makes the buyer think he or she is getting, well, a raw deal.
Dinner was followed with dessert. For me, 50 grams of vanilla ice cream (140 RUB) and a piece of orange pie (250 RUB) for my dinner date. The ice cream was literally 50 grams, no more. Two spoonfuls – and, voila, finis. My girlfriend took one bite of the orange pie and said, “I’m full. Do you want to try it?” After my two spoonfuls of ice cream, yes, I did want to try it. After trying the pie, I would have preferred to eat either my red napkin with the remnants of my ice cream or a nerf football with powdered sugar since the pie was only marginally better than those options.
Final bill was 4440 rubles. If I would have been a paying customer, in short, I would have given a damn and really not wanted to pay.
When you sit and are eating your steak and watching 10, 11, 12 flies Mississippi crawl over your date’s uneaten food, repeatedly, it turns you off as an active diner, let alone providing fertile ground wondering, “If there are this many flies here, where/how the hell has my raw cut of meat been prepared?”
Therein is the danger for any restaurant with flies – the behind the velvet kitchen curtain unsanitary impression that flies create. I do not go to restaurants, regardless of how funky, trendy, edgy, cool, or close proximity to Rai, to wonder about what awaits me when I get home or wake up in the morning. To wit, no vomiting or prolonged restroom sessions today – apparently the flies were harmless.
At the end of the meal, I wanted to talk to the manager, in a nice way, not “I am going to scream and stomp my feet way”. She said that, yes, she was aware that I was doing a review and aware that there was a problem with flies in that corner. Then…why the hell did they seat us there? And…why then was your wait staff non-existent?
Again, with management and wait staff indifferent to me, I can only be the same – indifferent to Dome and regretful that we wasted an evening there, in addition to the time taken to write this review.

290.

Chicago Prime

I have seen the advertisements for Chicago Prime during recent forays to Starlite Diner, and Chicago Prime has been on my list of restaurants to check out. As it turns out, and not due to a miracle in cross-advertising, Chicago Prime and Starlite Diner are part of the same operating company. I have been a loyal fan of the Starlite Diner since 1998, so I welcomed the opportunity to review Chicago Prime.
Chicago Prime’s location is near Pushkinskaya metro station and not difficult to access by metro (especially) or automobile, but traffic can be heavy and slow on the boulevard ring. Chicago Prime is also open until 0500, so if you want late night steak, traffic is a relative non-issue. Parking is available behind a shlagbaum – even though we knew before arriving that parking was available, it was not readily available at 2000 on a Monday night.
The metro station is close to the restaurant and less of a headache. Rather, a more minor headache since Pushkinskaya is composed of three stops/stations with many exits. Follow the Strastnoi Bulvar exit signs, and you should come out of the right exit.
Access to headache-free WiFi has become a condition for my repeat business at restaurants and cafes in Moscow, especially expensive restaurants that cater to the expat community. Chicago Prime has headache-free WiFi, and it is convenient to keep up to speed on emails or just search the net.
The interior and atmosphere of Chicago Prime are appealing - that is, you can readily have a conversation over a normal sized table and the dining areas are big enough that you do not have to hear about how important the guy in the next table is, ex-pat or Russian.
Also, the music was, at least for me, a “make you smile” mix of Jimmy Buffet, Van Morrison, some Police, U2, and other songs that I knew. They also did not repeat and were not over thematic – i.e. crooning, loud Italian at a pasta place, annoyingly soft, artsy pafos music, or mega-repeat unknown, gibberish English language by unknown artists you run into at a lot of places in Moscow.
Chicago Prime also has a bar section that overlooks the boulevard with comfortable seating and offers food service as well. They have Happy Hour specials on weekdays from 1700 to 2000 – the current special is two for one drinks and 20% off the bar food menu.
Upon first glance, the menu at Chicago Prime itself may appear limited, but it is not. By this I mean that the main items are on one page – and each point of a great steak and seafood menu are well covered. You will not be at a loss for choices – like me, more than one entree will make your mouth water. Same for the garnishes crafted to complement your main entree.
However, as a warning – and actually a big plus for a Moscow restaurant – the portions at Chicago Prime are hearty, so plan accordingly when you order!
We started the night with a recommended currant-limonad (325 RUR for .5L pitcher, freshly made) that my dinner date absolutely had to try. I contemplated beer, but with an early flight out of Moscow the next morning, I really ventured outside of the culinary comfort zone with a freshly opened bottle of Coca Cola (120 RUR).
The English translation is Cowberry Lemonade, not the most romantic name, but do not be fooled. It was a stellar mix of fresh ingredients served on ice, and I highly recommend it. The other fruit drinks listed are also likely as appealing and flavorful, and 325 RUR for .5L of freshly-made juice is a good price.
Appetizers were a shrimp cocktail (690 RUR) over a vinaigrette type salad with a big Kamchatka crab claw, as well as Kamchatka crab cakes (750 RUR). The shrimp cocktail came with fried parmesan cheese slabs that were, quite frankly, awesome. Appetizers were flavorful, promptly arrived after ordering, and went well with the bread basket and flavored butter.
I was a bit tortured by which entree to choose since I wanted to go with a non-typical cut for me; I chose the Porterhouse Steak (3290 RUR). My dinner date had Maine Lobster (350 RUR per 100g / 2450 RUR total). For garnishes, we went with sauteed, caramelized onions (100 RUR), steamed asparagus with butter (490 RUR), french fries with truffles (290 RUR), and potatoes au gratin (390 RUR).
Steak was excellent and cooked exactly how I wanted it to be. The Porterhouse is what is termed “USDA CAB Aged Beef” – an involved curing process that locks in the flavors in a multi-step process over 45 days. The difference in taste was certainly noticeable. The potatoes au gratin were spectacular – to such an extent that the french fries were largely ignored as dinner progressed.
Maine lobster was excellent without reservations. The process was interesting since you are allowed to choose your own live lobster from the tank. A fleeting moment of playing God; I was not allowed to do the same for the bovine from whence my Porterhouse originated, however.
At this point we were satiated and dessert was out of the question, although the menu was beckoning. The waiter said that he would have the bartender mix up a non-alcoholic fresh fruit drink for us (500 RUR for two) that we would like. Think of it as liquid dessert – and it was off the chart excellent! The barman came over and relayed what was in it – ask for it if you are at Chicago Prime, with or without alcohol. I would characterize it as a strawberry cousin to a Pina Colada.
We took an order of cheesecake home that was the centerpiece of breakfast this morning. There was also a nice card in the bag thanking us for our patronage and wishing us to return soon – nice touch, and not seen often in Moscow, it seems.
Our final bill pushed 11,000 rubles without gratuity. Keep in mind that we did not drink alcohol – after all, it was a Monday – so your bill can climb quickly. At the same time, we had a few dishes upon the recommendation of our waiter that we would not have had otherwise, as well as our super after-dinner cocktail times two made by the Erik the Barman.
In short, I have only good things to say about our dining experience at Chicago Prime. Location is accessible, pricing as expected, food exquisite and superb service. I highly recommend Chicago Prime for business dinners, relatives in town that need to be wooed, or a nice experience for a couple.

291.

Syr (Cheese)

Relaxed and grown-up Italian restaurant where the food is the centre of attention.
Arkady Novikov has eateries where it’s all about you (Vogue Cafe). And he has eateries where it’s all about him (Galleria). But before either of those came Syr, where it’s all about the food - and still is. Almost everyone knows where CHEESE (“Syr”) is – you can’t miss it as your taxi trundles past on the Garden Ring, it’s the place with the model of a chunk of cheese on its roof. (They really should consider taking that thing down now). But yesterday’s young cheese is today’s vintage classic, and Syr has not just moved on with the times, but led from the front. The recently remodelled interiors are joined by an elegant staircase – cheese-themed on the ground floor, the last word in subdued post-modern elegance and contemporary chic upstairs.
As the urbane General Director, Albert Danielyan, puts it succinctly – “at Syr, everything is harnessed to presenting fabulous food. The choice of ingredients, the range of the menus, the decor, the furnishings… nothing takes away from the food, and the delicate harmony in each of the dishes. It’s unusual, almost unique, for a contemporary Moscow restaurant – we eschew glamour in favour of gastronomy, and we don’t apologise for that.” He isn’t joking. Every millimetre of glam and glitz has been carefully excluded in favour of subdued and understated contemporary design. Syr is a modern theatre, where the food is the spotlight, and the diners are the audience.
But neither is Syr an ascetic foodie temple either – a subtle and sophisticated welcome awaits. I stumbled through its doors on the hottest day of the year, with the mercury showing +37C and my face the colour of gazpacho. I was also my habitual seven minutes late – for a dinner-date who doesn’t appreciate being kept waiting. Some iced water and some towels appeared without beckoning, along with the suggestion of sitting upstairs – “M’sieur will find it rather cooler”, they smiled. Marusya, fortunately, was held-up in traffic, and by the time she arrived I was the very picture of calm composure. This all afforded the chance to visit the swanky loos, and cast an initial eye over the menu – with the Summer Special Menu delicately mentioned by the waiter.
The aperitifs appeared considerably before the story of the delayed arrival was done, and we settled comfortably into a corner table, with air-conditioning set sensibly to “pleasant ambient” rather than “Ice Station Zebra”. The Forest Berry Crush (380 RUR) had an almost miraculous mood-restoring effect on Marusya, whilst my rather staid choice of a Classic Mojito (440 RUR) was a mixologist’s manna, and hit the spot most neatly. A selection of breads (wheat rolls, sumptuous rye-bread and some lavash) came in a stylish paper cone, with hot toasts and dips to savour. With carbs and oils declared persona non grata by Marusya, the perfect appetiser came from the Summer Menu – Scallop Tartare with melon, asparagus and limoncello (1200 RUR), and the mouth-wateringly fresh flavours proved a perfect balance. I was having none of that, and tucked in to Avocado & Artichoke Salad (860 RUR for a gigantic portion – which went very extremely well with the bread). Feeling somewhat chastened by Marusya’s noble self-denial, I followed suit and chose a Gazpacho Chilled Soup (560 RUR), which came with a free portion of smugness. Doing that “you try a bit of mine” thing, I have to say I regretted missing the Summer Celery Soup With Egg & Truffle (960 RUR) – which is a sort of orgasm in a bowl, and probably shouldn’t be served to under-18s. Of course at that price it ought to be stupendous too – and this doesn’t disappoint.
And here we took a pause to refill our drinks, ask for some more water, and quietly digest what was merely Act One of the performance. The entire culinary drama is the brainchild of Novikov star chef Mircko Zago, whose route to Moscow lay through Aosta, Gstaad, Rome, and Verona. His culinary daring has won him awards in Italy, where he is well-known on television. His work creating banquets for the Russian Presidency, however, was an appropriately more discreet affair. In addition to his work at Syr, Mircko Zago has been the Consultant Chef on many other new Novikov restaurants – including Galleria, Cantinetta Antinori and Nedal’ny Vostok.
Meanwhile, our main courses – presented with artistic beauty on fine white porcelain – came speeding from the kitchen. One of the best features of the finest kind of service in a restaurant is that you hardly notice it happening around you – you can leave your semaphore manuals and signalling coughs at home. Marusya’s eye had fallen on the Medallions of Beef with Thyme (1300 RUR), and they were every bit as tender as the waiter had faithfully promised. My usual habit of choosing the gonzo main dish from the menu was fustrated – there are no duds here, and Grilled Scallops with Mediterranean Ratatouille were worth every last rouble of 1600 RUR.
But.. where was the cheese? I’d had none so far, and decided to pass-up on the desserts in favour of putting the cheese-board to the test. There’s gorgonzola and gorgonzola, (300 RUR) but this was tantalisingly good, and any wistful regret for the tempting pannacotta instantly passed. Meanwhile, however, all the good intentions across the table that had marked the earlier stages were now thrown to the wind… a Raspberry Millefeuille (700 RUR) was heartily consumed in short order, with a growing chorus of yummy appreciation as its several layers disappeared. Tea and coffee came along with perfect timing.
None of this, you will already have noticed, is aimed at the credit-crunched – but in fairness, Mr Novikov’s culinary nest is home to a good clutch of value-priced eateries too. Syr doesn’t really have serious competitors in Moscow – you would need an air-ticket to head off in search of anything quite as good as this in the world. In Moscow, it simply doesn’t get better than this.

292.

La Bottega

Wine + Russians = does not compute. Of course it shouldn't be so, because Russians have loved the fruit of the vine for centuries, the Tsars themselves owned vineyards – although Mikhail Gorbachev dug them up and burnt them, and was rewarded with the Nobel Peace Prize for doing so. Russia even produces decent wines, although you have to look hard for them (the Krasnodar Krai is a rewarding place to begin your search – where Australian winemakers are now guiding the process). Yet despite all this, it's hard to think of the Hollywood movie where the Russian character's favourite tipple is an elegant Barolo. Wine is – in the final analysis - an alien pastime for many Russians – a fact to which La Bottega are neatly attuned. Even the blackboard of specials chalked-up outside is in English. Bottega is aimed very clearly at an expat clientele, plus those Muscovites who hanker after their summer holidays in Andalucia as they trudge through the snow. The staff are English-speaking and greet guests cheerfully in English. If you're an expat in Moscow, then this place was made for you. How well was it made? Well, let's see....
The location at White Square – outside Belorusskaya Circle Line Metro – is almost purpose-made for La Bottega's target market, scattered at the feet of the Towers of Mammon that loom above. Prosperous pin-suited yuppies go scampering homewards past La Bottega's doors – and on the evening we visited there seemed to be an exclusively foreign clientele filling out the place.
It's a warm, cheerful and unashamedly louche venue with lots of soft furnishings and red crushed-velvet curtains – they may be serious about wine, but the atmosphere is far from stern and severe. There's a mixture of 1970s retro with 1920s Berlin cabaret playing on the sound system – this is a barfly lounge where lounging is positively encouraged.
La Bottega is primarily a place you come to enjoy a glass of wine, so we eschewed the other drink options and went straight for the wine list. The wine list is extensive, and their website has the whole thing if you want to check it out. If you aren't in the mood or the visitor-numbers for a bottle, they have a good range of some of their most attractive wines available by the glass – and for prices that stand up very well by Moscow standards, with some even coming in under 300 RUB per glass. It's a pricing policy that keeps you there for a second or third glass, and encourages sampling several. I found the Allegrin Veneto Soave 2010 crisp and attractive – served ideally chilled, with some fruity notes to it, and priced to enjoy at only 370 RUB per glass. Emilia's preference for reds led her towards a Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2009, further up the price-scale at 470 RUB - but worth it. This is wine that stimulates the palate and prompts the appetite, and so we were quickly surveying the food menu.
As a Wine Bar, La Bottega's menu is extensively slanted towards smaller and lighter dishes you might have on the side with your glass of wine – and we enjoyed these appetiser dishes rather more than the main courses. If I went back to Bottega, next time I'd order two starters and skip the main course altogether – there's a panache and inventiveness among them that is somehow missing amid the worthy standards of the mains. Outstanding among the starters, and The Most Outrageously Delicious Thing I've Eaten in Months was the Mellow Figs Baked with Gorgonzola & Walnuts (450 RUB). My relentless curiosity often leads me into ordering the strangest stuff on the menu “just to try it” - but this time, for once, it paid off – the Odd Coupling of tangy fruit with attention-grabbing intense cheese is an unbeatable duo that I've never seen anywhere before – you have to try this! In fact it was so magnificently delicious that Emilia ate most of mine. And with good reason – she'd ordered a Mixture Of Green Leaves with Parma Ham Gran Riserva & Sheep's Ricotta (570 RUB)... but the green leaves were mostly chopped Chinese Leaves of clunky unloveliness, and they went unmunched. Surely they could get nicer salad leaves than this? My local supermarket sells them. The salad was crammed into a small deep bowl that made it hard to eat - and barely showed it in an attractive way. A better partner for a serious red wine was the Pear & Gorgonzola Quiche – a substantial slice for 320 RUB, and a meal in itself. It looked a little forlorn just plonked on a dish without even a lettuce-leaf for company, and might have benefited from more attractive presentation – but it delivers the goods on the fork.
The wind whistling in from the front door – which it does with some ferocity, straight into the seating area – was causing a little discomfort by now, and they'll need to fix this before winter draws in. We fortified ourselves with hot dishes and more wine, moving on to a Laughing Magpie Australian d'Arenburg 2007 – satisfyingly full and rounded, and worth the 450-RUB price-tag that accompanies it. The main courses which came along with it were less satisfying, however. I'd never seen a veal medallion the size or shape of those which appeared as Veal Medallions in Marsala Sauce (590 RUB). Full marks for getting the classic Marsala Sauce right, but the veal was very average. I had high hopes of Papardelle with Porcini and Cream Sauce if it was priced at 530 RUB – but it, too, was very ordinary. Scant on the porcini (in a bumper year for porcini), and not very creamy at all. We shared a quite decent panna cotta dessert for 290 RUB. The fare is bog-standard wine-bar stuff, in fact.
Overall, we felt that La Bottega would be good for sharing a glass of wine with friends, perhaps with a snack course on the side – the tables in the bar area are too small for eating main courses anyhow. There's a good selection of wines at prices that encourage you to linger. Unless you are unduly fond of fresh air, you might want to seat yourselves at the larger and more convenient tables which are further from the door. The staff is friendly and cheerful, but you have to keep on their case to make sure they bring what you actually ordered. The huge volume of passing trade from the adjacent office-blocks will probably keep La Bottega packed without them having to try harder than they do.

293.

The Apartment

The Apartment, a restaurant-slash-bar along Savvinskaya embankment nearish Kievsky Vokzal, claims to be the first New York loft-style restaurant. Unlike many Moscow dining establishments vying for a title of “first in Moscow,” or “only in Moscow,” I believe this place actually lives up to its claims. I have yet to see any establishment comparable in design, service and lack of pretension. In fact, it already seems to be a big hit and it hasn’t even officially opened to the public yet. (Hint: taking the metro? Then I recommend catching a gypsy cab after crossing the fancy bridge - this is not a pleasant wintertime stroll.)
The owners based their concept on New York’s Campbell Apartment bar, but expanded it both in terms of space and what’s on offer. The space is huge, open, and divided into different 'rooms’; there are no walls, of course, in keeping true to the definition of 'loft.' Each 'room' has a slightly different feel about it, and the careful attention to detail in designing each space is something you just can’t help but notice (check out the bathroom!!). Some areas are more private, while others will place their guests in the center of attention - if they want; you can also opt to have the floor-to-ceiling curtains pulled closed. Some of the areas also boast a view of the Moscow River.
As the|apartment is not yet officially open to the public, the final version of the menu is not quite ready. Instead of making our own selections this evening, the chef, who is Russian but recently returned after 15 years of living and garnering culinary experience in France, came out to speak with us and let us know what was available that night. The cuisine style, we were told, is classical French with a twist. Now since the menus aren’t quite ready yet, there will be one important detail missing from this review: exact prices. When I spoke with Katya, the owner, she explained that the restaurant is aiming at mid-range prices, with dinner (without drinks) running at approximately $60-70.
We chose a table in the 'breakfast area.' I ordered a vodka tonic (served with Beluga vodka) and Mr. Polly started with fizzy water, and ended with a dry red. We were served a small appetizer of kalamata olives marinated in garlic, which was quite garlicky (I love garlic, though) and mixed well with the rich flavor of the olives. Next came our salads - a carefully presented pedestal of shrimp and mushrooms topped with mixed greens in light vinaigrette, crowned with four butterflied jumbo shrimp in a flavorful but light, Asian style sauce. This plate had the potential for many things to go wrong - the sauce, with its traces of teriyaki, could easily have been overpowering; the shrimp, as so often happens in Moscow, could have been overcooked after being defrosted, resulting in a mushy, smooshy mess. But the textures were perfect, the flavors intermingled just the way you'd want them too, and nothing was smooshy or mushy.
Next was a small trout salad treat. Now, ordinarily I’m not a big fan of fish, but I do make an effort to try new things. Well, sometimes anyway. We were presented with little cylinders of smoked trout bits carefully wrapped around broccoli florets. I can honestly say I was very pleasantly surprised with the gentle, non-fishy flavor of the trout, which is probably the most fish I’ve eaten in a very long time.
Next we were served our main entrees: French cut veal chops in a mild mushroom sauce garnished minimally with tiny potatoes and tiny stewed cherry tomatoes. While we probably would have appreciated a slightly more substantial side dish, everything was very nicely presented and packed with yumminess. The veal was definitely one of the most tender veal experiences I have ever had; the meat practically melted in our mouths, was juicy and went wonderfully well with the accompanying mushroom sauce.
After dinner, Mr. Polly asked for some black tea and a dessert: a delicate slice of parfait in 'fruit soup,' which featured fresh strawberries and rose petals. The serving size was just right - not too big - and the sweetness factor was just right, not overdone.
During our evening there, the staff was attentive and helpful, always keeping an eye on you in case you need anything. No hovering, no hounding - any questions we had were answered knowledgably and quickly, and we really didn’t have to wait very long at all for anything. For a place that hasn't even officially opened yet, the|apartment seems to have things up and running without any hitches. Frankly, I wasn't expecting the night to go so smoothly.
Other plans for this new Moscow experience include a fully decked-out wine boutique near the entrance downstairs. This space will feature 2500 wines - now that's an extensive wine list. Not only will the boutique feature wine tasting events, it will also offer many wines by the glass, so you won't have to splurge on whole bottles - unless you want to.
Music and entertainment is another important factor for The Apartment’s ambiance and style. Michael Adam of Buddha Bar fame has been brought onboard as music director, and he will perform at least once a month. There will also be live music (one of the first things to catch your eye as you walk in is the white baby grand on a raised platform near the welcome bar). Musical entertainment will predominantly be jazz, cabaret, and background-type music - nothing that’ll make you have to scream across the table in order to have a conversation.
And of course there’s this week’s special pre-opening Thanksgiving Day feast, thanks to the owners, who have spent several years in the States and know what it's all about. They learned to love our special autumn holiday and are now offering to share it with Moscow expats and their families. Note: I have been assured that Thanksgiving Day at the|apartment will be family friendly (i.e. kids welcome!). If you haven’t made your T-Day plans yet, definitely consider booking a table for this Thursday (23 November 2006).
In all, we both loved the way everything looked, the style, the unpretentiousness (a real rarity in this town!), and especially the enthusiasm of the staff and owners. This is one place we'd definitely like to go back to once the doors are open to all.

294.

Shatush

Shatush is not a Chinese restaurant - it simply serves stunning Chinese food. No bamboo screens, no ethnic or new-age music, no hokum costumes, and no Kazak girls pretending to be Chinese... Forget wizened straw-hatted toilers in photogenic paddy fields - imagine instead the entertainment world where Shanghai's successful young businessmen socialise with TV and film people, and you're nearer the mark. Oriental lacquer-black dominates the interior, offset with classical red highlights. The lighting-scheme is carefully designed - sky-blue higher up on the walls as a dramatic sweep as you enter, with downlighters on your designer-black tables to keep your meal centre-stage. There's plenty to entertain the eye as you dine - the design is achieved on macro, midi and mini levels, and the more you look, the more you find. There's a second, slightly quieter salon offering hookah-pipes if you wish.
The DJ-Cafe set-up works well here, and a sweetly planned PA system enmeshes the dining environment with a consistently warming and enjoyment-enhancing soundtrack of contemporary sounds. Two welcome elements of Chinese influence remain alongside the cuisine, however - the smiling Asian welcome and hospitality, and the speed of service and preparation. The table staff is almost entirely Russian, and there is no attempt to try to make them look Chinese. However, these guys (it's a largely male personnel, with a charming approach that will keep the female clients coming back) know their stuff, and know the menu inside-out. You want to know more about any dish? They know what's in it, where the ingredients come from, how it's prepared, what will sit well alongside it! Nor do they try and steer you into the pricey stuff - in fact they are keen to recommend the elegant simplicity of the more modest dishes on the menu. However, the line-up of Mercs and BMWs parked outside, in immaculate showroom condition, give the hint that this is not a place to come for a cheap plate of noodles. In reality, the remarkable thing about Shatush is that it's a stunning experience in a top restaurant, yet the prices are still only in the mid-upper range. Flying-in the authentic fresh ingredients from Asia or London, as sparkling GM Nika Loginova explained, is in the interests of top quality, rather than cutting corners. Portions are in the generous, Asian, meal-sharing tradition, however - you might very well opt to take a starter or main course between two? We didn't, and in reality we over-ordered. But the other side of that tradition - they'll cheerfully wrap what's left uneaten in a doggy-bag for you to take home.
Everything comes so quickly from the kitchen that you can enjoy a hot appetiser whilst pondering the rest of your order. The Fried Wasabi Prawns (520Rbs for six gigantic pieces) are stupendously good, in a subtle creamy sauce, served on endive. All of the dishes come inventively and appealingly presented, in fact - cutting-edge contemporary tableware adds to the experience. Spinach in Oyster Sauce (430Rbs) was the waiter's suggestion, and it came lightly stir-fried with fresh bite left in it, making a nice counterbalance to the other dishes. My favourite dish of the evening, in fact, was one of the simplest, and again a recommendation from the restaurant staff -“ Singapore Fried Vermicelli (480Rbs) a combination of vermicelli of different weights (from tiny to medium) warmed by some subtle chilli flavouring and then laden with seafood and vegetables. I would happily have taken this along with the spinach and gone home singing. Instead, though, we pushed the boat out and tried a dish from quite a long way up the pricing spectrum - Thai-style Sterlet, weighing-in at 1400Rbs. The portion is more than enough for two, although the warmth of spicing is authentically Thai, and proved a little hotter than my companion felt comfortable - my asbestos mouth enjoyed every forkful, though. More classically northern-chinese (where they use far fewer spices - it is, after all, on the Siberian border) in inspiration at least was the Ostrich in Yellow-Bean Sauce (780Rbs), and it prompted a rare silent moment of contented munching.
Wines are rarely the best accompaniment to Asian food - neither the wine nor the food gain from the combination. Instead, we strove manfully into the list of House Speciality Cocktails, following-up a pre-arrival tip to try to the Hakka (400Rbs). A cascade of citrus-inspired invention, this quickly doused the chilli flames and had us crying for refills. The Pink Mochito was perhaps less successful for the same price - the raspberry seemed to neutralise the expected minty tang. Voss bottled water brings a refreshing Scandic purity (it's rated as one of the purest bottled waters in the world) from Norway - in a designer-desirable bottle that's a contemporary classic.
How you will possibly find room for desserts after all this, I have no idea! The Strawberry Cheesecake (350Rbs) is pleasantly light, or for those still eager for more substantial pleasures, the Rum Parfait (same price) packs a terrifying number of calories into every cm2 - both of them were at the upper acceptable end of sweetness for me. The more virtuous will instead turn their attention to the extensive list of Chinese gourmet teas on offer.
I really defy you not to like Shatush? It has everything that's really great about Chinese food and service, jettisons all the tired cliches, and conjures up innovative cuisine in a stylish, slick and hedonistic atmosphere that succeeds on every level. Birthday treat, special occasion supper, or just needing to pamper yourself - but book ahead, the word's been out about Shatush for a while now, and you're unlikely to get a table without reserving a few days in advance. Over the summer months, and starting from June 10, Shatush also has a Summer Terrace open - which may ease your chances of getting a table fractionally too.

295.

Barmalini

Barmalini – a new pizzeria cafe from the owners of Coffeemania
My credentials for reviewing Russia’s pizza-places are unshakeable - I was at the opening night of the first-ever pizza cafe in the USSR - in Leningrad, in 1984. It was an unforgettable night – they had a black-&-white chequerboard tiled floor (they’d painted it by hand!), they had Italian music playing, the place was packed with revellers. The only thing they didn’t have was pizza – they’d sold out by lunchtime. But you could bring your own drinks (back then private cafes couldn’t get liquor-licences), and everyone was having a great time - the welcome was warm and heartfelt, and Paolo Conte was on the cassette-player.
Fast-forward a quarter century and slightly to the south, I confidently stride into Pizzeria Barmalini near Paveletskaya. There are funny pictures on the walls and stuffed dolls and toys for the kiddywinks – not exactly the expectation I had of a pizzeria, and Barmalini is the exact opposite of my Leningrad 1984 experience. They do, indeed, have pizza. And it’s great pizza! But some other things you might expect alongside are missing.
My glamorous co-reviewer Emilia Marty arrived late – she’d walked straight past the place, not realising it was the pizzeria she was hunting for. The menu is just a simple single-sided list of pizzas only. If you want a salad, a dessert, or anything to drink, then you can pore instead through the Coffeemania menu, since Coffeemania own Barmalini and are operating full-on the other side of the adjoining partition. Avid pizza fans may well find this to be enough – especially if you’ve just popped in for a lightning lunch (and the service is indeed enviably presto). But I love classic Italian starters like tricolore, or marinated artichokes, or a delicious bruschetta – and somewhat surprisingly, you can’t get them at Barmalini. This seems an odd decision, but presumably it’s to encourage patrons not to linger at lunchtimes? The same idea might be behind not having wi-fi either?
In many small pizzerias or trattorias in Italy, a glass of house wine comes free with the Set Meal, and it’s house wine that the owner will drink himself. Sadly this democratic approach to wine doesn’t apply at Barmalini. We were finally induced into trying a glass each of their red and white offerings - but at ten euros a pop they’re not something you ask them to bring more of. You won’t spend long choosing, though – because in fact they only have one Italian red, and one Italian white on the menu. The price of 490 roubles isn’t for a bottle – it’s for a single glass of Chianti Classico (or 450 roubles for the white choice – an Orvieto San Giovanni Classico). I can’t help thinking that this pricing policy is going to encourage diners to skip wine altogether.
I was in utter ignorance about Barmalini – apparently (or so Emilia told me) he was Pinocchio’s nemesis. His cartoon picture is all over the walls. The rest of the interiors consist of exposed red-brick walls and the ho-hum-seen-it-before exposed high-tech steel ducting and lighting. After seeing the latest venues unveiled by Barmalini owners Coffemania – for example their outlet in the shopping centre at Trubnaya – I was really surprised by the simplistic decor.
We ought to mention the pizzas - which are indeed excellent! Emilia took a Campagna (490 Rbs for a single-serving pizza) – a classic Italian line-up. It came on an authentically thin base, topped with a fragrant tomato sauce and a lavishly generous covering of salami milano. The balance of flavourings, herbs and olive oil was masterly, and this is truly excellent pizza-making, although Emilia had some reservations about having so much salami on one single pizza. Barmalini’s menu offers two pizzas prepared on black dough – although surprisingly they tell you nothing at all about, err, why it’s black? I took a Quattro Mare (450 Rbs for a single-serving pizza) which came on a deliciously thin, black-hued base. The entire area of the pizza is elegantly arrayed by segments of different seafood toppings – there’s tuna, salmon, seafood cocktail and shrimps. Better than this pizza doesn’t get, believe me – a treat for the eyes and tastebuds alike. The pizza bases themselves are enviably crisp and authentically thin, coming from a gleaming pizza oven whose substantial appearance dominates the entire kitchen area. Part of the fun of Barmalini – as in the best pizza places – is that you get to watch the pizza-making as it happens, and the kichen area is at the centre of attention in the cafe’s layout. And you certainly get the real thing here – all of the ingredients are top-quality and delicious, and the sumptuous taste delivers every expectation from enticing appearance and aroma. The difference between factory-made and hand-made couldn’t be more convincingly made – this is the pizza that Momma used to make.
There are no Italian desserts on the menu (in case you had a hankering for panna cotta, or a choice of gelateria?), but you can order desserts from the Coffeemania menu instead. I took an It Girl dessert (310 Rbs) – a raspberry mousse decorously draped with green fronds and with a pineapple centre – a tried and tested Coffeemania favourite. Emilia wasn’t so keen on her Fortunella (290 Rbs) – a concotion of Philadelphia cheese with mandarin and kumquat.
Paveletskaya is keenly short of eateries, and getting a lunchtime table in any of them is a ticklish business. The area all around is lined with the corporate office-blocks of Russian and foreign companies. Anyone who succeeds in opening a cafe here is going to make money – without trying especially hard.But Barmalini are trying hard, and the difference counts. The service sacrifices the personal touch in favour of ruthless efficiency – which might suit you, on occasion?
Barmalini delivers great pizza, reliably and speedily – making it an ideal place for a business-hour lunch. You’ll get a great lunch easily even if you’re pushed for time, without any fingernail-chewing about whether you’ll get back to the office on time. They’re clearly aware of the competition locally for the lunchtime trade. Where I have reservations, however, is the evening. With a major multiplex cinema around the corner, and the concert-hall/theatre complex of Dom Muzyky across the road, there’s another clientele around who might be more keen to see a wider menu (perhaps with more Italian appetisers or desserts) on offer, and whose main priority isn’t merely speedy service. This might be an area which Barmalini are looking to cover later on?
Meanwhile what’s on offer at Barmalini is pizza made to the highest standards, and not for the lowest price. That makes Barmalini a lifestyle choice, because there is certainly cheaper pizza available down the street. Yet the originality and high quality of what Barmalini is offering is worth the small extra cost, and certainly didn’t seem to be deterring diners on the day we visited. Whether they convince you to become a regular or not, Barmalini sets the benchmark for creatively-designed top-quality pizzas, and their local competitors will have to sharpen up their act to remain in contention.

296.

Frendy's

In contrast to a recent review of a restaurant that I will refrain from naming – a place that may very well not exist when you read this review – I liked Frendy’s.
In fact, I not only liked Frendy’s, I was, and am, enamored with this small, cozy American-style diner on Ulitsa Pokrovka. Since our initial, virgin dinner on a windy, cold night in March, I have returned there two more times with friends.
Your first challenge with regard to Frendy’s is arriving. The location is equidistant between three metro stations – Kitay-Gorod, Chistiye Prudy, and Kurskaya – and Ulitsa Pokrovka is a long, one-way street if you are driving.
The location, however, is not a deal breaker and, for my taste, is more of an asset than a liability. In Moscow, I like smaller establishments that are not “so easy” to get to because, well, there tend to be less people, and fewer throngs of customers means that your business is “better valued” and results in a better dining experience.
If walking, get off at either Kitay-Gorod or Chistiye Prudy. It’s a 10 to 15 minute walk to Frendy’s on main streets, and in the Spring, Summer, or Fall, this walk is enjoyable and gives you an easy entry into a unique area of Moscow. Look for the big, lighted, yellow-hued sign – take a right through a small courtyard, and you are there.
Frendy’s occupies the third floor of a rustic, historic building. The second floor is occupied by the Bentley Hotel, and both businesses fall under the same ownership umbrella.
Upon making it up the stairs, you will realize immediately that three flights of stairs for such a cool diner is a fair trade indeed. The space that the designers had to use in formulating Frendy’s is challenging - Third floor, attic-style ceilings, and really only one possible natural light area.
Many restaurants in Moscow attempt to deliver either trendy-dark-expensive-depression or uber lighted-faux-expensive-bubble gum – and generally FAIL at delivering anything. Few restaurants “get it” and deliver the simple ambiance that Frendy’s does through its use of the right lighting, mirrors, and seating arrangement. Throughout the meal, I gushed to my dining partner – “I really like this place, even more than – ahem – Starlite”. From the dreary weather outside to the warm, lively reception inside – Frendy’s gets a 10 on atmosphere and setting.
To note, however, Frendy’s is not large and while it’s still a newer establishment, limited seating capacity is less of a dire issue. On the other hand, with a challenging location, if I were a walk-up diner who had made the trek to Frendy’s only to find out that I had to wait for a table, I would not be singing Fred Astaire with a smile. In the warmer months – and this is what will garner my Spring/Summer business – there will be seating, and perhaps a separate menu, in the courtyard outside.
Frendy’s also does not have free Wi-Fi access for customers and it can be challenging to catch a good signal in the building. It is generally a huge minus for me to not have readily-available Wi-Fi access, but I understand that the manager will add WiFi in the near future, as well as a loyalty/discount program and other promotions.
For the unabashedly American or Russian hamburger soul, the menu at Frendy’s is heaven. Keep this in mind when you go there – Frendy’s does not pretend to be something it is not. It is an American diner, and it does not portend to be everything for everybody.
The menu reads like an All-Star list of the foods that are the death of the Pax Americana and will be the downfall of the rising Asian Tiger. From my vivid memory, cheeseburgers, chicken wings, nachos, Philly cheesesteak, seasoned french fries, onion rings, chili, nachos, omlets, eggs over easy, ranch dressing (a first in Moscow for me), the seemingly mandated-by-law Caesar salad, and porridge. In short, every selection on the menu was appealing for me, even the porridge.
We started with two appetizers, and it was hard to choose just two from the tantalizing list. We settled on boneless BBQ-flavored chicken wings (465 RUB) and Frendy’s nachos (380 RUB), to be doused separately and exclusively in a cold bottle of Coors Light (115 RUB) and milkshake (240 RUB).
Warning: Like the American waistline and ego, love it or hate it, the portions at Frendy’s are All-American too. That is, they are BIG. Actually, “big” is unfair – they are huge, and savory to the last gram!
The chicken wings came out first, and were immaculate. Then the huge plate of nachos showed up to the party, and I was a paralyzed to choose which to tear into with more gusto. In the meantime, my civilized, Red passport-carrying dining partner was enjoying her mushroom soup (210 RUB) and, surprise, Caesar salad with freshly grilled chicken (345 RUB).
I vaguely remember her saying, well, positive words about her soup and salad. Honestly, though, I was lost like Hunter S. Thompson in Circus Circus in the ranch dressing sauce for my wings, a mountain of nachos, and Coors Light.
To wit, it was a transcendental escape for my unapologetically American soul at an unapologetic American diner. I could have been in Steve’s Diner in a Vermont as easily as Frendy’s on Ulitsa Pokrovka in Moscow – like Dorothy in Oz, there is no place like home, and Frendy’s is a juicy morsel of genuine Americana.
Next were entrees – and we immediately understood it would be next to impossible to have room for them. For me, a Cheddar Bacon Burger (455 RUB) with breaded onion rings and, for my dining date, a quartered Club Sandwich (395 RUB) with french fries.
The cheeseburger was a three-inch tall monster daring you to take the first bite. My only choice was to douse it in ketchup and ranch, squeeze the bun down into the huge chunk of meat, and tear off the first sloppy bite. Harkening back to the famous Buffet song that will be played at my wake one day – “Cheeseburger in Paradise, not too particular, not too precise….just a Cheeseburger in Paradise. “ Absolute sloppy Cheeseburger heaven, each and every bite.
My dining partner had 25% of her Club Sandwich and raved that it was so good that it was a shame to try to enjoy it when she was already satiated, so she stopped to instead take photos of me with my new kitten.
At this point, we requested take home boxes since there was so much food remaining, all of it, quite frankly, damn good. Our items were wrapped in foil, neatly packed into a bag, and returned to us. As a testament to the “hot damn” factor of our entire meal, my Saturday breakfast was, immediately upon getting out of bed, my remaining chicken wings and cheeseburger. I gladly dodged the scathing barrage of words from my lady to indulge in Frendy’s morning after.
In short, I do not know what else can be said. Our bill was 2845 RUB – a bargain for the quality of food, portion size, mouth-watering flavor, attentive service, and appealing atmosphere.
Without hesitation, I recommend Frendy’s if you are looking for an American diner experience. I am writing this review on Delta flight 30 somewhere over Greenland – and I will be going to Frendy’s later today upon arrival, no joke. I recommend that you do the same!

297.

Gavroche

Going into this review, with a name like Gavroche, I was intrigued, to say the least. I did some quick research on location since finding places in Moscow is usually hit, miss, and frustration.
Arriving to Gavroche by car is a bit tricky. Building 11 is a Soviet monolith that occupies nearly the entire block. We parked on the street at an available spot, and we were at the wrong end of the street, as luck would have it. However, Gavroche has a parking lot “in the back” that actually had available spots, so call ahead.
Metro stop is Park Kultury, and it is not a difficult walk to Gavroche – investigate prior and you will arrive without problem. Note, though, that the entrance is well-marked, but across from building 26.
For me, an increasing portion of the buying decision is simple – free WiFi, yes or no? I am madly loyal to Coffee House (I am here now) because they have free WiFi. I avoid Shokoladnitza and Starbucks precisely because they do not have free WiFi. It’s not a question of money – the free portion – it is a question of make it convenient for me, and I will give you my business and tell others to do the same.
Gavroche, I am happy to say – and as a pleasant surprise – has free WiFi announced by a sign that jumps out on the front door, and WiFi that works good. I had my iPad with me, so it was really a super addition. Small example – I did not know what “Gavroche” is or meant. Two seconds later, Victor Hugo and Les Miserables. Kudos to Gavroche for being, well, smart and recognizing its clientele.
I am a born cynic and that is how I went into Gavroche. I, however, do not have expectations that are not reasonable. On every count, Gavroche met my expectations – and, in all fairness, exceeded them as well.
With regard to interior, Gavroche is sleek and tastefully done. Nice and quiet. You can have a conversation easily across the table without having to huddle or yell. That was a huge plus, in addition to the fact that you are not crowded into a puny table. In short, you can relax, and you quickly do. Not the pretentious kind of relax, but actually feel at ease.
There is a seasonal terrace outside with sofa seating with blankets and space heaters available upon request. Inside, you do not feel cigarette smoke since it is whisked out almost immediately the central air system.
With regard to service, Gavroche does extremely well. Our waitress, Julia, was very attentive, but not over- attentive. Maybe I am alone in being annoyed when I finish my last bite – or not even finish it – and the plate is already off the table, seized by the hawk-eyed waiter or waitress who makes me feel like I am somehow not eating fast or efficiently enough.
This is not the case at Gavroche – again, you can relax here. Enjoy your seat, surf the net a bit, and eat at your own pace.
Gavroche is a wine bar with a sommelier that is happy to guide you through choices to meet your mood or entree. About 140 different wines are listed, with the most expensive approximately 17500 RUR, but with very nice bottles in the 2500 to 3500 RUR range.
Menus are in English and Russian, in separate covers, and, very importantly, they match each other. Where this is nice is if you are with somebody who does not speak English, he/she can suggest something, show it to you on his/her menu, and it will match up the English menu for you to poke at for your waitress. A small criticism is that portion sizes are not noted.
We started the meal with wine (Gentil Hugel Alsace, 270 RUR glass and Givry, 390 glass) that was recommended by the sommelier, as well as two appetizers – an artichoke, onions, and pickles assortment (290 RUR) and a cured meat platter assortment (470 RUR). The wine was excellent and the dishes came quickly, as well as a nice bowl of baguette style bread with soft butter. Both dishes were a super start to the dining experience, and there is a wide array of appetizers from which you can choose to suit your taste.
Again, with WiFi and an iPad on-hand, we enjoyed the quiet – but not empty – atmosphere and the good wine with appetizers. There was no rush to order, and we did not feel rushed.
I was not sure what I wanted to order for my entree, so I told Julia to surprise me. No fish, no pasta, but everything else was, as you can say, on the menu. We did, however, order two other entrees to have a basis of comparison – duck breast with cranberry sauce (590 RUR) and steamed/grilled cod with vegetables and rice (470 RUR).
The cod was very well prepared and flavorful. Duck is also something that I tend to stay away from because any time that I have ordered it in Moscow, I have been painfully disappointed – too dry, overcooked, and really just not up to par. However, the duck was excellent. In fact, it was as perfect as really possible – and for a person like me who is not a big fan of this meat, that says a lot about Gavroche’s cook and recipes.
Honestly, when I said “surprise me”, I wanted the ribeye steak (950 RUR), medium done. Julia must have saw it in my eyes because that is exactly what she brought me, accompanied by a nice bowl of fresh greens and round/cube cut French fries that came with a bottle of Heinz ketchup too. No bowl of 50g – for the first time anywhere not Starlite Diner was I presented with my own bottle of ketchup.
The ribeye was super. Just super. The sauce that accompanied brought out the inherent flavor of the cut of meat. It was cooked to perfection, and exceeded my expectations in every way. A nice steak in Moscow at a reasonable price is hard to find since the price-good steak or not gamut is always a shot in the dark. If simply for another steak and big beer, I will be back to Gavroche.
I forgot to mention – before enjoying the entrees, we were able to consult with the sommelier again about wines that would go well with the dishes. He suggested Chablis Grand Regnard (590 RUR glass) and Pouilly Fuisse Faiveley Le Marconnais (470 RUR glass). The Chablis was good, but the first white wine got the green light our party for the best combination with a nice fish dish. The Pouilly was a perfect match for the duck entree. For my exquisite ribeye – nothing beats a big .5L Kronenburg draft (210 RUR), even if you are in a wine bar with a selection as deep as Gavroche’s.
Dinner complete and extremely satisfied. We chatted amongst ourselves for 20 minutes or so before considering dessert. Looked up a few more random things using WiFi, made some phone calls with Skype, and was pulled in for dessert.
My huge conundrum is cheesecake in Moscow since, generally, good cheesecake is even harder to find than your own bottle of ketchup. The best cheesecake in the world is made by my Uncle Bruce in the US. He knows this, and the world knows this.
However, Uncle Bruce, you have a worthy competitor in the cheesecake with strawberry sauce (320 RUR) offered at Gavroche. I have had cheesecake at inexpensive and expensive places in Moscow – and few have scored memorable – but my quote when wolfing mine down with my Americano (190 RUR) and Sambuca Molinari (290 RUR) was, “(t)his is the best damn cheesecake in Moscow!”, and it is.
We tried two other deserts as well – a Sotern with Thai Orchid (380 RUR) and chocolate fudge mindal cake (310 RUR) with a cappuccino (130 RUR) for my dining partner. I came out of my cheesecake bliss to try both of them, and both were very nice. Sotern was a new dish for me, and it was a nice, light composition. The chocolate fudge mindal, I postulate, was as much a round piece of heaven for chocolate lovers as my round piece of heaven cheesecake.
The appealing and relaxing atmosphere at Gavroche lasts the entire meal. I have had hard time thinking about “how” to express the atmosphere in words. Instead, I prefer to use examples.
For instance, Gavroche is a restaurant that would be perfect if you had friends or family visiting and you want a place that you can sit down to catch up. For those in a party like this, WiFi allows the just arrived to get caught up on things like email, places he/she would like to see in Moscow, and the like. The menu is diverse enough to satisfy most dining preferences, and, moreover, the wine list is impeccable in selection and pricing.
If not a friends and family type gathering, Gavroche is perfect for entertaining business clients, professional colleagues, or co-workers. Location is central, parking lot close, terrace available, excess seating upon request can be reserved, and it is a quite place for uninterrupted conversations.
In closing, I give Gavroche a ringing Purdy Five-Star Endorsement on all accounts. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend Gavroche to anybody in the Expat.ru community looking for a new place to try or a familiar place to return to you on your second, third, fourth, et al visits!

298.

Vanil

When I told Mr Polly that Expat.Ru had invited me to review Vanil, a place that a clueless prole like myself had never heard of before, his eyes lit up and he got very excited. He messaged all his friends to make them jealous. Turns out Vanil is, or at least was at one time, one of the top elitny eateries in town. After all, it was founded by some pretty well-known people: Fyodor Bondarchuk, Stepan Mikhailkov and none other than local restaurant legend Arkady Novikov. This initially gave me the impression that it must be packed with Moscow’s gilded youth and socialites, especially after noting that Vanil, a restaurant, enforces face control. But I soon came to understand that Vanil is more for an older, perhaps more refined crowd: Moscow’s gilded thirty-somethings.
Naturally my expectations were high. Very high. Especially after reading that an average dinner at Vanil without drinks will break you off about $140. I had also read conflicting comments about the menu, allegedly filled with indecipherable, purposely obscure selections. But in fact, once we had been seated at a table for two near a window facing Ostozhenka, I found that the menu was not as pretentious as I had been led to believe. I was only slightly disappointed when I understood that we would not be sitting at one of the popular tables facing an amazing view of Christ the Savior Cathedral. Instead we had a full-on view of the traffic jam outside and car-less metro commuters hurrying home from work. But never mind that - after all, who doesn’t enjoy watching the poor folk hobble by and stare wistfully in at you while you dine? Thanks to Vanil’s glistening ceiling-to-floor windows, this was a special treat we were granted the opportunity to enjoy several times that evening.
After perusing the menu for a bit, I was met with more disappointment upon learning that despite the fact that there are two scallop options listed on the menu, there were no scallops. So I was forced to rethink my plan. We decided on two cold appetizers the beef carpaccio with mushrooms (970Rbs) and tuna fillet with seaweed salad (750Rbs). Initially I had wanted to try the “warm scampi on rocket salad” (690Rbs) purely out of curiosity (what is rocket salad?), but we decided instead to share (note: “share”) another shrimp dish from the hot appetizers – scampi in tandoori sauce (450Rbs). I ordered a Kirin beer (180Rbs per 0.33L) and Mr Polly opted for a simple non-carbonated water.
Our cold appetizers were served quite soon after we ordered. Mr Polly’s water was poured into two wine glasses, even though he had only ordered water. My beer was nowhere to be seen. Oh well, I was hungry, so we began to check out the appetizers, which were both presented elegantly on Japanese-style plates. (One of the pages of Vanil’s menu offers a selection of what are allegedly Japanese delicacies, including sashimi and sushi rolls.) Vanil’s beef carpaccio is not cut in the traditional super-thin slices, but in small, thick rectangles. Not exactly what I was expecting, but this is probably the best thing I ate all evening there, and that is not meant to demean the carpaccio. It was excellent. Mr Polly’s tuna fillet was also quite good, but towards the end the large quantity of sea salt gracing the tuna and seaweed salad overwhelmed him.
Next came the scampi in tandoori sauce and Mr Polly’s order of cream of mushroom and celery soup. When the shrimp were served, I was again impressed by the detail devoted to presentation. I was also very impressed by the extremely large plate, considering that there were only four shrimp on it. Despite the accompanying iceberg lettuce salad, the actual food only covered about 1/3 of the plate. I began to feel like Steve Martin in LA Story when I noticed that Mr Polly’s soup was served in a gigantic bowl, also filled only about 1/3 high. I was getting a little nervous now since we had asked to share the shrimp, and there were only four. Plus, the waiter did not give Mr Polly silverware to partake in the shrimp, so there was clearly no chance that they had heard us say the word “share” and that he would be bringing the remaining four shrimp on a separate plate post-soup. I had not ordered soup because I thought it would be too much food. I was sorely mistaken. So I saved Mr Polly’s two shrimp for him after trying as hard as I could to relish the strange tandoori sauce drizzled over my half.
By the way, my beer had still not arrived at this point in time. I had to ask the waiter to please bring the beer I had ordered at least 30 minutes previously when he came to collect our dishes. He nodded obediently, but I got some look like “uh, yeah,” like it was my fault that he hadn’t brought it already.
We waited a little while before the entrees were served. Having been forced to forego the scallop plate, I had decided to try the “stake [sic] with vegetables Chinese style” (1250rbs). Mr Polly chose the veal breast with crunchy vegetables in an orange sauce (1100Rbs).
Now let me begin my diatribe by saying that I selected the Chinese-style “stake” because (a) I figured a place with such a high reputation would do a good job with “Chinese style” and because (b) having been misled by the description of “Chinese style,” I had envisioned said “stake” and the alleged vegetables would be served up as a stir-fry. Boy, was I ever wrong. Instead I got another gargantuan plate with a small, not-choice cut of steak surrounded on either side by saut?ed bits of probably two mushrooms cut up real small, and three snow peas cut up real small (the small slices make it look like there is actually more than three to the untrained eye). The worst of it was that the majority of these “vegetables” was freaking Chinese lettuce!!! First of all, Chinese lettuce is an affront to any kind of real lettuce. Plus, lettuce isn’t exactly what you imagine when you read the word “vegetables.” To top it off, this mutant, evil spawn of the lettuce devil and the “stake” had all been soaked in some sort of cheap-tasting teriyaki (read: Japanese, NOT Chinese) sauce that really did not do much to help either the hateful Chinese lettuce or the tough meat. To add insult to injury, a few drops of the offensive sauce literally leaped off of my fork, staining my sweater. So I guess the lesson here is that even in Moscow’s best, any “Asian-style” sauce will do and that bok choi’s rejected deformed cousin Chinese freakin lettuce can make any dish “Chinese style.” Oh, and neither of us received steak knives despite both of us ordering main courses with meat. You can imagine what a joy it was to saw away at my wretched “stake.”
Mr Polly’s veal was served in two pieces, one with meat, and one that was 90% bone and 10% impenetrable grizzle. The “crunchy vegetables” were not crunchy, and consisted of about 12 rectangular slices of some obscure vegetable measuring roughly two inches long and ?-inch wide. Maybe they were carrots, I’ll never know and at this point I’ve no desire to find out. They were, as you could probably guess, presented beautifully. But that had started to lose significance. Mr Polly liked the meat part of the veal, which he said was very tender, and the orange sauce it had been cooked in. He also noted that this was the first place he’d gone with me to review at which he’d actually been able to eat everything he was served. That should help you understand just how ‘minimalist’ the very pretty servings are.
We were then offered the dessert menu, which has a large selection of pretentiously named sweets at prices ranging from 250-950Rbs. At least the English dessert menu had enough mistakes to be amusing, with choices like “Ring with ice cream” and “chestnuts muss [supposed to be mousse].” After the stake disaster, I was in a foul mood and nothing except the berries appealed to me at all, but at this point I was in such a snit that I couldn’t even bear to not have to pay 950Rbs for what I assumed would end up being three to five berries on a giant plate. Thank you, I’ll pass. Mr Polly, however, cannot pass up anything halyava, so he tried a creative little number with vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry sorbet surrounded by three “French meringues” and fresh whipped cream topped with slices of strawberry and a sprig of mint. Not bad. Now I was even more pissy because hey, I should have ordered a freakin dessert. He also ordered a latte but I didn’t bother looking to see how much it costs. Probably a lot. I just finished nursing my puny, overpriced beer.
While I simmered away in my silent little hissy fit, Russian Mr Polly hastened to note that you have to pay for atmosphere and ambiance. OK – to their credit, Vanil has got the whole interior design thing down right. The restaurant is decked out predominantly – and tastefully- in what we can call Asian style. The color scheme is light, eliminating anything even slightly resembling Moscow’s heavy and ubiquitous “wood factor.” The lights are dimmed – but not too much, and the music is played at a perfect, unobtrusive volume. There are plenty of tables, many of which were filled with clients before we left, and despite their close proximity to one another, Vanil really manages to retain a sense of intimacy at each table. You don’t feel crowded, but you do feel cozy. This could be a great venue to chat someone up, for either business or pleasure.
That said, I’ve experienced my fair share of atmosphere and I ain’t payin no 950Rbs for no berries. It was with a sigh of relief that I stepped out onto the sidewalk, breathing in the cool autumn air and rejoining the masses of car-less commuters, without even one wistful glance back at Vanil’s fabulous floor-length windows.

Culture picks

299.

Jewish Avant-Garde. Chagall, Altman, Shterenberg, and Others

Jewish Avant-Garde. Chagall, Altman, Shterenberg, and Others
The show will trace the emergence and development of Jewish modernism as a trailblazing phenomenon in 20th-century art. The exhibition explores one of the most dynamic periods in the culture of Russian Jews. The 1917 Revolution proclaimed the equality of all nations, which was followed by the abolition of residency restrictions for Jews that had been in force in the Russian Empire. As a result, dozens of talented Jewish artists and writers moved to Moscow and Petrograd, where they played a crucial role in shaping and advancing Soviet avant-garde. Thanks to newfound creative freedom, Jewish culture entered a period of unprecedented resurgence. Some of the finest Jewish artists such as Marc Chagall, Nathan Altman, Joseph Chaikov, Eliezer (El) Lissitzky, David Shterenberg, and other artists from various groups and movements made ingenious use of modernism’s innovations in their experiments as they sought to create «new Jewish art.»

300.

Jewish Avant-Garde. Chagall, Altman, Shterenberg, and Others

Jewish Avant-Garde. Chagall, Altman, Shterenberg, and Others
This spring’s central exhibition titled «Jewish Avant-Garde. Chagall, Altman, Shterenberg, and Others» is set to open at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center. The show will trace the emergence and development of Jewish modernism as a trailblazing phenomenon in 20th-century art.
The exhibition explores one of the most dynamic periods in the culture of Russian Jews. The 1917 Revolution proclaimed the equality of all nations, which was followed by the abolition of residency restrictions for Jews that had been in force in the Russian Empire. As a result, dozens of talented Jewish artists and writers moved to Moscow and Petrograd, where they played a crucial role in shaping and advancing Soviet avant-garde.
Thanks to newfound creative freedom, Jewish culture entered a period of unprecedented resurgence. Some of the finest Jewish artists such as Marc Chagall, Nathan Altman, Joseph Chaikov, Eliezer (El) Lissitzky, David Shterenberg, and other artists from various groups and movements made ingenious use of modernism’s innovations in their experiments as they sought to create «new Jewish art.»
The exhibition spotlights the evolution of the Jewish avant-garde in Russia — from revitalizing Jewish folk art, adapting its style for modern use, and reinventing its motifs to the avant-garde stage expressed in non-representational abstract forms.
National theaters, not least the Moscow State Jewish Chamber Theater (GOSET), were among the most important experimental platforms for the new art. Over the years, prominent cultural figures such as Abram Efros, Alexis Granowsky, Yehezkel Dobrushin, Solomon Mikhoels, and Marc Chagall worked for GOSET. According to many accounts, Chagall's theatrical compositions influenced not only the scenery of productions but also the performance of Jewish actors. Chagall’s series Introduction to the Jewish Theater, on display at the exhibition, is widely regarded as one of the pinnacles of his oeuvre. This section of the show will also include works by Alexander Tyshler and Mark Epstein, who collaborated with another avant-garde group — the Kultur Lige Theater Studio under the artistic direction of Ephroim Loiter.
Exhibitions of Jewish artists held in Moscow in 1917, 1918, and 1922 became important milestones in the history of the Jewish avant-garde. The show will feature a reconstruction of the 1922 Kultur Lige exhibition, which showcased works by Nathan Altman, Marc Chagall, and David Shterenberg. The curators of the new project consider that seminal exhibition to be the culmination of avant-garde experimentation both in these artists’ respective careers and the overall Jewish art movement.
A section of the exhibition is dedicated to the creative output produced by Jewish artists in the 1920s: from Alexander Labas’s original Cubist compositions, Alexander Tyshler’s color-dynamic constructions, Joseph Chaikov’s analytical sculpture, and El Lissitzky’s Suprematist Prouns (an acronym for «project for the affirmation of the new») to works made toward the end of the decade when avant-garde trends died down before Jewish art was eventually incorporated into the context of the new Soviet «grand style.»
The exhibition features more than 100 paintings and drawings by Marc Chagall, Nathan Altman, David Shterenberg, El Lissitzky, Robert Falk, Joseph Chaikov, Alexander Tyshler, Solomon Nikritin, Yakov Pain, Nisson Shifrin, Isaac Ber Ryback, and others.
The works on display at the show are on loan from the collections of some of Russia’s largest museums, including the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the State Russian Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Museum of the Jewish History in Russia, the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, the Nizhny Tagil State Museum of Fine Arts, as well as from private collections.
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301.

The Imprint of the Epoch. Vladimir Lagrange

The Imprint of the Epoch. Vladimir Lagrange
Lumiere Gallery presents the exhibition project “The Imprint of the Epoch. Vladimir Lagrange”, dedicated to the anniversary of the author.
Vladimir Lagrange (1939-2022), who would have turned 85, went down in the history of Soviet photography primarily as an outstanding reporter of the “Thaw” era. The sharpness of perception and sensitivity to the heroes of his time became decisive in the work of the master. His lust for life and tireless creative searches have been embodied in a rich visual archive, with which the Lumiere Gallery has been working for more than twenty years.
The exhibition continues the long-term research of the Vladimir Lagrange Foundation. The exposition includes a unique collection of more than forty works. For the first time, the public will be presented with original vintage prints from the collection of the Lumiere Gallery and the personal archive of the author, “contacts” – small frames demonstrating the creative reflections of the photographer, as well as collectible prints with the signature of the master.
The project was based on little-known works by Lagrange, revealing one of the most productive periods of the author’s work: “Installation of power lines, 1971”, “Intermission in the Kremlin, 1960s”, “Hooray, holidays! 1984”. The presented plots with portraits of workers, images of thawed childhood and essays on the instructions of the publishing house offer a deeper study of the author’s work. The exhibition also featured iconic works beloved by collectors and photography enthusiasts, such as “Goalkeeper, 1961”, “To work. Moscow, 1967”, “In a hurry. The 1960s”, “Young ballerinas, 1962”. Since 2007, Russian and foreign photographic collections have been replenished with works by Vladimir Lagrange. At the moment, the author’s prints are represented in more than eighty private collections.
Over the past four years, as part of personal exhibition projects, Vladimir Lagrange’s works have been shown in such museums and galleries as Mira Square (Krasnoyarsk), Yeltsin Center (Yekaterinburg), Progress Gallery (Kirov), National Art Gallery “Hazine” (Kazan), Samara regional Museum of local history (Samara), Lipetsk Regional the Museum of Local Lore (Lipetsk), the Erarta Museum (St. Petersburg).
Vladimir Lagrange was born in 1939 in Moscow. His interest in photography arose mainly due to his parents: his father worked as a reporter for the newspaper «Pravda», and his mother was a photo editor. In 1959, he came to work in TASS Newsreel as a student of a photojournalist, where he would spend four years, and then for a long time his professional life would be connected with the magazine «Soviet Union». Vladimir Lagrange is known as the «thaw photographer,» a time when the canon of art is changing: in magazines and newspapers, courageous heroes are replaced by romantic young people. Vladimir Lagrange is one of the first to understand what forms of expression the new generation is looking for. As a young professional, immersed in the life of the times of the thaw, Lagrange spoke about the era with a new expressive language. In 1962, the exhibition «Our Youth» — one of the main events of the year for domestic reporters — opens with a photograph of Lagrange’s «Pigeons of the World» (1962), against which the entire exposition unfolds. In May 1962, the magazine «Soviet Photo» publishes this work on a U-turn, and it will forever remain the «business card» of the author.
Moscow has always been famous for its pigeons (photo «Pigeons», 1972). This dovecote was in the area of VDNH, on Argunovskaya street, where the photographer lived in those years. She was visible from the window of the house. The Ostankino tower served as a contrast. Compact frame construction — black and white and nothing more.
In 1963, Lagrange began working in the magazine Soviet Union. The magazine, which continued the work of the famous «USSR at a Construction Site,» mostly created the myth of the USSR. Many doors opened before the journalist, thanks to which Vladimir Lagrange drove along and «shot» the country far and wide. In 1987, American publishers launched a large-scale project, «One Day in the Life of the Soviet Union,» in which Lagrange also takes part.
In 1964, Vladimir Lagrange, for the first time as a tourist, visited France. He shot an unknown country and extraordinary everyday life, and after returning in one night, he printed more than two hundred photographs. In addition to France, the photographer travelled to Italy, Poland and Afghanistan, where he went to shoot the withdrawal of troops.
In 1991, the era of the USSR ended, and the magazine «Soviet Union» was closed. Vladimir Lagrange first goes to the Rodina magazine, and then to the Moscow bureau of the French agency Sipa Press and continues to shoot a social report in a manner peculiar only to him.
Vladimir Lagrange is a participant in the legendary exhibitions «The USSR — the country and people in art photographs», which travelled the world (1969-1975), as well as «The USSR — the country and people in art photographs» (1968), IV All-Union Exhibition «Seven Years in Action» (1963). Today, his exhibitions are held both in Russia and abroad.
The works of Vladimir Lagrange are in museum and private collections, and in 2002 the author was awarded the highest award of the professional guild of photographers and the Golden Eye of Russia Journalists Union.
More info

Culture Reviews

302.

Doctor Zoil & Monsieur Blumenberg (Italy)

Doctor Zoil & Monsieur Blumenberg (Italy)
What's two months in Moscow to most Muscovites at the start of winter?
Some say it's not even a warm up of what's to come. Others claim it's just a trial in mental preparation and will. And then there are those who feel as if two months in a city like Moscow is more than anyone may need for a lifetime.
For me, setting foot off that Aeroflot flight from New York at Sheremetyevo airport, only knowing how to say, da, niyet, spahseebo and pohzhalusta, and being 22 years old, after two months, everyday still feels like the first.
So, when expat.ru asked me to review Doktor Zoil and Monsieur Blumenberg at Cafe Keks, Saturday night, November 20, I didn't think twice about it. I hailed my first solo gypsy cab in Moscow and after some very broken and very pathetic haggling (in Russian of course), I found myself on the slick, orange, dimly lit street of Timura Frunze where I walked straight into the back lounge of Keks to find the Italian "bastard break beat" duo of Doktor Zoil and Monsieur Blumenberg eating, drinking, and talking to friends before the concert.
In true Italian fashion, the two were friendly, open and easy going to talk to, not only about their new Riviera Boogie project which they are currently promoting, but also about their interests and inspiration as musicians.
When asked about musical styles and where Riviera Boogie originated, Monsieur Blumenberg (also known as Chicco Montefiori) replied, "This particular one
(style) is bastard break beat...we like 60's and 70's soul...it is a mix of this, funk and bossanova...we were on the island of Capri when the idea came to us." With a nostalgic smile, Doktor Zoil added, "Capri is perfect...the weather, the food, the ambiance, just perfect."
While Capri may be the spot for inspiration, both Monsieur Blumenberg and Doktor Zoil agreed that Caf? Keks in Moscow is the ideal venue for playing their music. "This project works best in small clubs," Doktor Zoil said, "We like to see the girls dancing to
our music, and Russian women are just beautiful."
Russian women weren't the only ones doing the dancing on the compact dance floor. Everyone seemed to pack it in as the two played their eclectic mix of sax, flute, and bass combined with funky beats and energetic voices. Not bad for one of their first concerts with the new project.
However, Doktor Zoil and Monsieur Blumenberg are no strangers to the stage or the city of Moscow as they have performed here countless times over and plan on returning. "There is a great energy in this city and in the people," Doktor Zoil said, "It is always a pleasure to play here."
"And to be here," I smiled and silently thought to myself.

303.

Andy Warhol and Russian Pop Art exhibitions

Andy Warhol and Russian Pop Art exhibitions
The chips on the shoulders of cultural critics are many. Chief among them are the seeming lack of standards for defining art (“is Damien Hirst’s cow in formaldehyde really art?”) and the ability of pop icons to gain and hold onto fame by manipulating their image rather than their craft (“I felt like the 'P' was getting between me and my fans,” the newly-monikered Diddy remarked recently). As two new exhibitions at the New Tretykov Gallery demonstrate, pop artists make reinventing the self and erasing the lines between the beautiful and pedestrian into their own art forms.
“Andy Warhol: Artist of Modern Life” provides a comprehensive look into the artist’s career, beginning with his work in advertising during the 1950s, when he first moved to New York, to his collaborations with young artists (Basquiat, Mapplethorpe, Schnabel) in the 1980s, by which time he had become king of the New York cultural scene. Warhol’s interest in the interplay between mass-culture images and the self are on display in his famous silk-screen portraits. Present are his iconic images of Jackie O, Elvis, Mick Jagger, and Liz Taylor, not to mention himself. Warhol’s interest in representing the self is also captured in photographs of some of his favorite personalities, including Marilyn Monroe. Not to be missed though are photos of the marginal, the famous, and the marginally famous making up Warhol’s New York. The sets dedicated to Candy Darling, a Long Island transvestite who gained her own notoriety in the city, and Edie Sedgwick, who starred in many of Warhol’s films, only to be fatally saved by “associates” of Bob Dylan (so notes the text accompanying the photos), communicate the energy, novelty, innocence, and tragedy lived by Warhol and those around him. Warhol’s experimentation with the forms and subjects of art continues in the still-lifes presented at the exhibit. The paintings and silk-screens of everyday objects-a telephone, a Colt revolver, the infamous Campbell soup cans – serve as chronicles of a cultural moment when the boundaries between the artful and the everyday were dismantled.
The blurring between the ordinary and artistic is also exhibited in “Russian Pop Art.” Like the Warhol exhibit, “Russian Pop Art” is set up chronologically, running from Mikhail Roginsky’s and Ilya Kabakov’s work with everyday objects in the 1960s (matchbox, door, iron) to Vladislav Mamyshev-Monroe’s work, “Monroe-Warhol-Monroe,” an avtoportret of the artist dressed up as Marilyn fashioned after Warhol’s famous Monroe icons. While the sheer newness of these works for those of us from the West makes them interesting, a few pieces stand out. Yuri Vasilyev’s assemblage, “The Suffering of Modern Woman”, depicting the domestic life of a Russian housewife through a composition of photographs, copper wire, razor blades, and doorbells, makes a powerful visual statement. And the paintings of Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky, current darlings of Russian art in the West, provide a “portrait of our time” through eroticized and glossed-up images of fashion designers, strippers, yappies, mafia, and the like. If more politically-minded than the work of Warhol, the pieces in this collection continue the reflection and fascination with the everyday that inspires the pop art movement and vexes those who would rather keep the masses outside the museum gates. Read more
“Andy Warhol: Artist of Modern Life” and “Russian Pop Art,” from September 14th to November 13th, the New Tretyakov Gallery, 10 Krymsky Val. Tuesday - Sunday 10am - 8pm, last entry 7pm. Metro Oktyabrskaya, Park Kultury. Telephone: 230-7788/1378. www.tretyakovgallery.ru.

304.

Pelageya

Pelageya
It was a packed house on the night of the Pelageya concert at 16 Tons. The Friday club atmosphere was its usual cool, but the crowd started to get restless once it hit 11 o’clock: howling, clapping, and crying out Pelageya’s nickname for her and the band to start performing. It’s amazing to me how at only 17, she can inspire such enthusiasm in a place where she legally wouldn’t even be allowed in.
So just what is it about Pelageya, exactly? What makes her so special? According to a long-time fan, she is considered to be a national treasure here in Russia – so much so that since the age of 10, she has performed for numerous personalities in the past, including presidents and patriarchs. And yet by earnestly thanking her fans for their support over the years, it just might be that this 17-year old is not only famous and gifted, but humble as well. Such a glowing reference indeed, but if you’re still not convinced, just wait until you hear her sing...
Pelageya began the night with an aria, singing a capella and giving her band enough time to quietly set up and watch her in admiration. When the song was finished, she had left the crowd motionless for about a second or two before they started clapping. In a show of humility and unselfishness, she then quickly proceeded to introduce her bandmates one-by-one before they properly carried on. They began their set in the same manner at the Festival Avant a few weeks ago, and it was just the perfect way to prepare uninitiated onlookers and tag-alongs to their music.
Just like a few weeks back, the band played in fine form. Once again, the star is unmistakably Pelageya herself, but there’s no denying that she is surrounded with exceptional talent. Each band member could easily carry his own weight, and was given an opportunity to do so. I got the impression that their unique sound was a combination of different musical backgrounds and interests as well as endless hours of practice and rehearsal. This was made more evident with a song that had Pelageya singing over what sounded like ethnic music from Borneo. The combination of Malaysian instrumentation, obscure Russian folk lyrics, and Pelageya’s banshee-like delivery for this song seems impossible to pull off, but the band didn’t even break a sweat.
The next song sounded at times Middle Eastern, and at times Indian. It had somewhat of a sensual quality to it, and it featured Pelageya’s singing at its most seductive, kind of like Mata Hari reincarnated. They then did a popular number that demonstrated Pelageya’s 4-octave vocal range over an accordion-laced cover of the Mission: Impossible theme. This song had the crowd going bananas afterwards. However, the band knew they were in complete control, so in the next song they responded by going the other way…
Introducing the song with a groovy 70’s style bassline, the band seamlessly moved into a reggae vibe, topped with Pelageya’s angelic vocals. Her singing was serene, and her power to captivate became more evident with each song that passed. Songs that invoked all sorts of emotions and reactions, from agony, to silence, to wonder – it was all there. The band met her power with different musical landscapes, from Africanesque rhythms, to Miami conga beats, to Bossa Nova smoothness. The Russian-folk-rapping was there too, and so was Fifth Element chorus, again without the aid of computer audio enhancement. It was an awe-inspiring show, and the crowd was feeling it the whole way through.
In a short interview after the concert was finished, Pelageya told me that her main aim is to educate Russian youth about the beauty of Russian music. I myself grew up never having heard one Russian song, but it’s easy for me to say that this group is one of the best I’ve ever seen. They have such an uncanny ability to merge diverse musical styles from all over the world and fuse them with nearly-forgotten folk songs from the farthest reaches of Russia. Take this fresh, unique sound and add Pelageya’s unequalled vocal prowess, and I believe you have a group that has international success stamped all over them.
Russian or Expat, if you’re reading this review and you’re just a little bit curious, do yourself a favour: cop her albums, watch her and her band perform live. You won’t be disappointed. Pelageya is not only a national treasure but also Russia’s gift to the world.

305.

Violet Indiana

Violet Indiana
Robin Guthrie and Siobhan de Mare, formerly of the groups Cocteau Twins and Mono respectively, comprise the core of the band Violet Indiana, whose ambient sound and gripping presence graced the stage at B2 Thursday, 29th April. The band is currently on tour in support of their new album Russian Doll. A departure from their darker previous work, Russian Doll seems more upbeat and direct, approaching levity at times.
“Well it can’t all be dark and miserable, can it?” asked de Mare, when quizzed about her new, happier lyrical approach. This new style seems a culmination of a process that had begun for her with leaving Mono, where she didn’t have as much control over what was written and performed.
“I felt stifled in Mono, creatively stifled.” She commented. De Mare seemed anything but stifled performing at B2 on Thursday. The soft sounds of a recorded Violet Indiana give the lie to the more rock oriented, energetic and simply louder live version of the group. De Mar? kept the audience rapt throughout with her hypnotic lyrics and magnetic presence.
These assets were more than aptly matched by Guthrie, whose low-fi approach to guitar seemed to almost subtly upstage de Mare at times. His love for classic songwriting shows through in his simple melodies and clean tones. As the front man of the group, he also seemed to be its musical anchor, although the creative process is shared by de Mar?.
“Oh, you should see us in the studio. We yell, throw things, drink coffee and talk for hours before we get anything done,” said de Mar?. Whatever the process, fans seem to be satisfied, as evidenced by the large turnout on Thursday. The club seemed full by 11.00, and the audience sent up a rousing yell of approval as the band took the stage shortly thereafter.
One low point of the evening, thankfully unrelated to the music, was the setting itself. Traditionally an egalitarian club with lax face control (especially in the concert hall) B2 had roped off nearly every single place to sit, posting security guards who informed hopefuls that they were VIP zones. Apparently, of the 200 some concert goers, about 4 of them ranked a place in the “VIP zone” as that is how many people occupied the otherwise totally empty seating area towards the back of the hall. The rest of the music loving proletariat had to crowd into the bar area and stand in front of the stage – not really a problem for most fans anyway.
At any rate, all was forgiven and forgotten after the music started, and Violet Indiana’s soft melodious ennui began to take effect. While Russian Doll represents a new direction, songs about lost love and betrayal like “Liar” beg the original question; can it all be dark and miserable all the time?
“It can for me,” says Guthrie with a grin on his face. “I’m from Scotland; it’s a miserable place.”

306.

Avant Festival 2007

Avant Festival 2007
Drizzling rain started in the morning failed to hinder the admirers of independent...and simply good and trendy music from gathering at WinZavod where Gauloises Avant Fest 2007 took place, supported by the French cigarette brand Gauloises.Lineup of the Fest was so unpredictable that it was impossible to guess what kind the music was going to be. On the one hand, bands from different countries playing modern music were gathered in one place, on the other hand, stylistic and even age diversity of the artists excited apprehension that it would be impossible to mix it all into one juicy and sappy musical cocktail.At the same time Russian and foreign guests of Gauloises Avant Fest 2007 tried to keep up with the pace and stirred up the audience. The Ladybug Transistor made the onlookers raise their hands at the command. The Russian bands didn’t resort to such kind of tricks, but even without them Yolochnye Igrushki, Punk TV, Silence Kit and other bands sounded very competitive.The Headliner’s part of the Fest was the most memorizing, ShitDisco showed what the audience had expected – pert riffs, pulsating beat, vocals loosing into falsetto, undressing and shower-bathing. Long-expected God is an Astronaut was met with great ovation, and they kept the true post-rock style.The veterans of American grunge, whose music brought up more than one generation of music lovers, finally shook the audience. Just in a second the front of the stage became overcrowded, the band started playing dirty guitar grunge riffs so the onlookers stared dancing shouting and applauding. Thanks to Mudhoney!And we’re looking forward to the next Festival.

307.

Dolphin

Dolphin
Stagecraft is one of the great mysteries of music. How is it that some acts, apparently by force of personality alone, attempt to belie the limitations of their material by hiding it under layers of performance trickery while others offer next to no acknowledgement of an audience but still put on a good show? Long ago, goth godfather Andrew Eldritch talked of his early exploits with the Sisters of Mercy, admitting that much of it might not even have sounded like songs, but combined with the onstage smoke and mirrors they created a space "in which you could lose yourself, or more probably find yourself". Nobody, therefore, could accuse Eldritch of being anything less than pretentious.
But his words came to mind in the somewhat unlikely surroundings of a new restaurant-brewery on Novy Arbat when Russia's veteran electro-rocker Dolphin took to the stage. The venue, the recently opened Maximillians, seems to be working hard to blend two seemingly incompatible ideas - a pseudo Bavarian bierkeller with a playlist of alternative Russian rockers. It seems paradoxical, combining mass-market dining with acts who struggle for airtime in the shiny new world of Russian pop, but good luck to them. For years Novy Arbat has been the garishly-lit home of fading Fabrika Zvezdy no hopers with little to offer beyond long legs and over-produced chart fodder; now there is at last a chance to hear something worthwhile without plunging into the hipster hotspots of Krasny Oktyabr.
Which brings us back to Dolphin. If the moody synthpop of Mujuice is what is currently exciting the Afisha crowd, Dolphin, Andrei Lysikov to his friends, is the sorceror to whom the new kid has been apprenticed. He belongs to that wave of Russian acts which hit its peak around the turn of the millenium - perhaps at the point when the likes of Leningrad, Mumy Troll, Zemfira and the like were at their finest. Now these guys can seem half-forgotten, or trading bravely on past glories as a new generation outshines them. But, on looking at that new generation, it quickly seems that a decade of Putin-inspired stability has changed Russian music - or its audience - radically. Where there was once a mass market for bands trying to be different, the country is now in the depths of a retro revival which sees Stas Mikhailov's crooning rated as the acme of influential celebrity. So-called "Alternative" music gets itself invited to chummy little singalongs with the president (yes, Mr Samoilov, I do mean you), and a generation of listeners looks abroad for something to stimulate its ears.
Or looks to the past. Dolphin might be old news, but he still draws a Friday night crowd large enough to turn an intimately-sized restaurant dancefloor into a scrum which gives the evening most of the disadvantages of an arena gig (hardly anyone can see anything) without the benefits of that larger scale and a big stage to exploit. Which raises the whole stagecraft question. Dolphin prefers not to address his audience, or even make himself particularly visible behind his drum kit as the stage is strafed with strobes or plunged into violet gloom depending on the whim of the lighting crew. Inter-song repartee is replaced with white noise or chugging drumbeats which slowly morph into the next number - so slowly, on occasion, that the band has time to slip off for a quick drink before returning to action. And yet, like those early Sisters gigs, it works. Beneath the unprepossessing exterior lies a heart of synth-rock menace, studded with echoes of Depeche Mode (because no Russian musician growing up in the 80s could escape the DM influence) and carrying forward the darker shades of the electro movement. Fans of The Faint will find much to admire, followers of Front 242 might pick out something worth hearing. And those who like good beer and good music will be back at Maximillians in due course to sample more from a venue where appearances can be deceptive.

308.

Stereo Total

Stereo Total
Stereo Total’s third Moscow appearance celebrated the fifth anniversary of the club Art Garbage – reviews of recent gigs elsewhere promised an entertaining Friday evening.
French born Fran?oise Cactus, (Van Hove) and Berlin native Brezel G?ring are Stereo Total. Together for almost ten years, the pair has established a strong following, evident in the large number of people filing into the courtyard area of Art Garbage from the early hours of the evening.
The open outdoor area of Art Garbage gives a very comfortable European feel, maybe spoiled somewhat by the very ‘naff’ yellow sun umbrellas. The retro lounge music played live on original vinyl created an enjoyable atmosphere in which to eat and drink in the lead up to the main act.
The crowd eagerly awaited the start of what promised to be a great show, and handfuls of Russian locals, a few arty Ex-pats and a lot of French and German cult followers began jamming into the side room from 10pm.
In contrast to the outdoor area the room itself has a very Russian design. A small, square shaped room made of brown brick; it has a shelf close to the ceiling which boasts a number of clay sculptures, portraying some recognizable people of Russia’s past.
10:45 pm, into a room already clouded with smoke, Brezel G?ring took the stage with an appreciative roar. Clad all in black - PVC pants, leather jacket, short sleeved business shirt and tie, he is in stark contrast to his partner who appears dressed casually in jeans and a flowery shirt.
The set made up of a wide mixture of songs ranging from 70’s disco, to punk, to garage rock, to rockabilly, and in languages including French, German, English and Japanese, is performed with a chemistry that certainly proves why they have been together for almost 10 years.
The pair very casually spoke earlier of their coincidental meeting in Berlin. Already involved with musical projects (Brezel was in a band called the Sigmund Freud Experience, Fran?oise in a garage band called The Lolitas), they wound up living on the same street, where passing hellos turned into regular conversation, and ended with the recording of their first single “Allo j'?coute”, and eventually becoming Stereo Total.
Driven by their desire to travel, and need to connect with audiences in their own language Stereo Total proceeded to develop a wide variety of styles and sing in a number of languages, casting the net very widely indeed.
A crowd favourite from Friday’s performance was definitely Supergirl. Brezel enjoyed winding the crowd up with his soft voice and lively rhythm, while Fran?oise charmed with her own brand of comic satire while playing everything from the tiny drum set to her red heart shaped guitar.
If nothing else Stereo Total gave this crowd an experience with no musical boundaries; short catchy song tunes in more languages then were understood by most (sorry, no Russian… yet!) , and they managed to entertain the packed room with no particular stage effects of any kind. Devoted followers and new Russian fans can look forward to Stereo Total’s new studio album to be released later this year.

309.

Statsky Sovetnik (Councilor of State)

Statsky Sovetnik (Councilor of State)
Directed by Filipp Yankovsky. Written by Boris Akunin. Starring: Konstantin Khabensky, Vladimir Mashkov, Oleg Menshikov, Nikita Mikhalkov. Russia: 125 min (cinema version)/208 min (TV version). English subtitles.
By Sam Gerrans
Review top sheet: a fast-moving, somewhat bewildering caper featuring Fandorin, the Russian Holmes-Poirot hybrid mutation.
The author, Boris Akunin, is famous for his highly successful series of books with Fandorin as the centrepiece who masterfully deduces his way through carefully constructed – some say contrived – sets of circumstances not unlike a three-dimensional crossword puzzle. This film is cut of the same cloth. But does it work?
Yes and no.
Will you like this film?
• Yes, if:you’re a Tretyakovskaya Gallery enthusiast and culture vulture keen to up your ratio of Russian-to-Western film intake (or at least make that one Russian film) and are willing to do whatever it takes to say you’ve seen one
• No, if: you don’t understand Russian fluently and are relying on the subtitles to keep you in the picture
• Maybe, if: you’re an Akunin junky – and there are plenty – and are keen to know how it all works on the big screen
Comments: this film starts well, has a great cast and – visually, at least – is tastefully and skilfully put together. But the fact that the cinema version is essentially a cut-down version of the real version (i.e. what will be shown on TV once the cinema demand peters out) really tells. The strain of such a mammoth edit (a full quarter of the film) leaves the cinema experience sparse – even threadbare – in places.
Whoever engaged the subtitles translator should be shot at first light. It ought to be obvious, but quality written translations are only possible by a native speaker of the target language. But the producers of Russian films still think that if a first-year student delivers them an “English” translation featuring English words which he, the producer, personally doesn’t understand, then it must be okay. The trouble is, no one who really does speak English can understand it either.
Even with fluent Russian, the film is a jerky, uncompelling fiction fortified to some degree by Mikhalkov’s person charisma and idiosyncratic dialogue. Vladimir Mashkov makes an appearance, reheating the mad-dog intensity of his Ragozhin in the objectively excellent 2003 Russian production of “The Idiot”. Menshikov is reserved and controlled – as per type – but ultimately uninteresting. I respect and like him as an actor, but his distant and cerebral Fandorin failed to engage me.
We can’t blame Akunin for being unaware of the excellent Western antidote to this entire genre in the person of the hopeless Inspector Jacques Clouseau of the Pink Panther films. If he had been, he would have thought twice about giving Fandorin a Japanese martial arts expert as a houseboy. As soon as the oriental domestic sidekick came on, the Western section of the audience thought the same thing: Cato!
Then we were left half-expecting a swift descent into farce which never came.
Out-of-five star ratings:
• Story: **
• Dialogue: ****
• Substance: *
• Film craft: ****
Story comments: the film kicks us into the plot superbly in the first ten minutes, but it’s pretty touch-and-go thereafter.
Akunin is a writer, he’s not a screenwriter. They are different disciplines and I wonder whether he was really the man for the job of screenwriter here.
Be that as it may, the story failed to hold me – much of it being circumstantial, superficial and contrived – and I satisfied myself with Mikhalkov’s highly entertaining performance.
Dialogue comments: the dialogue is great. Funny, apposite, and in some ways descriptive of Russian attitudes in general.
As is common with whodunnits, characters don’t so much arc as unpeel which Mikhalkov’s character, Pozharsky, does in a most engaging manner.
The rest of the cast – and their related roles – flail about in an attempt to imbue their worlds with significance, but I wasn’t convinced.
Substance comments: whodunnits don’t really need theme, but they do need plot. The problem in this case is that it’s all too complex and convoluted for us to get our teeth into the full meat of the plot because we are working with a stripped-down version of the real, fuller version for TV.
Instead, we satisfy ourselves with personality, namely that of Mikhalkov’s Pozharsky.
Now, Mikhalkov has a view, and whether he was technically the director or not, you can be sure he was top dog on set. And he’ll be damned if he’s going to charm us for 125 minutes without giving us a good dose of what, for him, constitutes the chief causes of the beleaguered state of Mother Russia. It’s a form of ranting and you can indulge in it if you’re as accomplished as he is.
But I wish he would stop. My feeling is that if Mikhalkov stopped trying to save the Russian people he would start making better films. His thesis is that if everyone got with the Mikhalkov program national suffering could be reduced.
I beg to differ on the basis of national character rather than politics. Eight years in this country have shown me that – whatever they might profess – deep down, Russians have an ingrained passion for avoidable tragedy. If they didn’t they would learn to drive properly and wear seatbelts. Without the constant possibility of imminent and superfluous calamity something is just not quite comfortable in the Russian mind. At the very least they get bored. And no amount of Mikhalkov cinema is going to induce them to stop – perhaps unconsciously – straining to experience something which, in truth, they like. We all strive to make our lives significant the best we can, and this is but one tack.
The great works of Russian literature and cinema explore and demonstrate this strain of weirdness in all its festering destructiveness. Historically, however, the works which have seriously tried to effect a change of any kind have been uniformly mediocre.
Film craft comments: beautifully shot. Perhaps not quite on a par with “The Return”, but still a highly pleasing – though somewhat absorbedly patriotic – visual experience.
A taste of the story: Fandorin (Oleg Menshikov) gets drawn into a distilled version of what must have been at some point a more convincing and fully-baked whodunnit (not to mention, whosdoingit) plot.
Sam Gerrans is a freelance writer and translator: http://samgerrans.com.

310.

Robbie rocks Moscow with his music and charm

Robbie rocks Moscow with his music and charm
Robbie Williams lived up to his reputation as Britain’s most exciting pop star as he wowed Moscow’s cavernous Olympiisky stadium with a blistering set few will forget in a hurry.
In his first Russian concert Williams mixed rock anthems and romantic ballads together with an engaging and cheeky wit to provide a spectacle that was lapped up by the adoring Moscow public.

The near-capacity crowd, already delirious with anticipation, erupted as Williams emerged, hooded like the grim reaper, and blasted straight into the appropriately named “Let me entertain you”.

The powerful sound system was barely audible over the cacophonic din of thousands of screaming fans. The army of old women checking tickets and police in fur hats struggled to keep the mainly teenaged girls in their seats and prevent them from rushing to the front.

The atmosphere calmed slightly when Williams plucked one lucky girl from the crowd and serenaded her with the love song “Come Undone”. There was more audience participation later when he taught the crowd the lyrics to his ballad “Strong” and then invited them to join in singing it.

With his devilish good looks, playful manner, and a few well-rehearsed Russian phrases, the former member of boy band ‘Take That’ quickly managed to charm even the most grim-faced spectator. The fact that the crowd knew the music well and that Williams played the biggest hits from his last three albums certainly helped.

He basked in the crowd’s reaction and showed his appreciation with plenty of the slap-stick humour with which he has become synonymous. His attempt to devote a love song to a couple in the audience failed comically when he was unable to pronounce their Russian names. Much to both his and crowd’s delight he dedicated the song to "Alex and Urghhhh".

After an impromptu duet with his dad Pete, who he invited onto the stage, and a little-known acoustic number dedicated to his late grandma, the hall began to shake to a thunderous rendition of “Supreme”.

Old and young alike enthusiastically sung along, swinging their hips and waving their arms. Even those perched on the frighteningly high third tier could not resist the infectious desire to dance.

The show ended with a rousing encore of two of his most popular hits. Rock DJ really did rock. By the time the customary cigarette lighters appeared to accompany the romantic “Angels”, the usually cheerless Moscow police had long given up hope of suppressing anyone’s fun and a few of them could even be seen waving their batons in time to the music.

The energy and enthusiasm of Williams as he jumped ran and on one occasion Cossack danced across the stage was incredible. This really was more than a concert. He had pulled off arguably one of the most entertaining shows of the year without the help of a team of dancers and large television screens.

311.

The Scriabin Museum classical performances

The Scriabin Museum classical performances
The young lady I tutor in English asked me the other day if I hated Russia. "You always grumble about being here . . ."
Shocked by her observation, I explained it's due to disenchantment with world politics, but innerly resolved to re-adjust my attitude. Henceforth, in line with a fresh attempt to seek out and savour the "other Russia" (as she put it), I vowed to breathe culture weekly.
Wednesday evenings at seven, modest concerts are held in the cozy hall of Scriabin Museum. The Museum is hidden in a little alley off Stary Arbat. You can find it by walking towards Arbatskaya from the McDonalds and turning left onto Bolshoi Nikolopeskovckiy pereulok. The Moscow State Academic Philharmonic provides performers while about seventy blue-plastic footed housewives compose the audience. They're really cute.

Once we all settled into the warm, golden walled hall, an adorable Russian lady with blue eye-shadow and halo hair stood up to announce the program. She kept mixing up what she was supposed to say but only because she was lost in the joy of presenting such talented artists. "Tonight an award-winning young lady will sing for you." "!!!!Play the piano!!!!" "Oh yes, of course, a pianist."
Chopin must have sat and listened a lot to rain fall, and brooks babble and rivers rush. So we sat and listened to lots of interlocking patterns of complicated water drops. Scriabin’s portrait benevolently surveyed the proceedings. Chopin had been a spring of inspiration for the late composer so he seemed pleased with the rendition.
Have you ever read a novel about Russian aristocrats? Along with sitting in drawing rooms speaking French, they go to the theatre and inevitably attend balls. Old dames’ gossip. Little Masha gets excited about her entry into society. The gentlemen smoke cigars and plan who to propose for a whirl. Meanwhile, corseted coquettes in jewels and satin, wax melancholy imagining their vexation if adored Alexandr doesn’t ask them to dance the Mazurka.

Ever intrigued by why the mazurka so appealed, it was a delight to hear about ten variations of the Polish folk dance. It almost seemed unusually rigid for a favourite song (there were surprising light moments in the rhythm), but apparently it's accompanied by foot stomping and heel clicking. The girls must have had a thing for that. The Mazurka would also be the last number . . .

Scriabin is a composer to be respected, especially as he allows Muscovites to use his home for concerts - so along with offering him a bouquet of red roses, the pianist dedicated an entire half show to his compositions. I had never heard Scriabin's work before. What marvellous ruminous music! This man was a thinker. He pondered how the melody felt while forging the line's progression instead of just intuiting it. The first song sounded like a plough tilling a field while leaving the top layer of soil unturned. In the second it was the same mechanism, but now mixing the soil and the plants above. I thought it was great. I'm going to buy a Scriabin CD and listen to it when I think about politics.
The Scriabin Museum hosts classical performances every Wednesday at seven. For a taste of Russian culture in a comfortable setting surrounded by unpretentious people, check it out. In February, the second and twenty-third will be vocal performances. On the ninth a quartet playing Shostavovich and on the sixteenth a chance to hear Scriabin, Ravel, Poulenc and Mussorgskii pieces.

312.

News from Helsinki: LCMDF & Kira Lao

News from Helsinki: LCMDF & Kira Lao
Finnish music is not generally noted for its sunny side - making LCMDF possibly the least Finnish band ever to emerge from Helsinki. If Moscow audiences are familiar with the flamboyantly OTT operatic metal of Nightwish or the lo-fi indie of bands like Husky Rescue, an onslaught of shouty bubble gum pop from a vivacious pair of sisters came as something of a shock to the system. Far from the crystalline sounds of the frozen north, or the quirky ruminations of a society on the fringes of Europe's cultural mainstream, this was an all-out, in-yer-face assault of summery vibes. British readers of a certain age may recall the annual Radio 1 Roadshows, bringing a couple a big name broadcasters to seaside towns with an agenda to disperse perky pop music to fun-starved provincial audiences: LCMDF would have fitted that bill perfectly.
The music is mostly a blast of mouthy rap, hollered out over bombastic synth sequences, with lyrics about everything and nothing, in the finest pop traditions. Unkind critics might hear echoes of the notorious Spice Girls, although without the polished sheen of mass production; a more generous view might evoke rising Russian girl duo Obe Dve, fellow members of the vanguard of socially acceptable pop for people past school age. And yet there is also evidence of musicality in the mix - during one of the few less frenetic moments of a high-energy set, the two sisters close harmonize with real skill, albeit briefly.
Otherwise, though, it's up-and-at-'em stuff, with vocalist Emma Kempainnen taking every opportunity to leave the small stage in China Town and mingle with a crowd which was slightly too hipster-ish to be seen dancing. And on-stage energy was not without its pitfalls: barely halfway through the opening number a flailing mic stand took out one of the spotlights. "It's my first time in Russia, and I've broken something already," Emma mused.
Not only did LCMDF offer a stark contrast with many of the other artists brought here in the on-going "News from Helsinki" concert series, they also offered a stark contrast with Russian support act Kira Lao. The elfin vocalist has garnered a growing underground reputation after winning last year's Indyushata prize and earning high prize from influential local critic Artemy Troitsky. Meanwhile, over the course of the past year, her music has changed in emphasis, with her initial dark folk steadily making way for a heavier, rockier sound.
Naturally, 'rockier' is a rather relative term: the presence of a cello and a gusli (a Russian folk instrument similar to a zither) on stage is testament to a broadranging palette. But if Kira Lao's concert performances of a year ago were rather reflective, delicate affairs, the Dec. 2011 model is louder and more abrasive then before. Throw a few torch songs into the mix "Drunk Tango with a misanthrope", "Not your cup of tears" and the closest thing to a political statement of the evening, "He was a woman", introduced with an explanation that while "most people are protesting against Putin, we're protesting against guys who act like girls". For the moment, however, Kira Lao still seems to be better served by the recording studio than the live stage. Problems with the mix affected the start of the set, and while Kira herself is a powerful vocalist she still seems slightly awkward on stage at times. But there are already ample signs that the music deserves the buzz growing up around it.

313.

Vremena Goda Orchestra/Bulakhov

Vremena Goda Orchestra/Bulakhov
The Seasons Italian-Russian Festival in St Petersburg (& Moscow)
Italo-Russian Festival triumphs with new works, young performers and unusual repertoire.
By Neil McGowan
Innovative programming is a rarity in Russian classical music these days. The demise of the USSR (and its funding for the Arts) unexpectedly resulted in not more interesting listening, but less – now that orchestras have to be more-or-less self-financing, the same trend towards “Classical Pops” is happening in Russia as elsewhere.
All the more welcome, therefore, is the annual appearance of Moscow’s Vremena Goda orchestra in “The Seasons” Festival in St Petersburg – this year’s theme being Italo-Russian music.
The opening concert took place in the Great Hall of the St Petersburg Philharmonia – a venue which still requires some mental concentration to avoid calling it “The Leningrad Phil”. Viktor Kuleshov gave a dazzling account of Vivaldi’s “The Seasons”, playing all four concerti without a break. No less remarkable was the quality of string playing from the orchestra itself, honed to a fine standard by maestro Bulakhov – it cannot be coincidental that he’s a former violinist himself. The second half of the program was given over to Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. The work itself is somewhat uneven, and the excellent chamber choir LEGE ARTIS didn’t really have enough to get their teeth into. The soloists are more generously provided-for – Svetlana Rossiyskaya was particularly stylish in the mezzo arias, although Giovanna Manci seemed a little unwell in the soprano pieces.
A highlight of the Festival was Tchaikovsky’s Souvenirs de Florence (op 70) in a spirited performance with Bulakhov at the helm. The last movement kicked off at a lick that seemed impossibly ambitious at first, but with careful pacing the adrenalin was still coursing through until the final bars, bringing plaudits from the audience that were richly deserved. Contemporary composer Mikhail Bronner’s “And tomorrow will be better than yesterday” (for alto saxophone, trumpet and orchestra) seemed a little over-extended, but was given a bravura performance by two soloists yet to reach the age of twenty – Sergei Kolesov (saxophone) and wunderkind trumpeter Kirill Soldatov (still aged only 17, but already appearing as a soloist both with Vremena Goda and Virtuosi Moskvy).
Another new work in the Festival was the piano concerto “A Game of Chess” by the exciting young Krasnoyarsk composer Irina Belova (b. 1975). It’s a remarkable piece which develops the tradition of the “soviet piano concerto” into something that is thoroughly contemporary, yet clearly acknowledging its legacy to works like the Khachachurian Concerto, and the Shostakovich Concerto No 1. Ksenia Ovodova (also from Krasnoyarsk) skipped through the phenomenal technical requirements of the work with ease and grace, and found the l Pounce, where are you? yricism lurking beneath the spikier surface. It’s a sobering thought that she’s only 14. However, Alexandra Elina in Sammartini’s Recorder Concerto displayed no lesser technical prowess – and Alexandra is only 9.
A complete change of medium and mood was offered by the Italian piano-duet brothers, Aurelio and Paolo Pollice. Personally I would have preferred their program presented in the reverse order? Their staggering rendition of the Stravinsky’s piano-duet version of The Rite Of Spring was a piece-de-resistance, but the first half made-up of lollipop items (primarily arrangements of Italian Opera numbers for C19th domestic performance) would have been better coming afterwards.
The vocal highlights finally came from Madama Manci, however, who offered a bel-canto treat including Tosti, Bellini and Verdi. The central item was the closing scene of Norma (Act 2), in which Manci was joined by Svetlana Rossiyskaya as Adalgisa – in the true spirit of an Italo-Russian festival, the combination of an Italian soprano with a Russian mezzo, orchestra and conductor produced a completely convincing and stylistic account which brought the house down. It would be unfair not to mention in the same program a super performance of the little-known Rimsky-Korsakov arrangement of “Three Arias from Glinka” for Chamber Orchestra, with a sparkling cello solo as an added bonus.
Muscovites unable to attend the St Petersburg part of the Festival had the chance to hear some of the highlights at a special concert in the Concert Hall of the Tolstoy Museum on 19th February, including Svetlana Rossiyskaya (this time partnered by fellow Helikon Opera soloist Marina Andreeva) in the Norma extract, the Souvenirs de Florence, and the Rimsky/Glinka pieces. Alexandra Elina had another chance to charm too.
Orchestra sponsors Gorodissky & Partners, and Festival Sponsors Optima-Invest are to be congratulated on a progressive policy of supporting new work and young performers that not only bucks the trend of “pops with imported stars”, but delivered artistic rewards in spades. The theme of the 2005 Festival is French Music – since French repertoire appears even less regularly than Italian in Russia, we await it eagerly.

314.

Avant Festival 2004

Avant Festival 2004
“So, how do you feel about today’s big event?” Very casually, I asked Maxim this question, at which point he turned his attention towards an ominous-looking dark cloud that had appeared just above us. He signaled to one of his staff, pointed above, and abruptly rushed off, leaving me behind. Without so much as uttering a single word, my question was answered. On that freezing cold Saturday afternoon at Gogol, the concern on his face showed one thing: for Avant to be a success, the weather gods had to be merciful.
Maxim (of Vega Dreams Promotion) is the head organizer of Avant, an alternative music festival sponsored by the Russian music site zvuki.ru. The aim of this festival was to bring to stage a wide variety of acts and display an assortment of styles, from drum & bass to alternative rock to acid-jazz. Various bands from all over the world were invited to play in the 8-hour festival, most notable among them Russia’s own Tequilajazzz.

The First Half
As one would expect, the first half of the event was not as interesting as the second, as there weren’t as many people yet. In spite of this, the earlier (mainly local) acts were eager to show what they were made of. The opener was Silence Kit, a local experimental rock band whose sunglass-wearing cello player made me immediately assume so. Their music seems to have this somber, ethereal quality to it, as if it came straight out “The Crow” movie soundtrack. Because of their eccentricity, this was a good choice as a first act of an alternative music festival.
After the opener, the crowd had to wait more than half an hour of in-between time before the next band was to perform. This became the precedent, and I soon learned that the bands actually took more time for setup than actual performance.
The next act to perform was Iva Nova, a band that produced sort of a Russian progressive-rock sound. Their style had contained many elements of traditional Russian music, particularly the accordion and the babushka-like vocal stylings of the lead singer. After this was Nebo Zdes', which sounded like how Pearl Jam would if Eddie Vedder was born in Russia. Their music had more of a jazz-lounge feel to it though, but this was the only way for me to separate them from the numerous clones inspired by Pearl Jam.
The Second Half
In the second half, amidst all the waiting, exiting, and re-entering, I treated myself to a sprinkling of the foreign bands, on what sounded like some space-age electronica stuff. Among them, I was most impressed with Schwarz, a Spanish band with a German name. They seemed to have a psychedelic feel to their music, and I could sense some Hindu mysticism and 60’s California surfing culture in it, too. Around this time, the crowd had gotten bigger, and the vibe definitely livelier. It might have been because of the interest in the foreign bands, but personally, I was happier to have witnessed one Russian band in particular: Pelageya.
Earlier in the day, I had watched them rehearse, and I was eager to see them live in front of the crowd. They did not disappoint. They represented the best that this festival could have hoped for: truly exceptional, fearlessly experimental music that left the crowd thirsting for more. Their music was a fusion of many different elements. Aside from the regular drum/bass/guitar configuration, the band also had an accordionist who played virtuoso-style, and a percussionist that played the cowbell and Congo drums with wild abandon. They had enticed the crowd by beginning with their unique rendition of the familiar “Mission: Impossible” theme, and owned it with a variety of rock arias, Russian rapping, and ska-infused folk songs. The only time the crowd seemed unhappy was when their demands for an encore proved of no avail.
There was no doubt in my mind that each band member was in top form, but clearly the lead singer stood head-and-shoulders above her band mates. Pelageya Khanova’s style and vocal range were amazing – at times even superhuman – going from angel to banshee in one breath. I couldn’t help but have images of the blue alien opera singer in “Fifth Element” playing in my mind. It was my first exposure to this remarkable talent. To me, and perhaps the other initiates that were present, her vocal prowess made me think love at first sight. I look forward to the opportunity to seeing them perform again.
The Finale
Later at 10 pm, the main headliners Tequilajazzz stepped on stage, and met with immediate approval from the crowd. It was at this point that the festival seemed the largest; it looked like about 300 people were in attendance. The edgy alternative rock style of the band was ironically ‘safe’ compared to the other acts in the festival, but they were mainly invited to draw crowds in the first place. The band was definitely given finale treatment, with lots of smoke, colored lights, and cameras flashing. The fans gave the band a lot of love, and despite the fact that it was freezing cold outside, Tequilajazzz gladly turned up the heat.

Overall, the festival was good, and the organizers were successful in attracting the right variety of people to attend. Thankfully, there were no suits, who tend to ruin the vibe of any party. The main complaint I had with this event though would have to be the amount of setup time in between acts; as there was far too much waiting around in such a small place. But in the end, the crowd atmosphere and band artistry made the event a hit. Maxim should be happy; the weather gods let us have fun tonight.

315.

The Dead Brothers

The Dead Brothers
They may not be brothers, and they are certainly not dead, but Swiss ensemble Dead Brothers did bring the lighter side of passing into the beyond to Moscow club B2 last Thursday as part of a two-stop tour (with a second gig in St. Petersburg).
Formed in Geneva as part of the Swiss experimental-music scene (yes, there is such a thing), Dead Brothers put out their first record in 2000. Heavily influenced by genres and musicians as diverse as Kurt Weill, cabaret, French chanson, psychobilly and Tom Waits, Dead Brothers brought their signature mix of high concept, low sleaze and just a good old time to the stage. In keeping with their motto — “dead music for dead people,” in a nod to a similarly named album by those icons of punk-rockabilly, the Cramps — they came out decked in their trademark pallbearers’ outfits and proceeded to treat the audience to a unique evening.
Dead Brothers’ songs tend to be about, well, death. But it’s by no means a melancholy group — no, the Dead Brothers approach to our universal final end is closer to that of an Irish wake, a celebration of our mortality. And celebrate they did, belting out both originals and classics (including the old blues number “St. James Infirmary” and the Cramps’ wall-crawling “Human Fly”) on guitar, drums, accordion and tuba. Hailing as they do from Switzerland, probably one of the most polyglot places on Earth, there is no surprise that they sang in English, French, German and Italian — though not in Russian, unfortunately though they did suggest that a Russian interviewer join the band and perhaps do some translation service. The lyrics were done in the raspy, nicotine-coated whine/growl/bellow style that did so much to propel Tom Waits to as close to the level of stardom as one can get on the cult stage — and which has become de rigueur for so much experimental music that tries to stir up blues, country and roots into a single eclectic mix.
That cabaret had a strong influence upon the group was evident as well by the theatricality of their stage show, which involved much hamming and shuffling about the stage in a (presumably) staged alcoholic stupor — think “The Threepenny Opera” with attitude and on a three-day drunk, and you’ll get a good approximation of what the band is like on stage.
B2 was a good choice of venue. Dead Brothers is something of a dance band, its dismal theme notwithstanding, and has got to be one of the only groups I have ever seen that can turn a funeral dirge into a no-holds-barred foot-stomp.
There is no word as to when and if Dead Brothers will be back in Russia. The band members themselves say that, though they have always tried to play further south, something about the Northern climes seem to draw them there. After all, celebrations of darkness may seem more relevant at a latitude where, in winter, the sun can be just a hazy recollection than in balmy Italy or Spain. In any case, if they do come back, don’t miss the opportunity so see them — after all, who knows when the bell will toll for any of us? It could be your final chance.

316.

Holger Czukay and the new Millenium

Holger Czukay and the new Millenium
"Yeah, but they don't listen to the music or the words - they're thinkin' "What's his socks? What's his shirt? What's he going do next?"" - Malcolm McLaren
It was probably a mistake for B2 to list this as a concert – Holger Czukay is probably more in the genre of “performance artist”. You might not know him, but you know his character… the potty professor, the clown who wants to play Beethoven, Pierrot Lunaire? Or more recently, the deluded musical ambitions of John Shuttleworth?
Czukay’s “act” involves him appearing as a kind of demented Phantom Of The Opera, who concocts musical soundtracks in a strange laboratory of electronic instruments, devices and unusual props. His long greying locks (he’s now in his mid-60’s) fly to and fro, sweat pours from his brow as he leaps from his mixer-desk like Igor in Frankenstein’s lab – tweaking a dial, tuning something in, staring at the mixer-desk incredulously, dancing with delight at the results. From time to time he simulates playing, or actually bangs-out a few notes on various musical instruments – a keyboard, an electric guitar, or an exceedingly battered French Horn. He goes through the motions of “sampling” these sounds, although what you actually hear does not include them. It’s much more to do with theatre, and less with music. In fact the music coming through the sound-system is mostly being mixed by the DJ at the desk behind him. Exactly what role Czukay has played in assembling the soundtrack that’s finally heard in the performance isn’t clear.
The influence of Karl-Heinz Stockhausen (with whom Czukay has worked) is clearly audible – there are hints of both “Metamorphosen” and “Hymnen” in the music, although laid over a rocky disco beat. But the personage whom Czukay plays seems to owe something more to quirky pranksters like H.K.Gruber? In fact, the bizarre lab setting and occasional dark gothic mumblings into the microphone produced a strong echo of Gruber’s “Frankenstein!”
What the audience at B2 made of this strange spectacle was not entirely clear – although he certainly managed to clear the floor quite quickly, as a stream of people began leaving after the first ten minutes. The problem, really, is… we have all seen all this so many times before. It’s a staple item on kid’s TV – the old guy who makes a fool of himself doing kid’s stuff. Once it became apparent that the act is just Czukay playing with electronic equipment and getting more and more excited as the sound grows and expands…. and that nothing more happens than that… a somewhat restive crowd began to make up its own mind. If the show hadn’t started nearly 1.5 hours late, Czukay may have found them in a better mood? As it was, the build-up provided by the DJ’s sound-system had already worn thin on those waiting, and instead of happily dancing etc, many people were already sitting on the floor out of boredom before the show even began.
Full marks to B2 for bringing unusual events like this to Moscow, though. It would be interesting to speculate how well the audience would have received the same show if the performer had been Russian? Somehow a foreigner is able to get away with re-hashing old hat on stage in Moscow more easily than a Russian might?

317.

Guru

Guru
B2 is spacious, but – and this is the point that I made to DYKO when they confronted me by email about a bad review – it can get full. Take last Thursday’s Guru concert, which was packed to the hilt with homeboys who paid 900 rubles a corn-rowed head for entrance. Cha-ching! Cue B2 rolling around naked in cash.
For the rare and happy occasion of a hip hop concert, my sidekick and I rolled in blinged out in the works: puffy J.Lo jackets, fat DSquared2 belts, dollar-sign earrings, skull-and-crossbones rhinestone necklaces. While “Jennies from the Block” were a big hit with the security guards, the dress code inside was less ghetto fabulous, with maybe only five full sweat suit ensembles. As it turned out, Guru blew us out of the water. Taking the stage on hip hop time, which is an hour and a half late, he emerged like the lost member of Run DMC, Bic-bald with gold chains and a “Hip Hop 4 Life” neck tat (!), accompanied by his associate MC Solar, so named because he’s “5,000 degrees, burning yo’ ass.” Solar’s role is repeating the last word of whatever Guru says on stage.

High points of the concert were a song with a chipmunk-voiced “Live and Let Die” chorus and Guru doing push-ups with his legs on the speakers, impressive for a 38-year old man. Actually, most of the show was a high point – I have not waved my hands like I just did not care since DMX performed at B-Club last fall. Two nine-year old boys won Guru’s contest of who could scream “Yeah, mothaf*cka, yeah, mothaf*cka, yeah!” with the most enthusiasm, and he brought them on stage.

There was, however, tangible friction between Guru and the Russian homeboy contingent, such as when the rapper asked the audience “Are any of you old enough to drink?” or singled out people in the crowd that he didn’t like. (Poor “kid in the sweatshirt.”) For what its worth, the crowd seemed to really dig him, although there were some bad apples. We found ourselves standing by the stage next to a drunkie throwing Sieg Heils. Concerned it would turn into a “situation” when Guru focused in on what the crazy white boy below him was doing, we returned to the rafters.

In his between-songs monologues, Guru expressed a preoccupation with the threat of people swiping his style and passing it off as their own. After enough of this, I too became paranoid. My friend started wearing skulls after me – did people think it was her idea? But a lot of this was lost in translation for the crowd. At one point, Guru tried to introduce a new piece of vocabulary to name these insidious identity thieves, “swagger jacker,” an expression found in no Advanced English Conversation textbook. It confused the hell out of everyone. Also, the traditional rap call-and-response (Rapper: “When I say ‘X,’ you say ‘Y.’ ‘X!’” Crowd: “Y!”) crashed and burned when Guru tried to get too sophisticated with it. E.g. Guru: “When I say ‘Jazzmatazz’, you say ‘Dropping a new album ‘Seven Grand’ in 2007. Ready? ‘Jazzmatazz!’” Crowd: “Uh, Jazzmatazz!”

But other than that, what a great show! We grew together as people. As Guru told the audience, “It doesn’t matter if you’re a rapper, a carpenter, an artist or a ‘Russian gangstaaaa’ – you have to work hard on your game.” And that’s it – the fuel to be the best Expat.ru culture reviewer that I can be.

318.

DJ Mad Mark

DJ Mad Mark
There is a theory that a House music DJ from, say, New Jersey will sound pretty much the same as a House music DJ from, say, Singapore, or indeed anywhere else on the planet these days. This is based on the fact that all DJs all over the world now have access to the same music, and just about all of it, via the Internet. So when one of Moscow’s best nightclubs – Fabrique – invites the thirty year-old DJ Mad Mark from Switzerland to play, the proponents of this theory ask simply “why bother?”
In answer, the why is because foreign DJs are still widely considered worth listening to more than local Russian talent. Why this is so you could possibly put down to the “foreign = better” mindset that shows up time and time again throughout Russian history, or it could just be down to the novelty value of the foreigner - he doesn’t play here every weekend like the locals do. But whatever the reasons, a foreign headliner draws crowds – the formula works – and Fabrique know this only too well - the place was packed Saturday night.
I have a soft-spot for Fabrique. Apart from the one utterly dumb, out-of-character and completely unforgivable insufficiency of toilets – about eight cubicles for a club that can hold 1500 – Fabrique does everything right. Pleasant staff – and lots thereof – especially behind the (ample) bars, reasonable security, quality soundsystem, undesirables not allowed in, mega flash millionaires to a minimum, and great music. I say great though it really isn’t my bag at all – pumping disco-House and poppy nouveau electro House – dreadful – but it works. It’s what the punters want, so be it.
The set of the resident DJ who was on before Mad Mark – DJ Sasha (not to be confused with the British superstar DJ of the same name) – was pretty damn good indeed. Again, not to my liking personally but technically perfect and worked 100% on the ‘floor. Lots of quiet bits then build-ups, sexy vocal tracks, all at the universally very-danceable 132 beats per minute. However, this guy was supposed to be the so-called “warm-up” DJ. Yeah, right. He was playing stomping peak-timers back to back relentlessly (theory: peak-timers non-stop for two hours is intense – things need to be calmed down a bit – and if it falls on the headliner to do this, the calming-down can be viewed by the floor as his not being so mad (a compliment) and of headlining stature, and thus, not as good as the “warm-up”). So you had to feel sorry for the (I’m sure furious) headliner when it was his turn to step up to the wheels of steel. Poor chap.
He did a good job however of easing the pressure off a bit though – playing along similar lines of the “warm-up”, but a little more discerning: some really very well-done House cuts and brand- new choice promos (I haven’t heard them on the Internet yet and I check out just about all new House releases daily – trainspotter alert – but you sussed that already with my mention of beats per minute, right?! But I digress…).
As with most international DJs of late he didn’t bring much vinyl with him, mainly just CDs, and probably mostly CD-Rs with downloaded tunes on. Wise move. Less shoulder strain.
All in all - a great night, and I wasn’t even keen on the tunes. That just goes to show how all the non-music elements that go towards making this club what it is really do make a difference. A grade A to Fabrique; grade B given to DJ Sasha (for insolence), and another grade A to Mad Mark for professionalism in a tight spot.

319.

Hird

Hird
While atmosphere and ambiance are always crucial factors for the success of any art performance, they simply set the stage for what the audience has actually come to see. In this case, it was Swedish sensation "Hird" who traveled to Club Zapasnik, Friday, December 17, for his Moscow debut.
The setting was perfect. A low-key, somewhat hidden, off the main road Moscow night club in Kitai-Gorod. A small venue. A young Russian crowd. Everyone eagerly waiting and enjoying the usual after hour amenities of cigarettes and alcohol. A dimly lit room. Strands of sparkling Christmas lights hung across mantle-type bookshelves which housed countless rows of plastered head sculptures piled haphazardly on-top of one another. And an equally fitting, cozy stage made way for cool Swedish trio "Hird" to play their melancholy, electro, lounge-type, easy listening tunes and beats, but...
That's just it, but... Something was a bit off. Like a teacher with no lesson plan in front of a roomful of expecting foreign students, pencils ready, eager to learn, Hird seemed a bit unprepared for the youthful, energetic, always ready to let loose and dance to fast paced tech-no music Moscow crowd.
Don't get me wrong, it's not as if Hird was booed off stage, pelted with tomatoes, and sent packing back to their hometown of Gothenberg, by a bunch of rowdy teenage Muscovites upon their first note. Technically, everything was ready. All the ingredients were laid out. There were no glitches in sound, no confusion, in song order, nothing of that sort. It was just that things had a bit of a slow start as Christoffer "Hird" Berg encouraged the audience to dance when they were still skeptical and not ready which gave way to a "normalny" middle as the beer began to kick in and people made their way to the floor to sway to the dreamy tunes, and smooth exotic voice of Yukimi Nagano, which after a little over an hour made for an anticlimactic end where people were dancing but far from "going crazy" as Berg kept insisting. It seems as if "going crazy" to such relaxed, sweet melodies was somewhat of an oxymoron at that point. Or maybe Swedes just have a different definition of "going crazy." The question on my mind was, "Where's the khalinka in this place?"
In true Russian fashion, the 21-yr. old charismatic, baby-faced Hird was truly embraced and appreciated for coming to Moscow to share his personal work which has already been making a splash across Nordic countries and Japan, however, it may still a bit too green and lacking in versatility in such a fast-paced, still molding city. Perhaps a clear indicator of this came as Hird went back on stage for their encore performance announcing, "Now, we're going to play 'I Love You My Hope' again and I want everyone to really go crazy and dance this time."
As Hird said in referring to his music, "I don't like to define myself or my music as an artist...It would be a mistake to because then I wouldn't be open...this is why I keep changing." There is no doubt this Swede will be back for another round in Moscow to perform his already original, nostalgic tunes...hopefully, there will just be more of them.

320.

Alina Orlova

Alina Orlova
Alina Orlova’s delicately-wrought miniatures can easily take on the aspect of chamber music – and as such might be better suited to one of the smaller halls at MMDM rather than Moscow’s bars and clubs. In a packed 16 Tons not even a room full of loyal fans could inspire an evening which really showed off her music to its best.
The Lithuanian singer-songwriter has been steadily carving out an international reputation for herself, and has a growing following here in Russian, many of whom are word perfect in her songs. That’s some achievement considering that Orlova sings in Russian, Lithuanian or English. Meanwhile her second album, Mutabor, got an international release earlier this year amid enthusiastic promotion from Travis frontman Fran Healy, who lobbied for her song “Vaiduoklai” to be included as one of seven tracks on a sampler of emerging international artists.
Her work, tending towards the meditative, largely revolves around keyboard hooks and ethereal vocals: at times it’s like listening to the lesser-known offspring of Phillip Glass and Tori Amos. Critics have described it as “a high-trilling voice and a unique line in exhilaratingly dark, Baltic folk pop”. That’s only part of the story, though. Orlova has taken the stage at “Lady in Jazz” events as well, and her work is too versatile to be pigeonholed into any one genre.
Despite the praise for her music, it’s a fragile, high-pitched sound, and one which is easily shattered when the mix isn’t quite right. Sadly, with an overly harsh reverb on the upper registers of the keyboard and the higher-pitched vocal lines, that mix was exactly the problem with this show. It still wasn’t without it high points. Orlova is nothing if not versatile, and moved easily between the rather classical-sounding combination of keyboard with strings to a stint with only a piano to help out. Alone on stage, she suddenly came across as more of a cabaret singer taking a moment to ease off the tempo and pick out a more reflective number – albeit one which strayed far from the standard formula. Perhaps surprisingly the best moments came when the ivories ceased to be tickled. A plangent, folk-inflected lament accompanied by dense chords on a solo violin was a show-stopping highlight; a second number with Orlova taking up the accordion also worked well. But too many of the tracks from Mutabor got lost in an unhelpful acoustic: the likes of Sirdis lost their crystalline subtleties somewhere along the way.
That was hugely disappointing: much of her music works beautifully when it can be properly heard, and the up-tempo numbers – particularly “Amerika” – went down well with the audience at 16 Tons. But it took a long time for the show to really warm up, and with a set lasting barely 75 minutes time was not a luxury Orlova really had. It seems that she is now at something of a crossroads: in her native Lithuania she made her reputation on the back of her “cozy” shows, and her Moscow sets have tended to come to venues like this one, or the similarly compact Masterskaya. But increasing popularity means “cozy” quickly becomes “overcrowded”. However, translating such low-key, intimate music to a larger stage risks it becoming totally overwhelmed. Until an answer can be found, it might be worth sticking with the CDs.

321.

Scissor Sisters

Scissor Sisters
I have to admit that I did not want to leave the house for this show. It had been raining outside all day, and the temperature felt like we had been propelled overnight into Fall. The combination of a piece of New York (where I somewhat like to call home) and a band with three queens playing rock n’roll piqued my curiosity just enough to slide myself off the couch. My fianc? and I made our way over to Hermitage Gardens, my first time, to see a mixed group of Russian youths ready for their next musical invasion. Moscow had its first evening with the new international music sensation from the States: the Scissor Sisters.
Claiming to be a rock band that brings the disco-like feel of the Bee Gees back to the airwaves the Scissor Sisters have a very unique groove to their rock. The constant energy of their music keeps the listener feeling happy and their toes tapping. Their music is the kind you put on before going out for the evening, something to get you excited about the night to come. Unfortunately, that was all this show was: a short pre-party! Beginning about 8:00pm, the show only lasted for about sixty minutes, quite disappointing for all the promotion and production done for the event. On top of this, there was no opening act to lengthen the show. With tickets at 660R, I expected at least a ninety-minute set, with an opener. Understandably, having only one full-length cd, containing forty-three minutes of music, they did not have a lot of material to work from. It would seem though that for the price of the ticket, at least one other act should have been added to the bill. So as we all ushered out of the gardens, it was a feeling that we just paid roughly twenty dollars for an opener to our evening.
The gardens themselves were not the best setting for the event. The pristine gardens and well manicured lawns of Hermitage Garden did not compliment the funky feel of the music With hippy-like girls dancing through the flower beds, it was a nebulous, overcast view of how the seventies American-hippy era might have felt at that moment. Quite refreshing though, seeing young Muscovites breaking their stoic mold and embracing a little musical art, no matter what the setting was. Almost no one was immune from the dancing and singing, forgetting the cold, rainy weather and just enjoying some rock n’roll.
I must say I was impressed with the Scissor Sisters show itself, though. Their short, sixty minute set was jam packed with energy, hailing more from their theatrical past than from their new rolls as rock musicians. Babydaddy, the lead singer of this crazy bunch sang with such passion you would think he was in the middle of a Broadway musical. Paired with his large, theatrical dance moves, he floated around the stage cradling his microphone, creating a new image for the rock-star. His sidekick Ana Matronic was just as animated, adding a bit more rock n’roll to her character though. Shaking her tambourine (sometimes two), standing steady at her mike, she held the image of a funk sister, jamming passionately to the music that moved her soul.
I have to say overall I was very impressed with this band, bringing the blood of American rock n’roll, adding a bit energy from Broadway, a hint of the John Travolta-era disco funk, and finishing it off with a prideful salute from the rainbow colored streets of Greenwich Village to round out of their dynamic style. As they all held hands, bowing in unison, botching a final “Spacebo” in their limited Russian, the Scissor Sisters left the audience feeling just as their cd would: happy, energetic and ready to party.

322.

Lydia Lunch

Lydia Lunch
Last Thursday, the controversial American feminist punk singer, writer and poetess, Lydia Lunch, played a low-key gig at B2 as part of her tour to celebrate her 25 years in the music business. In what was one of the most hyped ‘underground’ concerts in recent times, the gritty New Yorker who has in the past worked with such musicians such as Nick Cave and German anarchists, Einsturzende Neubauten, gave Moscow a brief taste of her confrontational brand of vocal hooliganism.
She was joined on stage by her long time friends and fellow musicians Terry Edwards, Ian White and James Johnson. The small cramped smoky stage was the perfect setting for Lunch’s dark and tortured persona. The small crowd that had gathered in the pit directly below the stage seemed to slowly grow impatient as the 11 p.m. start time came and went. The relatively expensive ticket prices had seemed to put few people off as more and more fans pushed their way to the front. All around the balcony a mainly Russian crowd struggled to balance pints of freshly poured Nevskoye whilst trying to jostle their way to the best position. Then the lights came on. The dark arena was filled with an incredibly eerie green glow. The three male musicians made their way to their instruments before the rotund Lydia Lunch dressed provocatively in a revealing black top with a black top hat, appeared on stage.
She said few words to the crowd, preferring to let the music do the talking. The backing group played their first chords confidently. Lunch swaggered from side to side glaring at the crowd as if a wild animal ready to pounce on its prey. She then let fly with her first song.
Her strong American accent was as overpowering as it was tuneless. Her voice, gritty after years of touring and heavy smoking, seemed to swallow the words that came from her mouth. It was difficult to determine whether she was actually singing in English. There contrast of the band’s superb sound and the weakness of the lead was disappointing. The crowd was left confused. Lydia Lunch was too; rather oddly she had to read the lyrics of her songs from a song sheet. All but the die-hard fans struggled with her stream of incomprehensible noise. They did not know how to react. Some moved in time to the music, others nodded their heads backwards and forwards. They were at a loss to understand this music. Lunch’s sexually explicit and confrontational lyrics lost their edge in a mist of wheezy screams and missed notes.
Her singing style would have embarrassed even the entrants of down market karaoke contests. It certainly was painful to listen to. The spoken tracks, where Lunch voiced her thoughts to an accompaniment of heavy guitar chords and drumbeats, were more successful. Her monotone delivery, radical ideas and the moody backing music were well suited to the intimate, slightly seedy atmosphere of the club. However this was most certainly lost on the Russian audience.
Obviously Lydia Lunch has got talent; her career would not have spanned decades nor continents if it were otherwise. Unfortunately her concert in Moscow last week was not up to the hype that preceded it. I was tempted to buy one of her CDs that were on sale around B2 but was scared off by the horrible thought that her Moscow performance may be typical.
So is Lydia Lunch really one of the top ten most influential musicians of 1990s as has been claimed by some elements of the American music press? Well, thankfully she probably is not; otherwise 1970s punk rock (where lack of singing talent was no obstacle to success) would still be popular today.
Robert Lees

323.

Moloko

Moloko
“I’m sorry but I only know one word in Russian – its ‘moloko’”, joked Roisin Murphy to a lively Moscow crowd at the Hermitage Garden last Thursday evening. Well that was fine by us, because it was Moloko we were there to hear!! As the rain clouds cleared to make way for a beautiful May evening, the band took to the open-air stage and treated their audience to a spell-binding performance that’s not likely to be forgotten.
If you only know Moloko through the pop anthems ‘Sing it back’ and ‘The time is now’ – I suggest you go and listen to their latest album ‘Statues’. If you’ve never heard them live – I strongly suggest you get a concert ticket as soon as you possibly can! In fierce contrast to the critics who have called them ‘Trip-hop chancers’ and ‘Popstar wannabes’, Moloko have proven themselves to be capable of producing some of the most daring and interestingly eclectic sounds of the past few years. And to see them on stage will literally leave you screaming for more!
Can you tell I liked it? The thing is - I would have loved to have hated Moloko. I have a bit of a snobby attitude towards the charts and anything labeled as ‘pop’!! But I stand corrected!! Though, to describe Moloko as a ‘pop’ band is in my view, merely for wont of a better word. Their music contains elements of trip-hop, rock, dance, 60’s soul, funk and yeah…ok….pop. But it doesn’t conform to any rules and certainly doesn’t fit within any of those definitions. Plus, as opposed to most pop artists, these ones are actually oozing with talent!
The band came into being in 1994, after Dublin-born Roisin Murphy sidled up to music producer Mark Brydon at a party in Sheffield and asked the now infamous question: ‘Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body.’ The pair soon embarked on a love affair and a musical collaboration which have tested both their personal and professional limits. 8 years after their aptly-named debut album ‘Do you like my tight sweater?’, ‘Statues’ tells of the end of the romance but testifies to the on-going strength of their creative energy.
Fine. But what about the concert? Well, the setting was delightful, and the crowd reminded me of the kind of trendy audience you would see back in Britain – none of the typically Russian OTT fashion victims!! It was a nice number, big enough to create an atmosphere, but small enough for the whole concert to have quite an intimate feel. Even a short sharp rain shower didn’t quash the good vibe: people just danced with an array of multi-coloured umbrellas bobbing up and down above their heads!
The music was performed using a clever mix of live instruments and electronic samplers and keyboards. The guitars and drums formed a base to which Mark added various beats anddistortions and even symphonic strings, creating an intricate and powerful musical ensemble – original, modern, high quality stuff. But the music seemed like a painter’s canvas – a worthy backdrop, waiting to be brought to life by the master’s touch.
In effect it was Roisin’s impressive vocal talent and mesmerising presence on stage which lifted the concert to levels of excellence. She was incredible. In a single breath she could seemingly effortlessly switch from soul diva to rock chick to choirboy! She sang faultlessly throughout all of her mischievous capers on stage: lying on her back holding her fishnet stocking-clad legs in the air, sprinkling herself with rose petals, goose-stepping across stage in a policeman’s hat, flicking off her stilettos (nearly blinding the sound engineer!!), drinking, smoking, dancing, bending over patting her behind… She was note perfect! She never faltered!
She self-admittedly “likes to dress-up”. Now whereas for your average pop star this would mean changing from one ultra-trendy outfit to another, Roisin chose a range of accessories varying from a silver biker’s helmet and oversized goggles, to a gold magician’s cloak, an outrageous theatrical headdress and an antique fur shoulder piece complete with tails which swung as she moved! Brilliant!! We just couldn’t take our eyes off her! No matter what she wore, or how she danced, she was sexy, sassy and stunningly beautiful. You could tell she was enjoying herself, and so that infectious energy permeated the crowd, who in turn, fed their enthusiasm back to her. This interaction culminated in a moment which sent not only the audience but the security staff wild: with a cheeky grin and a simple question “If I jump, will you catch me?” she threw herself off the stage into the arms of the audience below! As soon as she was back on her feet – she did it again!!
Despite all the fun and antics, the highlight, for me, was when the band played the album and tour title-theme ‘Statues’: Roisin just sat, without looking at anything or anyone, and sang the hauntingly beautiful song with such bare emotion that it sent a shiver down my spine and brought a tear to my eye… Powerful stuff indeed! After the finale of the much-awaited ‘Sing it back’ the crowd whistled and cheered and were rewarded with an encore in the form of the heavy, imposing beats of ‘Ramses-Colossus’. It was a fitting end to such a hefty performance.
We all know that there are many levels of nuance and meaning to the Russian language. But I can tell you that for me, and everybody who was at that concert on Thursday night, the word ‘moloko’ has now taken on a whole different dimension!

324.

Jeans Team

Jeans Team
Sixteen Tons…..what do you get on a Saturday night? A unique band from Germany with excellent visual graphics and a unique style is the answer. The image of a club named Sixteen Tons conjures up in the minds of expats a dank warehouse constructed of concrete with few amenities. However, this is Moscow. In Moscow, a club called Sixteen Tons gets you six burly doormen and an interior is that of dark wood and rich upholstery quite dissimilar to the minimalist craze that has been sweeping Moscow’s clubs interior as of late.
Jeans Team from Berlin Germany is what you get when you mix four band members with different musical tastes and styles. Jeans Team is made up of a dynamic four-person team of Gunter, Henning, Franz, and Reimo. While some of Jeans Team minimalist sound music was new to Muscovites the only people that weren’t dancing when Jeans Team played were the large doorman guarding the stage. Reimo and Franz awed the crowd with their unorthodox dancing styles. Jeans Team played for a 1 ? hours including a 30-minute encore. Jeans Team was able to rotate the playing of their instruments and each member of the band made their own unique sound on each instrument. They played such songs as Eatin’ Up and Stomp. Jeans Team songs ranged from punk electro to minimalist sound music. Jeans Team’s graphics show perfectly mimicked their music showing minimalist shapes that bopped about the screen.
The individual members of Jeans Team are as unique in musical style as they are in there own dress. Henning looked not unlike an ice-cream truck man dressed in an all white button-up shirt and pants ensemble with a black ribbon around his neck. Gunther looked a bit like a preppy frat boy in khaki cargo pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt titled “Hard”, while Franz looked very rock and roll in black leather pants and a vest, while Reimo was the boy next door in jeans and a short-sleeved polo. Four unique styles that blended together very well.
One thing that the members of Jeans Team agree about is that they refuse to be branded within the electro music scene. Music labels use brands to market CD’s to a customer….even the savvy customer of electro music. The definition of brand is “a word, mark, symbol, or term, both visual and oral, used for the purpose of identification of some product or service.” The definition of branding “is an ancient mode of punishment by inflicting a mark on an offender with a hot iron or the marking of cattle for identification purposes.” In the genre that is electro/techno music they are many brand and sub-brands that large music label usually force upon their artists to appeal to a particular “niche market”. There are so many that most people don’t know what the labels mean or which group falls where. There is Progressive, neo-industrial, electro clash, Neo 60’s, electronic dancefloor, Bastard Pop (bootleg mixes), quiet guitar electronica, retro dancefloor, electro hip hop, break dance, noise electro, classic electronic, geek electro, “keine melodien" is very impressive when remixed by techno deejay mj lan. Also peaches' cover version rocks like hell. Their regular style is more computer-oriented though, goth electro darkwave, synth pop, elaborate pop house, neo pop, dance floor NU wave, neo wave…….just to name a few. Jeans Teams has refused to be branded by playing an amazingly wide range of music and playing each show in a unique way.
According to Jeans Team, in Berlin the Russian clubs have a lot of rock and ska rock music; however, they have been very well received throughout their Russian tour. If asked to classify their music Jeans Team would lean toward part punk and part electronic. However, Jeans Team refuses to put a label on their music. Gunther’s influences were hard punk rock with a touch of 80’s German music, while Henning enjoys pop music. Jeans Team is a real electronic band and that’s how they differentiate themselves from their competitors. Jeans Team composes and plays their music together. While most electronic groups are made by a single person using a computer Jeans Team writes and plays its songs together. They only started using a computer 1.5 years ago. Jeans Team is unique because its music is made up of different styles and influences composed by everyone in the band. Jeans Team 2nd LP is almost finished and will be out by late summer or early autumn. The second album will be different from the first because it is broader. Jeans Team uses a computer for the first time on their 2nd LP. While Jeans Team was influenced by Spaceman 3 and Spiritualized they are interested in a variety of music from African music to the Velvet Underground.
Jeans Team was on the last leg of their Russian tour; their finale was in Moscow. They have been to Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saratov, and Rostov-On- Don. The tour was sponsored in part by the Goethe Institute. Their first album “Baby” was released in 1996. Their latest album is Gold and Silber released 09/02. Their other albums are Ding Dong, Baby 3, and Keine Melodien. They formed their own label Nadel Eins in 1998 to have more artistic control over their music and help other artists release their own music. Jeans Team formed a label Nadel Eins to release their first two 7” singles when they couldn’t find a record company to release their songs. For more information have a look in the shop or on www.jeansteam.de or www.nideleins.de.

325.

Eagle-Eye Cherry (Sweden)

Eagle-Eye Cherry (Sweden)
I recall the early days when I was learning to play guitar, and the song “Save Tonight” was one of the first that my friends taught me. It was simple, catchy, happy, and best of all, girls just loved it…
Flash forward 6 years later, and upon seeing the Culture Picks section on this site and the subsequent press that came soon after, I just couldn’t pass the opportunity to cover this event. Just imagine the excitement I felt when I opened up the invitation – and discovered that I had a VIP pass – for a celebration where the guest of honor was one of my early guitar idols!
Upon our arrival, it would appear that the star of the night was actually not Eagle-Eye Cherry, but the venue itself. In the glitzy celebration which marked the 1st anniversary of the Hard Rock Caf? here in Moscow, good ol’ EEC was merely icing on the cake. Regardless, the good people of Hard Rock went all out: beautiful and friendly staff, balloons, ice sculptures, and free champagne and cocktails were a sight to see.
The atmosphere was wonderful, and the crowd was a great mix of sponsors, socialites, and people who were ‘just there for the music’. In fact, probably the biggest fan that night was one of the servers, moving from table to table selling flowers, not missing a single word in her lip-singing. Regardless, the unusual mix of people, Russian and Expat alike, made for a wonderful vibe that lasted for the whole night. And with all the merriment going on, it felt like a nice, tall ice-cream sundae…
With a Cherry on Top
This was an event mainly designed for the privileged, a way for them to get together, unwind, and maybe recapture the spirit and vibrancy of their youth. And in this regard, maybe EEC could be looked at as the poster boy. One can also take this literally of course, as he’s remained virtually unchanged in appearance since peaking in the Billboards of 1998.
The event was heavily covered by the media, and even some famous Russian celebrities were on hand. In what was to fill up EEC’s hour-and-a-half delay, many of these personalities took their turns on stage, representing TV, media, and popular music. Even the Managing Partner took to the stage, ending his turn with some visionary words: “Let’s all have a f*ckin’ great time everybody!”
Once Eagle-Eye Cherry and Co. went up, the atmosphere went from festive to electrifying. The dude was ready to rock, really feeding off the crowd’s vibe. Only pausing to change guitars, he progressed through each song with the same confident, radio-pop sound. Criticisms could be leveled at this guy for his fragile voice and simplistic rhythms, but he sure knew how to work a crowd. His easy-alternative style hit the mark with “Falling in Love Again”, as the song’s cheesy goodness was food for fans. To compensate for his vocal shortcomings, he performed “Don’t Give Up”, a slow-tempo rock anthem that had him playing off his band with great effect; so-so vocals, great backup.
Save Tonight
EEC’s stage magic hit its peak with this song, the obvious choice for a finale. This was where he took the night back, establishing himself as the true star of the show. At no time was the crowd louder and more animated, with many (including yours truly) happily singing on. Maybe it was the overall energy of this song, but EEC really gave it all he could. This was his baby, his claim to fame, his opus! The song was the climax, and I was reminded of my memories of practicing, listening to the CD with the track on repeat… And there in front of me was the man himself: Eagle-Eye Cherry, playing “Save Tonight” in all its humble 3-chord majesty! It was awe-inspiring.
Feeling drained yet wanting more, I joined the crowd’s ovation and pleas for an encore. The band was happy to oblige, finally ending with the rhetorical crowd-pleaser, “Are You Still Having Fun?” Just before heading backstage, EEC was eager to show his gratitude, taking bows and expressing his appreciation for the fans, repeatedly saying “I love you Moscow!” From beginning to end, the crowd loved him back.
Descending down the stairs of Hard Rock Caf? Moscow, I saw the “Happy 1st Birthday” ice sculptures remain strangely intact, seemingly unaffected by the heat and electricity of the party above. However, the event overall was a great success, if the sudden disappearance of event posters were of any indication. That very familiar song was still playing in my mind as I waved to the staff and thanked them before exiting… The people of Hard Rock and Eagle-Eye Cherry gave us all a night to remember.

326.

Brazzaville

Brazzaville
On Thursday night at 11:30 pm, Moscow nightclub B-2 hosted Brazzaville, a cool-jazz pop group from Los Angeles. Earlier in the day, lead singer and composer David Brown shared some of the band's history at a press conference at internet-cafe in Soyuz music shop.
A diminutive figure in a peaked cap and pencil-thin moustache, Brown dealt calmly with questions such as whether he liked Moscow ('yes') and if he would like to play in Brazzaville, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ('if I had enough security'). When one journalist asked Brown why he named the band as he had, he explained that the word 'Brazzaville' seemed uneasy to identify. He chose it not so much for the African city as for an imaginary city 'that would seem like a good place to escape to in an alternative world in terms of music and art'.
Brazzavile grew out of L.A.'s thriving coffee-house culture, and all the band members had been friends or acquaintances before joining. The six-piece group resembles a jazz ensemble more than a pop group, with double-bass,brass and accordion joining the traditional drums and guitar. Brown cites his influences as including punk, French Impressionism and Jorge Ban for his willingness to repeat phrases over and over, inducing a meditative state.
Brown also talked about anunusual project of his: rigging a ship with a stage and living quarters for musicians to tour the world by sea. He envisages that the cargo ship (fueled by used peanut oil) will stop at major port cities and give concerts to on-shore audiences.
For now, however, Brazzaville is on tour promoting their second album,'Rouge on Pock-marked Cheeks'. The album consists of eleven songs, all composed by Brown. To my ears, the music seems unremarkable: soporific jazz for pop fans. Retro kitsch, with the use of bongos, mellofton, and faftisz organ seemed inviting in the first song 'Motel Room' but palled after four songs with more of the same.
Another problem is the lyrics, which are educated but riddled with bad rhyme and cliches. In 'Rainy Night', Brown exploits the glamour of drugs and male prostitution under the pretext of wringing his hands at them:
At 14
He was an adolescent
Beauty Queen
Slammin' speed
& working on the NY streets
Oh dear!
Oh dear? Men of Brown's age and origin and are not supposed to talk like that! 'Genoa' is a political song about the last three meetings of the International Monetary Fund, which were crowded with protesters. Brown lets his feelings be known in ambiguous language:
Seattle
D.C.
Gunships in Genoa
Not me
It's not clear what the last line actually means. Luckily, he explained his political stance at the press conference, saying 'I'm not "anti" anything. I'm anti-globalization but I'm also anti-anti-globalization.'
But who ever said that a pop star has to be a rocket scientist? If you can forgive Brazzaville’s weak lyrics, there is a certain attraction in its relaxed rhythms and muted rock sounds. And indeed the band has an international following, the Brown-sound overcoming cultural barriers to strike a common chord: no easy task for any band.
On the big night there was a crush at the door and the concert hall was absolutely packed. A Russian translator introduced the band, the other band members arrived on stage and started tuning up and jamming, preparing the ground for David. He came on stage, dressed in his trademark peaked cap, to loud cheers and whistles. Then the band started up. Unfortunately the sound was a bit garbled--I don't know if it was due to the acoustics of the venue or to the mixing. It didn’t matter much, however, as everyone was having a great time swaying to the music or simply gazing at the stage and soaking up the groove.
Reportedly Brown had no idea how the Russian audience would receive him. He must have been relieved and amazed by the warmth and appreciation of the huge crowd at B-2. Hundreds of music lovers, along with the best-known music critics, gathered to listen to and applaud his music. A high-up representative of Afisha, Russia’s most respected music mag, appeared in person to see one of his shows. If this fine welcome is anything to go by, Brown has gained many firm fans on the seventh continent. Perhaps we'll see him again, when his ship hoves in to Saint Petersburg harbor.

327.

Birds II

Birds II
Directed by: Luc Jacquet. Written by: Michel Fessler, Luc Jacquet. Starring: a colony of emperor penguins. 85 min. France.
By Sam Gerrans
Review top sheet: this is a shortish documentary, and this review is tailored to suit.
The film features a colony of emperor penguin in their native Antarctic as they battle with the elements to reach their breeding ground and reproduce.
The narration is positioned somewhere between a documentary and a free male-female interpretation of the subjects’ inner dialogue. Some of it works and some of it, frankly, is a little silly. But the footage is engrossing and speaks for itself.
The film is in French with Russian subtitles. If you don’t know either language, get someone who does to whisper the key developments to you at strategically important moments and you’ll have no problem following the plot.
Comments: emperor penguins freezing to death in a barren wasteland.
Now, if that doesn’t imply a wide scope for drama to you, I understand. But, as I discovered, the sorrow, joy and even romance of a penguin’s life leaves “The Waltons” looking like a houseful of pedantic accountants conducting an inventory.
The film paints a portrait of refined, dignified creatures blessed with impressive social cohesion and an eerily human capacity for incongruous – almost contradictory – sets of characteristics: at once clumsy yet graceful, waddling yet streamlined, pedestrian yet exquisite, stoical yet affectionate.
Penguins demonstrate a heroic, uncomplaining persistence in the face of a climate that makes Moscow in February look like the Algarve in June. And if you’ve done a few Moscow winters, you’re going to respect that one.
When you see what penguins go through to reproduce, you’ll realise that hanging around in a Circle Line station with a bunch of daffodils for a date who is now so late the flowers have begun to wilt is, by compassion, no big shakes.
See the film and learn why penguins rock.
Sam Gerrans is a freelance writer and translator: http://samgerrans.com.

328.

Laibach

Laibach
Slovenian experimental-industrial band Laibach has recently shown that they can be contemplative as well as strident. In their Saturday, September 22 appearance at Ikra, the first half of their concert was devoted to the performance of cuts off their new album “Volk,” which uses the national anthems of several countries as points of departure for ruminations on the place of each respective country in history and the world. In a recent interview, band spokesman Ivan Nowak referred to “Volk” as “the soil of the earth.”
The band accompanied the anticipation for their emergence onstage with some marches that sounded like German military marches except for the lyrics being sung in what sounded like Slovenian. Before, during and after the marches, some of the younger, more demanding fans intermittently chanted “Laibach, Laibach.” There were about four marches, with the lights being flashed and the obligatory chubby roadie appearing onstage during the last march to check something to the cheers of the audience before the band emerged form the darkness and coconut smoke right after a Laibach intro medley and the Russian national anthem.
The tall and lanky frame of Milan Fras, the band’s bass-voiced frontman, was nowhere to be seen at first. Instead, the obviously younger, shaven-headed Boris Benko took the stage, coming into position behind some keyboards. Benko is one of the two members of Silence, a Slovenian electronic band that collaborated with Laibach on “Volk.” He immediately caught the audience’s attention with his sonorous dulcet voice, which sang the solemn strains of “Germania,” the first in the series of national-anthem inspired numbers. Fras then took the stage and for the first time I took note of the band’s attire – it was mostly plain black clothes. No fascist-inspired uniforms or vaguely futuristic bondage wear, just black shirts with epaulets and Fras in a dark pale green suitcoat but with his characteristic and vaguely religious black headdress with the shoulder-length drapes, which he never seems to take off. The get-ups were as subdued as most of the performance. The gig had a mostly mellow, meditative flavour that stood in stark contrast to other more forceful appearances I had seen, prompting me to think of the title of this review.
Behind the band there were two video projection screens which featured graphics that matched the musical numbers. For “Zhōnghuá” and “Nippon,” songs respectively about China and Japan, they featured Asian characters floating around the screen. For “Italia,” they featured a juxtaposition of the opening credits to Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom.” When “Rossiya” came on, the cheering got noticeably louder as Fras extolled the virtues of Russia from the stage and the canned chorus from the Russian national anthem could be heard every now and then as images of tsarist ornaments and gilded churches flashed on the screen. The band proceeded to play almost the entire “Volk” album, with the songs in the order that they appear on the record. They left out one track, “Vaticanae,” which presumably is the one track off the album on which Silence did not work.
After a short offstage break, the band came back on and played German-language numbers from their album “WAT” for the rest of the show, with the exception of “Alle Gegen Alle,” which is from their record “NATO.” This part of the performance was a bit more vigorous and resembled appearances on their previous tour, the “Anthems” tour. The crowd was mixed with bespectacled intellectuals raising their fists along with camouflage-capped salt-of-the-earth types. Thankfully, there was no unfurling of the Nazi flag by some naïve kids like there was at Laibach’s previous appearance in Moscow on September 11, 2005 at the Tochka club.
Laibach cemented the whole “cinematic” aspect of the appearance by including detailed rolling credits at the end of the show, including full personnel credits to the show and the set list. According to Ikra’s press attaché, Nikolai Oleinikov, Laibach later commented that Ikra’s stage was the smallest on which the band had ever performed.
Set list:
Germania
America
Anglia
Rossiya
Francia
Italia
España
Yisrā’el
Türkiye
Zhōnghuá
Nippon
Slovania
NSK
Tanz Mit Laibach
Alle Gegen Alle
Du Bist Unser
Hell Symmetry
Achtung
Das Spiel Ist Aus

329.

Deep Dish

Deep Dish
An American-Iranian duo playing a back-street club on a Friday night. It doesn’t sound like a ticket to get Moscow’s clueless clubbers dusting off the sunglasses for a battle with face control. However, when that duo is Deep Dish, one of the most sought after acts on the world club scene, it becomes an unmissable opportunity for the fashionistas to flaunt their latest crimes against good taste. The scrambling crowds around the door, the sour-faced pout of the deevushkas and the visible ascendancy of money over sense all gave proceedings that unmistakably sour elitny flavour. Fortunately the quality of the music was more than enough to compensate, whilst adding a rare touch of substance to the world of hype that is Moscow Clubland.
Featuring some sounds from their recent album “George is on” and a lot more besides, Ali Shirazinia and Sharem Yayebi’s set was lively, accessible and flawlessly delivered. The album fits neatly into the “guitar-house” category, designed for mass consumption and provides a popular soundtrack for the Friday night jig around the handbag back in London. Nevertheless, when performing live, Deep Dish sensibly rely heavily on the more conventional house flavours. This performance achieved the difficult task of mixing up familiar beats with some innovative new material to the delirious satisfaction of a musically conservative crowd. Coaxing them in with the classic rhythms and irresistible crescendos before sending the piano breakdowns crashing all around, the tune-smiths created a genuine euphoric vibe. Also impressive was the way in which these two rulers of the dance floor handed out their musical pronouncements with a lack of imperial self-indulgence. Both appeared to slave over the hot decks and computers with intense concentration etched on their faces throughout. This was the reserved body language of thoughtful leaders who would not be distracted from their quest to provide listening pleasure for their band of faithful followers. It contrasted beautifully with the flamboyance of their comical congregation who were hit so relentlessly with muscle-tweaking tunes that the only responses were deafening cheers and spasmodic salutes.
It is not unusual for Club XII to come up with the goods. This mansion style, single stage club is cosy, with just enough space in the main room to distil an intoxicating atmosphere that is then piped through to the flanking chill-out zones. Though the big name DJs bring out the fashion victims, XIII does not have as much pretension of L’Eto or First, and is more intimate than Fabrique, creating a popular niche. The management have developed this position with familiar names regularly appearing; Pete Tong and John Digweed gave the decks a spin whilst they were in town for Creamfields earlier in the year, and Seb Fontaine was coming in hot on the heels of Deep Dish the following night. These line-ups would establish a club anywhere in the world. In the dance music desert of the Russian capital it makes XIII a shimmering oasis.
This said, two things about the night did strike me as odd. Firstly, there was a ridiculously high number of photographers milling about amongst the revellers. Their continuous intrusion (whether it was forcing their way towards the stage, or jamming their oversize cameras in victim’s faces) was an unnecessary irritation in an otherwise congenial atmosphere. Needless to say, the fame-obsessed Russians were happy to indulge their paparazzi fantasies, but surely even they can get bored of having their photo taken.
Secondly, the three alien costumed dancers on the stairs on the way in appeared to have come to the wrong gig. Maybe I had missed some of the subliminal messages Deep Dish were trying to put across, but what does a bright green, cone headed, 6 winged beetles have to do with anything? With as much utility as an escalator monitor, all this trio of misfits succeeded in doing was to illustrate what pointless operatives might look like in a space age Russian state. It was not a pretty sight.
Meanwhile, the uplifting, precise performance from a dream headliner wrote another chapter in the successful story of XIII’s renaissance. It was also emphatic confirmation that Deep Dish should be experienced live whenever the opportunity arises. Sharing the experience with some particularly spaced-out revellers in fancy dress just made for visual as well as audio entertainment. As starts to a weekend in this city go, I don’t think I’ve had a better one.

330.

Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk
In the world of electronic music, the legendary sound of Kraftwerk needs no introduction; From the early seventies, while most musicians were still focusing on the live, acoustic Woodstock experience, Kraftwerk’s pioneering use of robotic voices, computerized instruments and synthesized sounds was to pave the way for the future progression of electronic music. There are in fact, three decades-worth of artists, who claim to have been influenced by the German veterans: Greats such as Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Joy division, U2 and any of today’s DJs and electronic musicians, to name but a few. And their fan base is ever-increasing… Not bad for a band who has just released its first album of new songs in 17 years!

After such a long silence, the 2003 release of ‘Tour de France Soundtracks’ did not disappoint, and the tour of Europe, Japan, Canada and the USA which is currently underway, has often seen tickets selling out before they were even advertised! Moscow was one of two Russian dates on the tour. Excited and full of expectation, I headed down to Luzhniki to witness the show…
And what a show it was! Right from the start, the audience was treated to a technicolour, technological feast for both the ears and the eyes! To our delight, the band’s image and music style have changed little over the years. They have become more Hi-tech, for sure, but the basic set-up is the same: Four men stood practically motionless over their equipment (laptops, in this day and age!), with a backdrop of huge screens onto which are projected computer generated images or vintage black and white TV footage. The symmetrical positioning of the clone-like men and the constantly moving images behind them create a sort of hypnotic effect, in full accordance with the repetitive beats and lyrics of the music. It’s magic. And 30 years down the line, the spellbinding effect is just the same.
The crowd loved it! The show opened with Man-Machine and then aptly followed with the original 1983 version of Tour de France. As the night progressed, the band seemed to relax and enjoy themselves more (in a barely perceptible, minimalist sort of way!) and the audience became even more responsive to the music, cheering and whistling as they recognised classics such as Autobahn, Pocket Calculator and Trans Europe Express. The biggest cheer of all was, of course, for The model, during which the crowd sang along enthusiastically to the well-known lyrics ‘she’s a model and she’s looking good…’
As the music played, the sequences on the screen progressed seamlessly; Words appearing at the exact moment they were pronounced, sequences changing on cue with the rhythm - none of the technical problems that have been reported at other concerts were to be seen that night. We were mesmerised by the computer generated multi-coloured pills rolling down the screen, and the simultaneous fizzing of 3 tablets in the song Vitamins. We watched black and white images of train wheels on tracks as the screeching of metal on metal resonated through the music of Trans Europe Express. The visuals were always simple, pleasing to the eye and served, in effect, as a means of seeing the music in motion.
One of the highlights of the night in terms of both the music and the visual aides came roughly halfway into the show. The lights dimmed and the men disappeared, only to be replaced by their robot alter-egos, who danced and performed the song Robots to the constant cheering of the crowd. To add to the excitement, the Russian lyrics ‘Ya tvoi sluga, ya tvoi rabotnik’ were sung and appeared in Cyrillic on the screen, causing an immediate reaction by the crowd. This was more than just a quick attempt at a ‘spasiba’ by an artist at a concert. The fact that the words are permanently incorporated into the song meant that the Russian audience could consider it partly theirs. Ironically, this felt like one of the night’s strongest moments of band/audience interaction, yet the band members weren’t even on stage!!
Once again, the lights dimmed and the four men reappeared at their consoles, having swapped their black skin-tight costumes with red flashing ties for 3D body mapping suits. The effect was stunning: Their human shapes were visible only as a series of fluorescent green dots and lines which linked together to create a 3-dimensional shape. Brilliant! Thus they remained until the end of the show, one by one, each having a minute to highlight their particular sounds, before taking a bow and exiting the stage, to the continuing rythms of Music Non-Stop.
To show their appreciation, the crowd joined in the technological display by replacing the usual flickering of lighter flames with the modern day illuminations of mobile phone screens. As the last few songs faded, the audience seating areas were transformed into seas of twinkling telephones – a beautiful and fitting sign of complicity with the artists.
The music of Kraftwerk has often been criticised as having no soul. I would tend to disagree. Having grown up in the industrial city of D?sseldorf in the fifties, Ralf H?tter (one of the founders of the group, and one of the two remaining original band members) explains the local and radical origins of the music:
“…Because of the war we did not have any reference points anymore, so we had to start from scratch. Around us new factories were built, a new industry was arising. The sound we heard there inspired us to make this kind of music.”

Kraftwerk’s music is therefore a search for identity. The band seems to confirm, yet in fact parodies the stereotypical efficiency and rigidity of the German psyche, giving the music an element of (albeit deadpan) humour and an endearing quality which cannot be ignored. But it is also an analysis of the position of Man in this ever-increasingly automated world. As we work and live side by side with the robots and machines we have created, are we not constantly reminded that for all their capabilities, the machines will, indeed, never have a soul? We then reassure ourselves in the knowledge that, unlike them, we in fact do…
Ralf H?tter claims that cycling is the perfect balance between man and machine, and that cycling is closely linked to music: the rhythm, the balance, the forward momentum… Soul or no soul, take it or leave it – you don’t have to agree. But believe me, these guys are living legends. And it was one heck of a wait!! So when Kraftwerk’s Tour de France Tour finally rode into town, they left more than a few happy spectators by the roadside!! Music Non-Stop…

331.

Zimpala

Zimpala
Zimpala - from Bordeaux? Yes, Zimpala dropped into Moscow on Friday night and treated the patrons of Tinkoff to a musical treat. Zimpala - the band - is a group of 4 very talented musicians who make their home in Bordeaux, and like their DJ partners, present electro jazz with a hint of pop, funk and latin in the mix.
Tinkoff is a perfect watering hole - perfect for Friday night relaxation after a tough week of work. Being my first visit to the brew-pub, I was compelled to experiment with a variety of beverages, with a personal preference for the lighter varieties of beer. Beer coupled with heaping appetizers set my mood for some good jazz to follow.
A few interesting facts about the band. Each band member plays the keyboards and composes music, bringing their personal preferences into the music mix. Adding to the obvious keyboards were a bass guitar, saxophone and acoustic guitar, plus the computer tracks for background detail. The trip marked the band's first gig in Moscow and before the show, were practicing the basic two Russian words.
The pub was primed and ready for some lively music and at long last, the band appeared on stage. The first songs were rather mixed and I was somewhat unsure of exactly where the music was headed. However, two back-to-back songs defined the band. Adios, a more romantic jazz vocal focused piece started to catch the attention of the patrons and those able to find a square meter, began to dance and enjoy. The next song, Crazy Girl, was pure electro jazz beat and rhythm, bringing the crowd to life and action in the dance area. These two songs set the parameters of the spectrum of music and the rest of the evening flowed well, or was it the beer that flowed well?
Tinkoff is perhaps not the most ideal venue for dancing as tables near the stage impede movement for dancers, patrons and staff. That is perhaps the only negative as the service was super fast and beer was delivered on time and cold, food portions were of a good size and tasty, and the atmosphere was friendly and relaxing.
The temptation to compare Zimpala to Bordeaux wine is irresistible - well-aged and mature, best enjoyed with friends and beer.

332.

Fun*Da*Mental

Fun*Da*Mental
“There’s not enough peace, there is to much f***ing war”, front man Aki Nawaz shouts during an interlude, just after showing a Stars & Stripes flag with “No 1 Terrorist” written on it, while singing that “faith is a weapon of mass destruction”. This pretty sums up the political message that Fun*Da*Mental was out to send to the world on Friday April 14th. Fun*Da*Mental is not happy with war, and blames the usual suspects Blair and Bush for it. And they’re not sending this message across through subtle and ironic references, no, they put it right in your face.
With militant bands like Rage Against The Machine and Public Enemy doing God knows what and punk song lyrics being mostly about post-modern problems like an overdraft on your debit card, it is nice to see a band that is politically engaged and not afraid to show that they are. Why? Because it adds passion to the performance! Engaged bands utilise music to bring across a message and they will go at lengths to do so in the most effective way: by trying to put down an unforgettable show. From Fun*Da*Mental’s latest album “There Shall Be Peace” one won’t get the idea that a live show by this ever-changing musical collective is going to be that energetic and interesting. The album is good, but doesn’t leave a lasting impression. The show, however, is really something special.
B2 is almost deserted when Fun*Da*Mental kicks off their concert. It is so empty, that even the expat guy trying to impress his Russian girlfriend with a VIP seat looks silly. We’re all having VIP seats, no problem to watch every detail of what is taking place on stage. The best place is actually on the dance floor, close to the stage, where there is at least some sort of a crowd. It is really amazing how a rather famous act like Fun*Da*Mental can attract so little audience, certainly if you look at the publicity around it. Too militant? Too ethnic? I don’t know…
Well, for all those who missed out on this one: you missed something for sure. The Qawalli singer Rizwan-Muazzam’s song about peace is impressive. His voice is enormously powerful and balanced and he gets the crowd to cheer along with the mantra that is the chorus. And this is a guy who is probably in his fifties, sitting behind a traditional type of harmonica. No effects, no gimmicks, just singing and playing. Same goes for the six feet tall traditional drum player who can take out any drum computer and amplifier with steady, versatile and surprising beats. Countless more examples show that traditional music can be very danceable and entertaining. Of course, Fun*Da*Mental have brought their modern pieces of equipment as well. The concert is therefore an interesting and highly enjoyable mix of Qawalli, Punk, Rock, Hip Hop, and Aboriginal and African dance music. Sorry that you missed it.

333.

Futureshorts Russia II Film Festival

Futureshorts Russia II Film Festival
As an infrequent moviegoer whose diet is primarily high budget, low quality Hollywood cinema, it is sometimes easy to lose the sense of film as art. Mainstream productions of true artistic merit are rare as powerful commercial forces pull directors towards the mass market. Any function of filmmaking, beyond simply the generation of cash, can be forgotten, firewalling innovative productions from the part-timer’s consciousness.
Two encounters with the big screen last week highlighted the point beautifully. I don’t know what possessed me to buy and then even more inexplicably watch “The Terminal”, a 90 minute attempt to patronise and irritate anyone unfortunate enough to be watching it. Perhaps it was the tempting familiarity of seeing Tom Hanks opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones or maybe it was a blind faith in the ability of Steven Spielberg. Whatever my excuse, it was a mistake, and as the timely credits rescued me from the early onset of dementia, I was left to ponder how my faith in cinema could possibly get off the canvas after this weighty blow.
The resuscitation job was carried out on Saturday as I traded in my night on Moscow’s tiles for an hour in the wind tunnel of fresh air created by “FutureShorts” at 35mm. In 60 minutes of quick-fire quality, this selection of short films had taught me more about originality and imagination in world cinema than a year’s free entry to any Odeon you could mention. Varying from a 10 minute animated aircraft safety announcement to 2 minute black comedy on the lunar landing and including almost every genre in between there was a dish for every palate in the packed auditorium to enjoy. Personally I found an agreeable flavour in almost everything on offer, a tribute to the quality control job done by the curator.
Opening with a comical French sketch entitled “I am a horse”, I was slightly concerned that the collection might have placed the emphasis on cheap laughs. Happily this proved not to be the case. This Gallic farce was followed immediately by an animation from Germany that took us on a runaway train through a valley of death to a star wars shoot out using a series of evocative old movie clips and imaginative sketching. Whilst with this, and a couple of other more abstract offerings, the themes were difficult to fathom, you could not fail to be impressed by the imagination and workmanship of the finished product. In general, however, there was a lighthearted feel to the selection. The English study of a boy who sends his deceased 80 year old best friend on a final journey on his scooter to cause havoc at the ballroom dancing before heading off into the blue yonder was certainly intended to warm the heart. If the groans of approval from the audience were anything to go by, it achieved just that.
If I had to choose a favourite, then the Japanese piece featuring a girl named Yuki would be my selection. Another triumph of imagination and novelty, the piece follows our heroine through a very short series of insignificant events. The innovation of the creators brings in a new, almost identical actress to take the girl’s character for every new movement she makes, each actress remaining on set, standing motionless in a continuous line. As the camera gradually pans with a silky smooth movement of the lens across the short slice of Yuki’s day that we have been invited into, I found myself hopelessly drawn into the scene, looking eagerly for the next move and wandering where this train was going to lead. One of the most captivating elements of the work is the chirpy Japanese pop song, perfectly selected to match the rhythm of the piece and adding to its irresistibility. With such a short time to hold the audience’s attention, music can be a powerful tool of the short filmmaker and other than a rather tedious study of an orchestral drummer it was used with great skill throughout.
As the selection above illustrates, the curator’s choices cut across not only disciplines, but also geographical boundaries. Films from Europe, Asia and America made the grade with those that included dialogue being subtitled in English since the festival had not simply been put together for a Russian audience. The collection is midway through a tour of London, Paris and St Petersburg amongst others, something that appears to have been made possible by the highly visible sponsorship provided by a mobile phone manufacturer. Happily translation devices were provided leaving the predominately Russian audience reaching for their earpieces like a visiting UN delegation when the dialogue kicked in.
Having the good fortune to find entertainment and enjoyment in a place you least expect it is a rare and satisfying experience. Neither too long nor too abstract, this introduction to film shorts was just such an event, made all the more gratifying by the contrast with my recent less successful dabbles with cinema. I have no idea how they survive, but that there are studios all over the world producing material of this sort of quality is a cause for celebration. Therefore my advice would be - when Hollywood dross leaves you feeling bitter, try a little something short and sweet.

334.

Lolita /By R.Schedrin/

Lolita /By R.Schedrin/
One inevitably wonders about the reasoning behind turning one of the C20th’s most infamous novellas into an opera? Would it be for the baffling interplay between the supposed narrator, Humbert Humbert, and his self-created persona in his own story? Would it be to explore the interpersonal relationships in a bizarre love-triangle involving a man, plus a mother and daughter? Or would it, more unfortunately, be a rather cynically prurient ploy to sell seats to a modern opera if the music alone won’t drag them in? The jury may be out, but I strongly feel the last has validity – the real issues in this “Lolita” go unexplored.
Nabokov’s narrator warns us, at the very opening of the novel, that he is a liar, and that nothing he says can be trusted. He instances his abilities in lying and deception before the story starts, so that we are in doubt of capabilities he boasts from his childhood onwards. This, of course, should inform any half-intelligent reader that the narrator is capable not only of lying to the other characters – he may also be lying to us? In fact, we only have his word for it that any of the events occur. Perhaps he’s a paedophile fantasist? There’s a potent theory that the whole book is a game of cat-and-mouse between narrator and reader, not a whodunnit so much as a did-he-do-any-of-it-at-all? The omission of this ambiguity in Schedrin’s operatic version – which takes every word of the novella as unambiguous truth – is the fatal flaw in this ambitious and lengthy work. For example, when the mother finds Humbert’s love-letters to her own daughter, she flies into a rage – a difficulty for Humbert’s seductions which is conveniently solved, in the novella, when she “accidentally” falls under a car when crossing the road at his side. Humbert, of course, never specifically tells us that he pushed her? But he has told us that he is a liar, and that we must never trust what we says. Yet in the opera she is run-down whilst Humbert is at home indoors, and a flunkey (Humbert has a flunkey? How?) arrives with the bad news – at which Humbert weeps with emotion undisplayed in the book. To state so categorically that he’s not guilty of a murder he very likely committed, and to change the scene to not only remove his opportunity for the killing but also provide him with an alibi (the flunkey who can testify to his whereabouts) sabotages the storyline entirely.
Schedrin finds the defendant definitively “not guilty”. Whereas Act II should properly have the frenetic road-movie pace of a post-killing spree of booze and under-age sex, the musical pace doesn’t change – Act II seems monotonously long, and the audience was obviously restive. There’s one volume, one texture, one instrumentation from start to end, and there is only so long this can hold interest. Even an audience almost entirely composed from Musical Moscow’s literati were obviously fed-up, and most were busy fleeing the theatre as soon as the final beat fell. The sex, of course, is only barely hinted-at – it’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the novel to imagine it is full of sex. There’s far more sex in Lady Macbeth Of Mtensk or Le Grand Macabre. Although Lolita is not really a Russian story at all (it was written in English, when Nabokov had already moved to America, and is entirely set in the USA) this is a peculiarly Russian view of it. This one-soundworld-fits-all approach is a pity, since the atonal murk of Act One sits well as a background for the emotional exploitation and psychological machinations of the action. Sadly, it is entirely inappropriate for the adrenalin buzz of Act Two, and rather than finding any forward pace, tails off into self-indulgent and eminently cuttable perorations that serve the action poorly.
In the title role, Tatiana Kuinji excels. Nominated for a Golden Mask (she already took one for Lulu in 2002) this is a titanic performance on every level. The acting is so perfect as the early-teens Lolita that you hardly notice her effortless stunning singing – she hops, and bounces barefoot, squeals and pouts with frightening accuracy. But this is also singing to die for, as is the careful and superbly-achieved performance of Alexander Agapov as Humbert. “Quilty” is set for a high tenorino, and Sergey Vlasov coped admirably with the punishing tessitura. Tatiana Kaminskaya made a three-dimensional character out of the underparted role of Lolita’s mother.
Valery Platonov directed in the pit, working tenaciously to wring interest from a largely featureless score of dull harmonic clusters. To throw so much energy into such unrewarding material seems a terrible waste. Nevertheless, the musical preparation of the score was magnificent, even if it largely went unappreciated (except, perhaps, by the composer, who was present for the performance - along with his more famous wife, the legendary ballerina Maya Plesetskaya).
The production is entirely new for the Perm Opera – a troupe which acquired the nickname The Opera Laboratory of the Country in the Soviet era. Lolita was first heard in a production for the Swedish National Opera, who staged it in 1992 with Liv Gustafson in the title role. This elegant and striking production has been devised by Perm Opera’s artistic director, Georgi Isaakian, and designed by Elena Solovyeva. Isaakian directs the action well, and nobly follows the composer’s intentions as best he can. Sadly, the flaws in the piece are in-built, and in the unlikely event that this piece stays in the repertoire, it will need some extensive musical cuts in Act II, optimally some reorchestration to relieve the desperate textural tedium, and a stage-director willing and able to reintroduce essential plotline details of the original story. As it is, Schedrin should thank his lucky stars that his interests were served by a richly talented cast, a superb leading lady, and a production which distracted the audience from a score that’s more worthy than worthwhile.
Lolita is nominated for the Golden Mask Awards (Russia’s national awards for Music and Theatre achievement) – the results will be announced on April 12.

335.

The Strokes

The Strokes
Did an urban hipster population materialize when The Strokes struck DK Gorbunova? Or was it merely people from the office who had taken the time to put on Converse sneakers and muss up their hair in the mirror before stepping out to see the mop-topped quintet from New York City? At any rate, the venue was packed with people who had paid good money (2,000 rubles and up) to watch 2001's hottest band with a head-nodding cool worthy of CBGB. Except for the guy who snuck in an American flag and waved it enthusiastically from the VIP rafters - he wasn't cool.
The Strokes went on way after the scheduled 7 p.m. start time, so stragglers who had to stay late at work and couldn't find DK Gorbunova way out by Bagarationovskaya metro only missed opening Russian rock group Blast and had ample time to down 40-ruble Smirnoff Ices and re-muss up their hair in the bathroom. Taking the stage, The Strokes plunged into a block of songs from their latest offering, "First Impressions of Earth," the album for which they are touring internationally, and which landed them with us in far-away Moscow on the Fourth of July. For a band continually plagued by issues of its own indie authenticity, The Strokes could not have asked for a more punk venue than DK Gorbunova. The speaker quality was awful, straight Velvet Underground. Drummer Fabrizio Moretti was completely enveloped in a cloud of theatrical fog. Bouncers violently tackled crowd surfers, causing lead singer Julian Casablancas to look around distressed for reassurance from the wings. "Welcome to Russia!" we yelled.
They knew they couldn't get away with just doing new stuff, and didn't even try. All the hits from "Is This It," the album that made them wildly MTV famous, were played: "Last Nite," "Take It or Leave It," "New York City Cops." When they started into "Someday," I raced upstairs from the bathroom line to scream along to the lyrics and wave a lighter with the rest of the Anglophones. (The British Embassy had a solid showing.) Julian prowled the stage in skinny jeans, punctuating the awkward silence between songs with "Spasibos" and "You guys are great." I assumed they'd been instructed to keep the banter simple out of language considerations, but my friend who had seen them before said no. They just don't have much to say.
But the camaraderie of indie musicians needs no words. The Strokes saw the cool of the audience and respected it, putting on an earnest show even in little old DK Gorbunova with its busted speakers. Before surrendering the stage, Julian took the liberty of pashing a girl sitting on her boyfriend's shoulders in the audience. That was cool.

336.

Pyramus & Thisbe (or Fatal Love) - John Frederick Lampe

Pyramus & Thisbe (or Fatal Love) - John Frederick Lampe
It’s somewhat shaming, as a Brit myself, to find that works like Pyramus & Thisbe are going into regular repertoire in Moscow, when you cannot hear them in London for love nor money. John Frederick Lampe was an adopted Englishman – originally hailing from Brunswick, and completing his musical studies in Hamburg. Pyramus & Thisbe first appeared in 1745 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (the Helikon’s program-notes wrongly mention that it was at Covent Garden, an opera-house which didn’t exist at the time - the Italian Opera was at the King’s Theatre in Haymarket). Lampe is more widely known (although not by much) for his more famous mock-tragic opera The Dragon Of Wantley, and he seems to have been a master of the burlesque – both operas lampoon the stylistic excesses of Italian Opera of the period. Pyramus & Thisbe sets the “mechanicals” play from Midsummer Night’s Dream in its entirety, although as a standalone work. To make some kind of sense of the missing characters, Bottom’s part is renamed “Mr Semibreve” – an ambitious and garrulous impresario, presenting his new “English Opera” to a Lady & Gentleman Of Quality – all spoken roles. At this period – and right through until the 1820’s – the audience expected a Double Bill every night, and even after long Shakespearian tragedies the management was obliged to produce a one-act “Afterpiece”, usually a comic musical item, of which Lampe’s works are fine examples.
This is music of real quality, not a mere “neglected composer show”. Julian Gallant – more usually to be found at the music-desk of the Russian Chamber Orchestra of London – had come to Moscow especially to rehearse the piece, and directed with verve from the harpsichord. His continuo-playing added much to the evening, with some sparkling and stylish ornamentation. Similarly, the da capo arias (a format which Lampe revels in parodying) came out nicely ornamented on the da capo sections, a sign of Mr Gallant’s expert hand in the performing edition.
The Helikon Chamber Orchestra were concealed on the tiny set behind some hilarious bushes and shrubbery, but this was merely a prelude to more inventiveness from Igor Nezhny and Tatiana Tulubieva on the magnificent costumes. The Wall was a vast, wobbling rubber-jelly wall, complete with trailing ivy, in which Mikhail Seryshev pranced, scampered and danced. It was 26C outside, and in the C19th Salon in which the performance took place, it must have been hellishly hot inside a rubber-jelly wall…. Seryshev is an artist we mainly know in such roles as Bardolph, so it was a revelation to hear him flitting lyrically around the coloratura sections. He reappeared shortly after as the Man In The Moon, now clad in a ludicrous grave-diggers outfit straight from Young Frankenstein. Nikolai Dorozhkin and Anna Grechishkina – who had paired each other in the Helikon’s last C18th work, Gretry’s “Pierre le Grand” – reprised their excellent double act as Lampe’s protoganists. Grechishkina played Thisbe as a stage-struck canary, pausing to bat her eyelids wantonly at the audience mid-aria, and with a welter of hilariously exaggerated histrionics at the Lion’s appearance that richly deserved warm applause. Dorozhkin had the more difficult task of being “the straight man” – the humour in his role is the monstroustly over-written pseudo-italianate arias, with extended passage-work sections on ridiculously banal words or inappropriate syllables, and he accomplished all this with aplomb. There cannot be many Handelian tenors who can also knock-off the tenor lead in “Mazeppa” just weeks earlier? The fourth and last of the singing roles is the Lion – sung from inside a super pantomime lion’s costume by Mikhail Davydov. His rumbustious roarings still allowed him to slip into the audience to menace young children and pretty girls, all the while singing “Pray, do not fright ye!”. Although we probably know the Britten setting of this mock opera better, Lampe’s material is well worth reviving. Pyramus’s aria “Now, I am dead!” was delivered with deadpan seriousness, and a series of fake endings in which the self-impaled hero pops back for just one or two more notes of comic woe.
The musical numbers were all sung in well-delivered English, but the spoken dialogue (sung recitative was in fact the legal monopoly of the Italian Opera at the time, and couldn’t be presented in any other London theatre due to arcane rulings) was translated into elegant and amusing Russian. Dmitry Korotkov played croquet whilst discussing the scenery, Yuri Ustiugov was a top-hatted toff who believes himself to be very witty, and Leonid Varichenko gave a bravura Pantomime Dame of the Society Lady in drag. The clever translation even managed some topical puns, when the impresario decried other “new operas” one might hear – the New Opera being one of Helikon Opera’s rival companies in Moscow. The whole confection was splendidly assembled by producer Alexander Borodovsky, and the audience were treated to English Tea & Biscuits served by English-speaking lackeys during the Overture. Hot on the heels of Verdi’s Macbeth, and preceding Shostakovich’s “Lady”, the Helikon seem on an unstoppable roll this season – expectations for The Makropoulos Case premier (for which Rozhdestvensky is coming out of retirement specially) are running high. And milk in your tea is possible an even greater rarity than Lampe operas in Moscow.

337.

NLF3 (France)

NLF3 (France)
Brothers Nicolas and Fabrice Laureau met Ludovic Morillon at 12 years of age. Listening to their parents’ records by artists such as Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and Rolling Stones, the three were inspired to make their own music. Thus, the underground rock trio NLF3 was formed, the acronym standing for the first letters of each of their names.
The group performed on April 29 at the upscale club 16 tons in Moscow, a venue they are not used to playing in. “In Paris, the music scene is diverse, and you can find anything there. Moscow does not have an evident underground, Indy rock culture as exists in Europe and America,” Nicolas and Fabrice explained. This was their first performance in Moscow, although they have performed all over Europe and in the United States for more than ten years.
When they first began, the trio was releasing multiple records per year. Nowadays, the suffering French market and their busy lives do not allow them to devote as much time to recording. In 1999, however, they released a double album entitled “Part One - Part Two,” and just one year ago put out a second album, “viva!” under the Prohibited Records label.
NLF3’s music is a mesh of rock, jazz, electronic, and world music elements. Each of them plays three to four instruments, using samples and overdubs in order to create the distinctive sound. Because every song is unique in style, it was hard to believe the same musicians were playing the whole set. Drummer Ludovic Morillon was exceptional, keeping up with the varying beat count of each song. All pieces incorporated unusual sound experiments, such as hushing noises, humming and blowing a whistle attached by a tube to a small keyboard.
As very few vocals are used in their music, fans of sing along music will not enjoy NLF3. But for those who appreciate fresh, innovative compositions that do not rely on a predictable beat, this group is definitely worth checking out. The different musical experiments create an intelligent flow of sound, which would be perfect, though challenging, for DJs to use while spinning. But thus far, another art has been more attracted to the group.
Russian film director Sergei Eizenstein’s “?Que Viva M?xico!” was shot in 1931 but never completed. Now it is being reconstructed and restored, due out in September of this year. NLF3 is creating the hour and a half long soundtrack for the film. It promises to be an extremely challenging endeavor, but the three are excited to be part of such a historical moment in film history.
Although NLF3 is correct in saying that Moscow does not have an underground music scene, it is clear that there are fans and pioneers out there. Judging from the crowd that gathered Thursday night, and the number of bodies moving to the rhythm of NLF3’s eclectic beats, it appears that young Russians do appreciate inventive, quality music in today’s saturated pop music culture.

338.

Arthur H

Arthur H
As Arthur H, the charming and indeed enigmatic French poet, lyricist and of course performing artist, pondered my next question I became fully aware that this was not a man who was just showing up in Russia for the first time to say been there done that, but instead a man of real principle and drive.
Within an hour Arthur H would be performing for the first time in his quite distinguished career in front of a Russian crowd, in one of the trendiest, coziest and altogether aesthetically pleasing nightlife venues that Moscow has to offer. He told how he found Moscow to be a richly cultural city before mentioning he was impressed by the interesting Stalin inspired architecture despite the fact he had only arrived there 2 days previously.
The third floor sushi bar and restaurant of the four-floored enthralling B2 nightclub was the setting for the questions posed to Arthur H as he casually made his way through his meal while pensively reflecting upon each question. This was clearly not a new thing for him to do as he seemed un-phased by the situation before giving what appeared to be well thought responses.
How long do your tours usually last and do you still enjoy touring as much as you always have? I asked as an opening question awaiting what I thought would be a planned reply, but instead Arthur H showed just how thoughtful he is. “I tour for sometimes as long as 1 or even 2 years. Well, I love touring but it’s a lot of stress. I also love the simple life.” When asked more questions concerning both his life and himself he answered once again charismatically with typical French verve saying how “life (to him) is never very normal but I try to be normal…my life is chaotic.” He went on to describe his creative nature and how people need a curse to be creative, in which I am sure everyone can see a kind of truth.
A self confessed “searcher” looking to “free his own ecstasy”, Arthur H finds he does this by enjoying equally the writing and performing of his work and suggests they provide a “warm link” to a man with an inbuilt “personality for music.”
Having spent some time talking to the man I developed an increasing interest to see if he could not only talk the talk but to also walk the walk so to speak. I can say he didn’t disappoint. The fourth floor mini concert hall of the B2 complex set the scene for an intriguing and warmly welcomed act with the audience still arriving as the show was beginning. When he was performing Arthur H and his music indeed encompassed each other in their search for creating the “dynamic and emotional landscape” that he had earlier spoken about. The mass of people who had come to see his performance were at times unable to understand his more abstract ideas perhaps due to language barriers but did appear completely and conscientiously attuned to what Arthur H had decided to perform for them.
His style of music I feel is too difficult to label under any one category but its fair to say that there were shades of a number of Arthur H’s influences that were artfully and skillfully combined for a successfully effective show that provided proof he is as he says “searching to meet myself”.
What now for the almost philosophical Arthur H? Well, currently coming to the end of his tour he has China for a following destination before he plans to start work on a new album which is firmly on his agenda.

339.

Sinead O'Connor

Sinead O'Connor
When Sinead appeared on stage, I was a bit surprised. Surely, I didn’t expect a folk-punk rebel to run on stage, raging with anger against all the wrongs in the world. Neither, however, did I expect a person this shy, this weary of any attention. Looking like she came straight out of her own living-room, barefoot and wearing baggy clothes, Sinead O’Conner was looking modest, a bit less thin than I expected, and slightly tired. Eyes on the ground, she performed “The Emperor’s new clothes’ as if it came straight from the record.
Apparently, half an hour into the concert, the minutes long ovation after a goose bumps-inducing performance of “(You made me) a thief of your Heart” was enough to make Sinead feel comfortable. She became more relaxed, and as the set became a bit more acoustic, she started smiling, sometimes even making funny remarks (“my band has to teach me my own songs”, as she couldn’t get the first chords to a song). Up until that time, her eyes had been on the ground.
The band, indeed, was something that Sinead could completely rely on. With styles varying from folk, rock and trip-hop to reggae, you need a versatile company of musicians. The all-Irish band did well. Of five band members, three were actually doing backing vocals, making each of the songs sound authentic and balanced. Moreover, this wasn’t just a singer with some band performing; it was a united, well-trained, highly skilled crew, almost a family. Sinead remained in charge, though, carefully looking at the band member that had to do a solo or otherwise difficult passage. She’d smile if all went well, she’d raise an eyebrow if she had her doubts.
There were slight annoyances, too, however. The sound, for one, never came completely right. It must be difficult to do so, as Sinead’s voice varies so much in volume. She herself compensates this by moving the microphone away when she’s about to get loud and moving it close when she sings softly. Still she was sometimes inaudible, or just so loud that feedback set in from the monitor speakers. The band’s instruments were tuned in perfect balance, but they were collectively too loud to make Sinead’s voice sound completely right most of the time. But this is marginal criticism: maybe it wasn’t 100% perfect, it was at least for 90%.
More irritating was the screaming that happened whenever a first line of a song had been sung. The concert was a string of greatest hits and I can’t believe that every song was a surprise to the same people all the time. Also I fail to see why such feeling of surprise should be immediately be expressed by screaming at a performer who knows how to scream a lot better. What’s the point in that?
Towards the end of the concert, Sinead went unplugged altogether. And then, her barefoot appearance made sense. She looked and sounded like a protest singer. “These are dangerous times,” she warned in one song, “speaking out can get you killed.” It was her appearance and lyrics at that moment that for me defined Sinead O’Connor and her songs that night. This concert wasn’t a collection of musically exceptionally well-performed songs only. Almost every Sinead O’Connor song is political, hit or not. And Sinead looks like she still very well knows and means what she sings. Sincere and honest, she gave a great concert and left me wondering how her lyrics would sound in Russian.

340.

Avant Festival 2011

Avant Festival 2011
Very occasionally even the most jaded of gig-goers hears something which harks back to that mysterious ground zero and recalls the day when music leapt beyond the Top 40 and became something which mattered. These mini-epiphanies can happen anywhere, but the more unlikely the venue, the more powerful the resonance. And so, towards the end of Asobi Seksu's Saturday night headline slot, a cover of The Jesus & Mary Chain's "Never Understand" suddenly transported this reviewer back to a formative teenage trip to a converted ice rink for an evening of feedback-driven, shoe-gazing noise.
The New York band, fronted by diminuitive Japanese singer Yuki Chikudate had already shown a good grasp of My Bloody Valentine-based guitar overdrive. Throw in some slightly ethereal vocals - at times it was unclear whether the lyrics were in English, Japanese or some hybrid of the two - and you get a striking soundscape which is perhaps three parts solid indie to one part Bjork-inflected otherness. And the Mary Chain cover somehow brought the whole set full circle.
It was the first time Asobi Seksu (the name loosely translates as 'playful sex') had ventured into Russia, and claiming a 17-hour journey (from New York? did they come by seagull?) they had to tackle jetlag and a smattering of culture shock. But, rising to the challenge admirably, the only thing which gave them cause for alarm was the ever-present tide of 'pukh' drifting across the outdoor stage. "What is this stuff? I can hardly breathe up here!" protested Chikudate in between diligently practicing her 'spasibos' for an indulgent crowd.
The contrast with Sunday's headliner, Chinawoman, could hardly have been greater. Set up by Canada's Michelle as a YouTube hobby band, it's basically a one-girl show. But from the moment she came on stage, toting a retro radio set like a character from a St. Etienne B-side we were embraced by a set which resembled more of late-night cabaret recital than a bill-topping festival slot. While critics have likened Chinawoman's debut album to a Velvet Underground-related faded grandeur, the on-stage effect is closer to a sequence of contemporary torch songs. Along the way, Moscow audiences might be forgive for hearing a hint of Alla Pugacheva in full 70s balladeering bombast: Michelle is a child of Russian emigrants, and some of the old songs made the trans-Atlantic trip along with Mama and Papa. Performing in Russia for the first time, she enjoyed a good reception, but the set perhaps ran out of steam a little too early.
The same couldn't be said of Finland's On Volcano, a female-fronted pop-rock outfit which could be one killer hook away from becoming the next Blondie. Their current crop of songs has the same cruel cool that Ms Harry and the boys used to tout back in the day, with all the benefits of an updated sound that leaves the 70s behind. Most of the components are in place, and once they stumble upon that truly memorable, can't-get-it-out-of-your-head chorus, this volcano is set to well and truly erupt.
Beyond the headliners, one of the great thrills of any festival is unearthing something new and unexpected - and Avant Fest provided three diverse treats from the ranks of hopefuls on the undercard. And the good news is they are all fairly regular visitors to Moscow, and are likely to be back again in the foreseeable future.
From Belarus, a land not noted for its fine pop sensibilities, Kassiopeia don clownish fancy dress for an adult fantasia of lewdly perverse lyrics supported by strangely memorable keyboard-heavy riffs. From the reggae-inflected "Yesli" to the catchy "Kinzhal", with its shout-along chorus, their Sunday afternoon set marked the point where the crowd's attention switched from beer to stage. Vocalist Ilya Cherepko-Samokhvalov was back later on Sunday evening with his rockier Petlya Pristrastiya, but it was Kassiopeia who made the greater impact.
Petersburg, long regarded as the spiritual home of all that's interesting in Russian rock, kept up that reputation with two diverse but fascinating shows. Surtsey Sounds, with a name evoking a volcano, combine a post-rock ensemble with a classical string trio to great effect: imagine the likes of Alexei Aigi's 4'33" shackled to the likes of 65daysofstatic and you're getting there. From a slow start this music builds and builds to a shattering conclusion of overwhelming sound, like an ocean storm refusing to blow itself out.
And the northern capital's other star contributor, Chikiss, is another slow-burning. Female singer-songwriters tend to get alligned into a narrow set of stereotypes: either kooky Tori Amos late, strident Kristin Hersh-alikes or self-consciously weird Nordic types prone to inexplicable bouts of incoherent shreiking. Chikiss, despite a piano which points alarmingly towards Amos, avoids the worst excesses of all three, delivering tight, well-constructed songs which burn slowly but powerfully, like a conversation accompanied by autumn rains blowing against a twilit window.
Eight years in, and now with a permanent home in the Artplay na Yauze complex, Avant Fest is going from strength to strength. This year's edition, kicked off with a blistering set from British Sea Power, maintains the happy tradition of combining the best of the local alternative scene (the real one, not the version that A1 TV pretends is alternative) with a well-chosen selection of international acts which are committed to making music which is interesting rather than commercial. The crowd - perhaps a bit self-conscious in their hip-ness to begin with - lapped it up; bring on Avant 2012!

341.

Suede

Suede
Nostalgia is always tricky. Part guilty pleasure (did we really listen to Bonnie Tyler?), part sense of regret as more years have passed by - and always menaced by the threat of disappointment when a once-loved act turns out one more time to pay off the mortgage with underpowered shows. So going to hear Suede, a band I'd loved in my teens before we steadily drifted apart, was both exciting and unnerving at the same time. After all, even the band themselves have admitted that some of their later work - released after we'd more or less stopped speaking to each other - was a bit of a flop and while last year's anniversary compilation landed on my CD player (younger readers, ask your parents. I still have one of those) with some fanfare, it was far from conclusive proof that we were ready for a modern-day reunion.
Early impressions of the set were not promising either: kicking off with a new song isn't always a great plan, and reading the lyrics off a scruffy sheet of A4 does nothing to give the audience confidence. If I don't know it, that's one thing. If they don't know it, the temptation is to ask what the hell is going on. For a brief moment, a car crash seemed painfully imminent.
Luckily not. Love 'em or hate 'em (and even in their heyday, plenty found the band's art-school arch-ness more than a little wearisome), Suede could always summon up a good tune. By the third song, "Trash", uncertainty had evaporated and the hall was in full singalong mode. And singing along is a quick reminder of just how good a vocalist Brett Anderson is: his torturous vowels may not be to everyone's taste, but he's flexible enough to hit the high notes and carry his deceptively simple melodies while all around are bawling semi-coherently. The switch in atmosphere recalled the previous time I'd seen them, fey southern androgynes in a tough northern city, winning over any audience skepticism with guitar licks out of Bowie and the thumping melody of "Metal Mickey". This time, perhaps, there was less skepticism from the crowd, but confronting the audience with new material so quickly certainly gave the gig some edge.
There were good things among some of the support acts as well: hotly tipped Russian band Tesla Boy showed an in-depth knowledge of British pop history with a string of songs which channeled the ethos of the Human League through the prism of the Madchester scene. And London-based Krakatoa put on a strong set on the second stage, churning out classic three-minute pop songs with shades of The Jam, The Specials and other musical highlights of past winters of discontent. Leaving the stage with promises to return to Moscow, we live in hope.

But while the apprentices of Britpop had their moment, the night was all about the sorcerers of Suede. They may no longer be "So Young", nor even the heralds of a "New Generation", but they certainly know how to put on a show. It's a tough ask for a band to grab full attention when you've arrived with the prettiest girl in the hall, but this was the kind of blistering show which managed precisely that. At the end of a year which has seen me catch up with a whole host of bands from my youth - from Iron Maiden to Erasure - this probably saved the best of Moscow's 2011 gigs for last.

342.

Pink Grease

Pink Grease
Why did God inspire AMERICA to invent Rock-n-Roll?
So that skinny British boys would dance around in tight pants and eye-liner.*
"Pink Grease" is exuberant - and funny. Admittedly, glam rock/ tent revival tactics have been done before, but ain't it always fun! The whole band should come play in my hometown.
If they all can't make it, I'll stick to Front-man. Dedicated to prancing about stage and jumping over arched necks, this pale platinumed singer cuts a unique profile. He's lick-able.

Bass-boy appears extra-enthusiastic, liking to kick about the stagehand during his multiple scurries to restore mic-stand arrangement. The Hand preserves good humour by consistently knocking him back, taking out vodka bottles and cymbal stacks in the ruckus. Drummer just wears an expression of bland calm while catching the metal pre-crash and beating away.
Meanwhile Jimi Hendrix in lead guitar and light brown afro regularly jumps in and out of position whilst clicking thrift-store cowboy boots. Two absorbed electro-wizards more peacefully occupy their respective corners concentrating on colourful boards and duct-taped mini-synths. (Instead of passively reading further disaster description, why don't you click on www.pinkgrease.com and discover some zany creativity for yourself.)

Although the music exudes numerous influences, these infusions are well merged and the tunes sound fundamentally self-spawned. Quite an accomplishment in general, but notably here. Many musicians visiting Moscow stoop to render popular world standards in order to easy please a foreign audience. Not these boys. Concerning less sell-out-ish crowd-winning stratagems, Bass-boy chooses the high road of shouting Russian phrases and striving to convey complex messages in 'MATY'.
The audience itself starts out over ponderous, mesmerized by the bands antics and unsure of what to do to each other. But "Pink Grease" eventually works the crowd up into a steady paced enthusiasm, gleefully expressed in incessant insistence on an encore. Lacking by now Mister Percussion, Bass-boy conjures up from the masses none other than Phil - the fill in drummer Gorbachev, who makes it through two tunes before Bass-boy himself is forced to attack stated duty. Front-man jigs on an amp lost in this moment of artistic despair...
The spectacle is over and everyone goes to smoke a cigarette. Contemplating the essence of this young raw anomaly, I sombrely wonder if they are quite as slutty as advertised. The world is ever in need of lasting decadence and utter rejection of family values, so I pray to God there are not false prophets. You see, it's a pitched battle and the Baptists must be stopped.
*In fact, contrary to fundamentalist Christian doctrine, glam rock is the true telos of linear history and not a uni-polar world led under Bush family fascism.

343.

Telepopmusic

Telepopmusic
What makes a show good? The band. What makes a show great? The crowd. Friday night at Apelsin had both elements, but Telepopmusic took little credit. “We were terrible, but they were great,” said singer Angela McCluskey. Drummer/DJ Christophe Hetier agreed that the crowd was fantastic, “It’s more about attitude here than in Western Europe. There’s a real virginity to things. The audience gives and it’s great.”
Still, the audience of a couple hundred people didn’t just give for nothing. Telepopmusic were alone in thinking their performance was bad. Their website describes the music as “nu-jazz, hip hop, electropop and even torch song.” It’s made not with samples, but with instruments. Perhaps it’s extra smooth as a result. The core of the group are Frenchmen Fabrice Dumont, Stephan Haeri and Christophe Hetier. They build the music around songs that featured vocalists write. For more information on their exact roles you can visit their website (it doesn’t add a lot of clarity though). Regardless, a year making their latest album Angel Milk has paid off. The different progressions, fast or slow, take you just where you want to go.
Telepopmusic has three different vocalists on Angel Milk: singers Angela McCluskey and Deborah Anderson, as well as rapper Mau. On Friday, Angela and Mau traded places every song or two.
The songs with Angela remind people of Billy Holiday. That’s going a bit far, but there is something to it. She has remarkable timing and great control of her voice. It’s very melodic with a little whine. This isn’t bad. It adds desperation to the songs. One fan came up to her after the show, and though he didn’t have the English to say all he wanted, exuded his feelings, simply saying “Your voice! Your voice!”
Mau has fast and slow raps. The slow ones are closer to spoken word. It’s a tough style because the rhythm is hard to maintain and harder to convey. At times he did it well, but it sounds better on CD. The faster raps, though, were filled energy that made the crowd bounce with excitement.
Both Mau and Angela had excellent stage presence during the songs, and they had fun bantering with the crowd. Angela danced to the music and did her best to speak some Russian. She brought the house down reading a phonetic version of some famous lines from the cartoon Bremenskiye Muzykanty (the crowd was shouting along and gave some of the loudest cheers of the night for it). Mau was more talkative explaining what the songs were about (loving crack, a love song for butterflies, monkeys with wings) and good at getting the audience going during the songs. He didn’t have to work too hard though. “I’d tell you to move closer, but you’re already here!”
The set started off with some laid back songs that only occasionally had a quick beat. About half way through the set things started to pick up, and it felt like a disco by the end. Especially strong was their hit “Breathe.” It was in a Mitsubishi commercial a few years back and a lot of people heard of them through it. (Its creation was actually a joke though, said Angela. Normally a non-smoker she was with the chain smoking Frenchies and singing “breathe” as a lark). Also remarkable was “Smile.” They actually did it twice because it was their favorite song. The second time was for the first encore. After the upbeat end of the set it had even more energy. Christophe said “there were about 4 songs we’d never played so well before” and that version of “Smile” was one of them.
The final evidence of how much fun everyone had was that they got the band to play another song after a three song encore. First encores are standard affairs, but the crowd wouldn’t leave and the band “broke the rules” to play one more. We could have done with ten more.

344.

The Legendary Pink Dots

The Legendary Pink Dots
At B2 last Thursday a long line awaited all of The Legendary Pink Dots’ fans wanting to see the first Moscow show in the bands twenty-three year history. In Moscow to promote the release of their new album I Did Not Inhale, distributed by Russian label Zakat, the band gave a strong performance at B2. For the show original singer and songwriter Edward Ka-Spel led the band with his trademark voice, and original keyboardist, sample arranger and all around electronics whiz Phil Knight kept the drum machine running while creating a myriad of odd noises. Playing a set of material ranging from tracks off of Faces in the Fire to All the King’s Men the show was a blast for long time listeners.
But before LPD took the stage the audience was forced to endure a performance by a local band, who luckily for them, did not give their name. Sure, I could have asked someone but having been a musician myself I decided to let them keep their anonymity. The lead singer, sporting a “tormented artist in Gucci” look had obviously practiced his emotive hand gestures in front of a mirror, but the bands’ performance only managed to come off like a bad and too long SNL skit without the irony. Imagine a toddler in the midst of a tantrum, who is screaming by inhaling rather than exhaling, now give that toddler a column of speakers and a mic and you get the picture. Many members of the audience covered their ears for the set, and there is no better sign that someone at B2 needs to stop booking bands as personal favors. But I digress…
It was obvious that the audience was composed of serious LPD fans, and not the typical club scene mix. The Legendary Pink Dots took the stage to one of the warmest audience welcomes I have seen at recent concerts, and thanked the audience with a solid performance. Almost every song was met with the applause of fans who knew the material well, and who palpably worked up the emotional build of the performance. The band is often categorized as psychedelic or gothic, in part because of the mystical lyrics of Ka-Spel, and the music gradually built from calm to writhing. The early songs of the set, while met with enthusiasm from the crowd, sounded musically tight but too homogenous to my ears, but as the show went on I became more impressed. There was an almost shamanic intensity to the performance as the vibe of the club progressed from laid back and soothing to dissonant and heady.
Especially noteworthy was the saxophone and flute work of veteran LPD player Niels Van Hoorn who took the lead on most songs, giving flair to otherwise ordinary arrangements. Guitarist Martijn de Kleer offered solid melodic backing, only breaking into distortion a respectable thirty minutes into the set, but at times his guitar was lost somewhere in the mixing board. The band performed without a bass player, but the parts were covered on sequencer by Knight who managed to fill in the frequencies quite well. Edward Ka-Spel gave a strong performance, with his humble British enunciation shifting between a soothing Syd Barrett to a howling Sid Vicious during high energy songs.
Despite a dismal opening band, and some problems getting the mix right The Legendary Pink Dots gave a great show that left the sold out venue buzzing with gratification.

345.

Kronos / Kluster

Kronos / Kluster
Since their formation in 1976, practically every major western composer has collaborated with the Kronos Quartet. They've premiered works by Philip Glass, John Cage, Luciano Berio, Stockhausen, Arvo Paart... they've championed the avant-garde, and recorded benchmark performances of Shostakovich and Bartok... whilst also sharing the stage with personalities as diverse as David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Brian Eno. But - how do you follow that? Although their Moscow gig was announced as a joint concert with Finnish concept-music duo Kluster (Kimmo Pohjonen & Samuli Kosminen), publicity attention inevitably focussed on the Kronoses themselves. With no concrete information about what they were going to play, MDM had sold-out largely on the Kronos name alone. Kluster are probably well known in their native Finland - but their fame hasn't yet travelled far. On the basis of this gig, however, it's probably too early to rush out and buy Kluster cds. Meanwhile, the Kronos Quartet faced the difficult task of living in their own shadow.
MDM is a crummy venue - a grotty worn-out soviet dump where time has stood still since 1987. Promoters blamed the single security gate for the 1.5-hour late start, but this was obviously far from the only reason - why had we been forced to gulp-down our drinks to take our seats ninety minutes too early? The mood was already sour when Kronos took the stage, without Kluster, for a very short first half. We had three pieces, plus an opening dedicatory lament to the Beslan victims – introduced in English by David Harrington, lead violinist of the quartet. There was some inventive use of sequencing and sampling, and some delicious lush textures laid-down by the viola and cello. The remained of the first half was also introduced by Harrington – and considering that the audience was over 95% Russian, it seems to be somewhere between carelessness and rudeness not to provide either a translation or a printed program? However, after only 30 minutes we were being herded out of the hall for the interval, so that lighting and electronics could be set-up for the second half.
To say the resulting sound/light show was underwhelming isn't saying much - in fact the only noticeable difference from the first half was a back-projection of Roehrich's three-holed tantric symbol, for no obvious reason. Attention was thrust back upon the music itself - and it was barely robust enough to support this attention. Announced as "work in progress", it was an improvisational piece for accordion, synth/sampler, and string quartet. In practice this amounted to eight different, although remarkably similar, slow crescendos. Each one peaked and dropped back to the pianissimo of the next. By the fifth of the series the fatal weakness of this paper-thin material was blazing brighter than any promised spotlight. Far from anything new at all, this infantile "look what an expensive synth I've got" approach was deep-rooted in the 1980's - and wholly out-classed even by veteran pieces like Tubular Bells (whose presence seemed to lurk in the background throughout). This was heavily derivative work any 2nd-year music-college student could produce - except that it wouldn't cost 1000+Rbs to hear student work. I wish I could say it had made me angry or left me fuming, but it failed to do even this - and just left me bored stiff. 1 out of 5 for effort, and really must do much, much better than this. If music came with sell-by dates, this was well past "consume-by".

346.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley

The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Until November 19, 5 Stars - Novokuznetskaya
Directed by Ken Loach. Written by Paul Laverty. Starring: Cilian Murphy, Padraic Delaney, Liam Cunnigham, Orla Fitzgerald. 127 mins. Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Ireland, UK.
By Erik Jansma
Review Top Sheet: This movie was banned from many theatres in the UK, but featured prominently on the British Film Festival in 35mm’s big hall. Winning a Golden Palm in Cannes and labelled as “Anti-British” by many, it’s safe to call “The Wind That Shakes The Barley” a controversial film.
It tells the story of the Independence War that the Irish fought between 1919 and 1921 against the British rule and is based on facts. Director Ken Loach hasn’t tried to hide the ugliness of both the Black & Tan forces and the IRA itself, which means that this movie is raw, violent and sad. At the same time, it is interesting and makes a good philosophical point about how thin the line between freedom-fighting and terrorism is.
Will you like this film?
Yes if:You like history and don’t mind to be confronted with very ugly human behaviour.
No if: You just want to catch an easy flick to brighten up the rainy Sunday afternoon.
Maybe if: Your autumn depression isn’t deep enough.
Comments:Not the easiest movie to watch for sure, but worth the effort of doing so. “The Wind That Shakes The Barley” is as long as its title suggests and the contents is as easy to digest as raw potatoes. Hence the lengthy review in front of you.
35MM’s Bolshoi Zal was filled at the beginning of the movie, but quite some people decided not to stick around to join in on a deserved applause. I guess the movie is maybe too confronting (either politically or graphically) for the faint of heart or too long if the subject doesn’t interest you.
Provided you’re ready to stick around for two hours and close your eyes and ears at some moments, you are in for a movie that will make you reconsider who is right or wrong in the conflicts in the world today. Heavy stuff? Yep, definitely.
Out-of-five star ratings:
Story: ****
Dialogue:***
Substance:*****
FilmCraft:*
Story Comments: Paul Laverty, the writer of the story, has found an interesting mix between summing up historical events and the personal stories of people that were involved into these events.
As for the “facts”, we are confronted with a British Black & Tan force that is cruel beyond imagination. Ken Loach hasn’t tried to paint a pretty picture for sure, and as a viewer, you must be prepared for some scenes that you may find disgusting. There’s one particular scene that you will remember (believe me) and that one was enough for some people to leave 35mm’s big hall. The IRA is portrayed as a non-professional guerrilla movement that quickly learns the tricks and trade of intimidating and liquidating the enemy. Don’t expect them to be Robin Hoods: the eye-for-an-eye mentality and the demand for absolute loyalty of the IRA led to many deaths amongst both the British and the Irish. There is no winning spirit in this movie, and it looks like Ken Loach has tried to emphasize the view that in a war, there are no winners. Doing this, he has refrained from making the IRA look any prettier than they were in the conflict, even though the story is definitely pro-Irish and takes a clear political side.
The film zooms in on a small IRA cell and its members, especially two brothers. With every military win and loss in the story comes the need to choose between personal loyalty and loyalty to the political objective. These choices, often of a “live or die” nature, are painful and may lead to unexpected outcomes. In the small community of the featured faction, no-one remains unaffected and everybody suffers from inflicted pain or inflicting it. This layer of the story makes the movie more than just a flick with facts. The sadness is almost tangible, not in the least thanks to the outstanding acting performance of a relatively unknown cast.
Dialogue Comments: Needless to say that all the shown violence needs some explanation by those committing it or suffering from it. Again, the British aren’t given a platform in the film, but the Irish side is already enough food for thought, as they aren’t angels either.
Historically correct, but slightly hindering in a movie that has only Russian subtitles, is the heavy Gaelic accent of most actors. It’s not going to prevent you from getting the point of the film, but I’d recommend you to practice some Russian reading skills or head to an Irish pub beforehand (stay sober).
Most of the time, the dialogs naturally fit in into the story. There are some scenes (like the one in the court) that are used for elaborate discussions. These are the moments that Loach is really trying to get his view across to the public. Especially in the mentioned scene, it looks like he has worked from a synopsis rather than a scene script, as the actors are allowed to stutter and stumble over their words, making it the more emotional and sincere. So it looks like there was room for some improvisation for the cast. Otherwise, it may be a case of under-rehearsal that worked out surprisingly well.
Substance Comments: “The Wind That Shakes The Barley” provides an interesting view on the ideological motives that shaped the Irish Republican Army in the Independence War, only to be split after the 1921 Anglo-Irish treaty, eventually resulting in the provisional underground IRA that became notorious for their violent methods.
It’s not to say that you’ll become to like “the IRA as we know it now” after seeing this movie, but you’ll at least understand a bit about why there was still an army after the treaty and what drove them. On a slightly different level, the movie shows how brutal treatment of people makes fanatic freedom fighters out of them. And –at least to me- this is an interesting point, not often made by film-makers. To put it bluntly: this movie could feature the Vietcong, PLO or some other contemporary freedom fighters and still tell the same story.
It’s this universality that makes the movie almost scarily relevant for the present day. “The Wind That Shakes The Barley” is therefore a warning that hopefully sticks in the memory of those who watch it: violence breeds violence.
Filmcraft comments: As mentioned in the dialog section, the mostly Irish cast is impressive. Cilian Murphy (Red Eye, 28 Days Later) is the biggest name on the cast payroll and has already proven to be a versatile actor, yet in this role he impresses again. His character has to deal with some impossible situations and Murphy makes him look credible. Co-star Padraic Delaney makes his international debut on the silver screen and uses natural charisma to shape his role of future leader of the IRA. We could go through each name and comment on his or her contribution, but it suffices to say that the cast was obviously motivated.
Ken Loach is always motivated and socially engaged, so much is clear from his previous films, such as Navigators, McLibel and 11’09”01 – September 11. He is to continue his collaboration with Paul Laverty, which is due to result in some interesting material. Social engagement is however no excuse for anachronisms and other goofs. Like: if a soldier falls down after being shot, let us at least hear that shot. Or: in the 1920s there were no PVC window frames. If you want to be taken seriously, make sure that at least no-one can get you on this type of unnecessary failures. Apart from that, thumbs up!
A taste of the story: And so I said, "The mountain glen / I'll seek at morning early / And join the brave united men" / While soft wind shook the barley

347.

Peter, Bjorn & John

Peter, Bjorn & John
Strange, how a very good concert can leave one with a feeling that something just isn’t right. I’ve had it before, and, usually, it’s easy to pinpoint the cause: bad sound, venue too crowded or no-one showed up, gig too short, band can’t play or has become stale, bad atmosphere… But in the case of Peter, Bjorn and John’s performance in B2, it’s far more difficult to get to the root of that unsatisfying feeling. First of all: kudos. Peter, Bjorn and John is one of the best live bands at the moment. Their energy is incredible, their music is interesting and their performance sounds and looks good. So, let’s see what went wrong, because something did. The people I spoke with all liked it, but no-one seemed overly impressed by what was nothing short of an impressive concert. B2 was nicely crowded, meaning that it was a full house, but it was still possible to breathe and reach the bar without having to wrestle. As my “plus one” I took Konstantin. He’s a good friend of mine and has a rather outspoken taste in music. He likes hip-hop, elektro, ska, punk and rock, which more or less sums up the ingredients of what Peter, Bjorn and John present to their public. We met some more friends in the club, so, there were enough familiar faces to share the fun with, as well as to get some opinions from.
Belle & Sebastian was the band that came to mind when Peter, Bjorn and John performed their first song. It sounded far less electronic than its original, if it was indeed the same “It Don’t Move Me”. Konstantin and I nodded approvingly, this was ok. Konstantin wasn’t convinced yet. That changed during “Nothing To Worry About”, with beats and a sample that could have been created by Jay-Z. Now all four of us were moving along to the music. I think it was Peter, who introduced himself, Bjorn and John, and practiced his Russian. Spasibo, Nashe Zdarovye, Durak. With each following song, the Swedes obviously became more comfortable and loosened up further. Bits of Green Day and The Clash were added to menu. It added some edge, some spice, which was good. Then, the main dish was served: Young Folks. Catchy, was Konstantin’s dry comment. This song, finally, revealed the essence of Peter, Bjorn and John: they reinvent music the way they want to, mixing genres into a new, original combination. And, yes, they can sing, play and go crazy on stage. All perfect. Halfway into the set list, everyone in B2 was now hypnotized. And, of course, we, the crowd all wanted more as the lights dimmed for the first time. And more we got indeed.
More songs, more beer, more styles. Some friends and I exchanged band names, with every song that was played. Presidents of the USA, Lamb, Gus-Gus, Led Zeppelin, New Order. Oh, and Joy Division, naturally. The encore lasted forever. It was good, long, brilliantly performed, intense. More, more, more! It was too much. This was starting to become The Concert That Never Ended. And that’s where it went wrong. People started leaving, now that every song started to sound like the final one, but never was. My friends, Konstantin and I persisted and stayed. The concert did end at some point and Konstantin immediately left, having had more than enough of everything. I evaluated matter while have a last beer with some friends. If a Swedish Chef treats you with a rich variety of meals, all prepared in the best possible way, at some point you are going to give up. Either because you don’t want to Chicken in the Basket if you just had a Chocolate Mousse for dessert, or because you’re simply stuffed. Do you leave, or do you eat more? If you leave, you may end up with a slightly guilty feeling of upsetting the Chef, but you won’t have any problems with your stomach. Touchy choice. However, in real life, this situation rarely occurs, because both you and the Chef know what’s the balance between a good meal and a feeding frenzy.
It was a brilliant concert, all in all. Slightly too long, but still brilliant. Therefore only a small word of caution to the band: know when a great gig has been great and when stop it. It’s, after all, a thin line between brilliance and insanity.

348.

Scumfrog

Scumfrog
I took one overriding impression away from an evening with the Scumfrog; this DJ rates himself. Not just rates himself, loves himself. One pose he gleefully adopted said everything you need to know. The six-foot-three Dutch-born American stood behind his decks, arms outspread, index fingers pointing back at his beaming face. Everything about him screamed: “check me out”. From the opening beats of his long awaited Moscow debut, Scumfrog relied heavily on his overpowering persona as the spotlight repeatedly fell on the man rather than the music.
If you wanted to see a DJ put on a visual show, you would have got what you came for from this effervescent darling of the house music press. If you were there (like me) to hear something a bit different; some fresh, innovative mixes, some lively improvisations, then you would have left Artplay disappointed. For all his strutting around behind them, the sound that was coming from the frog’s decks was not much more exciting than the scum that he presumably likes to wallow in.
Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps I had fallen for the hype. But having such diverse and creative artists in his back catalogue as David Bowie, Missy Elliot and Annie Lennox I think I was entitled to hope for a glimpse of the magic that had persuaded these names to let the frog hop all over their tracks. Instead there was little in the set to inspire. For me the Scumfrog’s music was conservative mainstream house and no amount of ad hoc percussion or garbled vocals could cover that up. It was the sort of set you would expect from a steady resident of an average club. It was not the life enriching musical experience that I had expected from an act so keen to emphasise his own music-making prowess. Fortunately the Scumfrog hopped off the decks at 4, leaving me to finish the night off in a different club where the DJ produced a lot less hot air, a stack of original beats and attracted a hell of a lot more people.
The lack of punters at the Scumfrog’s gig was puzzling. Wearing a skin-tight black vest, bleached blonde mohican, and oversized aviator sunglasses, he should be a Russian clubber’s idol. Moscow is the spiritual home of after-dark UV protection and Scumfrog seems to be a fully paid up member of the shades brigade.
Nevertheless, with Zepplin in the driving seat the amphibian’s PR machine seemed to have misfired. Whether the cause was the extortionate 1000RUR cover or the head-to-head competition of John Digweed at Club XIII, I counted more publicity girls than clubbers at Artplay. The resulting empty spaces made the frog’s arrogant posturing even more comical. Aviators in place, this Top Gun extra repeatedly gestured for quiet as he prepared to roll out another pedestrian beat. Unfortunately, the venue was already as calm as a village pond at midnight. The only sound to be heard was a self-obsessed ribbeting of the frog himself.
Such a low turnout did not ruin the evening completely, but it meant that an uninspiring set by the headliner could not be masked by a riotous atmosphere. There was no chance of anyone getting carried away on the crowd’s enthusiasm. Nor was there any danger of the frog being persuaded to up his musical game by the indifference of the fashionistas before him. Though he persevered with the occasional bash on his electronic drums, by the end, he tapped away with no more zeal than a perehod busker.
For a man who possesses such unbridled arrogance (he refers to himself as one of his favourite DJs on his website) it is unlikely that this lukewarm reception will do anything to dent his confidence. However, if the Scumfrog wants to repeat his successes of 03/04, he should seriously consider cleaning out his record box and refilling it with some more powerful tunes. This unmemorable set shows that the New York based artist may be past his musical peak; making him less of a Scumfrog, more of a Toad-in-a-hole.

349.

The Terminal / By Steven Spielberg /

The Terminal / By Steven Spielberg /
I heard that this movie was loosely based on true events, about an Iranian political refugee who has been stranded in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport since the late 80’s. Dreamworks paid this gentleman $250,000 for the rights to his amazing story, and with good reason. After having seen The Terminal, I felt like I was more interested in the person’s true story than this adaptation. This could clearly be a case of reality being more interesting than fiction.
Tom Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, a visitor to the New York from the fictional country of Krakozia. Upon his arrival to JFK International Airport, he discovers that his country is in the midst of a civil war; his papers considered null and void until a new Krakozian government is elected and its sovereignty is recognized. He becomes stuck at the airport for an indefinite period of time, forced to find ways to survive in his temporary abode.
In Viktor’s time at the terminal, he chances upon meeting many different characters whose lives somehow parallel his current situation. Viktor’s antagonist is Dixon, expertly played by Stanley Tucci. Dixon is the airport terminal’s acting Security Director. Having worked the same station for over 10 years, he considers Viktor’s arrival to be the annoying wrinkle in his impending promotion. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays the love interest, in what seems to be her most beautiful appearance ever on screen. It’s a shame that her character is utterly superfluous and her performance unconvincing, however. I believe her whole existence in the script was only a plot device, a way to pass the time and eventually help reveal the secret of Viktor’s hollow can of peanuts.
The most delightfully surprising performance in this movie comes from Kumar Pallana, a very familiar face that some will know as “that funny Indian dude” from the Wes Anderson movies (Royal Tenenbaums). Playing the wary, playfully sadistic janitor, he quickly becomes Viktor’s most staunch ally. Viktor himself is played adequately by Hanks, who in his older years seems much more comfortable with the dramatic aspects of his character rather than the comedic fish-out-of-water scenes. Despite his horrible Russian accent (which I suppose can be explained as ‘Krakozian’), he easily manages to make us cheer for Viktor, but it never approaches the same effect as his performance in Forrest Gump.
Director Steven Spielberg definitely has a Gump-like story on his hands, with so many common elements: a likeable central character, the exposure of a failed system, a hurtful love story, and an overall feel-good atmosphere that permeates through the movie. However, it seemed as if Spielberg only had these in the background, instead focusing on the fact that these people are all stuck in their own particular moments. The result is that many of the events that occur in the movie don’t resonate well with the audience, and that satisfying feeling from Viktor’s ultimate triumph feels empty, contrived, and drawn-out.
In fact, beautiful as it is with its impeccable cinematography, the movie feels about 30-40 minutes longer than it should be. It would’ve benefited well from the deletion of a few scenes and supporting characters. If it were to focus more on Viktor and Dixon’s personal motivations, then the feeling for both characters would be more heartfelt by movie’s end. Instead, it failed to give me that emotional resonance (well, partly because I was still reeling at how useless Zeta-Jones’ character was).
The main theme that the filmmakers decided to work on was the idea of getting ‘stuck’. I can agree that being stuck in an airport is the perfect metaphor for being stuck in a moment that one can’t seem to get out of. Perhaps this movie put itself in such a situation, stuck in its own self-inflicted mess?

350.

Big Boss Man (UK)

Big Boss Man (UK)
After a lonely, loveless week dodging bureaucrats and traversing vast grey expanses, it was high time for some glam. But where were the seedy dives, miscreant musicians and garage rock weekends of home? New to Moscow and far from familiar fun, were we doomed to waste Friday night watching "OOO, Biologia" videos in the dormitory?
No way! Not with the "Big Boss Man" back in town. "Big Boss Man" formed in late '98 and was almost immediately snatched up by "Blow Up" records. The hip UK band has since frequently toured Europe, delighting audiences with sweet sixties nostalgia, rhythm 'n' blues fusion, and funky bongo interspersions.
On only their second visit to Moscow, "Big Boss Man" filled Cafe 'Keks' with a mod crowd. The cafe itself is reminiscent of times gone by. Black and white photographs cover an entire wall, huge orange cloth lanterns hover over sideline seats and cosy armchairs lounge about beneath the staircase leading to a loft full of dining tables and chatting patrons. Loft tables must be reserved a day or two in advance. (Tel.246 0864)
Cafe 'Keks' seemed a respectable enough place to bring a date during the week or early on a weekend night. It was nicely decorated and the staff efficient and polite. The menu we looked at was in Russian, the first page offering a selection of sushi. The appetizers and main courses were not too expensive, and the alcohol priced reasonably. The only down sides to the cafe were that bright lights detracted from our good looks and music enjoyment potential, and we could hardly taste the liquor in our drinks.
Although it might have been nice to survey the evening’s proceedings perched above the dance floor, we were lucky to nab very comfortable seats beside the staircase. We enjoyed a couple of bottles of Guinness at ninety roubles each while the servers saw to it that never a drop of ash reached the ashtray. In the way of social commentary, a gentleman next to us remarked that Cafe 'Keks' is usually frequented by business minded, middle class clientele. He thought that there were an awful lot of foreigners in the crowd, which perhaps explains the noticeable lack of pointy-toed shoes.
Back to the "Big Boss Man"… eleven o'clock marked slight light-dimming, anticipatory inhalations and BAM! a wicked organ intro. The drum set soon kicked in, followed by an hallow bass-line and to continue the escalation - rhythmic guitar. We immediately liked the sounds, so decided to wade through a pond of say, forty wiggling bodies and check out the sights.

On stage, Nasser Bouzida rocked the Hammond with deep burgundy cords and a green, paisley polyester top while Mr Harding graced us in guitar and dark navy pinstripes. Bassist Mr Milson wore a spiked platinum coiffure and drummer Nick Nichols sported a supremely sexy pixie. "They look like London boys," my lovely friend gleamed. Yes, the four Big Boss Men were stylin'.

In sum, keep an eye on Cafe 'Keks' as they're sure to bring more cool music to Moscow. And definitely check out www.big-boss-man.com for future tour dates or to order some vinyl. I know I will. In fact, once I get back home, I'm gonna place those pretty records on the record machine, dim the lights, recline on my purple velvet divan, and bring a boy over for absinthe.

351.

Alexander / By O. Stone /

Alexander / By O. Stone /
They just don’t make historical epics like they used to. And in saying this, I don’t even mean the old classics such as “Ben-Hur” or “Lawrence of Arabia”, but with more fairly recent efforts, such as “Braveheart” and “Gladiator”. After seeing such disasters like “Troy” and now the freshly-unpacked “Alexander”, you wonder where exactly Hollywood has lost its way, particularly in this single genre of film that it has always excelled in.
Just as in many other historical epics, “Alexander” follows the life and times of a legendary figure of the past, namely Alexander the Great. A crib note for the historically challenged: this certain Alexander (Colin Farrell) was the figure responsible for the massive reach of the Greek Empire in the 3rd Century BC, who at his demise at 32 years of age was able to unite disparate lands from Europe to Africa to Asia all under one ruler.
So as one can probably imagine, the movie traces much of Alexander’s life from boyhood to end, in blurry Hollywoodized history. There is mention of his insatiable thirst for battle, his questionable sexual preferences, his identity crisis as a Macedonian, and the complex relationship he shares with each of his parents. The movie attempts to take all of these into consideration into the shaping of his life and legend. The story is presented in narration-dramatization fashion, with the ruler-historian Ptolemy (Anthony Hopkins) dictating Alexander’s story to his scribes.
The result: one bloody and boring mess of a movie.
Even Sir Anthony couldn’t save this effort, as he was fed line after line after line of yawn-inducing narration. In fact, even in the dramatic scenes felt like it was just each A-list actor delivering his/her own monologue. I suppose in days of old, people would not have conversations, but just regale one another with long-winded and overblown tirades. If I am allowed to make only one highlight performance, it would be Val Kilmer’s playing Alexander’s father, Philip of Macedon. Despite my opinion that there isn’t one single character that a viewer would find likeable, there is a certain depth and complexity in Kilmer’s performance that elicits curiosity and pathos.
On the other hand, Farrell is a poor choice for such a grand figure as Alexander. He seemed to feel out of place in every scene, despite the heroic efforts of his makeup artists. Angelina Jolie was also equally ineffective as Alexander’s mother, whose supposedly-Greek (yet Russian-sounding) accent in the Classical Age also proved too much for me to handle. If I make mention of all the lines of dialogue and scenes (including the controversial bisexual ones) that could have been sacrificed, director Oliver Stone could have come up with a movie about an hour long – not quite up to ‘epic’ proportions.
Apart from the superfluous scenes, Stone tries to trick us with more trappings that come with an epic, and he succeeds only halfway. There are the grand and sweeping camera shots, the exaggerated and bombastic soundtrack, and many scenes of A-list actors shouting at one another. Those were the failed attempts. Stone however tries to make up for this using skillful CGI work. The ancient city of Babylon was a true sight to behold, complete with its Hanging Gardens and Tower of Babel. In addition, the battle scenes were effectively bloody and brutal, and it was a true challenge not to cringe. (In particular, if you have to watch this movie, there was one beautifully shot showdown scene with Alexander on his horse charging against an elephant.)
Ultimately, where the film suffers is from a lack of focus; an angle. By the end of the movie, I still couldn’t determine exactly what Alexander’s motivation was. In watching movies such as this, I got used to people who seemed quite ordinary, but were able to rise to the challenge of extraordinary circumstances from some sort of fire that burns within them. With “Braveheart”

352.

Bourne Supremacy / By P. Greengrass /

Bourne Supremacy / By P. Greengrass /
Bourne Supremacy is the best action movie I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and I recommend *everyone* who visits this site to fork out the cash and watch it.
There, I’ve just said it…
As an enormous weight has just been lifted off my shoulders, let this reviewer explain himself. It’s one thing if you have always been a fan of the action movie genre, or interested in the world of espionage, or love seeing different locales. It’s also another thing if you’re a huge fan of Hollywood budgets and Hollywood actors, especially Matt Damon. But what makes this movie quite special IHMO, is that the whole entire third act of this movie is set in Moscow. See what I mean? Now you *have* to watch it! Thankfully, this movie doesn’t portray the city in the same way “Night Watch” did (well, there was one MTS billboard).
The movie is a sequel to 2002’s “Bourne Identity”, also starring Damon as Jason Bourne, and has him basically doing more of the same stuff: dealing with the CIA, disarming assassins and law enforcement, finding out more about his past, and running – lots and lots of running. A few from the cast of the first movie return to reprise their roles: Brian Cox, Franka Potente, Julia Stiles, and Chris Cooper (via fake flashback) all help the series’ continuity.
Among all the actors, Matt Damon is the standout - playing the tormented Bourne as if it was made for him. He’s got an irregular face and expression for this character - but we believe him and identify with him. For the entire movie, Damon looks like a high-school kid that’s spent too much time in the gym and has just broken up with his girlfriend. It’s as if he’s thinking: “See this frown on my face? Don’t mess with me boy, or I’ll beat yo’ ass!” And he does. In fact, there’s even an exhilarating fight scene where he disarms a knife-wielding, fellow Treadstone-trained assassin with nothing more than a rolled-up magazine!
You could tell that Damon also did much physical preparation for this role, as his increased musculature suggests. In addition, his ease in using the Filipino martial art Kali seems effortless and second-nature. Also note that this action star actually knows how to run; and if you don’t know what I mean by this, rent “Die Another Day” with Pierce Brosnan; you’ll know exactly what I mean. Finally, as if this wasn’t enough, Damon’s ability to speak perfect Russian – much better than the actors portraying Russians – just adds to his mark as a dedicated performer.
Apart from Damon’s work, it’s also worthy to note the director. Taking over from Doug Liman, Paul Greengrass gives us thrills that don’t rely on special effects and smooth shots and choreography. Instead, he is able to give us sheer paranoia and visceral moments of fear for Bourne’s capture or demise. The fight scenes are sloppy and brutal, and at times you don’t want to watch. There are blurry close-ups and fragmented images. Oftentimes the camera is jerky, as if to show that this is the way that Bourne views his world – pure thrill with direction alone.
And the Moscow scenes, oh the Moscow scenes… I was unable to hide the playful glee while seeing Damon zip past one Moscow landmark to another. The initial two-thirds of the movie were great, a pulsing crescendo to the very satisfying chase scene in downtown Moscow. The abrupt, climactic finish to this scene at a Moscow tunnel sent the movie-going audience to applause. Wearing a grin that went from ear to ear, I was eager to join.
If you want to break this movie down academically, then I’d have to say that as the middle movie in an expected trilogy (based on the novels by Robert Ludlum), and it does its job quite well. It properly continues where the last one left off, while at the same time, it perfectly sets up the next one in its denouement. The story itself also stands very well on its own, as it is ultimately the story of Bourne’s attempts to redeem himself and atone for his bloody past…
But never mind all of that! What mattered to me was this movie’s ability to get me hooked from the very beginning. The fast-paced direction, Damon’s perfect performance, and most of all, the effect of it happening “right there” made me feel like a kid in a candy store. When the movie finished, the crowd gave another ovation. The smiles on their faces looked as if they’ve just survived a thrilling ride at the backseat of a Moscow taxi. This is the best comparison I can give for this movie, and what a ride it was!

353.

Dialogues des Carmelites / Francis Poulenc /

Dialogues des Carmelites / Francis Poulenc /
In Helikon Opera’s searing new production of “The Carmelites”, the nuns are “bowled” to death…
Only someone with a mind as sick as Dmitry Bertmann’s could devise a way of increasing the horror at the end of “Carmelites” – with a group of nuns going willingly to the guillotine during the French Revolution. I ought to say immediately that this production is extremely “classic”, and does not relocate the action in any other time or place.. for the most part. But instead of showing us the guillotine itself, Bertmann shows us the ascending staircase which leads to it – and as nuns disappear off the upper end, the officers of the Revolutionary Guard aim bowling-balls down an alley at skittles. As zany as this idea may sound, the reality is a nightmarish ending to some of the finest work to be seen on any opera stage anywhere. This is truly a “definitive” production of the work.
The Tulubieva/Nezhny designs and costumes work superbly, on this infamously tiny and ill-equipped stage. A simple descending staircase is clad to reveal only head-to-shoulders window-slot, which opens to reveal the Sisters, and whose opening forms the shape of the Crucifix. The nuns are simply and identically dressed – the Revolutionaries appear in metallicised pseudo-period dress, apparently smeared in blood. There are – apart from the bowling-alley – no gimmicks or tricks, this is simply marvellously-directed theatre, in which the interplay of characters, and the personal development of Sister Blanche are foremost.
Vladimir Ponkin conducts a hard-driven performance that counter poses singers against heavy slabs of sound – Poulenc’s orchestration is an unforgiving accompaniment for the vocalists, yet Ponkin finds enough respite for them. Seamless playing of the highest quality emerges – won’t someone please find funds for a proper orchestra-pit at Helikon?
For the Russian premier, Helikon come up with true “luxury casting”. Any who feared that Blanche is too low-set for Tatiana Kuinji soon put those fears aside, and her interpretation of the role is stunning. She socks-out the chest-voice passages with aplomb, and makes a credibly annoying and judgemental zealot. (Natasha Zagorinskaya, a heavier-set “dramatic”, sings the role at some performances).Outstanding in the cast is Ksenia Viaznikova as Madame de Croissy, the old Prioress – the death scene in which she curses God himself for making her die of cancer was terrifying in its dramatic intensity, and superlatively sung. In this production it’s strongly suggested that Mere Marie (Svetlana Rossiyskaya) is poisoning Madame de Croissy. Mere Marie not only escapes with the Priest (Anatoly Ponomarev) but is seduced by him too. Fine performances amongst the other nuns came from Alissa Gitsba as a serene and rational Prioress, and a heart-in-the-mouth performance from Marina Andreeva as the simplistic Sister Contance. Nikolai Dorozhkin (Chevalier de la Force) and Igor Tarasov (his father) complete a faultless cast, along with Dmitry Kalin’s powerful Commissar.
Bertmann spares no emotions – the nuns are ritually defiled before their execution by having their heads shaved (some live on stage), and the Producer has prevailed on almost his entire cast to shave their heads for real for the performance. So, the bowling… the guillotine-blade operates as a hatch-cover, and as it rises and falls, bowling-skittles appear behind it. The balls – are they the heads? – of the nuns come hurtling out of delivery-tube from another hatch. Gruesome, mesmerising, and phenomenal theatre. Bowling-alleys notwithstanding, the sight of the shaven nuns, stripped to their underwear, assisting each other up the slope to the gallows was the tear-jerker that hit home throughout the audience, and the curtain came down to tumultuous applause.

354.

Erasure

Erasure
It might have been the glittery red jacket. Erasure vocalist Andy Bell, who achieved a certain notoriety back in the day by performing in a snug-fitting leotard with a tinsel-covered crotch, took to the stage wearing an item that even Nikolai Baskov might have considered a little bit too much. And, in single gesture, made it clear to a packed house at A2 that this was authentic, old-time Erasure in action: the voice, the synths, a couple of backing singers and - crucially - the hits.
Inevitably the jacket didn't last long in the heat, but after a slightly uncertain start which drew heavily on the latter - less prepossessing - half of the band's career, the show steadily crescendoed into the kind of night that made you understand why live music is worth bothering with. And it thrilled an impressively varied crowd: crusty Soviet-era survivors who, we fondly imagined, had thrilled to the strains of "Sometimes" as a contraband clip from an alien culture were rubbing shoulders with the bright young things of modern Moscow, for whom the 1980s exist merely in the history books. And, come that magical midway tipping point that every great show spirits on to the set list, they were all dancing together merrily like it was simultaneously 1987 and 2011.
It helped enormously that this tour - bringing the band to Russia for the first time - was not even pretending to sell new material. Although Erasure never broke up, it felt more like a triumphal reunion show, returning to the old favorites for the fans. And, earning extra credit, Bell went far beyond most visiting frontmen in his efforts to speak Russian to the masses. If the majority struggle to get as far as a hesitant "spasibo", Erasure wanted to have a go at full sentences. Admittedly several of them might have been in Chinese for all the sense they appeared to make, but the gesture was the key thing.
The other big bonus was just how well the back catalog stands up over the years - the likes of "Ship of Fools", "Oh l'Amour", "Stop", "Sometimes" or "A Little Respect" have defied those who dismissed Erasure as a cheap, overly flamboyant and ultimately disposable version of the darker, more intellectually minded Pet Shop Boys. And, for all the poppy sensibilities, this is audibly removed from the mindlessly chirpy early 80s musical world defined in one direction by the gaudy camp of Adam Ant and in the other by the unthinking good times of Wham! In Erasure's England the early 80s bubble had burst and the beat was taking on a more urban bent. This is the sound of a generation realising that the promise of "Club Tropicana" is never going to be delivered; the dream turns bittersweet.
Then, of course, we come to "Love to Hate You". This particular track is indelibly associated with Russia for me, thanks to an early 90s school trip over here where it was simply inescapable. Every taxi, every shop, every restaurant or bar: life was accompanied by the fate of all those unsatisfactory lovers. And now, 20 years on, it's probably the band's best-loved release, representing the zenith of their popularity before that middle-aged drift into declining relevance and the slow death of the nostalgia circuit. Bravely they popped it in the middle of the set: pre-show predictions made it a certain encore. And it worked beautifully. Conventional wisdom defied, it fired up the audience to the point where simply reciting from the phone book would have sparked further riotous acclaim.
Too many aging acts come to Moscow with little more than a pay-off in mind; the result is top-dollar ticket prices for performances phoned in with little enthusiasm or animation. Even though Erasure's carefully programmed electro-pop doesn't exactly demand to be heard live in the way the balls-out frenzy of heavy metal might, they delivered a perfectly tailored show, restoring the faith of the most jaded gig-goers.

355.

Rammstein

Rammstein
Playing keyboards is almost always a rough gig. If the axe-wielding guitar hero is transformed from pimply youth to rampant love god simply by slinging his instrument round his neck, and a vocalist is guaranteed time in the spotlight, there's no such reward for the geeky guy with the box that goes beep. Even the back-handed compliment of the drummer joke is denied to the rock'n'roll equivalent of tech support, it seems. I know. I played keyboards, and watched a succession of willing young ladies ignore me in favor of my sexier colleagues.
Rammstein, however, manage to take it several stages further. In the course of the latest stage show, Christian Lorenz is subjected to a range of torments that my erstwhile bandmates never had the budget to inflict on me. Like bubbling up a cauldron to accompany the cannibal-inspired "Mein Teil" and, after chasing Herr Lorenz from it with a giant flame-thrower, having him run around the stage pursued by descending firecrackers while further pyrotechnics illuminate his backside. There's a further grilling for the nether regions later in the set, when the action switches to a second smaller stage at the back of the dance floor and, after being whipped across a bridge by the drummer, our hapless hero drops his trousers while singer Till Lindemann simulates a spot of sodomy. Later Lindemann gets the fun stunt, sitting gleefully astride giant pink foam cannon to spray the audience during "Pussy", although Lorenz does at least get the crowd-surfing stint, complete with rubber dinghy, as compensation for his troubles.
Of course, a Rammstein show will always be theatrical. This one starts with a procession from the back of the arena, part entrance of the gladiators, and part march to the scaffold. The band trudges across the bridge on to the main stage, bearing a Russian flag and a flag of the hitherto unrecognized republic of Rammstein. Blazing torches and pounding drums create a medieval atmosphere: somehow it wouldn't be a shock to see the heads of the support act arrayed on spikes around the drum kit. And so it goes: fireballs erupt regularly throughout, with an eye-brow singeing ferocity that leaves even the back rows of the cavernous hall feeling the heat. Don't stand at the front if you value your facial hair. At various points Lindemann and his colleagues pause from unleashing musical mayhem to blow something up, set something on fire or spit flame across the stage: Engel is performed in massive angel wings with sparks flying merrily.
The one downside of all this is that the band itself it often rendered more or less static on stage. After all, if your stage crew is unleashing Armageddon onstage, it's pretty important that you plant your feet firmly on the X which marks the spot that ensures you won't get a rocket up your rear. At times, therefore, it can feel like the pyrotechnics overwhelm the musicians themselves. Then there is the occasional suspicion that all the blazing fury is a means of distracting the audience from a set of songs which can tend towards the repetitive. Grunting vocals and grinding guitars create a sonic assault which is, at times, as exhausting as it is impressive.
Yet Rammstein manage to pull off a great stage show and a great gig in precisely the way that, for example, Empire of the Sun failed to achieve last year. A better back catalogue, and a style which manages to blend unexpected subtleties into a raw rock mix (those keyboards again, once allowed out of the torture chamber), make it work far better than many gimmick-laden arena tours. It's rare to see a sold-out Olimpiisky, and rarer still to find a band which can dominate one of the world's least inspiring concert spaces but Rammstein managed to do both - two nights running. By the time Moskau was played as the final encore of a two-hour set, the band had conquered the audience to the point where they were largely helping the crowds in their own singalong.

356.

One-Self

One-Self
As Ipods, Kylie lingerie and the Novy Bolshoi prove, sometimes, less can indeed be more. The latest evidence in support of that ancient proposition arrived at Krizis Janra on Friday night in the form of UK hip-hop collective One-Self. Appearing without their main attraction, lead Yarah Brava, this relatively unknown group still managed to send the packed crowd into orbit with a sumptuous set of inventive tunes and an MC master class from Blu Rum 13.
Starting in the unfamiliar role upfront as a result of the group’s injury crisis 13 made it clear from the start that this was not going to be just a face-showing exercise. “What’s up Maaascaaaaw?!” he asked as if someone had dropped a speaker on his foot as he took the stage. Judging by the ecstatic roars back from the crowd, the only thing up was that they had been starved of One-Life for a little too long. Now they were baying for music like an angry mob.
The unruly audience were certainly not what you would get at Club XIII, and I guessed from the Ladas drawing up outside that Krisis Janra was going to be unfamiliar territory. For a man who has spent the majority of his Moscow nights surrounded by posturing and pretension, this Pokrovka cafe was the antidote to elitny Moscow that I needed. Admittedly there is face control, but they appear to be checking nothing more than the length of your stubble, allowing enough patchy beards inside to make up a Kurt Cobain convention. Stranger still, labels were being worn on the inside of clothes and try as I might I could only see one pair of sunglasses. When I resorted to the bar to gather my thoughts in these new surroundings, what did a find but Baltika on tap! Strange times indeed, and though the crowd was young and bouncing the shock of finding a group of revellers who had not simply come to check each other out took a little time to get over. The Student Union must have been having a quiet night, or perhaps the snow had got too much for the tree-huggers of Baikal. Either way, I was glad to be amongst them. Unlike the fashionistas, these clubbers knew there music and as One-Life burst into their opening rhymes they got on with what they had come to do – they moshed.
Thanks to the high quality of the stage output, on this occasion moshing came easily. Blu Rum 13’s voice combines the smooth reggae feel of Arrested Development’s Speech with an aggressive rapid-fire delivery of an early Eminem. Somewhat confusingly he also bears a visual resemblance to Snoop Dogg that almost demands a double take. Using these core virtues the American filled the gap left by his co-singer’s absence so comprehensively that had he not mentioned her absence, I would have presumed he ran the show. With frequent resort to the fans, the front man played the crowd, drinking in the atmosphere as enthusiastically as the inter-song cognac. It was a pleasure to behold.
When he did step aside, there were occasional musical interludes from DJ Woody. Woody’s adolescent looks were unfortunately matched by some amateur mixes but the change in tempo did at least keep the set varied. Hitting the decks also allowed One-Self’s trademark ragga and world music flavours to the fore. Subtly woven into the general hip-hop vibe, these fresh sounds were lapped up by the crowd adding an infectious quality to the music. Some bounced from the balcony, others swayed on the stairs whilst a full contact sport ensued down in the mosh pit. Whatever your viewpoint, One-Self was hitting the spot.
Behind the group, both on stage and off, is Russian born DJ Vadim who’s polished production gives the project an unusual feeling of consistency. Given the local connection, he could have perhaps expected the warm reception his band received. However, by the end of the gig I was in no doubt this reaction was richly deserved for One-Self are not the Friday night journeymen I had been expecting. Their sound is original, their performance exciting and even without the silky, seduction of usual lead Yarah Bravo’s voice then they are a truly high quality outfit. Next time they are in Moscow I recommend you ditch the razor, follow the beards and make sure you check them out.

357.

Mauvais Esprit

Mauvais Esprit
Dirty nappies and sleepless nights – they seem a small price to pay for the joys of becoming a parent. But what if your baby is crying and taking pleasure in watching you lose sleep? What if it actually aims to vomit on your new business suit? Have you ever wondered if your baby is intent on making your life hell?
More to the point though, if that were the case, would it really be funny?
Now don’t get me wrong! I’m not averse to a bit of black humour, and I’ve chuckled through my fair share of slapstick fun. But despite a strong cast and a semi-ambitious plot, Patrick Alessandrin’s Mauvais Esprit is a disappointing example of French Cinema if not at its worst, then certainly no where near its best.
Simon Variot (Michel Muller) is an all-round loser: illness forced him to drop out of his Architecture degree course, he can’t find work, his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend…and in the pouring rain he sees that his design for an Olympic stadium has been poached by a hugely successful construction company. Intent on gaining credit for his work, Variot storms into the office of the company Director, Vincent Porel (Thierry Lhermitte), only to be frog-marched out of the building, then hit and killed by Porel’s speeding car. At the moment of his death, an angelic intervention ensures that his spirit is transferred into the body of Porel’s new-born son, allowing Variot to become the evil tormentor of the man who ruined his former life. What follows is 60 minutes of cringe-worthy farce, in which Porel Junior attempts various methods of self mutilation in order to cause pain and grief to his doting father.
It must be said that the concept is actually quite interesting: Most sleep-deprived parents have, at some point or another, toyed with the idea that their child is not sleeping simply to spite them, and that a toddler will go out of its way to do something dangerous because it has a death wish! A script based on that exact scenario, giving a perverse nature to the actions and sentiments of our beloved little bundles of joy, will no doubt strike a chord of recognition with most adults. Also, in a crude sort of way, it is inviting us to challenge some of the universal truths which govern our everyday life: A baby has to be nice. A mother will necessarily be maternal. Why not explore the possibility that they’re not?! Fine.
The thing is, we’ve had the genuinely funny violent kid in ‘Home Alone’, we’ve seen the adult/baby swap in ‘The Acid House’, and as far as the baby-with-a-voice act goes, well even the awful ‘Look who’s talking’ was mildly amusing in its day. Mauvais Esprit simply fuses these tried and tested formulas together, without managing to add any noteworthy advances on what has already been achieved. The special effects are barely disguised, the jokes are predictable, and frankly, I don’t quite know if Alessandrin even knew which audience he was aiming to please. By trying to imitate Hollywood, he also forfeits the quirkiness and originality we have come to expect from good-quality French films.
However the one saving grace is in the brilliant casting and high standard of acting. Lhermitte, more used to playing the funnyman, is totally convincing in his role of ruthless businessman and doting father. As ever, his mix of good looks and sheer professionalism means he is a pleasure to watch. The singer/actress Ophelie Winter is indeed perfect as the spoilt, rich, far from maternal Mme Porel, whose on-going conflict with her hideous mother-in-law (played stunningly well by Maria Pacome) provides us with some of the most memorable moments of the film. Even Junior’s voice-over by Michel Muller manages to redeem the sometimes funny, but all too often uninspired scripts.
So, if you’re idea of fun is watching a toddler trying to play with lawnmowers and drink cleaning fluid, then this is the film for you: some of the action will raise a smile, and parts of the dialogue will be amusing enough (although I can’t imagine the Russian subtitles could do justice to the jokes).
If you’re having doubts about your young child, by all means go – this might explain a few things!! But for those of you who want to see some worthwhile French cinematography, I’d say that to see Mauvais Esprit would be une mauvaise id?e!

358.

Soul Mekanik

Soul Mekanik
In ’96 raves were all the rave for kids in Carolina. It was new to us, an oh-so rebellious alternative to race cars and chicken fights. Sadly, as we aged the scene degenerated into mass candy-pop orgies whilst our boys who once dreamt of ruling the turntables turned into well, waiters.
Nine years later, I was all grown-up, gone, and after a rough week in Russia my recently-Dostoyevskian soul was in dire need of catharsis. Where was the dance music we used to love so much? I took it to seek out the cult of sound in the art of Soul Mekanik.
Lucky soul. Danny Spencer and Kelvin Andrews (Soul Mekanik) brought good vibes to the city. The pair’s appreciation and dedication to Acid house shined through not only in performance, but also in attitude. They were excited to be in Moscow and no wonder, they were in a nice part – DJ Caf? MIO.
MIO is chill – smooth lines, comfortable color scheme and pleasant staff. I arrived early to absorb the surroundings and sip a ten-dollar port. (Out of Jerez.) Nowhere yet available to lackadaisically lounge about, I perched properly along a free bar. Based on black tiles laced with neon blue lights, I gazed ahead into a tempting umber-couched hookah den. At 10:00 to the left, industrious house deejays were discretely tucked back in their tiny black booth. And at 9:00, two curved portals beckoned minimalist glances into a fine Japanese restaurant.
Around one-thirty, Kelvin – bright blue eyes piercing like a prophet, welcomed me to his table for a chat. “House is the original music, it comes from deep down,” he beamed. “It’s a gift from an higher power.” Although in agreement, I still couldn’t resist teasing a little, “So how will you guys purify my soul?” He grinned. “Well, go dance tonight and hopefully we’ll play a song that stays with you.”
I’m an obedient girl. I bid adieu and hid my purse behind a couch guarded by a passel of acquiescent Russian parnya. Once the show began, I reluctantly moseyed on down to the dance-floor to do my duty. (I usually prefer to recline on sofas and smoke.) Surprisingly, all the work was worth the effort. Dancing so exhausted me limbs that my mouth had to keep ordering vodka shots. That, or I’d drop – which leads us to the best part of the bar – the bartender. Shall we say professional and sweet? When asked for a little lemon and sugar, he actually brought a dish, four slices and a smile – all five times. (Brim shots no less.)
Back to the floor. . .
House can be conducive to introspective grooving, and it was refreshing to find a venue that provides space a little less like Gansevoort market’s historical forte. Most guys were amazingly respectful, leaving me to move in peace. (Well, or they’d get whacked.) The specific sounds and style of Soul Mekanik were more complex than remembered back from stateside teenage years. Slightly difficult just to plunge into, the infusion proved intriguing nonetheless. Ultimately unable to resist this subtler pull, and despite aforementioned exhaustion, I only escaped anti-gravity once for a plop on an orange cushy cube.
For an evening’s singular complaint: it may be that I flail about wildly while dancing and don’t notice, but certain dudes kept randomly ramming my ribs with elbows – they and their entourage of rude dudettes. Exceptions now noted; the rest of the guests turned out to be amusingly well mannered: cavalier Italians, performers in Angel suits and silver, regular folks, tall pointy people. The scene was neither too pretentious, nor overly arty. Oddly spiffy perhaps?
Content with the crowd, refreshed by the music and pleased with the venue, I’m looking forward to stealing a seat on MIO’s sofa and sipping weeknight scotch sometime soon. As far as my poor soul, well it sure ain’t pure, but definitely polished.

359.

The Brothers Grimm

The Brothers Grimm
Directed by: Terry Gilliam. Written by: Ehren Kruger. Starring: Matt Damon, Lena Headey, Heath Ledger, Jonathan Pryce, Peter Stormare. 118 mins. Czech Republic / USA.
By Sam Gerrans
Review top sheet: an adventure-comedy-fantasy-horror-thriller type thing. Great cinematography but lame story.
The key problem is that the core characters simply do not have the presence on screen to bind the facets of the story into one believable whole.

Will you like this film?
• Yes, if: the visual aspects of the film are enough for you
• No, if: if you are a fan of Gilliam’s great work such as “Brazil,” “Twelve Monkeys” and “The Fisher King”
• Maybe, if: somebody dropped an illegal substance in your orange juice an hour or two ago and the walls are beginning to look furry
Comments: this is one for the plebs. Gilliam pretty well said as much. He and Johnny Depp did a deal: they’d make a “popularist” film each to get the bread together to collaborate on a real film. One that they really wanted to make.
So this was Gilliam’s attempt to make something to appeal to the unwashed: lots of visual effects and wisecracks for the people in the cheap seats. I don’t have a problem with that per se. The problem is, the result here is a lacking conviction and is a poorly constructed plan regardless of the money spent to paper over the cracks.
I am a serious Gilliam fan. He is one of the few film-makers who, in my view, really can key into what is going on politically in the world and serve it up in such a way that it makes it to market (admitted, by the skin of its teeth at times).
Although a little dated now, his “Brazil” is still my number-one film. I sensed its prophetic quality when I first watched it twenty years ago and events, sadly, are proving my intuition right. It was so close to the mark, it almost failed to get distribution. Gilliam put it on in a cinema himself and word-of-mouth compelled a distribution deal. If you haven’t seen it, you really should.
So why doesn’t Gilliam just stick to making great films? Because he can’t. The world isn’t made that way. If you want to get funding for “real” films, the Hollywood masters insist that you humiliate yourself and debase your talent first by producing a firework display for the masses.
“The Brothers Grimm” is such a film.
Out-of-five star ratings:
• Story:
• Dialogue:
• Substance:
• Film craft: *****
Story comments: the story is an unconvincing, cobbling-together of various fairy tales. And while the motifs from stories you had read to you as a child are wheeled out and given a good dumbing down, the whole magic which makes up a fairy tale is processed out of the mix.
Fairy tales have an inherent structure. Things in them happen in threes. Three brothers, three attempts, three journeys. All children know this. This is the genre.
“The Brothers Grimm” seeks to utilise the motifs without submitting to the genre or making the effort to create anything new of value itself. To me, it was a cheap, uninteresting attempt to asset-strip our pre-existing knowledge to no great purpose.
Dialogue comments: Wilhelm Grimm (Matt Damon) and Jacob Grimm (Heath Ledger) left me indifferent and unmoved. In my view, both were poor casting decisions. The actors simply did not have the presence to carry the film. They looked swamped and overdressed.
The dialogue was fashioned around low-grade riposte. Several lines can be seen coming a mile off and not a few are lifted from other films. The whole was tiresome and a little depressing.
I would suggest looking at the great Russian film “The Very Same Munchausen” for a comparison. There, Oleg Yankovsky’s charm creates a convincing magic – and that without the aid of all the computer graphics found in “The Brothers Grimm.”
Substance comments: I suppose the film is trying to arrogate to itself some sort of significance but I couldn’t work out what it was.
Film craft: exquisite. If this is why you go to the cinema, you’ll have a great time. The film is brilliantly executed visually. The sets all looked like they had been built for an excellent film, as well. The only problem was that this film wasn’t it.
A taste of the story: Will and Jake Grimm are travelling con-artists who encounter a genuine fairy-tale curse which requires real courage instead of their usual bogus exorcisms.
Sam Gerrans is a freelance writer and translator: http://samgerrans.com.

360.

FischerSpooner

FischerSpooner
Muscovites love the circus. The 2 permanent performances at Universitet and Tsvetnoy Boulevard perform nightly to a full house as locals and tourists get their fix in the capitol. Meanwhile the touring Moscow State Circus exports this brand of performance art around the globe to rapturous applause wherever they lay out their tent. This weekend, for one night only, Moscow’s clubbers were invited to another take on the ancient travelling spectacular -“Cirque”- Gaudi Arena’s late-summer house-music extravaganza. Backed up by a line up of DJs as crowd-pleasing and familiar as the cycling tiger or the highwire acrobats, the headliners of this big top were FischerSpooner, New York’s acclaimed alternative art-pop duo. The aura that surrounds this act had led the crowd to believe that they were about to be introduced to the Ringmaster. Sadly for the hopeful onlookers, they turned out to be no more than clowns.
By making songs available for free through their website, FischerSpooner have laid a deliberate emphasis on their live performances. It is on stage that we are supposed to judge this electroclash duo and in the proud, honest tradition of the big top they must gauge their success by the cheers or jeers of the sovereign public. If this is truly the case, then we are unlikely to see these over-hyped showmen back in the Russian capital anytime soon.
Appearing on stage with a troupe of costumed dancers in a flurry of feathers, face-paint and fancy footwork, the initial impact was enough to get a restless crowd into an excited whirl of anticipation. However no amount of gloss would be enough to hide the weakness of their untuneful, poorly-finished sound and as they rattled through the monotonous tracks the sense of frustration grew. Most of these barely musical numbers, such as “Emerge” and “The 15th”, came from the duos latest offering “Odessey”, on which they inexplicably turned their back on the watchful methodology that saw them to a degree of success with their first effort “#1”. Perhaps sensing that this effort will not match the acclaim of that album, and seeking to compensate, it appears as if the group have naively opted for an even more eccentric stage show. It doesn’t work.
Despite being accompanied on stage variously by spacemen, camels and a milky way of glitter, they failed to impress a crowd that soon began yearning, burning and finally turning to something more melodic from the DJs who were hastily brought forward to calm the unrest. Not being able to win over a gathering of hardened house music traditionalists might be seen as a compliment for these self-proclaimed innovators. However with this forum packed with the noticeably young and impressionable, they cannot simply blame the discontent on a tough-crowd. Instead the apprentice fashionistas who had turned out in large numbers (apparently engaged in a fierce competition with each other to look the most ridiculous) were wishing they had left the standard issue sunglasses at home and instead opted for an industrial set of ear muffs.
And there is no doubt that the impressive sound system at Gaudi Arena would have done such protection justice. The positioning of speakers around as well as above the dance floor ensures that there is no escape from the thundering bass and live drums that the band relies heavily upon. In addition, Gaudi allows FischerSpooner ample space to strut and strip their way around their own stage leaving the decks clear on their central podium for Tommie Sunshine, DJ Griff and Ivan Rydyk to reignite the evening once the pretentious oddity had fallen from their trapeze.
Like any performance artists FischerSpooner are challenging and, to some, will always be inaccessible. Bursting with colour and engaging the crowd with a commanding, energetic stage presence, their curious brand of camp exuberance will easily succeed in grasping a spectator’s attention. However no amount of posturing will hide the fact that their songs are flat, dull and frankly boring. This expensive show is a facade of pink smoke and feathered mirrors. Unless the music improves, filling the gaping hole in their act, these musical jesters will continue to be hit with a deserved custard pie.

361.

The Met: Anna Boleyn live in HD

The Met: Anna Boleyn live in HD
Going to the cinema to watch an opera might seem a somewhat unlikely activity, especially here in Moscow where top-notch live performances are not exactly thin on the ground. But the city’s first experiments with screenings from New York’s Met Opera suggest the idea could be a big hit. Admittedly, opening night was something of a nailed-on crowd-pleaser. The latest golden girl of Russian opera, Anna Netrebko, taking on the title role in Donizetti’s Anna Boleyn, was always going to appeal to audiences starved of opportunities to hear one of their own perform on the local stage (pops recitals at Dom Muzyki, usually at exorbitant prices, don’t quite hit the spot for the cognoscenti). And, with a couple of other rapidly emerging singers on the playbill as well, it was little surprise that the main hall at 35mm was sold out.
Initially the experience is slightly disconcerting. Footage of a distant theatre filling up, punctuated by discreet messages from the sponsors: this isn’t quite the muted hubbub of an evening at the Bolshoi. And the audience seemed slightly unsure how to behave. From the mixture of ‘Night at the opera’ over-dressing to ‘Saturday night at the movies’ casual in the cloakrooms to a touching uncertainty over whether or not it was appropriate or ridiculous to applaud performers singing their hearts out over the ocean, it felt like most of us were learning our cues as well.
Regardless of the background, however, the show’s the thing. And the performance did not disappoint. Donizetti’s opera was his first big hit – at the 35th time of asking – and manages to wrap up the final days of ill-fated Henry VIII’s second wife in a dynamic and dramatic evening. OK, so at times the history is a bit creaky around the edges, but in effect this is from the same cultural stable as “Shakespeare in Love” – only tragic rather than comic. Nifty story-telling and some virtuoso performances make the whole thing hang together, assuming you’ve got a cast which is up to the job. And the Met has: Netrebko was always going to be the star of the show, tackling one of the most demanding roles with the kind of diva attitude that ensured she was always the focus of attention when on stage. As well as the vocal pyrotechnics demanded of a coloratura role like this, she also brought her character to life effectively – another detail of the opera-singer’s craft overlooked by those celebrity “greatest hits” recitals in international concert halls.
However, even if she took top billing, Netrebko was hardly alone in impressing. Bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov was a powerful Henry VIII, scowling and grimacing his way through the performance with just the right level of affronted megalomania. Yekaterina Gubanova, as the queen-in-waiting Jane Seymour, also gave a strong performance as a woman torn between her love for Henry and her loyalty to Anna, and there was much to enjoy in the ardent Richard Percy, sung by Stephen Costello.
One bonus for cinema-goers was a detailed presentation of the performance – in expat-friendly English which was easy enough to follow despite the simultaneous translation. Amid various fluffy, interval-fillings interviews with cast members there were more interesting segments about the attempts to render the costumes historically accurate. This is no easy task: representations of Henry’s court are few and far between, and most of them are head-and-shoulders portraits. Rather than tumble into the rumbustious, red-tunic regality of popular cliché, the production was largely decked out in somber tones – although historical accuracy was dampened by a chorus which represented the diversity of contemporary New York more than the rarified environment of Tudor England. But such nit-picking was swept away in a powerful performance which saw the evening fly by.
In the year that Bolshoi is set to finally re-open its main stage, some may question whether Moscow needs to import opera in this way. But the evidence of the first of the six screenings planned from the Met suggests that the answer is a resounding “yes”. After all, it’s cheaper than getting to New York … and it might just inspire people to explore the cultural thrills to be found in the city’s own theatres.
The Met: Live in HD is screened at four Moscow cinemas (and one in St. Petersburg). The next scheduled performance is on Oct. 29, with a production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Details at: www.coolconnections.ru/ru/projects/project/76-metopolitan-opera-don-juan.

362.

Sparks

Sparks
In music, longevity is no measure of quality. Music fans have long memories and deep pockets and bands are too often guilty of trying to exploit their adoring public. Moscow‘s gig-goers seem to have become particularly popular targets. You can barely go a week without another minibus full of wrinkled has-beens turning up to peddle old rope in a “definitely our last tour (we promise)” special appearance.
In the last couple of months we’ve had Slade (twice), the Bee Gees (despite one member having snuffed it), the KLF (please), and this summer even the creativity-proof Rolling Stones will be hitting Russian shores. With this in mind I think I can be forgiven for presuming Sparks’ first appearance in Russia, 35 years after their first album, was scheduled simply to shake the charity collection box in a new precinct. I could not have been more wrong.

Split over two nights at B2, Sparks in Moscow was an unqualified triumph. Indeed the reception on Monday night was so overwhelming that it prompted front man Ron Mael to pledge to return in the summer. 35 years to get here, and now they want to come back in 3 months. I can only hope for those that missed out that they got a double-entry visa; this was one of those concerts you felt a warm sense of smugness at having attended.
In my opinion, the remarkable success of the gig owed as much to a smart choice of play-list as the quality of the material itself. Facing an audience expecting some of their older floor-fillers (listened to on vinyl whilst sneaking out of Communist classrooms according to one reveller) you would have expected a heavy back catalogue bias. Instead, the American brothers split the concert 50:50.
First came a full run through of the less familiar (twentieth) new album “Hello Young Lovers”. The disc is brand spanking new, released on 6 February and bearing all the hallmarks of Sparks’ experimental, innovative genius, it is as refreshing as a spring dip in Lake Baikal. The fans warmed to the new stuff immediately with several singing along despite the album having been overlooked by radio stations in Europe let alone Russia. For me, “Perfume”, “Dick Around” and “(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country” are some of the catchiest, cleverest tunes I have heard for ages and their omission from the mainstream is baffling.
Nevertheless, if the music wasn’t enough there was the colourful spectacle of straight-man Ron’s battles with his own video screen image or bursts on the air guitar to entertain. The band also used the screen to flash up their powerful lyrics and add a dose of slapstick to ease them through the album’s more difficult moments. There weren’t many.
In any case, anyone who did find the opening 90 minutes difficult to swallow had a whopping great bucketful of sugar to follow in the second half. The band cleared the stage and set about blasting the crowd into orbit with some of their most popular oldies. Beginning appropriately with “Aeroflot” and moving through “Happy Hunting Ground” and “Bon Voyage” to “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth”. Then a familiar introductory tinkle from Ron’s keyboard heralded the gig’s deafening crescendo - “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us”. Though he has probably done it more times than my Gran has had hot dinners, Russell delivered this 1974 hit with all the enthusiasm of a teenager doing his first gig.
Throughout this second half jamboree, Ron assumed his traditional waxwork pose at the keyboard whilst younger brother Russell jumped around like a jack-in-the-box. In both looks and mannerisms, they make an intriguing double act; like Alan Greenspan teaming up with Austin Powers. Backed up by a group that includes former Faith no More guitarist Dean Menta and Redd Kross bassist Steve McDonald the band’s music may defy categorisation but the sound is of unquestionable quality.
For thirty years Sparks have been the midfield workmen behind strikers like Queen, the Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode. Their new material is now setting the agenda for a whole new generation of rockers; Goldfrapp being one example. At the same time they put on one hell of a show, making them a must-see act regardless of their bulging back catalogue. If bands, like sportsmen, are only as good as their last performance, Sparks are at the top of their game. If you were remiss enough to miss out this time, make sure you catch them if immigration lets them back for a second go in the summer.

363.

Magma

Magma
A veritable volcanic eruption took place in the Club Na Brestckoi last Saturday night: 9 members of the cult French group Magma unleashed a storm of violent and energetic musical talent during their first-ever Russian live performance. Highly original and deeply penetrating sounds and voices oozed from the musicians on stage, leaving the crowd to smolder and melt in their wake.
Magma, the brainchild of drummer and composer Christian Vander, was created in 1969 and has since been hailed as the most adventurous prog-rock band of the seventies. But the paradox of the geological magma is also that of the music of Magma – it is rock, but in a different form. In effect, Vander uses rock, jazz, classical, folk and Eastern European influences to create a music which defies definition.
This blurring of musical boundaries is key to the concept of Magma. The music is meant to surpass the limits of our human experience, inviting us to make a journey in space and time to the imaginary planet of Kobaia, set several centuries into the future. Vander had a vision of the spiritual and ecological decay of Earth, and so set out to tell the story of a group of enlightened humans who decided to leave their homes and create a new utopian society on the planet Kobaia. The planet’s new inhabitants eventually develop their own language and peaceful way of life, but are frequently dragged into conflict with Earth, whose people see their endeavour not as a new hope for the future, but as a threat…
I had no idea what to expect of Magma. Nevertheless, I headed eagerly off down to Brestckoi, armed with a notebook and a very open mind. I was one of the first to arrive, but was soon to be joined by a very mixed crowd. At 10pm the band members, all dressed in black, quietly and discreetly arrived on stage. We were then treated to 1 ? hours of some of the most challenging yet strangely beautiful music I have ever heard.
Magma played 2 pieces (you can’t really call them songs). The first, a piece called ‘A.K.’ written in 1972 but as yet unreleased, lasted 50 minutes. The second was their famous ‘Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh’. Both were sung entirely in Kobaian. The singers were amazing:
One male and three female voices mixed beautiful harmonies with dissonant chord clusters, hisses and trills, evoking a wide array of events and emotions. The musicians were all of the highest quality, although the bass guitarist in particular provided us with an absolutely stunning solo indeed. However the star of the show was undoubtedly Vander himself: The volcanic crescendos of his drumming were the core to the music and his energy was the fuel for the flames. He played like a man possessed - in trans - his face contorted with the effort and the feeling for the music both within and around him.
Magma has no official distribution in Russia (although pirate CDs are of course
available!) but that deserves to soon be put right. The 100 or so people in the audience included a few obvious fans, but the majority was, like me, unsure in the beginning then progressively consumed by the power of the performance. I can’t say I completely understood the music - I don’t think any first-timer could – but no one could deny that it was an outstanding show, which left many of us wanting to hear more.
Before the start, I spoke to Stella Vander, Christian’s former wife and current lead singer. She was sensibly dressed with nice hair and no make-up, well-spoken and articulate (we spoke in French) and from the start it felt more like chatting to a friend’s Mum than interviewing a rock star from the seventies! I asked her about whether or not there are differences between their current performances and those of 30 years ago. She answered:” There have been many different band members since the original line-up in the seventies. We have recently regrouped after having pursued other projects, because we realized that there is a new generation that wants and needs to see us live. But within the group, there is the same energy. On stage it’s just as powerful now as it was back then. It just takes us a bit longer to recover after the show, that’s all! Now, we don’t go to parties after we play, we go straight back to our hotel rooms and go to bed!!”
This was not to be the case on Saturday, however! As the audience clapped and whistled with the hope of an encore, Stella came back on stage and apologised, explaining that they had to rush to catch the night train to St Petersburg! As for Moscow, well, Magma came and went, leaving a trail of red-hot fans in their wake…

364.

Stereoleto Festival

Stereoleto Festival
A special thanks goes out to the G8 summit for helping Moscow to kick off the music festival season. To avoid the proceedings, St. Petersburg sent down the fourth day of its annual Stereoleto festival to Hermitage Gardens, giving happy Muscovites one of their first chances this summer to trot out thong sandals to an open-air concert. The lineup, a trio of French acts, was perfectly suited for a lazy Sunday afternoon: retro surf-punks Bikini Machine, turntablers Birdy Nam Nam and pioneers of electronic tango, The Gotan Project. Best of all, due in part to the competing Avantfest at Proyekt Fabrika, there was ample space on the premises for lounging, dancing and then returning to lounging when the muggy heat of the afternoon became unbearable.
As people staked spots on the lawn, Bikini Machine, the lost members of the Reservoir Dogs, took the stage, sweating it out something powerful in black suits. The French are nothing if not terminally fashionable. Their sharp look perfectly corresponded with a retro garage punk sound of twangy guitars plus a lead singer enthusiastically brandishing a shaker. Unfortunately, the sweltering crowd didn’t know much what to make of it. Rock ‘n’ roll? In French? Better stand in line for beer now before it’s too late. Bikini Machine were there and gone before everyone had even settled in, giving way to better-received electronic music.
Birdy Nam Nam cut a striking figure onstage: four homeboys hunched over turntables, heaving in unison. Winners of a 2002 international scratching competition, the funky Frenchman began with a high energy set and cutely accented exhortations to “Give it up for Little Mike on the bass!” And the crowd gave it up. People descended on the stage area, energized by the change of tempo, a slight drop in temperature and maybe a 70-ruble Tuborg, hard-won after a 45-minute wait in line. Others, reluctant to leave a prime patch of grass, stood up to bob along.
Playing back recorded music, it’s hard to muster the same audience interaction as playing a live set, but Birdy Nam Nam held the crowd’s attention with a changing backdrop of light projections, kept the vinyls in constant rotation and even took a stab at bantering in Russian. Towards the end of the set, they slid into a hypnotic down-tempo beat, forcing many people back down to the ground to sleep off the excitement, or outside to chug a tall one from a kiosk before The Gotan Project.
If history has taught us anything, it’s that summer concerts in Hermitage Gardens have an unnatural propensity for rain. (It seems like just yesterday I was standing cold and drenched as the Scissor Sisters eked out “Mary.”) As the Birdy Nam Nam set finished and thunder rumbled in the distance, the race was on as to who would arrive first: the rain or the Gotan.
The stage area reached maximum capacity when the fair-weather Stereoleto fans only interested for the headline act finally made it to the scene, and others figured it was time enough to surrender grass space that would soon be soggy anyways. The yin to Bikini Machine’s dark and punky yang, The Gotan Project emerged in white tuxedoes matched by the white dresses of their female singers exuding an ethereal, summery vibe. The group, the only act that most had heard of before the concert, mixed Argentinean tango with electronic beats for the consummate lulling, head-in-the-clouds concert experience. A foray into French rap upped the ante a little, challenging the dancing crowd to find an appropriate rhythm at which to sway. All the while, the question loomed: “Would it rain?”
Ultimately, the French outran fate. The Gotan Project stuck around for an encore at the behest of the crowd, said a final au revoir then got out of there in dry tuxedoes. At 9:30 p.m., the night was still young, and the masses dispersed into a bustling metropolis in search of more entertainment.

365.

Creamfields

Creamfields
If, as Faithless and Pink would have us believe, God is a DJ, then he has had enough of Russians converting to his faith. Either that or he had a very bad week. Seven days after Moscow was bathed in the most glorious bebeleta sunshine, some of the biggest names in house music came to town and the Big Man upstairs responded with a storm of biblical proportions. It began almost as soon as the first acts appeared on the four outdoor stages dotted around the Hermitage Gardens and did not let up until darkness had fallen. By then the headliners were dusting down their record boxes, ready to take the decks suggesting that perhaps the typhoon was sent simply as a trial by ordeal for the undercard. Sadly on this showing the majority will be taking the “down” escalator when the clubbing judgement day arrives.
For the Brits in the crowd, the rain did at least have one positive effect. In the UK no festival is complete without a therapeutic roll around in the mud and by the time the downpour had relented there was an inviting pool of the stuff developing on the lawn in front of the Bedrock Arena. The Russian festival-goer appears however to be less inclined to partake in a cheeky slide in the slop. This I can only attribute to the fact that either mama (it is unlikely that many in the crowd would be doing their own washing for a couple of years) would not be amused if she were handed a muddied outfit, or that D&G have yet to produce a pair of wipe down jeans. Either way, it was noticeable that the de rigeur item of the Moscow club scene - the oversized sunglasses – are to be worn, not only in the dark, but also in the driving rain. With that and the fact that many of the revellers appeared to have been attending secret dance classes with my Dad, if the aliens had landed here that afternoon, it would have taken some serious explaining to save us.
But if anyone was going to win over a conquering army with nothing but a box of discs and a sound system, it is Pete Tong. The Lord Protector of British house music and hero of the closet beat junkie, Tong rarely fails to deliver, and this was to be no exception. With many in the crowd giving off as much enthusiasm as a drowned rat, the 9 o clock wake up call provided by Tong’s accessible, lively set was just what the doctor ordered. Loaded with tantalising crescendos and explosive piano breakdowns this was not innovative stuff, but it ignited a House Arena that had for so long been a virtual graveyard.
At the same time John Digweed was attempting a similar resuscitation job on the Bedrock Arena. Billed as the “progressive” stage, there was more here for the trained ear to nibble on, including some tasty morsels from the Continent where Digweed plies his trade more frequently these days. This said, the trees surrounding this, the most exposed stage, made for woefully poor acoustics that took the edge off the sharp set being pumped out. In the circumstances my attention could not help but fall on the slapstick dance moves of the teenage partygoers. Their desperate attempts to avoid a tumble into the mud through an alcohol induced haze and enormous sunnies provided entertainment that was almost worth the entrance money alone.
Moving to the relative comfort of the covered Main Arena there was time to sample something completely different in the form of the Audio Bullies. This group have achieved notable chart success in the UK, but I’m still to be convinced by their live act that has done the rounds on the festival circuit this summer. Though they were not helped by the fact that they followed a powerful and popular set from Australian outfit Infusion, for me they jump around the samples too frequently without adding enough of their own nouse. On one particularly grating occasion they moved as smoothly as a three-wheeled trolley-bus from a Prodigy baseline to the Human League with their hapless MC trying manfully to paper over the cracks. That he wasn’t even afforded a spotlight was presumably to spare his embarrassment for lines like “We is in Moscow/But I isn’t seeing no snow”. You could almost hear Pushkin turning in his grave.
That the Creamfields brand has made it to Russia is a measure of the increasing popularity of house music here and the organisers are to be applauded for making the day happen at a good price for the punter. Nevertheless, the inability to get big names until later in the season meant a gamble on the weather that on this occasion they lost. For those who love the glorious mess of a wet and grassy festival dance floor this would all be seen as part of the fun. Moscow’s young and trendys will, however, be looking for a stronger support line-up and a bit more divine intervention in order to generate that festival vibe same time next year.

366.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason / By B. Kidron /

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason / By B. Kidron /
I’m not the biggest fan of chick flicks. I didn’t see the first Bridget Jones movie (“Bridget Jones’ Diary”), but counting myself as one of the many Russian-deficient cineastes in Moscow who are always starving for the next English-language movie to come out on theatres, I just had to make an exception. After all, with the sheer amount of advertising this movie received in posters, postcards, and billboards, I just had to give it a chance and find out if it was worth all the hype.
I’m very glad that I did.
It certainly was the biggest premiere that I’ve ever seen in America Cinema, one that made use of every available seat in the theatre. You can thank the massive amount of publicity of course, but you can also thank the strength of its built-in audience from the books and the first film. And besides, this movie was good, especially for a chick flick!
Set a couple of months after BJD, the movie continues to follow the life and happenings of Bridget Jones, played by Renee Zellweger. It’s a new phase in Bridget’s life, so it begins with a new entry in her celebrated diary. Having discovered true love with the man of her dreams in Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), throughout the movie she finds herself having to contend with Mark’s “high-flyer” status and social circle, all the while slowly losing the hope of him asking for her hand in marriage.
While Mark’s career as a Human Rights lawyer is quickly rising, Bridget is struggling with more degrading assignments as a TV journalist. She finds herself losing the battle in competing with Mark’s colleague Rebecca (Jacinda Barrett) for quality time, and is later sent off to Thailand to meet with Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), her former boss and boyfriend. Laughs are long and loud in the Thai scenes, especially Bridget’s first time encounter with mushrooms… Magic!
Such as how it would be in a diary, Bridget’s life seems to progress in a narrative of episodic fashion, finding herself caught in one comedic situation after another. Depending on your experience in knowing people like Bridget, these situations can either be looked at as genuinely hilarious or hilariously genuine. In the midst of laughing at her creating many embarrassing moments for herself, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her misfortune and admiration for the way that she continues to plug away, despite her many obstacles and shortcomings.
The problem with this format is that each occurrence in Bridget’s life is actually just a plot device that perpetuates the story and acts as some sort of comedic/dramatic foreshadowing. Even the least sophisticated of viewers will realize the divinely inspired purpose of Bridget’s drug bust in Bangkok, and how the subsequent events will conveniently wrap it all up in one cute package worthy of the indefatigable Bridget. The Force is strong with this one…
Plot considerations aside, the film stands well from excellent direction, soundtrack, and performances. Even with the Mushrooms Scene, the movie manages to retain its hilarity without reaching “American Pie” standards. Credit director Beeban Kidron, especially for the ease in which uninitiated viewers (like me) can easily get immersed into this special world. In addition, the soundtrack fits flawlessly, provided mainly by female artists – augmenting Bridget’s strength in her femininity.
Finally, the performances were absolutely outstanding, especially from the leads. It’s cool to see Hugh Grant relish his return as the sniveling scoundrel in Cleaver, and Firth delivers yet again another masterful performance, this time as the fastidious Mark. Ultimate honors go to Zellweger though, for playing the title character in what seems to be a role made with her in mind. Her charisma easily shines throughout while playing the plump and plucky Bridget; one can easily see what makes her so especially desirable to these men, despite her intended unattractiveness.
Bridget is a girl who’s in her mid-30’s and hopelessly in love, the type of woman that exists strictly in the fictional universe. Indeed, if there were such a thing as a Bleeding Hearts Fan Club, she would be its president. I can sense in myself that the thing I found most appealing in her character was the thought that despite her numerous failures in the realm of love and romance, her indomitable spirit allowed her to continue baring her heart and soul with each romantic affair. This might not be a novel approach in romantic comedies, but certainly one made easily believable by the writing and performance of the Bridget Jones character. I had this warm and inviting impression throughout the movie, and I couldn’t help but sport a wistful smile even after the movie finished.
I’m still not a fan of chick flicks, but you can count me in as a fan of Bridget Jones.

367.

Valiant

Valiant
Directed by Gary Chapman. Written by: George Webster (story), Jordan Katz and George Webster and George Melrod (screenplay). Starring: (the voices of) Ewan McGregor, Ricky Gervais, Tim Curry, Hugh Laurie, John Cleese. 105 min. UK.
By Sam Gerrans
Review top sheet: a tedious and predictable children’s story in computer-generated form.
Think: “Scrappy Doo” meets a pantomime version of “The Dambusters”.
Will you like this film?
• Yes, if: you thought the “Tellytubbies” was quality TV or accept anything Bush or Blair have to say at face value
• No, if: you can do joined-up writing
• Maybe, if: you had a choice between watching this film or being kidnapped and mercilessly beaten and then waking up in a cell in Guant?namo Bay
Comments: this is a computer-generated animation film with famous people doing the voices. I sat there thinking, Isn’t that’s… er… whatsisname?
I was fairly sure about John Cleese and Hugh Laurie. I don’t know what the rest of them got paid, but it was wasted on me.
This is a coming-of-age story the end of which could be predicted by a myopic sloth with amnesia. And saying but it’s for kids won’t work. They’ll have the whole thing worked out in the first ten seconds, too.
The good news is this is a short film.
Out-of-five star ratings:
• Story:
• Dialogue: *
• Substance:
• Film craft: **
Story comments: another faceless, written-by-committee story-by-numbers guaranteed to dim your senses and leave you faintly resentful at your wasted time.
“Valiant” is a twee, coming-of-age-story sauce on a bed of re-hashed, re-constituted, dumbed-down pro-WWII agitprop served up with lashing of rousing moments to the sound of good old Blighty music. But none of this rousing was justified by the story and I wasn’t roused in the slightest. I was concentrating on not going to sleep.
The most interesting thing about “Valiant” is we learn that animals – including pigeons – were awarded medals in WWII for bravery. The awards ceremony must have been a priceless spectacle.
Dialogue comments: the humour is strained and clunky. How many bird jokes can one film take?
Even the great John Cleese can’t bring life to a story which is missing from the script. They should have let him write the thing himself.
Substance comments: this film has no substance. It’s just empty, candy-coated froth, so I’ll move on to some general remarks about writing for children before returning to deliver the coup de grace to “Valiant” on this score.

I agree with Spike Milligan. For him, children were not simply smaller versions of grown-ups. They were a completely different species.
Children see the world through a glass darkly, as it were, yet they are privy to insights denied most adults. They are complex and wonder-driven and cruel and possessed of the most exhaustive logic (albeit obedient to a grammar different to our own). They need a mythology which meets them where they actually are and not one which comes pre-packaged in neat little blocks lifted from a PowerPoint marketing plan.
Evidently, some producers and publishers think that dumbing down is the way to reach the children’s market. In the short term, they may make the bucks back, but they’re never going come up with anything of real value. Ultimately – and perhaps more importantly for them – they’re going to make less money in the long run, too.
The producers of pap are misunderstanding the reality, I would say, on at least two counts. Firstly, it is parents who do the buying. We hold the wallet, we have the power. If you want to sell a story to my child, Mr. Producer, you have to go through me. When was the last time you saw a seven-year-old buy his own ticket? And on the basis of “Valiant”, I’m not buying. I would not choose to pollute my child with rubbish like that for the same reason I don’t take him to McDonalds or thrust fizzy drinks under his nose. However, I do realise I’m in a minority on that one.
What will strike a broader chord is the fact that you have to make me, the parent, enjoy it. A. A. Milne understood that the secret of a successful children’s story is to make it accessible and enjoyable on both the child’s and the adult’s levels. This is why Winnie-the-Pooh still sell millions today. It’s no sacrifice to read it to your children. It’s a pleasure. And let’s face it, when it comes to choosing books at bedtime, who has the final say?
“Valiant” reaches no-one. It talks to a template-driven idea of what a “kid” might be like. A McKid , if you like. But there are no such children except, perhaps, in the minds of certain producers.
This film will be forgotten before you even make it to the aisle.
Film craft: in Russian there is an expression: ne myso, ne ryba – which roughly translates as neither one thing nor the other. And so with this film. It isn’t straight animation and it isn’t a real feature film. It’s computer-generated analogy which is not as good or as convincing as either film or animation.
Having said that, it’s well executed for what it is.
A taste of the story: a small pigeon wants – and gets – the chance to risk having his head blown off for king and country.
Sam Gerrans is a freelance writer and translator: http://samgerrans.com.

368.

Basement Jaxx

Basement Jaxx
Fittingly, in a city of jaw-dropping juxtapositions and cultural collisions, the last night of Basement Jaxx’s summer tour brought a hybridity and experimentalism to B1 Maximum that the Muscovite audience responded to in kind. Be it cheesy house, mental mosh-ups or Jamaican Gabba Street parties replete with skipping ropes, Moscow lapped it up and asked for more.
The set, percussion, DJ, drums and 3 horns provide a backdrop for 3 super-talented vocalists, an MC and guitarist and Basement Jaxx founder Felix Buxton, to run amok, and reflected the street party vibe at the roots of the Basement Jaxx route to popularity. The group draws upon the music of Brixton and London SW9, from the street sound of Jamaican ragga or The Clash to Saturday night house music and Sunday morning atonement with a church gospel choir to constantly surprise and uplift the audience by bringing a new vibe, a new twist, and countless costume changes.
Opening on an up and keeping it there, they brought the street vibe to Moscow, Jump’n’Shout had them high-kicking for starters before they stitched together three pieces from 2001’s Rooty and 2003’s Kish Kash that endeared singers Linda Lewis and Vula Melinga to all and sundry. The dancing was Jamaican, the singing was soulful, the horns were Latin and the beats were massive, yet it sounded like ska, or maybe hip-hop, or was that disco? It was loud though, very loud.
Four tracks in and it was time for “Take Me Back to Your House”, the video to which is saturated in Russian and soviet iconography and as such has received saturation rotation on MTV Russia. It was rather like seeing Prince in 1989, and standing agog as he played “Purple Rain” four songs in. Like, what were they going to do next? What about the encore?! Like Prince, Basement Jaxx had faith. They even chilled out for a bit – giving the white jump-suited horn section a Memphis moment before kicking into “Do Your Thing” from 2001’s “Rooty”, an Aretha meets Blues Brothers belter replete with manic Charleston dancing.
They did it again too, giving a big-up to label mates White Stripes by bashing out “Run for Cover”, before dropping the pace with a soulful “When the light is over now”, beautifully sung by Linda Lewis, whose extraordinary vocal prowess proved too much for the sound system, which frankly, should have been switched off altogether and must have been handled by a deaf 16 year old on speed, but more of that later.
The energy kept coming from stage centre, while video screens relaying the on-stage shenanigans to the gathered masses, filling Club B1 to about 3/4s capacity. Rooty’s “Get me off” was performed like Salt’n’Peppa (remember "Push it"?) were actually there. Ten times cheekier than Gwen Stefani, the girls loved it, both on stage and off. “Just Look Around”, (Yo Yo Yummy Yummy!) brought a dominatrix and a lime green track-suited belly dancer to make us smile, before things got totally out of hand. “Where’s Your Head At” was utterly lost in the sound – which was by now dangerously stupid – only matched by the on-stage cavorting of the Jaxx-ers, and the brilliant Horn Section costumed up as Klingon-Silverback-Ninja-Warriors in Tubeway Army’s castaways. Looked great, sounded terrible (it actually sounded like this at several points).
With that it was goodnight time, though a 20 minute African-Mambo multi-party singalong (It’s Basement Jaxx!) encore stretched the evening to 10.30, and brought the groups summer tour well and truly to an end. Right up to the end they were tight, together, having fun, and working hard, an infectious cocktail.
Groups come and go but a venue and its management remain. B1 Maximum has lead Moscow’s foray into quality musical nights out over the summer, offering a series of concerts appealing to a European/Western musical palette. For me, Air’s kaleidoscopic 2 ? hour set stands out in this respect though others would argue that Sonic Youth or Gogol Bordello are more worthy of mention, though perhaps I’m just showing my age. In short, Club B1 is a quality venue offering quality events with quality artists at Moscow prices. Basement Jaxx’s visit represents the latest efforts of Moscow’s more savvy music promoters to bring us a quality night out… as opposed to the Scorpions, again.
But, there is room for improvement. The sound was truly awful. The system regularly peaked at dangerous levels, prompting apologies on the band’s myspace site. If Club B1 wants to stay ahead of the posse of promoters and venues offering nights-out to Moscow’s revelers it will have to pay more attention to fundamentals such as this, and let the gloss take care of itself.

369.

Guns n' Roses

Guns n' Roses
Way back when, in the days when Axl Rose was a skinny, good looking kid with a dream, Guns n’ Roses was the hottest ticket in high school. And yet, when touring to the nearest venue to my home town (yep, heading for the rock-n-roll Valhalla that is Whitley Bay Ice Rink), the band taught me an early lesson in the perils of young love. One girl, two guys, and a gig 20 miles away. I had tickets but no car, the other guy had a car but no tickets. As a consequence I ended up financially enriched, but never got close to that particular sixth-form princess.
And so, for 20-odd years, I never got close to the GNR live experience either. So it was with some trepidation that I invited another lovely young lady (who, happily, has her own transport) to come along for the 25th anniversary show. Naturally, much has changed, but the band’s notoriously late starts remain. After an unprepossessing support act, and much scurrying around by the crew, 10 o’clock came around and the stage was deserted. Tick followed tock, and the mood switched from excited anticipation to exasperated irritation. A stray roadie was greeted by a forest of extended middle fingers and mutterings of “Axl g*vno” were getting louder and more persisent. Punctuality is hardly rock-n-roll, but considering half the crowd had good grounds to ruminate on whether a Slash-free band could really be billed as an authentic GNR gig, rather than a covers band doing a souped-up karaoke, indulging one’s notoriety for procrastination could be seen as a high-risk strategy. It’s not 1992 anymore, and not every rock star privilege stands the test of time so well.
Happily, it didn’t take long to get the crowd back onside. A theatrical entrance: guitarist DJ Ashaba silhouetted against the big screens, throwing shapes. A quick nod to the newer stuff, in the form of “Chinese Democracy”, gave Rose the chance to energetically get the measure of the hall, then it was straight into the old favorites with a raucous “Welcome to the Jungle”. In some respects, the years haven’t been too kind to Rose: a preposterously good-looking 20-something, he now wears a preposterous moustache instead. And while his voice is no worse than before, few would argue that he was a better vocalist than he had been a frontman. The singing is still OK, but the (admittedly limited) chat seems to have a whinier southern twang than ever before. The compensation is the sheer energy that he brings to the stage – a natural showman, in his element in front of the crowd, he remains compelling to watch. In terms of delivering the performance to the audience, he resembled Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, who put on one of the best performances of 2011 when he achieved the rare feat of making Olimpiisky feel like a venue and not an aircraft hangar.
However, while Rose remains a more engaging frontman than his 50 years might suggest is possible, the fact remains that this is no longer the GNR that thrilled the world in the early 90s. Only keyboard player Dizzy Reid remains from that line-up, and his solo brought a rapturous reception. For the others, Ashaba included, the mechanics were in place but somehow the spark was missing: the guitarist is clearly talented, but he’s no Slash, and apart from picking out the opening to “Sweet Child o’ Mine” he struggled to really set the crowd’s passions aflame. And that, perhaps was the flaw in the show. Apart from Rose and Reid, the band’s key members have moved on. Not just in the sense of leaving the band, but often in the sense of developing new projects and new material. For GNR, this is not the case. While the set draws heavily on 2008’s long-awaited “Chinese Democracy”, it’s telling to note that many of those tracks have existed in some form for over a decade. Four years on from that release, and no new songs on offer. It’s not a good sign for fans hoping to hear more from their heroes, although it’s a bonus for nostalgia junkies eager to lap up the old favorites one more time. The current crew does a good, reliable job with the music, and there’s no sense that this is a performance being listlessly phoned in to reluctantly secure another payday. At the same time, there’s no feeling that the band is still alive and active in any creative sense.
Perhaps that sense of a group being somewhat fossilized explains the slight awkwardness at times: interaction between band and audience was minimal. When a banner reached the stage, bearing a satirical reflection on the nature of Russian democracy, Rose seemed uncertain whether it was his most recent release or the Kremlin’s own heavily-rotated greatest hits collection that was the target of the barb. At the same time, the band seems to have less confidence in its new material: fair enough, the tour was billed as a celebration of the 25th anniversary of “Appetite for Destruction”, but there was little evidence of any appetite to create anew these days. While other acts of similar vintage – including, on the same weekend, Garbage – use the stage to put a strong case for their fans to regard them as an on-going project, the latest GNR incarnation feels like a tribute act to a great but now departed band.
Not, of course, that many of the faithful were complaining. A good solid two-hour set (running perilously close to the witching hour of metro closure) transformed those angry pre-show digits into wild enthusiasm. By midset, the strains of “Live and Let Die” transformed cries of abuse into “Axl – you’re the f*ckin’ best!” and a thunderous “Paradise City” to conclude sent everyone to their taxis happily enough – despite the earlier delays and frustration.

370.

VI Annual British Film Festival

VI Annual British Film Festival
If I have one recommendation for next year’s British film festival it is that the organisers put someone from the “Visit Britain” department on the selection panel. Though sponsored by a British airline, this year’s morbid assortment – featuring an al-qaeda cell, a gun-toting gangster mob and a vengeful serial killer – are unlikely to have anyone running for the first plane to London. In fact, so dark was the picture of my homeland that I watched unfold during the final 2 films I caught on Sunday night that I was surprised to find the Home Office anti-immigration squad hadn’t had a hand in the funding. Russian recruitment agencies also missed a trick by not waiting outside to sign up a traumatised audience desperate to avoid a return to the blood-soaked streets of Blighty. Suddenly a Saturday afternoon of Red Square document checks seemed like a rather cushy option.
To be fair, with titles like “Dead Man’s Shoes” and “Bullet Boy” I knew before I went in that I was unlikely to see a cameo from the Chuckle Brothers. But with the former clssified as a “black comedy” I thought there was at least a chance of I some light relief. Now I might be getting old, but Shane Meadow’s tale of an ex-commando psychopath setting about the cold-blooded murder of the 6 twisted friends who brutally tortured and tormented his mentally disabled younger brother was struggling to get a laugh out of me. This film is darker than a December afternoon in Norilsk.
But dark films are not necessarily bad films; a good cast and a punchy script are two ways the director can draw something of beauty from the murky depths. Sadly, Dead Man’s Shoes has neither of these, leaving a very clever, subtle twist as an isolated triumph amongst the film’s other failings. The ending casts new light on certain scenes of the film, which become far more poignant and intuitive once the full truth is known. Unfortunately, however, this invitation to retrace your steps might also see you stumble across some woeful acting (the band of abusers for all the fancy dress and weak accents made particularly unconvincing village idiots) and a couple of fine slices of ham served up at the dialogue counter. “I should have stopped this then” confesses the last of the bad guys as we approach the finale. “I wish you had, as it would have saved a lot of carnage” our axe-wielding hard man helpfully replies as if they were discussing the pit-falls of choosing the wrong queue at the post office. The clich? of the last man (who, of course, has the added burden of a family) being sparred and punished with a lifetime of guilt is also a rather lazy way to round this part of the film off.
In general the intense performance from the lead (Paddy Considine) makes for a chilling, calculating portrayal of the powerful forces of anger and revenge. It is just when he opens his mouth that I felt a bit more comfortable, reducing the film’s credibility. If this and the casting of the goons had been remedied and had his kills been better timed and more cleverly thought through, then this could have been a convincing and heart-rending thriller. As it is, the slaughter of such bafoons amidst the Derbyshire scenery becomes a bit like Seven meets Postman Pat.
Turning south to the streets of the East end of London, there is a competitively high kill count in the BBC funded “Bullet Boy”. However, here the writing and directing team had not even tried to find an original angle from which to satisfy their blood-letting urge, and the result is a pedestrian, uninspired drudge. Delinquent black youth from deprived urban background comes out of prison intent on changing his ways; falls back in with wrong crowd; gets caught up in spiral of gangland violence causing the destruction of his family and a few pointless shootings before winding up dead himself. Frankly, we have seen this painfully predictable tale of urban woe before. Usually, however it is accompanied by at least some sort of innovative input from someone. The school-play acting does not help, but a storyline as overdone as this needs something more than some shiny weapons and a gratuitous sex scene to rescue it.
The only thing that makes this movie stand out is the ridiculousness of the pivotal scene. How any director can produce a film in which the mindless shooting of at least 5 people including a 12 year old stems from a collision with a wing mirror whilst driving past a kebab van without the slightest touch of irony or dark humour is absolutely beyond me. Though I am not so na?ve to think that such a spiral of violence in the proud world of the gang is completely unconceivable, surely we need a little objectivity from somewhere? The lack of any sort of nuance or subtlety gave me the feeling I was watching a government funded educational lecture on the evils of firearms. When coupled with the lead’s incessant “What’s the matter man?” (its frequency should have made it the title of the film) and the constant pouting of his little brother this makes the whole film utterly infuriating. By half way through, even the projector had seen enough and decided to chew the reel in protest. Resolving the problem and continuing the show was one of the biggest disappointments of the evening.
Having seen the better funded “Layer Cake”, “Trauma” and the more uplifting “Enduring Love” before, I thought opting for the less well distributed flicks might reveal something to cheer about in the dark corners of British cinema. Disappointingly, on this evidence, film-makers at home seem to be trapped in a spiral of violence of their own. I left in search of an hour of Richard Curtis and a strong cup of tea.

371.

Psychic TV

Psychic TV
"Confusion is next and next after that is the truth" (Sonic Youth)
In keeping with the theme of the evening that was in it I should like to put on record that in writing this I resented having to refer to the singer's genders.
Saturday night. Given that IKRA was only ? full, it seems reasonable to suggest that you won't find many local music fans extolling the virtues of Psychic TV. You'll also find very few journalists who convey the live essence of Psychic TV without throwing in a history lesson and a brief sociological treatise on gender construction and Marshall McLuhan. Sounds confusing, but deconstructionism as a way of life was never going to be simple but the idea rests upon the notion that in every parody, however absurd, there is an element of truth, and it is here that Psychic TV front "person" Genesis P-Orridge walks the line.
See? Beard-scratching already. Cultural theory and shamanism are wonderful things but for connoisseurs of live music, four-to-the-floor meat'n'two veg men such as myself, its important to note that Psychic TV does exactly what it says on the tin. They play live, and they rock.
Having taken in their 2 hour white-noise psychedelic brain-melter, including power cuts, appropriate "paint-it-black" ad-libbing and (ahem) "a song about Tibet", I suggest music lovers put-off by the OTT New-York-Dolls style posturing of singer and yes, silicon implant transgender cross-dresser, the aforementioned Mr. P-Orridge, close their eyes and enjoy the music next time because this was great.
The pleasantly broad cross section of chilled-out punters laughing and chatting before the gig belied the sonic intensity and identity politics soap-boxing to come. It really was very relaxed. The 6 piece ambled amiably onstage while sampled bits'n'bytes chopped from the ether reminded us of our over saturated media age etc etc. and having re-tuned everything, they promptly kicked, and I mean the kind of kick that only good rock bands and mules do, into Hell is Invisible, and we were off - God help us all.

The sound was spot-on, warm, driven, yet delicately balanced so Genesis could still sound like Perry Farrell through a delay pedal while the band strutted and nodded, heads down, rocking. The crowd loved it and without further ado we were into a drawn out 3 movement 15 minute cheesy psychedelic Hammond organ vibe, punctuated by a superb white noise blow out, and in a time of cultural and political devastation in America, we were told that we were loved. Good news then and all in half an hour. By now audience members were randomly hugging each other, sharing the vibe, opening up and having fun.
As is so often the case though, the powerful visuals sometimes distracted from the quality of the playing and the music in general, Genesis' infatuation with his and her body was over-simplified and it was pleasantly surprising to close one’s eyes and be reminded of the obvious quality on show here. Organ, samples, guitar, base, drums and vocals all combined seamlessly as the video art advertised the appropriate message for each moment – everything was possible but nothing was real.
Genesis, striking Brian Jones blond in halter neck and heels, impressed with a 2 ? octave vocal range, reminding all gathered that we were dealing with a vastly experienced performer here. And while the video and samples asked us to consider beauty, enhancement or mutilation, or both, and while Genesis paraded as only a 6ft transgender peroxide blond with Pamela Anderson breasts can, it was still rock'n'roll. Snarling and pouting like Johnny Rotten, recalling Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon in her more hurt and vulnerable characterizations, and revealing those ridiculous silicon breasts, (s)he was hard to ignore.
The point, however, was not what Genesis did or didn't do, wear, say or hear, what he or she is or isn't, nor is it the nauseating media saturation thing. The point, at a live show, is the music and the vibe, and this was great rock'n'roll. Somewhat in the spirit of Jane's Addiction, Spaceman 3, the Doors, Mudhoney even, and laced with early British rockadelica, Psychic TV demonstrated an impressive tightness and musical versatility while evincing an infectious sense of fun.
The power cuts came, thankfully, between songs, pointing to incompetence somewhere in the crew (slap on the wrist for someone there). While the Paint it Black ad lib went down well, one particularly inebriated local did engage Genesis in some 'gay banter' as it were, (response "I'm so glad I don't speak Russian"), while a necklace was proffered to the singer from elsewhere in the audience. Balanced, thus.
(S)He's got it down pat though; to a tee even. Gripping the mic-stand as only rock'n'rollers do, eyes closed and just, giving it loads, Genesis in full flight reminded me of those primordial moments when Jim Morrison, or even Perry Farrell would disappear into themselves onstage and in doing so, take us all with them - into their charisma - their ritual. Performers for whom the bond with the audience was ecstatic – where they once and for all, were truly in the moment.
In short - great music, dynamic, powerful, and delivered with aplomb.
But with Genesis, for me at least, though (s)he gave it loads, though (s)he stands there and takes the hecklers ("Did you say 'biscuits'?!" our heckler was asked), it only went skin deep. While greats work through and resolve their issues through performance, others seek attention for its own sake and end up performing their issues, and its here I feel the Psychic TV experience falls down somewhat. For some, the irrelevancy of conventions merely contributes to their bemusement at their own notoriety. Others however, seek to re-create a blueprint, and in this respect Psychic TV walks the line. Original? Or a rehash cabaret of punk rock's greatest moments since 1968? Possibly neither, though they could be both.

I suggest you decide next time you get a chance. Just remember to close your eyes.

372.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones
As far back as 1989, when the Rolling Stones were on the Steel Wheels tour and I was a wageslave teenager who turned down a gig rigging their lights at Sullivan Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, they were already the butt of old-age jokes, such as some wag renaming the tour "Steel Wheelchairs." Well, the level of exaggeration in those jokes has stayed high as far as I'm concerned. The Stones are still to be taken seriously, even in their 60s, and they proved it at Saturday night's appearance in historic Palace Square in St. Petersburg.Naturally, anticipation was high, with a 50,000-strong crowd, which featured about three generations of people from all over Russia. The band had only been to Russia only once before, nearly nine years ago (August 11, 1998) and that was in Moscow. They were supposed to play St. Petersburg last summer, but had to cancel due to complications from Keith Richards' coconut tree incident.In a manner typical to Russian control-freak promoters, the square was divided into uninviting, enclosed cattle-pen sectors, with reserved seating on either side of a runway that would accommodate the stage moving forward, with a small, standing-room only area called the Fan Zone directly in front of the end of the runway. The lowest-price general admission tickets were even further away, behind the Fan Zone and totally separated from the other ticket sectors by a metal barrier lined with security guards.Bursting suddenly onto the stage about an hour after the comparatively anaemic opener Steve Harley, the Stones started in with the appropriately titled and high-powered "Start Me Up." The lithe and wiry Mick Jagger, who had just celebrated his 64th birthday in town two days earlier, moved as fast as lightning most of the time, prancing, dancing and even running his way through a set that was kind to those of us wanting to hear the time-honored cuts off greatest-hits records such as Rewind. Richards, whose physical appearance showed his age more than the others, was nevertheless in fine form as well, showcasing his surprisingly good singing voice in "You Got the Silver" and "Little T & A."During "Miss You," the moveable stage moved to the front end of its runway, staying there for "It's Only Rock'n'Roll (But I Like It)," "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," and most of "Honky Tonk Women." This part of the show, which should have been the icing on the cake for those of us (myself included) in the Fan Zone, was hampered by sound problems probably associated with the stage movement. The snafu rendered this part of the concert muddy and incoherent. Still, for a few fleeting songs, Mick, Keith, Ronnie and Charlie were only a few feet away from us with no security barriers in between, and squinting my eyes, I could just imagine how they would look playing one of their trademark short-notice club dates.The highlights of the show came after a short break, starting with "Sympathy for the Devil," containing the famous lyric about the Devil in revolutionary St. Petersburg, which Jagger wisely sang without any particular emphasis or lingering. Here the Stones went all out with the theatrics, using their elaborate stage show to the hilt with a red color scheme, a video screen depicting symmetrical snakeskin patters, with the spaces between the ribcage protrusions from the screen as an extension of images on the screen, fireworks and finally Mick Jagger in a long and shiny red lam? coat with tails. It was a smart, contemporary version of the song and Jagger let the theatrics accentuate the well-worn stanza that cemented the associations with Palace Square being the key site of the October Revolution of 1917. The high point of "Sympathy for the Devil" turned into a double whammy when the band segued into the equally if not more powerful "Paint It Black," arguably the most well known Stones number in Russia, with every other teenager belting it out on acoustic guitars in the staid and stagnant Soviet '70s.The best aspect of the concert's sound was the seemingly painstaking effort to pull off numbers that featured a bigger sound on record in a form fairly close to their studio versions. The renditions of "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Tumbling Dice" and the James Brown cover "I'll Go Crazy" featured keyboards, brass and backing vocals provided by the formidable backing band consisting of bassist Darryl Jones, guitarist Blondie Chaplin, R&B diva Lisa Fischer, jazz musicians Bobby Keys, Bernard Fowler and Tim Ries and ex-Allman Brothers keyboardist Chuck Leavell, all of whom Jagger introduced individually after "Tumbling Dice."Date: Saturday, July 28, 2007Location: Palace Square, St. Petersburg, RussiaStart: 21:31End: 23:37Set List:Start Me UpYou Got Me RockingRough JusticeBitchShe's So ColdYou Can't Always Get What You WantMidnight RamblerI'll Go Crazy (James Brown cover)Tumbling Dice[Bandmember intros]You Got the SilverLittle T & AMiss You [stage moves to the front]It's Only Rock'n'Roll (But I Like It) [stage in front](I Can't Get No) Satisfaction [stage in front]Honky Tonk Women [stage moves back to the rear]Sympathy For The DevilPaint It BlackJumpin' Jack FlashBrown Sugar (Encore)

373.

Laurie Anderson “Homeland”

Laurie Anderson “Homeland”
The doyenne of NYC avant-garde electro made a fleeting appearance in Moscow, bringing her latest project “Homeland” through Europe ahead of an album release scheduled for later this year. The project has already toured since autumn of last year. Although it’s a little unusual to tour a project long before there is anything down on disk, it could reasonably be expected that someone as anti-mercantile as Anderson wouldn’t tour for financial reasons alone. Indeed, if she was doing it for the money, then the Moscow gig will have been a drag on the budget – 60% of the seats at Dom Muzyky went empty. But in a set which decries commercialism and the woes of modern urban life, this seemed to be all part of the plan.If Anderson’s previous albums and projects have been notable for touching on their topics through recondite references, obscure allegories and inverted references, she has thrown-open the doors of her own consciousness and latent anger in Homeland. Her mid-80s hit “O Superman” (which owes its success largely to John Peel, who championed this 8-minute track at a time when no-one else would play such extended numbers on radio) has references which were sufficiently muted that they eluded simplistic analysis that might have had the track spiked from the airwaves on political grounds. However, the timing and spacing of the text established it as a hypnotic kind of trance, in which the meaning of the text only emerged after several listenings – even though it was always there if you wanted to find it. Underneath an apparently uber-cool metropolitan mash-up of life in the modern megapolis, the bait-and-switch with which motherly love is mutated into a love for petrochemicals and warfare is waiting for the listener at the end: “So hold me, Mom, in your long arms/Your petrochemical arms/Your military arms/In your electronic arms”. It was against a crateful of this material that Laurie Anderson presented a new project in which the gloves came off very quickly.The spiky-haired heroine of hyper-cool activism was in top form, and sailed through the entire unbroken set without taking pause for breath. We opened in expansive, almost Messianic tone, with a questing piece about where birds buried their dead before the earth’s surface was available to them. However, we were quickly into the uncompromisingly political material that is a new departure for Anderson, and has seen walkouts and screams of protest at her concerts in Boston. “Only an expert can deal with the problem” is clearly the hit number of the show, and its entrancing beat – interspersed with humorously-placed tacits to give pause for thought – bring the audience along through some ideas that will have been uncomfortable for many. "And if a country tortures people… And holds citizens without cause or trial and sets up military tribunals… This is also not a problem… Unless there's an expert who says it's the beginning of a problem." The topic of America’s lurch to the right underlies much of the show, with other songs performed in the persona of a Motivational Speaker who privately admits that everything he says is a pack of lies. The Iraq War casts its bloody pall over much of the proceedings, and in “Call ‘em up” any pretence at sophistry or allegory is cast aside. Simultaneous translations of the song-text appeared on a digital screen behind the performers, but even this couldn’t explain who the “NRA” were, the significance of Rush Limbaugh, and various other cultural references that didn’t register with all of the audience. Some of the translation didn’t work – notably the gag that a Texas State Official had commented that ordering women to carry handguns wouldn’t work, because Texas women would never find the gun in their handbags anyhow.The on-stage persona of the lie-mongers of the New Right – the Fukuyamas and their kind – is a new departure, and seems to owe something to David Byrne’s preoccupation with fire-and-brimstone preachers, hypocrites and blowhards… exploded through their own vocabulary of deranged, vicious vitriol. They’re easy and deserving targets, of course, but I did wonder if the concert had stopped, and the stand-up had started? Unpitched and declaimed over preprepared backing material activated from her console, we appear to have crossed over into a different world of political satire. Not that there was really anything wrong with this, but it seems like an underuse of the concert form available to push the message home more ardently? The anger flows freely, but the Russian audience seemed rather nonplussed by an American delivering stinging judgement on the shortcomings of her own country… perhaps because there was nothing to connect to for them in all this?Although “Homeland” is entirely new material, it’s not entirely a liberal denunciation of neo-con values and there are wistful lyrical moments alongside the skewball surrealism that was the keynote of early albums like “Big Science” – “The Underwear Gods” seems to have slipped through a timehole from an earlier Anderson altogether. A few more numbers like this would have leavened the texture and left the protest-song material in sharper relief as a consequence. Supported by just a trio of musicians (viola, keyboards and bass), the musical textures still succeeded in being varied and interest-catching… sampled sounds were sparingly used, along with synthesised live sound. It was a pity that the PA system was barely adequate for all this (I’d go as far as calling it shoddy), and Dom Muzyky is far from the ideal venue for this kind of gig – it would have come over much better at Ikra or B1 Club. The unfortunately-usual posse of photographers walking-around during the gig was an unwanted distraction – can’t this be done when the band does their sound-check or run-through?! The austere concert-hall setting - with an enormous concert pipe-organ as the entirely unsuitable backdrop - didn’t help in establishing the atmosphere, nor did an underpowered touring PA system or the absence of a regular crowd of fans. The dedicated few who turned-up nevertheless enjoyed an outstanding performance, which goes on from Moscow to appear in London next week at the entirely more suitable Barbican Hall.

374.

The New Tango Orquesta

The New Tango Orquesta
Brazil, Bandoneons & B2 - it all came together this week when Swedish smoochers The New Tango Orquesta appeared live in Moscow.
Think of the Tango, think of Brazil… and you think of rays of sunlight piercing the pristine northern birchwood forests, as elk meander through the conifers, and salmon splash in the… what d’ya mean, “no”? Yet strange as it might seem, the only remaining live group carrying the torch for “New Tango” don’t come from the rainforests of Brazil, but the pineforests of northerly Sweden.
And no one is more passionate about New Tango than NTO founder and front-man Per Storby. I asked this mohican-cut evangelist about the instrument that’s the heart and soul - not to mention the main melody-line - of New Tango… the bandoneon. “Well, yes, it’s kind-of like an accordion or concertina – a BIG concertina! It was invented in C19th Germany, to play the hymns in small Lutheran churches who didn’t have an organ, or couldn’t afford one. Sailors and missionaries took it to South America – where it immediately went straight into the whorehouses, of course! From moral superiority to moral depravity in one quick jump. Then it was taken-up into the tango orchestras, but with a minor problem… it’s such a bloody clumsy instrument to play, they had to slow the tempo of the tango down specially for the bandoneon players!” Per fell in love with the sound of the instrument from hearing records – “I just knew I wanted to play that sound!” - but only realised later that being clumsy to play was only half his problems. No one even makes bandoneons any more, and no one could show him how to play one either. A long search tracked-down an aged second-hand instrument, and he figured out the double button-boards for himself.
Almost all the material the quintet perform these days is original – but lurking in the background is the guiding spirit of the genre’s originator, the legendary New Tango king, Astor Piazzolla. Indeed, his spirit (the man himself died over a decade ago) took a posthumous turn around the stage for one number at B2 – a piece Piazzolla had written as a farewell present to his own quintet, when the time came for them to disband. “We were in Brazil last year, and doing the sound-check for our gig, when they told me that we had visitors – the relatives of Astor Piazzolla. When I said what we were going to play… well, you could see they were a bit uneasy about it! So we played it – just for them. At the end, there was a HUGE cheer, and I knew we’d passed the test” Per explained… with the faintest hint of a nervous tremor still lingering in his voice.
Sharing the melody-line honours for the ninety minute set was fellow Swede and violinist Livet Nord. Some of the material being heard was so new that it’s “work in development”, and doesn’t even have official song-titles yet. Livet’s soaring strings illustrated clearly what other critics have said openly – there are some strong overtones of classical and jazz in the NTO’s unique sound. One of her semi-improvised solos had a hint of the spirit of Vaughan William’s “The Lark Ascending” – with all of the brilliance, exhilaration and technical mastery stunningly turned-round into a wholly new form. In an unusual way the NTO are akin to contemporary classical ballet – steadfastly remaining true to a revered tradition, yet pushing the envelope in every direction. Another untitled number, unashamedly introduced as being influenced by baroque music, featured a multi-track playback of different strings, against which the live musicians added their own contributions. The audacious result makes a “new tango” out of the archaic form of the Chaconne – but here there are Chaconnes of all eras!! We start in the C17th, with Josef Kallerdahl’s sumptuous string bass establishing the bass-line, and slowly golden melody-threads begin to interweave between bandoneon and violin, suggesting Pachelbel or Purcell. Tomas Gustavsson wrestled to add delicacy from a somewhat thrashed-sounding piano but soon the genteel control of the “baroque” form gives way to an unstoppable wildness that fused ideas suggestive of John Adams “Shaker Loops” with orgiastic mayhem, as though the periwigged fops had cast-off their crinolines for a boozy bacchanal to Beelzebub’s doorstep… before slipping back, as if caught with their trousers down, into the delicate accuracy with which it all began.
Rhythmic drive in this percussion-less line-up was ably driven along by Peter Gran on guitar, whose seamless accompaniment was sometimes given special permission to solo. Especially welcome was a lunatic guitar-bass duet that galloped along like a Bach two-part invention after a very large spliff, which expanded to become a kind of “Tango Fugue” with melody lines being rapidly back-passed between the whole group like a skilful rugby team on a top-form attack. Even so, the classic sound of New Tango is more wistful and plangent, and this is how they went out. Storby’s self-acquired bandoneon style is uniquely vocal – he plays only on the “pull” strokes, pausing to close the bellows in a breath-like instant before playing the next line, with the poise and delicacy of the most heart-tugging and breathless chanteuse.
The whole thing was sweetly set-off by a lush warm PA system at B2, and superlative sound management. Apart from the barman who decided to use the ice-crushing machine during the slow double-bass solo, you could’ve heard a pin drop, and the NTO had the audience eating of their hands long before even half-way.
The New Tango Orquesta are: Per Storby – bandoneon, Thomas Gustavsson – acoustic piano, Peter Gran – guitar, Livet Nord – violin, and Josef Kellerdahl – string bass. They are appearing at the Red Club in St Petersburg before continuing their European tour through Germany and northern Europe – they also featured on Russian TV this week. They have a website at www4.tripnet.se/~storby.

375.

Antony & The Johnsons

Antony & The Johnsons
Antony Hegarty, the flamboyant frontman of Antony & the Johnsons, is not the first foreigner to admit to finding Moscow a bit of a mystery. But during his headline slot at the recent Ahmad Tea festival in Hermitage Garden he inadvertently stumbled on one of the quirks which makes life in Russia’s capital so captivating – if also so challenging at times. After all, as he mused from the stage, it’s a fast-paced, rough and ready city where ‘crazy things are happening behind every door’. And yet, in this apparently unpromising soil, something is nurturing the ‘angels’ who turn up to concerts like this – a rather camp, uncompromisingly highbrow brand of baroque pop, performed in dismal weather with the accompaniment of a full symphony orchestra. Compared with the brain dead output of mainstream Russian music, this is another world. On the face of it, there really shouldn’t be an audience for this at all in a country which seems to be in thrall to banshee-wailing balladeers and perky girl bands, or at best, which thrills to the visits of international touring acts who are already some way past their sell-by dates.
And yet, clearly, just as a country where a monolithic, self-perpetuating state apparatus cannot stifle the willingness of tens of thousands of nay-sayers to take to the streets in freezing winter temperatures to raise an objection which even many of those participating regard as somewhat futile, the dead hand of corporately approved pap – deftly steered by the deus ex machine figures responsible for Channel 1’s so-called “entertainment” schedules – cannot stifle public enthusiasm for music that goes a bit deeper than the obvious inane crowd-pleasers and ring-tone fodder churned out by Europa +.
Antony & The Johnsons perform a curious brand of music, one which in some respects contains as much duality as Moscow’s stratified cultural life. Drawing on Hegarty’s birthplace in Chichester, England, it sometimes seems to draw into the narrative ballad tradition – now half forgotten – of English folk music (or perhaps more accurately, the music of England’s urban communities, rather than the quirky morris-dancing gubbins). But if that seems to place the band alongside the likes of Billy Bragg and the socially-motivated music-making of the industrial underclasses, think again. It doesn’t even quite inherit the fragile world of Nick Drake, gently musing on a world which is despairingly far from reach before slipping into its own ethereal void. Instead, the second profound influence is Hegarty’s second life in New York, where he lives and where his musical, cultural journey led him to creative adulthood. In that melting pot of high art and low culture, where the spirit of Tin Pan Alley tries to turn every song into a show, that narrative tradition takes on a distinct new turn – stagier, more dramatic, yet somehow without slumping into casual showiness. It’s a kind of pop chamber music in its native state – but it comes with a voice straight off the Broadway stage.
Meanwhile, the show which came to Moscow took that chamber music and orchestrated it, transformed it from lieder to opera by ramping up the scale and hiring the stage band from Novaya Opera to accompany the show. All too often this kind of thing means gimmicks: lazy arrangers rely on kitsch, the strings take on a Hollywood vibrato and everything is lost in a vast vat of musical treacle. But not here. This time the arrangements are astute; woodwinds serve as more than mere piquant seasoning to the slush, brass adds texture rather than brute force. The intro to “The Cripple and the Starfish” might have a cinematic feel, but it’s the score to a film you’d want to watch more than one rather than the parping rumble of a brain-in-neutral blockbuster. But this ties in with the ethos observed by other musicians: in Hegarty’s music the commitment is always to the integrity of the song. As Adrian McNally, whose folk band The Unthanks peformed a set built around these songs a couple of years ago, observes: “There is never a spare not played or one struck to impress. They appear entirely consumed with the search for beauty and truth.”
It’s high praise, and helps build that high-brow wall around Hegarty and his colleagues. But, as always, it’s only part of the story. The performance, battling against unhelpful weather for an outdoor festival, was no Symphony Hall recital. The setting may appear stuffily operatic, but the singer himself remains rooted in Broadway rather than the Met. It’s a rendition of big-hearted torch songs typified by the likes of “You are my sister” and “For today I am a boy” rather than shallow, calculating show stoppers. Some questions remained – it was a surprise to hear him stumble on more than one occasion over the lyrics, relying on a measure of charm to get out of a hole without trying the fans’ patience. But on the whole, it was a triumphant performance.
Sadly, the rest of the festival struggled to keep up. A bizarre scheduling decision saw the intriguing I am Kloot appear first. As a result the inventive pop orchestra was all but finished as the venue was still filling up. And that disappointment was compounded by the unimpressive contribution of Farfallo, an aging English singer-songwriter with limited appeal which left the crowd getting increasingly damp despite the hasty distribution of complementary raincoats for all. That sudden uniform – shapeless white robes and pointy hoods – gave proceedings a somewhat surreal feeling. Depending on your point of view it might call to mind either the notorious ‘sperm’ scene from Woody Allen’s “All you ever wanted to know about sex”, or a bizarre parody of a Ku Klux Klan gathering. For Hegarty, however, a sea of soggy white plastic was “like singing to a cloud” comprised of the “angels of Moscow”.

376.

Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain
Directed by Ang Lee. Written by: E. Annie Proulx (story), Larry McMurtry (screenplay), Diana Ossana (screenplay). Starring: Jack Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger. USA, 134 mins. In Russian in Dome Cinema.
By Erik Jansma
Review Top Sheet: Epic love-story of two cowboys set in the depressing yet beautiful redneck state of Wyoming. Take a true story of a Pulitzer price winner, let two Western veterans make a screenplay of it, bring on two hotshot young Hollywood actors and let a visual magician mix it all up. Made for winning Oscars.
I walked out of the movie thinking I saw a good movie. The people I went with liked it too. Nobody left the cinema during the 2 hours and 14 minutes running time. Brokeback Mountain features stunning landscapes, a very good cast, nice music and everything else a movie needs to get nominated for many Oscars and winning three. You’re likely to join the straight and gay crowd praising the movie to heaven. I didn’t, because Ang Lee can do better and has done so…
Will you like this film?
Yes if: You liked “Memoirs of a Geisha”
No if: You liked “The Ice Storm”
Maybe if: You skip the last 20-or-so minutes
Comments: Brokeback Mountain was made for winning Oscars. It therefore keeps away from being all too critical and sharp. It contains no news, no controversies and is politically correct. The visual quality of the movie and the skills of the cast make this movie likeable. It is gay movie for the whole family, so to say.
It therefore is entertaining and certainly worth watching. You can keep up with the story easily and are even treated to a semi-optimistic ending. You will even feel good and slightly concerned after watching it.
Personally, I felt more than a bit let down, as I have seen director Ang Lee deliver better and more sincere films. And as Brokeback Mountain remains superficial, I can only conclude that The Academy and as many visitors as possible were the main motivations for making this movie. It’s just only a bit better than your regular blockbuster.
Out-of-five star ratings:
Story: **
Dialogue:***
Substance:*
FilmCraft:****
Story Comments: As already the film poster shows clearly, this movie is about two cowboys in love with each other. Obviously, this relationship comes with frustrations, longing, desperation and. The movie zooms in on some crucial moments that take place in a twenty-year period, updating the viewer on how nature struggles with nurture.
As Wyoming, USA, is presented as a pretty backward, redneck, boring place with awful summers and many sheep, you might expect that this just can’t end up in a “happily ever after”. Towards the end of the movie, things indeed have turned quite ugly and come to a climax in a scene that shows how brilliant an actor Jack Gyllenhaal is.
At this point, and for a short while afterwards, “regret” is written all over the movie and it’s characters. Pause and think of the final scenes of The Ice Storm, Ang Lee’s story of family self-indulgence in the 70s. Got it? Same thing here, but hold on!
From the moment where the end titles should kick in, along with a melancholic song, the movie continues endlessly, in search of a more or less hopeful, if not happy ending. Finally, it picks a previously under-exposed sub-plot and ties it in, in order to provide the movie with an artificial, bittersweet and hopeful ending. Handkerchiefs, please!
It maybe does the trick for the honourable members of the Academy and those sobbing reviewers who use the word “bittersweet” as a compliment, but to me this “plot twist” robs the movie of integrity and makes it just another politically correct and meaningless movie. I wonder if this makes the BAFTA like The Ice Storm did.
Dialogue Comments: The apparently limited vocabulary of Wyoming locals makes up for the sometimes inaudible gnawing that takes place. You will get enough chances to get used to it though. The first part of the movie doesn’t really have too much conversation in it and gradually, the characters become more talkative.
The dialogs define the characters in this movie. Heath Ledger’s character Ennis is introvert and he is sparing with his words. Jack, the more eloquent character by Jack Gyllenhaal is never short of words and is much more able to express himself. This is completely in line with how Jack takes initiatives and tries to enrich his life, one way or the other, while Ennis is and remains stuck between two lives.
There are some jokes, too. They aren’t too witty or cynical, which is no surprise if you look at the story and substance of this film. It may get some sniggering started in the cinema, but you won’t be rolling off your chair in spasms of laughter. It’s all very, very safe.
All in all, the dialogs are reasonably good as they fit the movie and serve the purpose of it.
Substance Comments: The movie is based on a short story that E. Annie Proulx wrote in 1997. A year after, a man was killed in a gay bashing, similar to the one in Proulx’s story. Now, Wyoming doesn’t seem to be the most progressive in the USA, which makes it safe to assume that if this sort of stuff happened eight years ago, it still does now. So, I wonder why then the same story is thrown back in time over twenty years for the purpose of this movie.
If it is to tell us that Wyoming is a very, very conservative state –and Texas too: well, thanks, I sort of had that impression already… If it is a warning to gays that they’d better stay in the closet in rural, backward areas: something tells me that gays have figured that one out too… And if it is a warning for bad summers and sheep on the loose: Wyoming is not exactly on my shortlist for holidays.
The movie does have parallels with The Ice Storm in showing how actions of a few may have a rippling effect on others’ lives. It, too, shows it without prejudice and through clear and sharp observation. However, if you realise that the whole problem is that sex between to guys will be punished with violence in the traditional cowboy society, it is a bit disappointing that this movie shuns confrontation in favour of Oscar nomination-inducing political correctness. The forced optimistic end makes it even worse. This movie wasn’t supposed to have substance, just pretty pictures and a so-called controversial theme to give it attention and win some Oscars.
Yes, the movie triggers thoughts and therefore isn’t bad. But it could and should have been better in the hands of Ang Lee.
Filmcraft comments: You can rely on Ang Lee to make a movie look and sound nicely. And on this subject, the master has not sold out. Even better, the scenery and more importantly the way it is visualised is no less than stunning. There are hardly any computer graphics involved and the craft of filming with the right diaphragm, light and focus is pushed to an almost incredibly high level. Talking about eye candy!
The casting is also very good. Heath Ledger, although over-acting a bit towards the end of the movie, plays consistently and adds credibility to his role. Jack Gyllenhaal outplays himself and displays a versatility that is rare. The supporting actors do their job without becoming too prominent, and at the same time they don’t stop mattering. Very well played and very well directed.
Together with introspection into an extremely traditional world that most of us can only imagine but not experience, the filmcraft is the one and only reason for seeing this one on a big screen and not waiting for the DVD.
A taste of the story: Boy meets boy on a mountain. They meet again. And again, and again, and again, only to find out that all is lost.

377.

Virtuosi Moskvy & Jessye Norman, cond Vladimir Spivakov

Virtuosi Moskvy & Jessye Norman, cond Vladimir Spivakov
There was no doubt in anyone’s minds – this was an audience who had come to see the greatest living American soprano, Jessye Norman, and anything else on the program was simply padding.
Sadly, no attempt to raise the opening item on the program above padding-level was discernible, and the Bach D-minor Concerto for Violin , Oboe and Strings passed off in an unstylish and lacklustre fashion. There was a good deal too much extraneous movement from soloists Spivakov (violin) and Utkin (oboe) – including walking around the stage whilst playing. Moscow is no mecca for period performance style, but with C19th trills for C18th music, no ornamentation whatsoever on repeated sections and no cadenzas, this performance cast no glory on those responsible for it. It’s deeply depressing to have music performed with apparent contempt for the composer’s intentions. An inaudible harpsichord was stationed behind the orchestra, from where it added an aesthetic if silent contribution.
The Purcell Pavan & Chacony for 3 violins and bass was unfortunately given similar over-milked treatment – played by full orchestra in the full-blown C19th manner. Someone really ought to establish a means of protecting composers from this sort of thing?
Inserted between the above items, however, was a sparkling account of the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No 1 from soloist Denis Matsuev. Why couldn’t the detached, non-romantic and wry style so aptly applied here have been brought to bear on the Bach and Purcell too? Matsuev’s phenomenal technique leapt playfully around the opening movement, perfectly capturing the ironic comedy with crystal-clear articulation. His legato was no less impressive, and the titanic fistfuls of notes in the closing allegro con brio (performed at the premier by the composer himself) gave him no trouble whatsoever, bringing the work to a close in fine style. Let’s hope this reading gets to the recording studio soon? Matsuev seems to have a bright career ahead of him on this showing. The supporting solo trumpet part went uncredited in the program, which seemed very unfair.
Finally we were joined by Miss Norman, in a voluminous ball-gown, to tumultuous applause – and back to more Purcell and Bach. It took an American to lead the way on singing Purcell stylishly, and in Dido’s farewell (from Dido & Aeneas) we finally heard all the double-dots and lusciously accurate ornamentation from Miss Norman that we’d missed earlier. It really is deeply ironic that it takes a singer best-known for her recordings of the C19th High Romantic repertoire to give basic lessons on baroque style? Sadly it was not within her power to dispel the soupy sound with which she was accompanied, and this same approach continued in Erbarme dich from Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Again, the stylistic gulf between soloist and orchestra jarred uncomfortably. Miss Norman’s finely-honed recital technique won-through, and was an object-lesson to Russian singers – you should remain facially and emotionally engaged with the music, even when you are not actually singing.
The slow movement from Webern’s Langsamer Satz was then played – a piece of programming which made not the slightest sense or coherence to me.
But now, at last, came the much-awaited main item – Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder, for which Jessye Norman is world-renowned as an interpreter in the concert-hall and on cd. Given the circumstances of the work’s genesis, the chamber-orchestra line-up can probably be justified. Whilst it seems deeply unfair however, anyone who knows Ms Norman’s recording of the work would have found this orchestral sound sadly emasculated. Most particularly the two movements subtitled “study for Tristan and Isolde” sounded painfully raw – Im Treibhaus started unsteadily with some grim scraping. Wagner is not repertoire which once can just pick-up and play successfully, and in the ultimate irony of the evening, the full-blooded romanticism so inappropriately applied to the baroque works deserted the stage when it was most needed in the Wagner. The moments of dramatic climax went for nothing, like a firework whose fuse blows-out. The slighter-than-average forces ought to have at least favoured the moments of more subtle shading - but even here Ms Norman’s masterly phrasing of “und dann sinken, in die Gruft” lay masked behind an over-prominent orchestral texture that remained glutinous, rather than the transparency that’s really needed here? This was really the wrong orchestra for this work, although Jessye Norman produced a performance of superlatively subtlety above this texture that is the result of years of association with the work.
All this went over the heads of an audience who obviously rarely attend concerts, and insisted upon applauding the individual movements of the Wagner - despite both the soloist’s and conductor’s visual signals not to do so. Someone even called-out an unwanted “bravo!” between Im Treibhaus and Schmerzen. Given that they would have applauded Miss Norman if she’d sung Seventy-Six Trombones just as much, it was no great wonder that a somewhat artificially orchestrated standing ovation (apparently stemming from a group seated around the concert promoters?) resulted. Jessye Norman deserved it absolutely, even if neither Spivakov nor Virtuosi Moskvy – who appeared to have sight-read the Wagner – richly did not.
It was unfortunate that the “security” surrounding Miss Norman was so intense that it caused a good-natured rugby scrum at the Security Check, delaying the concert’s scheduled start by over 45 minutes, and severely spoiling the mood of many concert-goers who had been pushed, jostled and squashed in a painfully incompetent crowd-control exercise. The organisers need to give serious thought to what would happen if anyone had fallen over in this seething mob? Or are they going to wait for the first disaster and fatalities before doing something? Given that the Conservatoire suffered a damaging fire only last year (a projector-lamp fused during the Shostakovich, scattering shards of shattered blue filter over listeners in the front rows) there are some serious safety concerns, long overdue for attention – when the tickets cost this much?

378.

Killing Bono /By N. Hamm/

Killing Bono /By N. Hamm/
Written by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais and others. Directed by Nick Hamm. Starring: Ben Barnes, Krysten Ritter and Robert Sheehan. 114 mins. Ireland, United Kingdom.

By Peter Ellis

Review Top Sheet: Two school friends, one dream: to become a rock star. The first changes his name to Bono, forms the band ‘U2’, and makes it; the other doesn’t and never hits the big time. This “true-ish” bitter-sweet comedy follows the fortunes of the hapless loser and his more talented brother, and is based on the book I was Bono’s Doppleganger by the celebrity’s real-life contemporary, Neil McCormick.

It’s a tale of dreams and jealousy set in 1970s and 80s Ireland and the UK starring Brit Ben Barnes (best known as the lead in ‘Dorian Gray’) as Neil, American Krysten Ritter (Suze in ‘Shopaholic’) as his girlfriend, Gloria and introducing Irish newcomer Robert Sheehan, with his striking looks and amazing green eyes, playing Neil’s younger sibling.

Will you like this film?

• Yes if: you want to switch off and chill out to an undemanding comedy, serving up a few smiles and chuckles, while kidding your friends that the films you watch are ‘relevant’ and ‘meaningful’.
• No if: you want to watch something ‘relevant’ and ‘meaningful’ or to continue to believe the wit of the Irish is forever sharp … there’s more blah than blarney.
• Maybe if: you’re some kind of U2 geek or doing an in-depth study of the history of band movies, believing them to be still ‘relevant’ and ‘meaningful’.

Comments: Like politics, religion, driving and performance in bed, you comment on others’ sense of humour at your peril. One person’s ‘brilliant’ is another’s ‘pathetic’. The predominantly Russian audience at Moscow’s first night showing was given up to bursts of laughter and even the occasional ripple of applause. Perhaps it gains something in translation: I could only muster a broad smile or two.

There were some snappy lines. My personal favourite was when the aspiring schoolboy rockers were lapping up the admiration: “the girls are looking at you as if you’re made out of Mars Bars”, a mate told them in an appealing Irish brogue. Yet, as the plot plodded on into the picture’s less toned midriff, the number of audience belly laughs went down.

While the cast bring a young, fresh-faced enthusiasm, reveling in their on-screen rock’n’roll lifestyle and the film’s ability to persuade large numbers of girls to take off their bras, older, more experienced hands were at the helm. The director, writers, technical crew and some of the supporting actors have noble pedigrees and have helped bring some great British and Irish movies into the world.

Maybe the old timers are resting on their laurels. Like a game of Chinese whispers, or the result of inbreeding, each re-telling or each new generation makes a slight change, a corruption that finally produces something resembling their original films but without the same spirit, the spark lost, the brio gone. It was sad to see veteran British actor Pete Postlethwaite (who plays the McCormicks’ London landlord) obviously ailing: he died of cancer a few months before the film’s release.

Out-of-five star ratings:

Story: ***
Dialogue: **
Substance: **
Film craft: ***

Story comments: Fans will be disappointed if they are hoping for a U2 hit fest: the famed four’s songs hardly feature (though they’d be gladdened at the flattering portrayal of their hero, Bono). Their less-successful twin’s music was especially written for the flick as the McCormick’s band ‘Shook Up’ flip-flops between punk and glam rock. Though you won’t be humming the tunes as you leave the auditorium, there are some pleasant ditties, especially the band’s big number towards the film’s finale.

While the music won’t be familiar, the story of the pleasure and pains of life on tour will. This particular comedy genre first hit the road with the 1984 cult hit ‘This is Spinal Tap’ (a satire of earlier, real tour documentaries) and probably ran out of petrol a decade or so later. ‘Killing Bono’ hasn’t refueled it. This rock opera follows a very well-traveled path, making obligatory pit stops at band in-fighting, sexual frisson, broken relationships, solidarity in adversity and the rest.

The final denouement, the encounter with Bono and as the McCormick brothers clash and then make up their differences, left me uninspired, though the threads of the story are competently tied together at the end.

Dialogue comments: If you’re British and of a certain age, you will regard writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais as gods. In the 70s and 80s they produced a series of legendary TV comedies: ‘Whatever happened to the Likely Lads?’, ‘Auf Wiedersehen, Pet’ and ‘Porridge’ and also penned (with Roddy Doyle) that worthy Irish-band movie classic of the early 90s, ‘The Commitments’.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen: age, it seems, hasn’t put lead in their pencils. OK, it could be the delivery but some of the dialogue, such as the record-label-owner’s-wife seduction scene, is far more wooden than horny. An Irish accent, however chirpy, can’t give life into a scene when the actor’s lines lack zest.

Film craft comments: While the leads have a way to go to fully hone their skills, the backroom boys have produced a competent presentation. The quality of its directing, lighting, sound and the like is shown by being largely unnoticeable, though the movie feels more ‘small screen’ than big (indeed, the director, Nick Hamm, has more experience in TV than film).

When ‘Killing Bono’ first hit the cinemas on April Fools’ Day, the press reaction was mixed. The Independent thought that it “has a marked tendency to drag when it needs to pick up the pace”, while The Daily Mail considered it “low on laughs”. “An amusing knockabout” said The Guardian and The Telegraph chipped in with “it’s quite a good laugh” (Neil McCormick is the Telegraph’s rock critic). On the emerald Isle, The Irish Independent thought the film was “remarkable mostly for being unremarkable” while The Belfast Telegraph called it “a rip-roaring yarn”. I guess you’ll just have to see it and make up your own mind.

A taste of the story: (hero failure Neil, listening to one of U2’s best known hits) “D’yer hear this song? I mean, is he taking the p*** now or what? He ‘still hasn’t found what he’s looking for?’ He has got everything he’s ever wanted”.

379.

Nouvelle Vague

Nouvelle Vague
“New wave was our first culture, our first influence,” Marc Collin, the co-founder of Nouvelle Vague, told me on Saturday, while he casually picked away at his dinner. “Everyone is taking the 80’s – with the same sound,” he said, lamenting the character of the recent return to the culture and music of the 80s, “we are more interested in taking a new perspective.” Playing to a large crowd Saturday night at Keks, the group showed that this passion for the new was not enough to make new fans take the voyage back through time.
When I sat down with Marc before the show to discuss Nouvelle Vague, I was interested in finding out why he started the group in the first place, and how it would develop in the future. What I got was an inspirational description of his project. “It started with a dream,” he said, recounting his original fantasy of a bossa nova singer on the beach in Rio, singing his favorite new wave classics. He and Olivier Libaux worked from a mutual love of new wave and bossa nova, and a desire to tread new ground. I asked Collin to comment on the need for new music. “For a while, it [the catalyst for musical innovation] was the equipment – the synthesizer, the wah-pedal. Now people might say that everything has been done – not true.” Citing Bjork, among others, he argued that the expansions of electronic and computerized techniques have greatly expanded what can be done with music in the studio. “Now there is a crisis of creativity,” said Collin, “we want to show people that one can do great punk/new wave songs – that musical genius existed in punk music.” Thus the two sought to reap innovative new pop from the edgy songs of the early 80s.
With their hearts set on a return to their youth, these two found a number of young female French vocalists (who weren’t familiar with the originals), and began to craft their re-interpretations. “We worked from memory,” said Collin. “We didn’t re-listen to clips [of the originals].” Viewing bossa nova as “the most beautiful music to accompany a melody,” Collin and Libaux set out to travel (with their young French female escorts). “[to produce our eponymous album] was to take a voyage through time and space. It is great to think of a song written in Manchester in ’79 – during the crisis – and sung in Rio.” The link between the two is not the violent rejection that characterized punk music, but the melancholy and sadness that underlie both genres. At one point citing Baudelaire, Collin attributed the group’s success with fans who aren’t familiar with their roots to the emotions that the songs convey: “If we’ve succeeded it’s because we have returned fans to the melancholic side of these songs.”
While Collin and Libaux may have begun the project, it was their two female vocalists who led the band in their live performance on Saturday. When Nouvelle Vague filed on stage amidst the recorded chirping of birds and crickets, I was prepared to go on a voyage to the beaches of Brazil. The show, however, was not so transportive. With Libaux on the acoustic guitar and Collin playing keyboards and synthesizers, the set began with one of the rhythmic and sparse chord progressions familiar to bossa nova. By the second song, however, the energy level began to rise, perhaps driven by the aggression – the key to punk’s return to the spirit of rock and roll – Collin had mentioned briefly in the interview. Doubtless more controllable with studio equipment, the energy of the music attained neither the relaxed melancholy bossa nova, nor the raging punk sadness that originally inspired the arrangements. By the time one of the vocalists began belting the chorus of the Dead Kennedy’s “Too drunk to f^ck,” I began wondering if the group had maybe put a little too much on its itinerary.
Dressed in white dresses and boots, the leading ladies – Marina Celeste and Loralei – sang, danced, harmonized and thanked the crowd between songs (in English and Russian), while the silent, demure men in black sat behind them. The two women’s voices were at either end of the musical spectrum over which the concert passed: Marina, with a softer and more timid voice, took the lead on the slower songs; Loralei’s more raspy, edge, and at times off key voice, pointed straight towards rock and roll. Though they did little to blend, the two women were magnets for the crowd’s attention. While committed fans sang along and praised the ladies between sets, their compatriots in the back of the club seemed more interested in conversing with their friends. The excited front women led the group through a set that included, among others, “I just can’t get enough,” “Guns off Brixton,” “(This is not) A love song,” “Friday night, Saturday morning,” and the encore bonus, Divo’s “Mongoloid.” They had some success: their most vocal fans even continued singing their last song after the finished their second encore. For me, however, Collin’s romantic self-description was turned on edge: the performance didn’t show where the band came from or where it was going, it was just confused.
At the end of their set Marina gave a final thanks to the crowd: “Merci, Thank you. Spacebo. That’s Marc, that’s Olivier.” While she and Loralei were the faces of the band, they remained nameless throughout the concert: I only found out through asking Marina after the concert. In fact, the lack of connection between Marina and Loralei, and Marc and Olivier, made me wonder whether they were really a band at all. The style of the two front women leading the band on stage seemed to rely more on an insinuation of an extended flirtation than their desire to produce anything musically innovative. Without ever coming together as a band, the group’s musical performance ranged from garage rock to wedding cover band; melancholy, maybe, but without much Rio. While their new album (due out in September) will doubtless offer a much more controlled, produced sound, their live show failed to show the melodic ‘genius’ of the post punk/new wave era. Though at times the audience benefited from the melodic delivery of a guitar or keyboard lick, or a pleasing harmony, their show quickly became a spectacle. In this way, however, it was great fun.
Keks itself is an ironic club/lounge. Decorated as an homage piece to 1950s Americana, it is plastered with black and white pictures of housewives and sweater-vested Wasps. With a ‘70s-era Shaft film playing in the balcony upstairs, and specially-dressed women distributing free martini-and-juice cocktails, and Kent cigarette paraphernalia (are you ready to be social and meet people tonight? Take a white bracelet!), Keks was a fantasy destination of its own. Rather than a beach in Rio, then, I laughed and danced to the Nouvelle Vague. When I spoke to Collin before the show, I asked him to define pop music. “Pop?” he said, “at its base there is someone who writes a song, who wants to share it with others… it is someone who wants to share an idea or emotion with others… in three minutes.” He went on to trace its lineage through the middle ages. Though their concept is certainly a novelty, Collin and Libaux are hardly tambourine-wielding bards. Certainly then, from their overwhelming desire to share the music of their youth with others – refracted through the prism of their imagination – the band put on a fantastic show. Or, rather, the show was an attempt to share their fantasy. For 300 Rbs, some die-hard fans might have made it all the way to Rio; I never left Keks.

380.

Saint Etienne

Saint Etienne
“It felt like we were on a polar expedition,” Brit-Popper Pete Wiggs joked about his band’s pre-gig-snow-beset trek to Red Square. “It took us more than an hour to walk there from our hotel,” front woman Sarah Cracknell lamented. But Thursday’s blizzard was exactly the reception which the trio had hoped for from Moscow: “We expected [Moscow] to be colder than we’ve been in our lives,” added Bob Stanley. Stanley, Wiggs and Cracknell are Saint Etienne, veterans of British pop, who after stripping off sweaters and long underwear, rather effortlessly heated up Moscow’ B2 on Thursday night. The group brought their feel-good mix of electronic dance music, driving vocals and rock and roll to a packed house of fans. It was the band’s first trip to Moscow, likely scouting the scene in preparation for an album-release tour this summer: “People tell us we’re popular [in Russia],” Wiggs said in an interview on Thursday, “we’re waiting to find out.”
Founded in 1990 by sonophilic-nerds Stanley and Wiggs, the London based Saint Etienne early became a fixture of the mod dance-pop scene. After adding vocalist Sarah Cracknell in 1991, the group released a number of charting single (including the concert features “Only love can break your heart” and “Nothing can stop us”) and a string of albums. Fifteen years into it the group exudes a relaxed charm: “We don’t see each other every day like some bands,” Stanley explained – “I suppose we come from similar backgrounds, we like the same things – the same stupid jokes,” added Cracknell, explaining the group’s congenial dynamic. The band’s market success initially came from Stanley and Wiggs’ insider-knowledge (Stanley began his career in music as a critic) but it is doubtless their easy to digest pop sound that draws in new listeners single after single and keeps cult fans coming back: The 90s saw a number of fans-only releases and the group is once again gaining exposure with a recently released compilation.
Before the start of the show, a B2 DJ adorned the air as Thursday night socialites filed into the venue, on the fourth floor of the club and took up a position on the dance floor or one of the raised VIP sections on either side of it. The stage, set for a full band, featured the line of Korg, Yamaha and Roland keyboards and synthesizers familiar to the indy-pop scene. Another prominent element, the film screen at the back of the stage – sandwiched between two colorful Chesterfield cigarette lights – featured an Alain Delon film (at the band’s request, according to their tour manager). As fans mulled about, ordered drinks from the bar and met up with friends, many were very obviously excited about such a popular group making their Russian debut. As one Anglophone expat said: “I wasn’t going to come out tonight, but I can’t miss out on a great band like this one.”
The great band, if asked, might ironically describe itself as “unstoppable” (Cracknell) or comment that “they’ve done it again” (Wiggs). The continuity of their pop-savvy style, indeed, is exactly what keeps them on the successful edge of fame. Not claiming to have “invented something new,” and though feeling “disconnected from the new-music scene,” Stanley does recommend a few up and coming acts (The Magic Numbers, The Concretes, The Streets) with whom the band has played. While contemporary groups influence the band’s sound, Saint Etienne’s particular brand of backwards-looking-forwards-motion gives their pop an endearing appeal. With the sixties as their decade of choice – “We like the look of the sixties – it looks great to have been our age in the sixties” (Cracknell) – the group shares a love of the “innovative pop of the sixties and seventies” that forms the basis of their style. With their predilection for the image-conscious mainstream of yesteryear, the band mixes their love for black and white cinema of the sixties and the Supremes with their talent at synthesized remixes of those decades. Their ‘unstoppable’ success at reinterpreting, releasing and re-releasing old material (both their own and others’) is part of a self described process of “deconstructing and recreating” that is made to produce their high-gloss-low-budget retro-mod image. Says Stanley, “we’re sexy.” Sexy is exactly the kind of catchword that sticks to a group like Saint Etienne. And where, pray-tell, does the sex stop and the music begin? As Cracknell says with a smile, “When the lights go out.”
A little after midnight, Saint Etienne took the stage, announced in black and white on the screen at their backs. They started their performance with “Action” and continued through “Shower Scene,” before taking a moment to thank the crowd, with Cracknell mustering a timid “spa-sea-bow.” The sartorial Cracknell, sporting a pink sequined top and tight red pants, led the group with the throaty vocals of a fifteen-year veteran of the music industry, her seductive dance moves prompting arms of fans to be thrown into the air with pleasure. The less image savvy (read: more indy) remainder (harmonist, drums, three keyboards, and bass and rhythm guitars) melted into the background while the simple verse-chorus vocals-driven songs and bright spotlights brought Cracknell out into the house. “Side Streets,” the first new song in their set (to be featured in their upcoming album-release), pleased the crowd with its gimmicky chorus and bubblegum-pop sound. The remainder of their set, 15 songs in all, neither challenged nor bored. The songs ranged from the classic “Only love can break your heart,” complete with must-have indy-pop vibraphone, to the new and funky “You can count on me,” a cutesy juvenile dance song with Cracknell counting in English, French and Spanish over a driving bass beat. Their upbeat set continued through “Nothing can stop us now” with the chorus “I’ve never felt so good/I’ve never felt so strong” and “Good thing” (soon to be another single) with the chorus “You know it was a good thing/it was the best thing” sung in front of a sixties-era black and white of rather frantic dancers. These easily delivered lyrics, to a background of ironically retro film clips showed just what kind of pop-innovation Saint Etienne envisioned. The trio seem to prefer reconstruction to deconstruction, sixties pop that would rather be 1955 than 1968.
Concertgoers ranged in style from business casual to would-be hipsters and were mostly young (Wiggs complains that the club scene is “going snotty”). Most present, however, were die-hard fans, who sang along with Cracknell’s vocals, gave flowers, danced and waved their arms in ecstasy. The band liked the venue, with Wiggs commenting that the club offered, “good sound – [and adding that] people look good.” Certainly, then, the show was a success. Saint Etienne offered an up-tempo set of sunshine-filled indy-pop to a crowd of Moscow’s finest. All present were eager for the fun of a throbbing synthesized retro remix that promised unstoppable black and white optimism. Nothing and no one stood in the way of the trio delivering their unique variety of sugar-coated sexy fun to the very warm reception offered by B2’s patrons. Said Wiggs, “we try and give people the holy shiver.” Blizzard or no, for 700 rubles, Saint Etienne did just that.

Employment

381.

Resume

Russian to English translators
I’m seeking work as a freelance Russian-English translator. I'm a British citizen with permanent residency registered in Russia as an entrepreneur with over 16 years of experience. My native Russian wife is also a registered professional translator, and we work as a team translating with the advantage of native Russian and English. Please contact us for further details on how we can assist you.

382.

Resume

Russian Teacher
Native speaker, graduated from Moscow State University, I have been teaching Russian for more than 15 years. I only use authentic materials so, from the very first lesson, you will be in contact with the real language. During the lesson you will read texts written by Russians for Russians, you will listen to spontaneous conversations, interviews and radio broadcasts, you will watch commercials and film clips and you will discover grammar like a real Sherlock Holmes.

383.	Resume
Russian Teacher I am a certified teacher with 9 years of experiece. I like teaching lexically and concentrate more on phrases, cotext, collocations, while gramamr is studied in a more natural way through lexis. I am a friendly teacher and always focus on students needs.

384.

Vacancy

Rota Live-in Native German or Bilingual Nanny/Teacher
Native German or Bilingual (Russian & German) Nanny/Teacher is required to work with the boy 2 years old in the family in Moscow region. The candidate should be qualified, have relevant experience in families and/or educational facilities with the same age group of children. The basic knowledge of Russian language is obligatory. The family is looking for a professional, kind, active, friendly and responsible person who has the solid understanding of the Early Years and developmental milestones and be able to guide the child through these phases. The sole charge role. The candidate will be responsible for the safety of the child. The nanny will provide all necessary childcare & support (hygiene, daily schedule, feeding, putting to sleep etc., prepare breakfast sometimes) and assist the boy in his development, evolve early learning, games & walks etc. The nanny will teach the German language through communication, plays & other activities. Travelling with the family. The boy wakes up at 6-7:00 and goes to sleep at 20:00. Rota live-in: 2 weeks on/2 weeks off. Conditions: a shared room with the child. Location: Anosino, Novaya Riga, Moscow region. Salary: negotiable.

385.

Resume

Business English, Strategic Sessions
Intensive Business English language courses and facilitation sessions based on individual approach for Russian companies, CEOs, business owners and top-managers in banking, leasing, insurance, construction, oil&gas, management, legal practise, consulting, financial markets, manufacturing etc. 4 in 1 complete, practical and unique learning package: Business English + Strategic Sessions + Consulting + Coaching for improving language, personal and professional skills; enhancing the competitiveness, effectiveness, profitability, capitalization and long-term growth of businesses at the shortest period. Customised programmes that will equip you with the best techniques to improve significantly not only your proficiency in Business English almost to the level of a native speaker, but also unique analytical skills to take short and long terms effective strategic decisions and ability to solve complex business puzzles that will boost the efficiency and profitability of your company. Fast and maximum results guaranteed.

386.

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Housekeeping, cleaning and maintenance services
It’s my pleasure to greet all the expats living in Moscow! Being a native Muscovite with a vast living abroad experience, I consider it to be my duty to make your stay/living in my city an easy, friendly and comfortable! I’m ready to take over the maintenance, cleaning and partial overhaul of your apartment, cottage or house. I’m an experienced cleaner, able to install full kitchen set with putting the dishwasher or oven into operation. I can also make minor internal repairs should you accidentally face any. I’m a bilingual RUS-ENG speaker with basic knowledge of French and Italian, with the Moscow State Linguistic University Master’s degree in International Economics. I’m also ready to make guided tours around Moscow, make any-depth cultural introduction and familiarization, perform any form of translating activities, teach the basics of Russian. My wife, being a living mother of four kids, would be happy to take care of your kids of any age, including the newborns, while you are away to the soiree or theater. Feel free to reach out to me for references and recommendations.

Real Estate

387.	Offered
Tokmakov per., 16/1 Simple, basic Art and free space, 20 sq.m for flexible use 24h/7, right et the center of Moscow. English, French, Russian friendly. It has basic ' fascilitues: but good for individual projects, art storage place- commertial. Only with your own ' Wi-Fi high band system! @ There is All important for 24h ' in use), but no kitchen!

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