Bolshoi Theatre re-opens after 5 years of renovation

"The lobby sets a theatre's style" - as the Russian proverb says, but what sets the Bolshoi's style is the main curtain. After a 5-year-long renovation project, the Bolshoi is about to open its doors again to welcome guests to its 236th season. The famous "golden" curtain, the symbol of the Bolshoi, has now been restored and will take its place in Russia's main theatre.

The new curtain for the Bolshoi

The previous curtain was weaved of golden threads in 1955, had an area of 500 square metres and weighed over one ton. 

The original curtain from 1955

In the beginning of the 90s the theatre had a temporary curtain with symbols of the "new era" as its design, but it was taken down in 2006 due to numerous defects. This is when a decision to recreate the original "golden thread" curtain was undertaken.

The new curtain was recreated completely from scratch, following a thorough analysis of materials and technics used in the previous USSR curtain.  At the moment there are 2 curtains: a "Greek" draw curtain and a "German" raising curtain. There is also going to be a third "Italian" curtain, that opens like Roman blinds. Total rated weight of each curtain is 800 kg. 

Parts of different curtains

"Italian" curtain model

The previous Soviet curtain served the theatre for half a century and had never been washed or dry-cleaned as it was made of natural silk with metallized gold coated threads. Now it is stored in the Bolshoi Theatre museum. The new curtain is expected to serve much longer as it is made of synthetic incombustible materials and fabrics created especially for this project. 

It took 3 years to create the new curtain's design. This part of the work took place in Russia. Other works took place in Spain, Italy and France and took another year. Hence, it took 4 years altogether to create the new curtain for the Bolshoi theatre.

The new curtain pattern

There were 2 art directors working on the main curtain's design. All symbols underwent heraldic expertise. Attentive spectators will notice that the two-headed eagle is not contemporary. It was restored from an 1856 pattern. Even more attentive spectators will notice that the curtain also displays notes. These notes are the first measures of the opera "Glory to our Tsar" from "Ivan Susanin" by Glinka* which is very popular in Russia. It is interesting to mention that the notes have never been changed or removed, even during the Soviet past. Somehow, no one paid attention to this little detail. 

The curtain's heading displaying the notes

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* It is said, that after watching the "Ivan Susanin" opera for the first time, a touched Nicolas II invited Mikhail Glinka to his box and thanked him for the masterpiece, offering a precious stone finger ring and suggesting to rename the opera into "A Life For The Tsar".

Source: Selective translation and photography from the original blog post by drugoi. 

Let Moscow impress you!

Looking for an autumnal getaway? There's no better place than the Russian capital.

To begin with, several large food festivals hosted in Moscow throughout September and October 2011 will make it a heaven for food lovers. Local organic food, cooked in front of you by true masters - what else can you wish for? Combine it with some good sightseeing in the morning, delivered by our experienced guides, and you have the most remarkable holiday full of great memories and tastes.

If you have always been enchanted by Moscow for its Soviet past, we have a series of tailored excursions (including a tour to Stalin's Cold War bunker as well as a missile activity command post), that will reveal some secrets of the distant past. But don't forget Moscow celebrated its 864th anniversary this year and therefore it has much more to offer.

Interested in the religious aspect of the city? Want to see its magnificent churches and monasteries? We have a customised tour that will show you the home of Orthodox churches in Moscow. 

Perhaps you want to know more about the history of the noble Russian families? Discover the atmosphere of their country estates, picture their traditional tea ceremonies and ever-lasting conversation in the orchards.

Have you always been fond of Russian literature? Live through your favourite Russian stories once again, visiting the places that Chekhov, Tolstoy, or Pushkin wrote about. Discover where the great masters took their inspiration from. Perhaps it will shed new light on your interpretation of the Russian classics. 

Moscow welcomes you with open heart!

Russian language - surprising facts #4.

ROBOT

Did you know that the English word "robot", nowadays used to describe automated workers, was loaned from the Slavic "robotnik", which means a slave? "Robot-nik" (a slave) or "Robot-at' " (to work) is a common stem (with spelling variations) to describe a worker/to work in many Slavic languages. It came to English in 1920 through a translation of a Czech play. 

Whatever happens keep on working

It is a bit more interesting, however, to observe the historic evolution of the Slavic stem itself. "Robota", which comes from Old Church Slavonic, meaning "servitude" and "rabu" - a slave  have now gained a definition of a worker/work in a common sense like we understand it in English. Ironically, dismissal ("uvol'neniye") has a similar stem to "freedom" or "liberty" ("volya"). These links have been dissolved in the contemporary Russian language but are traceable linguistically. 

This leads us to conclude (which is no more than our own observation) that the original Russian word for "work" must have only been applicable towards serf labour, so whenever serfs got dismissed, they received liberty. The fact that the word has expanded to define all sorts of work nowadays, including office work, leaves us with a curious question - in this day and age are we all slaves to our work like robots? 

Proactive tour guides conquer state politics

Olesya Baltusova, the new Kazan Internal Tourism Adviser

Following a promenade with the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnihanov and an official letter published online, Kazan tour guide Olesya Baltusova was offered a job as Internal Tourism Adviser by the mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metishin. 

"When it comes to preserving our architectural heritage, the city government and the society stand hand by hand. I am deeply pleased to see proactive young people, passionate about our city. And Olesya Baltusova undoubtedly is one of them. Today we need new ideas, a fresh look from the outside. Therefore, we are going to create conditions for people like Olesya to be able to utilise their experience, knowledge and energy to serve the common purpose," - says the mayor of Kazan. 

Olesya has already started her job as of September 10th. She later admitted she wasn't sure whether she would accept the mayor's offer since she is used to being a "free artist", but she was assured she could keep her tour guiding job and her activity in a local journal "Kazan", after which she agreed.

Although we do not know Olesya personally, we congratulate her with the new position. It is brilliant that local professionals like Olesya who know their own city like no one else can receive access to shaping tourism trends on a larger scale. We work closely with our tour guides of whom we are very proud, and who are incredible and we'd love to see them running state tourism departments as well - with the condition that they will keep their current jobs of course!

Gastronomic Festivals - Moscow, Autumn 2011

Planning a trip to Moscow this autumn? Keep in mind that one of the main attractions of this season is a series of Gastronomic Festivals. Nothing can sound tastier than that! From eco-meals to fancy dishes, served on the grass by the pond, at a local market or in a local restaurant, these 3 festivals are worth the attention. 

1. WHEN? SEP 24-25, Gorky Park.

Seasons-projects.ru. Entrance ticket - 500 RUR.

WHO? Anyone who loves to taste and cook great food.

Autumn in Moscow Festival - 100 metre long table

Seasons "Autumn in Moscow" - Lectures in a marquee.

Green lawns, stacks of hay and warm blankets - an ideal setting in the middle of Moscow to get comfortable with a plate on the grass or at a 100 metre long table, placed alongside the Gorky Park pond.

The festival pursues educational goals, therefore will present several large marquees, where visitors will be able to try: cheese, bread, pastry, soups, salads desserts and jamón. Prepared in great varieties and sometimes in front of the customers, it is heaven for food lovers - everything is for sale and enjoyment. 

For those who prefer science behind cooking, it is possible to visit a lecture marquee, where top chefs are going to explain how to choose jamón, cheese and chocolate, present a master-class dedicated to selecting and cooking meat and will prepare some chef-d'oeuvres for tasting.

2. WHEN? SEP 30-OCT 02, Dorogomilovsky market, Moscow

Slowfood-ulitka.ru project. Entrance - FREE

WHO? Anyone who loves organic, fair-trade, rural food.

Borsch and pilaff in Moscoviya. 

Organised by the Russian representative of the international ecogastronomic association "Slow Food", this food festival is putting Russian farmers on stage as main characters. Various regions are going to supply their specialties:

• Mosow region - cottage cheese, milk and sour cream;
• Rocky Altay - herbal honey, pine nut infusions, syrups;
• Vladimir Monasteries - milk, kefir, ryazhenka (fermented baked milk), yeast-free bread and pies;
• Kalmykia - lamb and horse meat;
• The Far East regions - game and other hunter's prey.

Dorogomilovsky market, Moscow

Special guests are going to prepare dishes from ex. Soviet Union republics: Armenian khinkali (Caucasian dumplings), Ukrainian borsch, Uzbek pilaff. The only rule is to cook from products, brought to the market by the farmers. A few famous chefs are going to conduct master-classes about lamb, duck, pilaff, mushrooms, apples and shashlyk (Russian for barbecue), as well as prepare some fancy dishes like lamb fillet cooked in vacuum and pancakes with pear jam and celery. 

3. WHEN? OCT 01-31, Moscow restaurants 

The aim of the last food festival is to attract people to Moscow restaurants and encourage them to try especially designed menu-sets, carefully prepared by the chefs to best communicate the character of the restaurant and the chefs' style. There's a price cap of 2500 RUR (£53) per menu-sets.

Alongside expensive restaurants, the project includes new gastronomic establishments with more democratic price level and respectful cuisine. Two world-renowned chefs from "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" list (Carlo Cracco and David Scabin) are going to be touring in some restaurants. And all the food-sampling lovers can take part in at least 2 themed dinners: OCT, 04 (3 Italian chefs are going to prepare 3 dishes the colour of the Italian flag) and OCT, 25 (3 Russian chefs are introducing the audience to the contemporary Russian cuisine).

Moscow Gastronomic Festival Invitation

The aim of this festival is not just to taste great foods, but to be able to compare and review Moscow restaurants. Visitors will be able to fill in a "Review Form" at every restaurant taking part at the festival, or on gastronomic.ru website. The organisers hope Moscow restaurants are going to receive objective and straightforward reviews that will benefit the industry. 

The most important objective of Slow Food festivals is to popularise slow food philosophy, learn to appreciate farmers' work, bring back shopping at local markets and return local produce to Muscovite's tables. With free food sampling and master-classes the organisers hope to reinvigorate old culinary traditions and interest in sustainable consuming. 

Russian language - surprising facts #3

Source: powayusd.com

BRIDGE

Did you know that the word "bridge" could have been influenced by the old Russian "brŭvŭno", meaning a beam? 

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary contemporary English word "bridge" underwent a series of linguistic metamorphosis and travelled across a few languages before it arrived in the Old English as "brycg". But the progenitor of "bridge" is said to be the Old Church Slavic word "brŭvŭno", meaning a beam. 

This seems to be a very logical explanation, since any bridge would indeed consist of beams, but have a look at the historic path of the word suggested by the Merriam dictionary below. What a traveller this bridge is! If you know of any other curious English words of Russian origin, we'll be happy to hear from you on our Facebook page.

Merriam-Websiter Dictionary Origin of BRIDGE:

Middle English brigge, from Old English brycg; akin to Old High German brucka bridge, Old Church Slavic brŭvŭno beam.

First Known Use: before 12th century

Source: sportsinpakistan.blogspot.com

P.S. The history of "bridge" as a card game is a bit more complex. Apparently, the word has originated from the Old East Slavic "бирич" ("birich / biritch") -  an Ancient Rus herald, who woud announce the Duke's orders in the centre of a town square or yard, gathering people around. It is said that the card game "biritch" originated in Russia as well, but satisfactory evidence has not been discovered. 

Russian language - surprising facts #2

BISTRO

Cossacks in Paris, 1814, looking at the caricatures of themselves.

Every time you go into a bistro for a quick snack, you can stop for a moment and imagine yourself in 19th century Paris. Then you can see how the name for a low cost restaurant serving quick meals could have originated. 

The Oxford Dictionary of English and Chamber Dictionary both respectably quote that the word "bistro" could have originated from the Russian "bystro", meaning "quick" or "rapidly". The story explains that the word could have been loaned when the Russian Cossacks occupied Paris in 1814, at the end of the Napoleon war. Russian Cossacks, who wanted to be served quickly, would shout "bystro". The French, supposedly, picked it up and adopted it as a name for their small restaurants with robust earthy dishes, that later on conquered the world. Interestingly enough, after donating a word to the French language, the Russians re-loaned it back with the appearance of famous restaurants on their territory in the 20th century. The only thing that has changed is the stress. Russian "´bystro" is stressed at the first syllable, whereas French "bis´tro" is stressed at the last. 

Jean Béraud, "Au Bistro".

The French themselves, however, do not fully agree with this etymology, but at the same time are unable to find the root of the word in their own language. Their main argument is the fact that the word "bistro" was not fully adopted by the French language until 1884, long after the supposedly rowdy rude Cossacks came to town. French etymologists suggest, that the word could have been influenced by "bistouille" or "bistrouille", a colloquial term from northern France meaning a mixture of coffee and brandy, or any drink of poor quality (possibly something that might be served in a bistro). Another version is that it might be connected with "bistraud", a word in the Poitou dialect, exact meaning of which is unclear, but could be interpreted as "a minor servant" or "a young cowherd/little shepherd".

If you know any other versions of the origins of bistro, we will be happy to hear from you on our Facebook page!

Used sources: Wikipedia.org, WorldWideWords.org.

Russian language - surprising facts #1

Did you know that a 17th century British business lady has influenced a creation of an entire lexical paradigm in the Russian language?

Train Station in Pavlovsk, a musical evening.

Serving as a bit of an inspiration to all entrepreneurs to be, the story of "vokzal", the Russian word for a train station, can amuse many. It was loaned from the original English "Vauxhall" - a 17th century park and entertainment establishment owned by Jane Vaux in London suburb. In Russian the word became a common noun after the first train station in Pavlovsk (near St Petersburg) was built in 1838. It served as a passenger's hall and a concert hall simultaneously (impacting up to 2,000 people and known to have hosted Johann Strauss II and Shalyapin - unfortunately the station was completely ruined during 1941-1944 occupation in WWII).* 

The first railway station as we know it now was built in 1822-25 in England to connect Stockton-Darlington lines. In the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century train stations became one of the most influential attributes of large cities. Initially the architecture of train stations was dictated by regular social constructions, whereas since the end of the 19th century architects in both Russia and Europe started to search for more functional solutions.

Train Station in Pavlovks, a musical evening.

If you know of any other loan words that came to English from Russian or vice versa, we will be happy to hear from you on our Facebook page.

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* Interestingly enough, there's also another theory to explain "vokzal" etymology. It is said that a Russian delegation visiting Vauxhall area in the 1840's mistook the name for the generic name of a train station and took this back to Pavlovsk with them. Which one of the two versions sounds more probable to you? Let us know on Facebook!

Pictures are courtesy of pavlovsk-spb.ru

A new tourist destination in Russia calls for cheese, honey and tea degustation in South Siberia.

In June 2011 Altay Krai launched the first tourist route in Russia, suggesting that travellers visit the Karaguzhinsky oil and cheese mill in South Siberia. Visitors will have a chance to sample various types of cheeses, among which is one of the house specialties - "Karaguzhinsky" and a few traditional kinds - "Soviet" and "Swiss". 

As part of the excursion the mill's CEO will present a keynote about the company's history and future perspectives, after which tourists will have a chance to lunch at the mill's cafeteria, where they are recommended to try a unique dish - enormous rural cheese dumplings, fresh vegetables salad and local sandwiches with butter and tea. 

Apart from visiting the mill this tour also includes meeting a regional folklore band (from the Kumandins division of Altai) "Odychak" in a village where local people will introduce national literature, drinks, souvenirs and other interesting things. 

The next destination point is an apiary at a local estate, where the guests are offered to try fresh honey and tea made from local herbs. Herbs and honey are also available for purchase and after the aromatic tea session it is possible to bathe in the warm river Isha. Following recreational activities, visitors are taken to the maral (Siberian stag) reserve, where one can get into a photo with sika deers, marals, yaks and camels.

The final destination of the tour is the picturesque lake Kireevo, where the visitors can finish their journey riding catamarans and quadricycles or taking a walk down a pier to a pergola situated on the lake.

Does it sound interesting to you and would you like to spend your holiday in South Siberia?

Tell us on Facebook! 

Photo: altai-site.ru

Let St Petersburg impress you

What kind of trip are you looking for? St Petersburg has everything to impress.

If you are looking for a real experience of Imperial Russia and want to get to know the magnificent palaces of St Petersburg, one place you should certainly visit is the small town of Tsarskoe Selo to tour the spectacular Catherine Palace and see the splendid Amber Room. Our guides can also take you to see amber workshops to learn how amber is crafted.