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Registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Charity No. 1105296 THE GREAT BRITAIN – RUSSIA SOCIETYPatron: His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent G.C.V.O.
Honorary President: Dr. Anthony Bryan Hayward (Group Chief Executive of BP plc)
Honorary Vice Presidents:
The Most Reverend & Rt.Hon. The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams F.B.A.
Professor Geoffrey Alan Hosking F.B.A. F.R..Hist.S,
Sir Roderic Lyne K.B.E. C.M.G.
The Rt. Hon. Sir Malcolm Rifkind KCMG QC MP,
The Rt. Hon. Lord Robertson of Port Ellen GCMG,
The Right Honourable Baroness Williams of Crosby
THE GREAT BRITAIN – RUSSIA SOCIETY
Spring session (March – April 2008)ALL OF THE EVENTS WILL BE HELD IN PUSHKIN HOUSE, 5A BLOOMSBURY SQUARE, LONDON WC1A 2TA.The entrance to Pushkin House is on Bloomsbury WAY, virtually opposite the Swedenborg bookshop. Nearest tube stations are Holborn & Tottenham Court Road. Complimentary wine receptions from 6.30 p.m. until 7.00 p.m.Talks begin at 7.00 p.m. followed by questions. Meetings end usually at about 8.30 p.m. Pre-booked seats are held only until 7.00 p.m. unless you ‘phone Pushkin House on 020 7269 9770 before 6.50.p.m. giving the time of your delayed arrival. MRS. OLGA SELIVANOVA LEADS CONVERSATIONS IN RUSSIAN BEFORE MOST TALKS
Tuesday 22 April 2008, at Pushkin House, Bloomsbury Way, WC1A 2TA, from 7.00 until 9.00 p.m. Please be seated by 6.50 p.m. Drinks will be served after the concert. A DAZZLING, VIRTUOSO GALA CONCERT AND PARTY!
THE OLGA BALAKLEETS & JULIAN GALLANT PIANO DUOA recital of works for piano solo and piano duet, including music by Schubert, Brahms, Glinka, Mussorgsky, Scriabin, Gavrilin and Schnittke. Olga Balakleets was born in Russia. Studied at the Leningrad Conservatory, at the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg, and as a postgraduate at the Royal College of Music London. Gave her London debut at the Purcell Room in 1994. Has appeared worldwide with the Moscow Philharmonic, the Belorussian State Symphony, the British Concert Orchestra, BBC Big Band, London Sinfonietta, St. Petersburg Camerata, and with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on tour in Spain etc. Julian Gallant is a pianist and conductor. Read music at Oxford University, and studied as a pianist in Switzerland. After his London début recital in 1992 he has given solo recitals and played concertos with the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Oxford Philomusica, Moscow Philharmonic, Kiev Chamber Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia. Julian is Chief Conductor of the Russian Orchestra of London. He has also conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra & many other orchestras. The Balakleets-Gallant piano duo has been performing since 1997 and has toured in Britain, Europe, South America, Russia, Central Asia, Egypt & the Far East. The Duo plays most of the repertoire for two pianos and piano duet and has recorded a compact disc of French music for two pianos. ENCHANTING – A SUPERB TREAT! Following on from the fifty minute concert: A SPRING PARTY – and a time to ‘mix and mingle’ with sparkling wine & Russian finger buffet delicacies prepared by the Carolyn Cripps team of Maria McGregor and Karen LittlegraingerA FLOURISHING FINALE TO THE SESSION!
THE GREAT BRITAIN – RUSSIA SOCIETY
Summer session (May – September 2008)Six talks and a visit to the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace5 OF THE 7 EVENTS WILL BE HELD IN PUSHKIN HOUSE, 5A BLOOMSBURY SQUARE, LONDON WC1A 2TA.The entrance to Pushkin House is on Bloomsbury WAY, virtually opposite the Swedenborg bookshop. Nearest tube stations are Holborn & Tottenham Court Road. Complimentary wine receptions from 6.30 p.m. until 7.00 p.m.Talks begin at 7.00 p.m. followed by questions. Meetings end usually at about 8.30 p.m. Pre-booked seats are held only until 7.00 p.m. unless you ‘phone Pushkin House on 020 7269 9770 before 6.50.p.m. giving the time of your delayed arrival. MRS. OLGA SELIVANOVA LEADS CONVERSATIONS IN RUSSIAN BEFORE MOST TALKS
Thursday 8th May 2008, IN THE SWEDENBORG HALL, Barter Street, London WC1A 2TH, 6.15 for 6.45 p.m. EARLIER START TIME, TO GIVE AT LEAST 45 MINUTES FOR QUESTIONS.
The Swedenborg Hall is just across the road from Pushkin House. A MAJOR EVENT IN THIS SESSION
“THE NEW COLD WAR”
“HOW THE KREMLIN MENACES BOTH RUSSIA & THE WEST”
MR. EDWARD LUCASSixty years ago the Berlin Airlift highlighted the menace of Stalin’s Kremlin. Forty years ago Soviet tanks crushed the Prague Spring and any remaining illusions about the Kremlin’s grip on the captive nations. Twenty years ago we began dropping our guard, as totalitarianism withered under Mikhail Gorbachev. Now it is time to acknowledge the inconvenient truth. Russia is back: rich, powerful and hostile. Partnership is giving way to rivalry, with increasingly threatening overtones. The New Cold War has begun – but just as in the 1940s, we are alarmingly slow to notice it. In the “swing states” of Eastern Europe – Bulgaria, Latvia and Moldova we are already losing the New Cold War. (With acknowledgement to The Times February 5th 2008). Edward Lucas is the Deputy Editor, International Section, and the Central & Eastern Europe correspondent for The Economist. He was also their Moscow correspondent at the start of the Putin Presidency. He has been covering the region for more than 20 years, witnessing the final years of the last Cold War, the fall of the Iron Curtain, the collapse of the Soviet Empire, Boris Yeltsin’s downfall and Vladimir Putin’s rise to power. Highly articulate and impassioned, Edward Lucas is a graduate of the London School of Economics, who also studied Polish at the Jagiellonian University, Cracow. “Edward Lucas is one of the best informed, best connected and most perceptive journalists writing about Putin’s Russia. His New Cold War is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what is happening in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union today” –Anne Applebaum, author of Gulag.
“A chilling account that needs to be taken seriously” –Professor Richard Pipes
Is this polemical, one sided, sensationalist journalism?
Or is this a well timed wake up call to western civilisation?
Come and judge for yourself, and question the speaker! “The New Cold War”, a devastating critique of Putin’s Russia, which has attracted a host of laudatory reviews, and which is being translated into no less than twelve languages, will be on sale at the meeting at the very special bargain price of £13.00 (normally £18.99). Please bring the exact money. We have no facility for credit cards. THIS PROMISES TO BE “A REAL HUMDINGER” OF A MEETING!
Only 100 places. Book early to avoid disappointment.
ABSOLUTELY UNMISSABLE!
Monday 19th May 2008, at Pushkin House, Bloomsbury Way, 6.30 p.m. for 7.00 p.m. “NORTHERN RUSSIA: WOODEN BUILDINGS, SACRED LANDSCAPES” (a talk illustrated with slides)
PROFESSOR ROBIN MILNER - GULLAND F.B.A. F.S.A.If you want to look at the riches of wooden vernacular architecture, where do you go? To Northern Russia obviously, and best of all to the vast Archangel Province. It contains one of the largest and finest of open air museums, where such buildings have been reassembled, at Malye Korely; but even better is the Kenozero area to the southwest, where innumerable wooden houses, chapels and other structures survive ‘in situ’, one aspect of a way of life little changed by the 20th century. When the speaker and a few friends visited Archangel and Karelia, they found more of interest than just buildings. The landscape itself – full of lakes, rivers and low hills – was of unexpected idyllic beauty. And this landscape held further secrets: human activity over hundreds of years had invested it with hidden sacred significances, whose resonance for an understanding of traditional Russian culture is remarkable. Robin Milner–Gulland is a Fellow of both the British Academy and the Society of Antiquaries. He learnt Russian during National Service in the early 1950s, and then at Oxford, taking a postgraduate year at Moscow University. His teaching career was spent at Sussex University, where he is now Research Professor in the School of Humanities. He has published widely on the literature, arts and general history of both medieval and modern Russia, including The Russians (Blackwell 1997/9), as well as various translations. A BEAUTIFUL TRAVELOGUE & POIGNANT SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
Tuesday 3rd June 2008, at Pushkin House, Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TA 6.30p.m. for 7.00 p.m. “RUSSIA – A GIANT WITH FEET OF CLAY?”
DR. MARTIN McCAULEYRussia is the ninth largest economy, with gold and currency reserves of over $500 billion, with a large budget surplus and an even larger trade surplus. But there are looming political, economic and social problems on the horizon, which President Dmitry Medvedev may find very difficult to solve. Politically there is now dual power. Russian history shows that dual power has an inbuilt conflict ending with one winner and one loser e.g.: Stalin and Trotsky, Khrushchev and Malenkov, Brezhnev and Kosygin. Economically, Russia is a storehouse of hydrocarbons and raw materials, but industrially it is losing international competitiveness. Its defence industries are in crisis: its space communications system has failed; Algeria has returned MIG fighters as not modern enough; India is switching to the USA as a source of military technology; Norway has cancelled orders for bulk tankers. The new mega-corporations, set up by the State, are inefficient. Russia has announced a $500 billion road programme and a $440 billion railway programme. The infrastructure is plainly not that of a modern state. Socially Russia is divided into the ‘haves and the have nots’. 87 billionaires control about 40% of GDP while millions of pensioners live in abject poverty Living standards have improved but rising inflation is gnawing away at incomes. Resentment at the income gulf is growing. There are now five times as many state officials per 1,000 of the population in Russia as there were in the Soviet Union. Most of the population view this huge army – 1.6 million strong – as parasites. The political class is also held in disdain. The Duma and Presidential elections were seen by many as a farce. The ‘family’ rules Russia: there is an inner circle and an outer circle with members changing places at times. Medvedev and Putin are the acceptable faces of ‘family’ power. Key decisions are taken by others. The model is one of constant conflict and jockeying for advantage. Can these conflicts be resolved peacefully or will the model gradually self-destruct? Political institutions have been neutered so there is no institutional way of resolving conflict. The 75% of the population who are not recipients of the new wealth have no political mechanism for changing the regime. As tensions increase will conflict spill over into violence? Russian politics are now potentially explosive. Dr. McCauley will also explain Russia’s singular interpretation of the concepts of both ‘managed democracy’ and ‘sovereign democracy’. Dr. Martin McCauley, one of the shrewdest observers of Russia, with an unerringly accurate ‘feel’ for his subject, has always been incredibly well informed. Formerly Senior Lecturer in Russian Government & Politics and Head of the Department of Social Sciences at The School of Slavonic & East European Studies, Dr Martin McCauley consistently delivers memorable lectures of outstanding quality to members of this Society. ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT. ANOTHER ‘MUST ATTEND’ LECTURE!
Thursday 19th June 2008, at Pushkin House, Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TA at 6.30 for 7.00 pm. “THE PEARL: A TRUE TALE OF FORBIDDEN LOVE IN CATHERINE THE GREAT’S RUSSIA”
DR. DOUGLAS SMITH (a talk illustrated with slides)Filled with a remarkable cast of characters and set against the backdrop of imperial Russia, this tale of forbidden romance could be the stuff of a great historical novel. But in fact The Pearl tells a true tale of the illicit love between Count Nicholas Sheremetev (1751-1809), Russia’s richest aristocrat, and Praskovia Kovalyova (1768-1803), his serf and the greatest opera diva of her time.
The Pearl recounts Praskovia’s stage career and the heartbreaking details of her romance with Nicholas—years of torment before their secret marriage, the outrage of the aristocracy when news of the marriage emerged, Praskovia’s death only days after delivering a son, and the unyielding despair that followed Nicholas to the end of his life. Based on nearly ten years of extensive archival research, Dr. Smith’s book is a remarkable work of narrative history that has been called “a masterpiece” by author Amanda Foreman and “a dazzling, multi-faceted jewel” by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Robert K. Massie. Dr. Douglas Smith, here on a visit from the USA, is an award -winning historian and translator - and a Resident Scholar at the University of Washington’s Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, in Seattle, Washington State. He has a doctorate in history from UCLA. He has worked as a Soviet affairs analyst at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Munich. He also served as an interpreter for the late President Reagan Hardback copies of The Pearl will be on sale at £17.00 (normally £25). Please bring the exact change. A ROMANTIC AND DEEPLY MOVING HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
A RARE TREAT!
Wednesday 2nd July, 2008 at Pushkin House, Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TA at 6.30 for 7pm. “AKHMATOVA’S PLACE
IN RUSSIA’S LITERARY TRADITION”
DR. ALEX HARRINGTON (University of Durham)Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966) is, along with her contemporary Marina Tsvetaeva, Russia’s best known female poet. Her first poetic collections coincided with the flowering of modernism in the first quarter of the twentieth century and her final works were produced in the atmosphere that produced early Russian postmodernist fiction. In the mid 1920s her poetry was banned by a secret Party resolution that was never made public and, although she never completely stopped writing poetry, her career is punctuated by a ‘silence’ that was to last for some fifteen years. Scholars usually designate the poetry written after this period as the ‘later’ poetry and refer to her first collections as her ‘early’ manner. In 1946 Akhmatova survived vilification by Stalin’s notorious guardian of cultural orthodoxy, Andrei Zhdanov, who treated her very coarsely: “It would be difficult to say if she is a nun or a whore; better perhaps to say she is a little of both, her lusts and her prayers intertwine”. On the other hand, the distinguished philosopher, the late Professor Isaiah Berlin, briefly in the Soviet Union in the 1940s, visited Anna Akhmatova at Fountain House, and they stayed up through the whole night talking to one another. Sir Isaiah Berlin considered this discussion to have provided him with one of the most profound philosophical experiences in his whole life. Dr. Alex Harrington, who succeeded Dr. Rosamund Bartlett as Head of the Russian Department at Durham University, was awarded an M.A. and PhD in Russian from the University of Nottingham. She has taught at the Universities of Nottingham and Sheffield, and since 2001 has been based at the University of Durham. She has published several major articles on Akhmatova, and her monograph, The Poetry of Anna Akhmatova: Living in Different Mirrors was published by Anthem in 2006. She is currently working on a history of visual poetry in Russia. IN THE SOVIET ERA OF LITERARY CENSORSHIP,
A FASCINATING INSIGHT INTO AN ICONIC FIGURE.
Thursday 17th July2008, at Pushkin House, Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TA at 6.30 for 7.00 p.m. “PEOPLE IN RUSSIAN NGOs”
Ms. MASHA KARP (a talk in RUSSIAN)One of the signs of suppression of Civil Society in the Russian Federation was the law of 2006 bringing NGOs under tighter state control. Together with the law against extremism it allowed the authorities to use harsher measures against activists. This talk will concentrate on people whose courage and determination help them to continue their work against all the odds. Masha Karp is the Russian Features Editor of the BBC Russian Service. She is particularly interested in Russian-British cultural links and is a translator of both English and German prose and poetry into Russian. Her translations include works by Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, Tom Stoppard, Dylan Thomas, W.H. Auden and Elizabeth Jennings. She has made radio features about people embracing Russian and Western culture and, more recently, media freedom issues. AN IDEAL OPPORTUNITY TO SAVOUR A LECTURE IN RUSSIAN!
On Saturday 20th September 2008, at 11a.m.Buckingham Palace. The entrance to the exhibition is via the Ambassadors’ Entrance in Buckingham Palace Road. A FIVE STAR EVENT. ***** A GROUP VISIT TO
THE STATE ROOMS of BUCKINGHAM PALACEThe nineteen State Rooms are at the heart of the Palace and provide the setting for ceremonial occasions and official entertaining. They are lavishly furnished with many of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection, including paintings by Van Dyck and Canaletto, exquisite pieces of Sevres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world. A complimentary audio tour provides a lively introduction to centuries of royal history and includes interviews with Royal Household staff about the working Palace and the works of art on display. For the first time ever at the Summer Opening of the Palace, visitors will be able to experience the spectacle of the Ballroom set up for a State Banquet. The horseshoe – shaped table traditionally used on such occasions will be dressed with a dazzling display of silver-gilt from the magnificent Grand Service, first used to celebrate the birthday of George III in 1811. Lavish buffet arrangements of jewelled cups, ivory tankards and chased dishes, sconces, shields and basins will be arranged along each side of the room. An opportunity for members to enjoy the nineteen magnificent State Rooms. Take advantage of the concessions available for a Group visit (minimum 15, no maximum). Book for as many relatives and friends as you wish. For security reasons please list the full names of all the people for whom you are booking. Adults under age 60 pay £13.95 (normally £15.50)
Adults over age 60 pay £12.60 (normally £14.00)
Children under age 17 pay £ 7.90 (normally £ 8.75) For this special occasion there is no facility to book on line. Post your cheques payable to ‘The Great Britain-Russia Society’ to D.E. Salbstein, Chairman of The Great Britain-Russia Society, c/o J. Salbstein, Brougham Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 2NX. Enclose a stamped addressed envelope, so that your tickets can be posted to you on August 20th. Please list all the names of those for whom you are booking, and the individual price(s) of their respective tickets. All bookings must be received by no later than August 10th 2008.*****AN EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME*****
Tickets are not issued for meetings, but names will be put on the relevant attendance lists on a first paid, first served basis. Members are encouraged to book places for their guest or visitors. Cancellations for credit are accepted only if received by 5.00 p.m. on the previous afternoon (‘phone Ute Chatterjee on 0788 4464 461 or email her at memberships@gbrussia.org so that those on the waiting list can be offered places. If you require confirmation of your reservations please send a stamped addressed envelope. You can contact the Chairman Daniel Salbstein by ‘phone or fax on 01903 210611 or email: j.salbstein2@ntlworld.com. Tickets for each talk are £5 per person per seat for everyone (except for students belonging to a corporate membership). Reservations for the guided tour of the State Rooms at BUCKINGHAM PALACE need to be posted separately. Book early, and book often! Remember, if all seats are wanted, your reservation is assured only if you have prepaid.
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