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Passport Picks

Editor’s Choice

Summer Evening with the Turetsky Choir

The only thing better than a picnic in the country on a warm summer evening is the same picnic on the grounds of a gorgeous estate while listening to the wondrous sounds of a renowned male choral ensemble. Founded 17 years ago, the popular Turetsky Choir is a unique group of ten singers known for their top-notch musical training, lively and diverse repertoire, and artistic performances. So come one, come all, grab a friend, the spouse and kids — whomever you can — and head to the Arkhangelskoye Estate to enjoy the outdoors, fresh air, and great music. Visitors will have a choice between two seating areas on the lawn in front of the mansion: The “VIP zone” is nearer the stage and off ers access to catering concessions, while the remaining space will be available for concertgoers to loll on blankets and nibble on goodies brought from home.

Arkhangelskoye Estate
July 12 at 18:00

Beethoven, Mahler, and Britten: The Jazz Version?

The trio presenting the Triptych program at the Moscow International House of Music consists of three of Europe’s brightest jazz musicians. Daniel Humair, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in France, comes from Switzerland, where he began playing drums at age 7. He turned professional in 1955 aft er winning the amateur contest at the Zurich International Jazz Festival. Since then he has played with such artists as George Gruntz, Jim Hall, Lee Konitz, and others. Along with his musical career, Humair is also an abstract painter with works in the collections of the City of Paris and the Swiss government. Bassist Jean-Paul Celea has played with the Ensemble Intercontemporain directed by Pierre Boulez, the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ensemble Musique Vivante, and many other bands performing classical and modern music. The group’s third member, Francois Couturier, is a versatile pianist who is accomplished in a vast variety of musical idioms. Tango, French chanson, Corsican folklore — it is hard to fi nd a style he hasn’t mastered. The paths of these three musicians have crossed over the years, but it wasn’t until 2007 that they finally came together to play jazz interpretations of the works of the great composers, from Beethoven to Britten. The standard jazz set of piano, contrabass, and drums has never sounded so fresh and expressive.

Moscow International House of Music,
Theater Hall
July 2 at 19:00

Peter Nalitch. Live from the Internet

Living in the era of the Internet, we should be used to the fact that more and more artists in different spheres, from photography to music, are emerging and gaining fame through the World Wide Web. British singer Lilly Allen is one example, while Peter Nalitch is a hero of the local Ru.net. After downloading his single onto YouTube one evening, he woke up the next morning to find himself famous. Well, almost. The young Muscovite sang in a rock band while a student at the Moscow Conservatory, but eventually opted out of a musical career in favor architecture, entering the prestigious Moscow Institute of Architecture. However, he never gave up his music. According to an observer from the Kommersant newspaper, Peter Nalitch is the first Russian singing Internet phenomenon. He inherited his colorful voice from his Serbian grandfather, who sang tenor at the Belgrade opera. After headlining at the recent Kinotavr fi lm festival in Sochi, Nalitch is giving a concert at the open-air Green Theater in Gorky Park, where you can go and judge for yourself whether or not the Internet can fully render the joy of this energetic mix of Balkan, Latin, and Russian music.

Gorky Park
Zelyony Teatr [Green Theater]
July 3 at 19:00

Brit Rock in Moscow

The British rock invasion of Moscow this summer represents two diff erent musical waves. The complex sound of Welsh alternative band Manic Street Preachers will be joined by the gentle Scottish melodies of Travis’ folk-rock. What the two bands have in common is headlining festivals and No.1 singles. Like such legendary bands as The Clash and The Sex Pistols before them, the controversial Manics are influenced by their workingclass roots and known for their intelligent and often political lyrics (no wonder they were the first Western band to play in Cuba and meet Fidel). Right aft er the 1994 release of their highly regarded album The Holy Bible, the band’s co-lyricist and guitarist disappeared and was never seen again. The band’s next album, Design For Life, was a social anthem challenging those who allege that the working classes are devoid of cultural and emotional depth. Ten years later, they haven’t changed too much, still generating the music of social protest. They called their most recent release, which examines the notion of liberation in all its complexity, Send Away The Tigers, a reference to news reports that animals were released from the Baghdad Zoo aft er the city’s invasion by the U.S. and its coalition partners. The first single off the album, “Your Love Alone Is Not Enough” is a personal song about relationships and regret featuring Nina Persson of The Cardigans. While Travis also has demonstrated its social conscience through involvement in the Make Poverty History movement, the band is better known for its romanticism. An appearance at the outdoor Glastonbury Festival in 1999 proved the power of Travis’ music and won them particular notice: After dry weather

Travis
B1 Maximum
July 16 at 20:00

Manic Street Preachers
B1 Maximum
July 23 at 20:00

all day, a downpour began during the group’s performance of their song “Why Does It Always Rain On Me?” The band, whose name is a reference to a character in the Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas, is credited with inspiring other British melodic rock bands such as Coldplay and Keane. The beautiful melodies and thoughtful lyrics of these two bright bands make attendance at their Moscow shows a must.

Viva Cuba!

Viva Cuba! is a festival of Cuban music to take place in the heart of Moscow during the heart of the summer. The headliner will be The Buena Vista Social Club, a band named for the extremely popular Havana club of the 1940s that served as a gathering place for musicians and dancers as well as a de facto laboratory for blending jazz, mambo, charanga, and other infl uences to create a unique Cuban style. It was closed down in 1959 following the Cuban Revolution but was resurrected in the 1990s when Cuban guitarist Juan de Marco Gonzales and American guitarist Ry Cooder gathered the musicians from the original club to record an eponymous album. Helped by Wim Wenders’ documentary about the reunion of the musicians, The Buena Vista Social Club has won a huge following and become a sought-aft er guest at festivals the world over. Another treat for those who plan to attend the event at the Hermitage Garden is the performance of Omara Portuondo, the lady whose beautiful rendition of Hasta Siempre Comandante has become a symbol of love in Latin American culture.

Hermitage Garden
July 5-6 at 19:00







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