Passport Picks

Made in the USA

In 2005-6, the Guggenheim Museum put on show the biggest exhibition of Russian art ever brought to the United States. In response, this month, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Art hosts a large exhibition organized with the support of the Guggenheim Fund. The Russian “hosts” are very honoured. “We doubt that our generation will have another chance to see the same kind of collection again!” a spokesperson of the Museum said. More than a hundred canvasses will arrive in Moscow from dozens of museums and private collections. The list includes such great names as John Copley, Jackson Pollock, Robert Henry, Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol (to mention a few), thus fully reflecting three centuries of art in the United States. Irina Antonova, the director of the museum proudly admits that it was the Pushkin Museum which introduced American art to the Soviet public in the 1950's and 60's. The scope of the exhibition will allow the visitor to feel the peculiar spirit of the American culture: creative freedom and openness to exploration, search and experiment. The exhibition is under the patronage of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice".

Like Russian Aristocrats

Moscow is famous for its aristocratic estates. Most popular are the Sheremetiev’s properties at Kuzminki and Ostankino, and Prince Golytsin’s estate at Arkhangelskoe. What can be more attractive than to take walk in the park, enjoy the architecture and learn more about the history? Each summer Ostankino and Archangelskoe host classical or jazz concerts. In Ostankino, Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart and many other classics are played in the estate theatre. Arkhangelskoe welcomes music-lovers for weekend festivals. This year, July and August week-ends are given to the “Korni i Krona (Roots and Crown), from the origins of ethno to the sophistication of Baroque and Renaissance”. Those who appreciate classical music will enjoy performances by prominent musicians like Rene Clemencich, as well as the sound of rare instruments (viol da gamba, chalumo and baroque clarinet, etc). The closing part of the festival is a performance of the ballet, the “Magical Celebrations in the Name of the Sun King”. It consists of the roles played by Louis XIV! It is a double pleasure to hear music in the premises of the exquisite Gonzaza theater on the estate.

Ride On

Equiros is Moscow’s annual International Horse Exhibition. It could have been just a small, closed, strictly professional conference but the organizers have turned it into a great multifaceted event. There are contests for the best journalist essay, “IppoPress”, the best photo, “Equiphoto”, and the best children’s drawing. Of course, all of them are about horses. The Best Koumiss Contest will open the first day of the exhibition. Apart from numerous showjumping competitions, the following program includes a Troika Ride Show, vet masterclasses, horse-riding classes for children and even a lecture “All about the Wild West”. But what Equiros has become most famous for is the evening horse-riding show, “Under the Sign of the Horse”. It is performed by a professional director and involves top artists and stunt men. The show is accompanied by special visual and sound effects. The music is written specifically for this production. Last year the audience had a chance to experience the four elements of earth, water, air and fire, while witnessing the battle between the dark and the light, traveling through different historical time periods. Let’s see where the ride goes this year.