LEISURE Newsletter, November 2016

Winter is coming! Although winters get warmer year after year, we are still looking forward to the winter miracle - first snow, fancy street art decorations in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In winter these both cities turn into fairy tale scenes and are absolutely worth visiting during the Holiday season.

Sincerely,
Helen Isaeva

St. Petersburg News

Samoilov Family Museum: A Hidden Treasure
The Samoilov Family Museum was opened in St.Petersburg on January 28, 1994. The museum is a tribute to the prominent Russian dynasty of drama actors. The museum is a branch of St.Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music

There is a small permanent exhibition dedicated to the characters and events of the Russian ballet theatre from old days into present. Among the umpteen titles, gained by St.Petersburg during its glorious history, "the capital of Russian ballet" remains one of the most important. It was out city that gave the world greatest dancers of the XX century: Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky, Galina Ulanova, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolf Nureyev: The exhibition gives a unique chance to meet these outstanding masters. Here one may see genuine costume and set designs by Leon Bakst and Alexander Benois, unique photos and posters, costumes and personal belongings of the dancers, preserving the memory of Marius Petipa's legendary productions, gems of Diaghilev seasons and celebrated first nights of the Soviet period.

Festival Diagilev P.S.
In 2016 the Festival takes place from 18th till 28th November. The programme includes such events as performances of the world famous Béjart Ballet Lausanne, Opening of Exhibition "Moving Still" - photographs by Lois Grinfield (USA), Documentary "Rudolf Nureyev. Dream Island" (directed by E. Tirdatova) and many other events.
The Festival was founded in the year of the 100th anniversary of Sergei Diaghilev's Les Saisons Russes in St. Petersburg,
which had given to the great impresario of the XX century the initial start and inspiration. The mission of the festival is to continue the line of Sergei Diaghilev and facilitate the cultural exchange of all new ideas in the arts between Russia and the rest of the world. During the 5 years since then the Festival has become one of the major cultural events in the city. It has brought to St. Petersburg tours of the best contemporary dance companies - the Hamburg Ballet of John Neumeier with his premiere production of "Le Pavilion d'Armide", his masterpiece "Le Sacre du printemps" and others, tour of the Aix-en-Provence company of Angelin Preljokaj with the Russian premiere of his ballet «The Snow White», The Bolshoi Ballet of Russia, orchestra of Perm opera and ballet theatre under maestro Theodor Kurentzis.
The exhibitions of the Festival at the State Hermitage Museum, the State Russian Museum and State Museum of Ethnography discovered for the citizens some masterpieces from the leading international museums of the world.

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Legendary Trans-Siberian Railway Celebrates its 100th Anniversary

In 2016 the Trans-Siberian Railway, which is the longest railway in the world celebrates its 100th anniversary.

The railway measures 5,772 miles (9,289km), crossing 10 time zones and two continents.
The route starts at Yaroslavsky Railway Station in Moscow and ends at Vladivistok Station.

First called "The Great Siberian Way", the project was announced in 1891 by Tsar Alexander III. It took 13 years to build the railway. The first passenger train ran in 1903.

More than a century later, the train is still the only complete overland route through the entire country.

Described as the backbone of Russia, it is still important for the country's economy and national security, around 30 per cent of Russian exports travel on the line.

Transsib passes through 87 cities and towns. On its way there is a unique railway station, the only station in the world completely built of marble. It is called Slyudyanka and located not far from Baikal lakeside.

As a matter of fact, Rudolf Nureyev - the superstar of Russian Ballet was born on the Trans-Siberian near Irkutsk in Siberia, while his mother Farida was travelling to Vladivostok, where his father Hamat, a Red Army political commissar was stationed.

Exhibition of Dutch Artists at Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Exibition "A Year of Holland in Russia. More than Romanticism. Russian and Dutch Pictural Art of the First Half of XIX centiry" opened on November 7th and will last until January 12th, 2016 at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

As it is obvious form the title, the exhibition presents Dutch paintings of the first half of XIX century within the year of Holland in Russia. The visitors will have a unique chance to see exquisite portraits by Cornelis Kruseman, flower still-lifes by Johannes van Os, woodland scenes by Barend Cornelis Koekkoek. Paintings form the private collection of Jef Rademakers and one of the oldest museums of the Netherlands - Teylers Museum (Haarlem) will be exhibited in Moscow for the first time. Holland artworks will be demonstrated along with the best works of Russian painters of the similar period - V.А.Tropinin, О.А.Kiprensky, М.N.Vorobiov as well as early works of Ivan Aivazovsky.