RCS Haven E-Bulletin – May 2018

 

The Bach Choir presents their first-ever performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s cantata Alexander Nevsky. Based on his score for Sergei Eisenstein’s 1938 epic film of the same name, Prokofiev conducted the cantata’s first performance in Moscow in May 1939.

Alexander Nevsky incorporates folk melodies, the sorrow of the battlefield, and a battle which builds to a spectacular climax. Presented alongside the cantata is Bernstein’s musical depiction of peace and unity, which uses a magical blend of Christian choral tradition and Hebrew verse. Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore London, SW7 2AP

 

Young Anglo-Russian Professionals Network invites you to our next Networking Social #14, where you will be able to meet many interesting, ambitious young Russian speaking professionals, living and working in London.

The Refinery at New Street Square, Great New St, London, EC4A 3BF

 

Frederick Ashton created Marguerite and Armand for Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn in 1963, as a celebration of their unique dance partnership. The narrative was drawn from the play La Dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils, which also inspired Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La traviata. Ashton concentrates the play’s tragic essence in choreography of great intensity – Fonteyn recalled that rehearsals for the work contained ‘a passion more real than life itself’. Royal Opera House, Bow Street Covent Garden London WC2E 9DD

 

An Evening dedicated by the Pushkin Club to Victory Day. The Evening is inspired by the play, The Fallen and The Living // Павшие и живые, which was directed by Yuri Lyubimov and performed at the Taganka Theatre in 1965, on the 20th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The play was dedicated to the young poets who went to the Front straight from school and university – both to those who died and to those who survived. Pushkin House, 5a Bloomsbury Square WC1A 2TA London

Maly Drama Theatre of St. Petersburg.

Life and Fate is a sweeping panorama of Soviet Society, an epic tale of a country told through the fate of a single Jewish family, the Shtrum’s. This critically acclaimed production, winner of the Golden Mask for best play, has toured around the world to great acclaim since 2007 and comes to London later this year for the first time. This show contains nudity. Recommended for ages 16+. Performed in Russian with English surtitles. Theatre Royal Haymarket, 18 Suffolk Street, London SW1Y 4HT

 

Seamlessly blending theatre and music, actress Kseniya Rappoport and pianist Polina Osetinskaya bring Ivan Bunin's An Unknown Friend to life. Inspired by Bunin's correspondence to an admirer in Dublin, this little-known short story from the mid-1920s comprises several love letters from a married woman living in a foreign land to her favourite author – whom she's never met. In this unique performance, Bunin's text will be accompanied by a delicate musical programme featuring pieces from Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Debussy, Fauré, alongside contemporary Russian composers Anton Batagov and Pavel Karmanov. King’s Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AG

 

Even a glimpse into the history of the Eurovision Song Contest reveals that it has become an important symbolic event for many participant countries. Some may even consider its founding, in the post-war years, as inherently political. Even though it remains first and foremost a television show, politics does come into it. With specific focus on several former Soviet republics, this talk will discuss the role of the Eurovision Song Contest in terms of nation building and the implications that this has in terms of wider discussions concerning minority rights, freedom of expression and national identity. Pushkin House, 5a Bloomsbury Square WC1A 2TA London

 

The Leningrad band is travelling around Europe. New tracks and legendary hits, as well as ocean of positive emotions from one of the most shocking Russian music band.

Having created a semantic and visual gallery of new Russian tricksters who break all the rules, Sergei Shnurov and the band Leningrad have become a machine for the reproduction and consolidation of the nation, confident of their civilizational righteousness. O2 Forum Kentish Town, 9-17 Highgate Road, NW5 1JY

 

For one night only, two of the world’s best opera voices Anna Netrebko (soprano) and Yusif Eyvazov (tenor) will perform in concert with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

Anna Netrebko has redefined the meaning of being an opera star. Today’s reigning prima donna, her distinctively beautiful voice, abundant charisma, and arresting stage presence, she makes an indelible impression in every role she portrays. Together with her husband Yusif Eyvazov, they make a breathtaking tandem on stage. Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore London, SW7 2AP