Editor's Choice
Japanese Woodcuts
 Europeans only became acquainted with art from Japan in the 19th century. These were prints, or colored woodcuts and they became extremely popular and impressed and influenced famous European painters Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas and Van Gogh. Woodcuts are a relief print technique in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, cherry wood in the case of Japan. The technique of multi-colored print (nishiki-e lit. “Brocade picture”) was invented by Suzuki Harunobu in 1765. The Torii dynasty engravers, specializing in a theater theme, for example, were adept at rendering the dynamics of the Kabuki theater scenes.
The collection of Japanese art in the Pushkin Museum is one of the largest in Russia. Most of the items belonged to S. Kitaev, a Russian fleet officer who, when visiting the islands, started purchasing beautiful and unusual graphic works by local masters that were very unusual to the
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Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts 12,
Volkhonka Street
Until May
Open: 10:00–18:00 except Monday | European eye.
Kitaev first displayed his collection to immense interest in 1896 in St. Petersburg. In 1916 Kitaev and his family went to Europe for medical treatment and he again left the collection for a museum exhibition. When he didn’t return home, the collection was nationalized by the Soviet authorities.
Stories of Love on Ice
 The magnificent new “Story of Love” ice show is presented in Moscow by Stage Entertainment and Holiday on Ice companies. It has been on tour in many countries of the world, and now it is Russia’s turn. The show is based upon some of Paolo Coelho’s stories and is framed with beautiful compositions by Bizet, Chopin and legendary hits by Tom Jones, Whitney Houston and Chris de Burg. The story unites in one show the most popular and romantic literary and historic couples beginning with Caesar and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, Dracula and his beloved, Carmen and Jose, Madame Butterfly and officer Pinkerton, and even Barbie and Ken.
Theater, figure skating and gymnastic tricks are woven together in an amazing performance with beautiful
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Ice Palace at Khodynskoe Pole 3,
Khodynsky boulevard
March, 4 – 16
19:00 | sceneries, costumes and impressive special effects. As the Moscow ice center is larger than its European counterparts, the organizers have had to order more lighting and other equipment. The artistic director of the production is Frank Wentink – World Press Photo Gala award laureate. Jamie Isley (2003 Emmy award laureate) is the choreographer.
Yudashkin Show
 On the 8th of March it is a tradition for the Russian designer Valentin Yudashkin to make a present of a beautiful show for the women of Russia and to all those who are in love with fashion. There will be a fashion show followed with a concert with Russian musical stars who are friends of Maestro. Valentin Yudashkin is Russia’s most famous fashion designer and a member of the Academy of Arts of the Russian Federation.
When he first presented his “Faberge” collection in Paris, Pierre Cardin was the first to congratulate the young designer on his success, and Yudashkin became his apprentice. The fashion items he has created are displayed in the Louvre Museum of Clothes in Paris, the California Museum of Fashion in Los Angeles, and the Metropolitan Museum in
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State Kremlin State
March, 8
18:00 | New York, the State Historical Museum in Moscow and in other museums around the world. Valentin Yudashkin is the only Russian designer to be honored with a membership in the Syndicate of High Fashion in Paris. His boutiques are located in Moscow and Paris. Nowadays he is a regular participant at the weeks of haute couture and pret-a-porter in Paris, Milan, New York, and other cities.
Shao-Lin Mastery
 The Shao-Lin monks are associated with spiritual self-improvement, sophisticated minds and incredible physical feats. They are on tour and will be in Moscow in March. According to legend the world famous Kung Fu mastery began in a small part of the Honan province in China at a temple known as Shao-Lin Ssu, the Young Forest Temple. Nestled here at the foot of the Sung Mountain, monks, plagued by bandits, hired instructors to teach them self defense. Finding a focus in their martial training, these monks learned and grew, collecting and developing different forms and styles of fighting arts and
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Mir Concert Hall 11,
Tsvetnoy boulevard
March, 10–12
19:00 | thus was born the legend of the Shao-Lin Fighting Monks. It was in the sixth century that Ta Mo, known as Bodhidharma in India, crossed the Himalayas and taught the Shao-Lin monks the 49 postures of the I Chin Ching, the Muscle Change Classic. Throughout the next centuries the Shao-Lin monks added to and perfected their art, and it spread to other temples. Frightening as the martial arts seem, the main aim of the study is self improvement through controlling energy or Chi.
Music Deriving from a Word
 Music Deriving from a Word is the name of a project in which famous conductors are invited to reveal sometimes unknown musical pages of the 19th and 20th centuries. Vladimir Spivakov is going to conduct the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia and will present his interpretations of two well-known themes – the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and the Bible story of Salome. Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet, Romeo and Juliet, is well-known all over the world. But few people know that another great Russian composer was planning to create an opera of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Pyotr Tchaikovsky always said that he wanted to score an opera based on the plot of the very famous play. It was Balakirev who suggested the idea of an overture to Tchaikovsky who changed it several times but did not
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International House of Music
(Svetlanovsky hall)
March, 19
19:00 | go any further, and never composed the whole opera. The other drama that Spivakov turns his attention to is Salome. In the 1910s both F. Schmitt and R. Strauss composed their versions of Salome. But the literary basis provided by R. Humier and O. Wilde were so different from each other that the music as well is varied. “Dance of the Seven Veils” is one of the most attractive orchestral pieces in the latter’s version. Supported by Land Rover.
Le Jazz
 In Moscow nowadays there are many different musical festivals. One of them, LeJazz, as one can guess, is of a French character. Among the participants there are only French musicians and if you look at the list of the participants, they are of the highest caliber. Bireli Lagrene, a “guitar phenomenon,” according to John McLaughlin, found fame in the 1980s via his manouche (or django-like) style. He often performs in the swing, jazz fusion and post-bop mediums. Together with Sarah Lazarus, they will present the program “Gipsy in my Soul.” Eric Legnini is a talented pianist from Belgium who works in the U.S. but performs all over the world with his band. He also composed scores for the “Ombres et Lumières” movie
by Samy Brunet. Jean-Jacques Milteau is a French blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter. He played with French singers like Yves Montand, Eddy Mitchell, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Charles Aznavour in various styles, from blues to jazz. Paul Lay, another participant in the festival, is a graduate of the Toulouse Conservatory in piano.
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