Thank you for making or requesting a booking to attend Sophy Roberts’ talk ‘The Lost Pianos of Siberia’, at which you will be most welcome. Here, for your private information as the recipient of this email, is how to attend via Zoom: please do not share this onward. Redacted as only available to those who have made bookings You should next be taken into a ‘virtual waiting room’ from which, after a short wait, you will then be ‘admitted’ to the talk by Meredith Franey who will be the ‘Zoom host’ tomorrow and for most of our forthcoming talks. It…
READ MORE
Dear All, This is a reminder for the next talk: 22 January 2021 (19.00 GMT) The Lost Pianos of Siberia Siberia has become something of a shorthand for hardship and toil, the harsh environment echoing an even harsher history of penal colonies and post-Soviet economic hardship. Travel journalist Sophy Roberts explores Siberia’s contribution to Russia’s extraordinary history of piano music, and the endurance of art in even the most extreme circumstances. Sophy Roberts is a Dorset-based writer whose debut book, The Lost Pianos of Siberia (2021), is a Sunday Times Book of 2020. Roberts, an alumna of Oxford and Columbia universities,…
READ MORE
Dear All, Happy New Year! I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable break. I am passing on an email we received from Charles Crawford who is selling a set of Ivan Pavlov prints. If anyone is interested, please contact Charles directly on charlescrawf@nullgmail.com or on + 44 7515 652 774 “Back in the Mists of Time I served as Counsellor at the British Embassy in Moscow soon after the USSR collapsed (1993-96). While there I bought a set of Ivan Pavlov prints of Old Moscow: here are such sets up for auction and getting a good price. Examples below. https://www.gildensarts.com/artwork/old-moscow-staraia-moskva/…
READ MORE
Dear All, I am delighted to share the GBRS lecture programme for Spring 2021: 22 January 2021 (19.00 GMT) The Lost Pianos of Siberia Siberia has become something of a shorthand for hardship and toil, the harsh environment echoing an even harsher history of penal colonies and post-Soviet economic hardship. Travel journalist Sophy Roberts explores Siberia’s contribution to Russia’s extraordinary history of piano music, and the endurance of art in even the most extreme circumstances. Sophy Roberts is a Dorset-based writer whose debut book, The Lost Pianos of Siberia (2021), is a Sunday Times Book of 2020. Roberts, an alumna of…
READ MORE
Dear All, Pushkin House has asked me to let you know that they are raising funds through an online auction to enable them to own their own grand piano https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/APianoForPushkin “We’ve never owned an instrument, instead we’ve always had one loaned to us. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters so far we’ve raised over £4,000. With this auction we aim to get closer to our end target of £25,000. The piano is the beating heart of our renowned music programme, which presents rarely heard Soviet and Russian composers and gives a platform to emerging talent alongside well-known names. Happy…
READ MORE
Dear All, This is an automated reminder for tomorrow’s talk: Wednesday, 9 December @ 1800 – Anton Gorlenko and Anastasiia Gerasimova: A New Angle on Russian Architecture The Russian avant-garde architect and painter,Konstantin Melnikov (1890-1974), deserves to be better known in the UK. His architectural activity belongs to a single decade (1923-1933), and he was one of the leading avant-garde architects in Russia in the 1920s. He was associated with the Constructivists, but neither fully Constructivist nor Functionalist. He was essentially an independent artist, not bound by the rules of a particular style or artistic group. In the 1930s he refused to conform with Stalinist requirements…
READ MORE
Dear All, This is an automated reminder for tomorrow’s talk: Wednesday, 9 December @ 1800 – Anton Gorlenko and Anastasiia Gerasimova: A New Angle on Russian Architecture The Russian avant-garde architect and painter,Konstantin Melnikov (1890-1974), deserves to be better known in the UK. His architectural activity belongs to a single decade (1923-1933), and he was one of the leading avant-garde architects in Russia in the 1920s. He was associated with the Constructivists, but neither fully Constructivist nor Functionalist. He was essentially an independent artist, not bound by the rules of a particular style or artistic group. In the 1930s he refused to conform with Stalinist requirements…
READ MORE
Thank you for making or requesting a booking to attend Anton Gorlenko’s and Anastasiia Gerasimova’s talk ‘A New Angle on Russian Architecture’, at which you will be most welcome. Here, for your private information as the recipient of this email, is how to attend via Zoom: please do not share this onward. Redacted as only available to those who have made bookings You should next be taken into a ‘virtual waiting room’ from which, after a short wait, you will then be ‘admitted’ to the talk – please note that I will not be the ‘Zoom host’ on Wednesday….
READ MORE
Dear All, I wondered if members would be interested in attending occasional talks via Zoom on a Saturday morning or afternoon? I am asking as this might sometimes make it easier to secure speakers who are based abroad. I would be grateful therefore if you could let me know if you would, in principle, attend a matinee talk on a Saturday please – thanks very much. Also, a reminder for our next talk: Wednesday, 9 December @ 1800 – Anton Gorlenko and Anastasiia Gerasimova: A New Angle on Russian Architecture The Russian avant-garde architect and painter, Konstantin Melnikov (1890-1974), deserves to be better known in the…
READ MORE
Dear All Just sending you details of a talk organised by the SCRSS: This is a reminder that this Wednesday evening (25 Nov) we will be hosting an online illustrated talk by Philip Wilkinson on his book Red Star and Roundel. To register for the talk, please use this Eventbrite link. Wed 25 Nov 2020, 7pm. Online illustrated talk: Philip Wilkinson on Red Star and Roundel – A Shared Century. Philip Wilkinson will discuss his book (reviewed in SCRSS Digest – Summer 2020) which looks at the fascinating history of the RAF’s involvement with the USSR and Russia over the course of the 100 years…
READ MORE
December 10, 2020 7 pm (Moscow time) Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh Spiritual Heritage Foundation, Friends of the Foundation and Alexander Solzhenitsyn Centre for Studies of Russia Abroad invite to take part in an ONLINE seminar in memory of Fr. Peter Scorer «A man whom we admired» Fr. Peter Scorer – Chair of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh Foundation, metropolitan Anthony’s spiritual son, whom Vladika ordained to the deaconate in 1973, reader in the Russian language department (University of Exeter) Konstantin Matsan (Moscow), journalist, author and presenter of radio Vera and Spas TV channel will talk to Fr. Peter’s friends: Tamara Dragadze (London) – ethnographer, writer, grandmother,…
READ MORE
Thursday November 26 @ 1800 – Maxim Samorukov – Russia in the Balkans: A Paper Tiger ? Today, as in the past, international observers view the Balkans as the target of Russian influence efforts. In his talk, Maxim Samorukov, an expert on Russia’s role in Central and Eastern Europe, explores Russia’s aims in this region, the instruments used to expand its influence there and the prospects of its efforts, especially in the areas of energy, domestic politics and conflict resolution. Bridging the past and the present, he considers how history — from the distant past to more recently the post-Cold War competition…
READ MORE
Webinar: Civil Society & Innovative Practice in a Time of Pandemic Thursday 19 November at 14:00 – 15:30 GMT Dear friends and colleagues, This is a reminder that this Thursday, 19 November at 14.00 GMT we will host the third in our webinar series. Join us to consider how civil society organisations (CSOs) in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia (the EECCA region) are adapting to meet the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Please click here to book your ticket for this event. This online discussion will look at the ways in which CSOs have modified their practices and methodologies during…
READ MORE
Dear All, A member has made me aware of the Kino Klassika Foundation which might be of interest -please see details below: Kino Klassika Foundation – Russian Language Film Charity … https://www.kinoklassikafoundation.org Kino Klassika Foundation – Russian Language Film Charity London Kino Klassika is a London based Russian film charity that spotlights iconic Russian language and Soviet cinema with international programmes of screenings, restorations, publications, art commissions and events supported by leading film historians, critics, actors and directors. This week’s Klassiki is Sergei Parajanov’s Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965). The undisputed master of poetic cinema, Parajanov paints an astonishing portrait of life for the Hutsul people in Western…
READ MORE
Dear All, The Metropolitan Anthony Foundation is hosting an online seminar about Father Peter Scorer, priest of the Orthodox Church and grandson of Professor Semyon Frank (one of the authors of Вехи, Vekhi, Landmarks) on 10th December at 4:00pm GMT (7:00pm Moscow time ). The attachment gives details of the speakers etc. The announcement in English on the web is at: https://antsur.ru/en/a-man-whom-we-admired/. Please note the time on the attachment and the web are both Moscow time which is 4:00pm English time. Translation is being arranged. Best wishes Ute
Wednesday, 9 December @ 18:00 – Anton Gorlenko and Anastasiia Gerasimova: A New Angle on Russian Architecture The Russian avant-garde architect and painter, Konstantin Melnikov (1890-1974), deserves to be better known in the UK. His architectural activity belongs to a single decade (1923-1933), and he was one of the leading avant-garde architects in Russia in the 1920s. He was associated with the Constructivists, but neither fully Constructivist nor Functionalist. He was essentially an independent artist, not bound by the rules of a particular style or artistic group. In the 1930s he refused to conform with Stalinist requirements and – accused of being a formalist – was banned…
READ MORE
Thank you for making or requesting a booking to attend Petr Safronov’s talk on ‘Education after the Soviet Collapse: is it really Post-Ideological’, at which you will be most welcome. Here, for your private information as the recipient of this email, is how to attend via Zoom: please do not share this onward. Redacted as only available to those who have made bookings You should next be taken into a ‘virtual waiting room’ from which, after a short wait, you will then be ‘admitted’ to the talk. It is hoped that it will be pretty straightforward. However, please bear with us:…
READ MORE
Dear All, I am delighted to let you know that our longstanding member, Dr Harald Lipman has just completed his memoirs – “Memories of Moscow – Memoirs of a Medical Diplomat”, based upon the years he and his wife, Nahid spent in Moscow in the 1980s, as Medical Attache to the British Embassy. Readers are introduced to Diplomatic life and life in the Soviet Union, as well as unique aspects of the private and professional life as a doctor and diplomat. As 2021 will mark the 30th anniversary of the demise of the Soviet Union, it is an appropriate time…
READ MORE
Dear All, We are looking at organising occasional talks in the Russian language and wondered whether you could let me know if you would, in principle, be interested in attending these please? If there is sufficient interest, we will see what we can do. Also, a quick reminder for our next talk: Petr Safronov: Education after the Soviet Collapse: Is It Really Post-Ideological? – 7.00 pm, Thursday, 12 November In the Soviet Union Communism was not simply a political and economic platform, it was an all-encompassing set of normative and ideological values. Education played a crucial role in…
READ MORE
Dear All, You might be interested in this event organised by the Pushkin Club: Pushkin Club Zoom Event: Pushkin’s Mozart and Salieri – Modern Connotations – Tuesday, 10 November at 6 pm The Pushkin Club will show the relevance of Pushkin to modern times with readings from Pushkin’s Mozart and Salieri and his poem, Анчар // The Upas Tree in English and Russian. The Evening will also include an introduction with illustrations and a musical interlude. Please see the Pushkin House link below for more information: https://www.pushkinhouse.org/events/2020/11/10/mozart-and-salieri Best wishes Ute
Dear All, Please see below details of 3 talks organised by the SCRSS: Tuesday 3 November – annual joint event with Marx Memorial Library marking the anniversary of the Russian Revolution takes place online. Also marking the 150th anniversary of Lenin’s birth, SCRSS Vice President, David Lane, will talk on Lenin’s ideas on Revolution: Are they relevant today? Book here on Eventbrite . Thursday 19 November, 7pm. Online Panel Discussion: Historical Memory and the Fight Against Fascism, Part II. For more information and to register, click here . This is a joint SCRSS-Marx Memorial Library (MML) event. Part I took place on 22…
READ MORE
Dear All, Please see details of a webinar organised by the BEARR Trust Best wishes Ute Supporting vulnerable people in Eastern Europe and Central Asia Webinar: Civil Society Support for Persons with Disabilities in the EECCA region 5 November 2020 at 14:00 – 15:30 GMT Register here to join the first of The BEARR Trust’s three November webinars Dear friends and colleagues, You are warmly invited to the first of three BEARR webinars exploring the impact of COVID-19 on civil society organisations (CSOs) in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia (the EECCA region) from different angles. This, the first webinar, will explore how…
READ MORE
Thank you for making or requesting a ‘household’ booking to attend Dr Robert Henderson’s talk on ‘Lenin, London, and the Russian Revolution’, at which you will be most welcome. Here, for your private information as the recipient of this email, is how to attend via Zoom: please do not share this onward. Redacted as only available to those who have made bookings You should next be taken into a ‘virtual waiting room’ from which, after a short wait, you will then be ‘admitted’ to the talk. It is hoped that it will be pretty straightforward. However, please bear with us: although…
READ MORE
Great Britain-Russia Society: Forthcoming talks – November and December 2020 1. 1. Petr Safronov: Education after the Soviet Collapse: Is It Really Post-Ideological? – 7.00 pm, Thursday, 12 November In the Soviet Union Communism was not simply a political and economic platform, it was an all-encompassing set of normative and ideological values. Education played a crucial role in the Soviet system by embedding these values in the young. The discrediting of Communism, the Soviet collapse and the transition to the market left an ideological void in education policy, one that the Kremlin has attempted to fill over the last…
READ MORE
Lenin, London, and the Russian Revolution Dear All, We are all looking forward to Robert Henderson’s talk next Thursday (29 October) on Lenin, London and the Revolution. His talk will of course be based on his book, The Spark that Lit Revolution: Lenin in London and the politics that changed the world, was published in March 2020 by Bloomsbury/Tauris. For members who book for this talk, the publishers have kindly agreed to provide a 30% discount on the normal purchase price of the book. A discount code will be provided to you when we send…
READ MORE