St-Petersburg Times

W W W. S P T I ME S RU S S I A . C O M

FRID AY, JULY 1 9 , 2002

Scanning the Sector

Those Hard-To-Tan Spots

Bankers stress work to be done. Page 4

An exhibit built along different lines. AAT.

SUNDAY Partly Cloudy High 28, Low 17 MONDAY T-Storms High 24, Low 15

FRIDAY Cloudy High 24, Low 17 SATURDAY T-Storms High 25, Low 17

A gunman jumped out of a white Zhiguli and fired 22 shots from an Uzi into an Israeli citizen in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, killing him instantly. Page 2.

Whole New Game

STAFF WRITER

Can’t Print That!

A Moscow court orders a localnewpaper to be shut down after it rules that the paper is guilty of inciting racial hatred. Page 3.

A Familiar Ring A Monastery just outside Moscow has installed two new bells — complete with President Putin’s name on them — to replace those destroyed under Stalin. Page 3.

Feeling Insecure

The Euro is all the rage, but the Kremlin is warning against getting too carried away. Page 4.

Mining for Demand An unusually warm winter has the coal industry singing the blues, and trying to find ways to get people to burn more of their product. Page 5.

Opinion, Page 6.

World News, Page 9.

Classifieds, Pages 7-8.

Jobs, Page 10.

CENTRAL BANK RATE

3:18/7:53 3:15/7:53 3:12/7:53 3:09/7:53 3:00/7:53

By Claire Bigg

Witgh the impending accession of the Baltic States to NATO, Russia’s defense minister says it’s time to reevaluate defense policy here. Page 2.

Wait and See

FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY

Yakovlev Talks Up Another Term

Fatal Ambush

Sukhoi backs out of sending jets to a British air show when organizers can’t guarantee that they won’t be seized by the Swiss.

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SUNRISE SUNSET

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ALEXANDER BELENKY/SPT

Soldiers loading a truck with humanitarian destined for Russia’s flood-struck southern regions onto a truck on Thursday. The truck is one of a convoy of five that will carry 20 tons of aid, including clothing, bedding and tents to the North Caucasus regions that were hit by flooding earlier this month. According to

Helping Hand

the Emergency Situations Ministry, the convoy should reach the region by the end of August. The Ministry also announced that a 13-car train carrying construction materials and lumber donated by the government of the Leningrad Oblast will also be sent to the disaster area at the end of this week as the first part of a total of 46 cars of relief pledged for the region.

Putin’s Neighbors Without Water

By Valeria Korchagina STAFF WRITER

OGARYOVO, Central Russia — The Ogaryovo village along the prestigious Rublyovskoye Shosse has not had any cold water since Monday, and residents are furious. Their water supply has been cut off to serve the area’s prime customer — President Vladimir Putin.

“It’s a nightmare. There is no way to flush the toilet or make preserves, I have berries but can’t do anything,” Lyudmila Medvednikova, 65, snapped angrily Wednesday.

A few steps outside her rickety house, Medvednikova can see the water tower that is supposed to be sending cold water to her taps, half hidden by a six-meter-high wall surrounding Putin’s Novo-Ogaryovo residence.

The tower has been pumping water for the country’s leaders for decades and, since the 1960s, shared part of its

supply with the villagers. But a rapid increase in the surrounding population — particularly the development of the elite Usovo residential area — in recent years has proven to be too much for the old pipes to handle.

As a result, the villagers and rich Russians alike have had little to no water when Putin needs to water his vast lawns or fill his large swimming pool during the summer.

A Kremlin spokesperson declined to comment.

Officials for the Barvikha district, which oversees Ogaryovo and Usovo on the western outskirts of Moscow, blamed the posh new cottages for the water problem.

“Their residents use too much water,” an official said. “They keep watering their gardens and lawns and constantly wash the pavement and fences around their buildings.”

Other officials explained that the villages around Putin’s residence did not have any water until Soviet leaders agreed to share Novo-Ogaryovo’s supSee WATER, Page 2

St. Petersburg Governor Valdimir Yakovlev broke his silence on a hot topic Thursday and suggested that he could run for a third term, although the move would require tricky changes to the city’s charter.

Speaking at the opening of a Russian-Italian investment forum, Yakovlev said he hoped “the population would help me get re-elected for a third term,” Interfax reported. The context of the statement was not clear from the report.

The option of running for a third term opened up for many regional governors after last week’s Constitutional Court ruling, which established regional leaders’ official first term as the one to which they were elected after October 1999.

After telling the forum that St. Petersburg would benefit from greater foreign investment, which could create jobs and increase tax revenues, Yakovlev rhetorically asked: “If people are going to live better, why would they need a new governor?” the NewSpb.ru Web site reported.

But Yakovlev’s spokesperson, Svetlana Ivanova, was quick to temper the governor’s statement, telling Interfax that no definite decision had been made about his candidacy in the 2004 race, and that Yakovlev’s highest priority was to prepare for St. Petersburg’s 300th anniversary celebration, coming up next year. Ivanova could not be reached for comment, despite four telephone calls to her office throughout the day.

Ivanova’s statement coincides with the position taken by City Hall immediately after the Constitutional Court’s July 9 ruling, when Yakovlev’s press service was quoted as saying that “the governor will think about participation in the next elections only once the city’s anniversary celebrations are over.”

Many local analysts are convinced that Yakovlev will run a third time.

“I think that Yakovlev will definately run for a third term, and that he stands a very good chance,” said Alexei See YAKOVLEV, Page 2

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The St. Petersburg Times

Numbers For Heart Disease Up

Israeli Citizen Killed In Contract-Style Hit

By Claire Bigg STAFF WRITER

Israeli citizen Eduard Lankin was shot to death Tuesday by an unknown assailant who cut him off as he was driving out of the courtyard at 28 Ulitsa Telezhnaya, jumped out of car, and riddled the driver’s-side window of Lankin’s car with bullets from an Uzi sub-machine-gun in what prosecutors say was a contract killing.

Lankin was hit by 22 bullets — six in the head — and died instantly, the St. Petersburg Prosecutor’s Office said on Thursday. Jakob Lankin, the victim’s father, was also in the car but suffered no physical injuries. He is presently in hospital suffering from shock.

Also an Israeli citizen, Jakob Lankin had arrived in St. Petersburg only a few days before to visit his son.

The two men had been visiting one of Eduard Lankin’s friends and were returning to the flat Lankin was renting on Ulitsa Rubinshteina at about 9 p.m. when their vehicle, a Mercedes320, was cut off by a white Zhiguli.

After the assailant finished firing into the Lankin’s car, he ran into what an eyewitness described as an “expensive” car, which then sped away from the scene, leaving the white Zhiguli behind.

“The Zhiguli was purchased one week before the killing, which indicates that this was a contract killing,” said Elena Arbinska, a spokesperson for the St. Petersburg Prosecutor’s Office in an interview on Thursday.

Arbinska also said the testimonies given by witnesses indicate that four men took part in the attack. She said that eyewitnesses had been unable to provide any other information about the assailants.

Officials familiar with the case provided conflicting theories of possible motives behind the murder on Thursday. One possibility is that Lankin’s murder was work related, although the details of his professional activities remained sketchy.

According to the City Prosecutor’s Office, Lankin had been working as a computer specialist in a company

owned by a friend. The Prosecutor’s Office would not release the name of the firm, saying that this would hinder their investigation.

“We have also been told that Lankin was planning to open a business of his own in St. Petersburg, although this information has yet to be confirmed,” Arbinska said. “This could have been a possible motive for his assassination.”

Margarita Obolskaya, consular secretary at the St. Petersburg Representative Office of the Israeli Embassy, said that Lankin worked for Herbalife, a US-based company that produces dietary products.

Image Land, Herbalife’s public-relations agency in Moscow, confirmed this.

“Eduard Lankin worked as an independent distributor for Herbalife, but probably had other professional activities,” said Image Land’s Dinara Lizonova in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “We do not think his murder was linked to his activities with Herbalife.”

Interfax quoted sources in the St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast section of the Interior Ministry as saying on Wednesday that the motives behind the murder were of a private nature.

On Thursday, however, the city Prosecutor’s Office rejected this possibility.

“I doubt very much that personal motives were behind the crime, and the evidence points towards a contract killing,” Arbinska said. “There have also been suggestions that the killing was an anti-Semitic act, but the fact that Jakob Lankin was left alive would indicate that this is not the case.”

Although the Interior Ministry first reported that Eduard Lankin was born in Cherkesk, Russia in 1971, the St. Petersburg Prosecutor’s Office said on Wednesday that this information was incorrect.

“Lankin was actually born in Riga in 1974. He moved to Israel with his family in the early 1990s. For the past four years he has had a multi-entry visa for Russia, receiving the most recent one in May 2002,” Arbinska said.

Lankin was hit by 22 bullets — six in the head — and died instantly, prosecutors said on Thursday.

REUTERS

MORTEN HOLM/REUTERS

Ivanov talking Wednesday with Norwegion Defense Minister Kristin Krohn Devold.

Ivanov: NATO Enlargement Means Revamp of Policies REUTERS

HELSINKI — Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Moscow will be forced to review its military position if, as expected, neighbouring Baltic countries join the Western defence alliance, a Finnish daily reported on Thursday.

“Russia will then be forced to review not only its own military positions, but also the entire spectrum of international relations, both with the alliance as a whole and with the mentioned Baltic states,” he was quoted as saying.

Ivanov did not specify what this could involve.

He also reiterated in the Hufvudstadsbladet interview before a twoday visit to Finland that NATO expansion would not contribute to increased security but could instead destabilise Europe.

“It could also be a factor that essentially destabilises the situation in the

YAKOVLEV Continued from Page 1

Musakov, head of the St. Petersburg Center for Regional Development.

But Musakov added that there are those within the Kremlin who might be interested in jamming the spokes of a Yakovlev attempt at a third term.

In order to run a third time, Yakovlev would have to enter amendments into the city charter, which stipulates that the St. Petersburg governor is elegible for two terms only. Changing the charter would require the backing

Baltic region and in the whole of Europe,” he said.

Ten countries in post-communist Europe are hopeful they will be asked to join NATO at a November summit in Prague. A European Union summit in Copenhagen in December is similarly set to invite 10 ex-communist states into the EU. Ivanov spoke favourably about the new partnership between Russia and NATO, forged at a historic summit in Rome in May. He said that if the new Rome agreement on security cooperation was realized, the political relationship between Moscow and the alliance could reach the same level as between members of NATO. “This would be most the important result of the cooperation between Russia and the Atlantic alliance,” Ivanov said. of two-thirds of the legislative assembly, which Yakovlev is at present unlikey to obtain.

However, a poll conducted between July 10 and 15 in St. Petersburg by the All-Russia Center for Public Opinion Research showed Yakovlev to be the most popular politician on the list of potential candidates. Out of 1,000 respondents, 38.2 percent said they would vote for the incumbent governor, with Audit Chamber head Sergei Stepashin in second place with 14.5 percent. Ten percent of respondents said they were against all candidates and another 11.6 percent could not decide.

US PORK -

SMART CHOICE FOR BBQ

LONDON — Deaths from heart disease and stroke in Russia are at record levels and among the highest in the world, Swiss researchers said in a report on Thursday.

Diet and lifestyle changes have led to a drop in deaths from cardiovascular disease in the United States, Japan and Europe but in Russia, Bulgaria and Romania they have soared.

“Russia is presently a huge problem.

It has the highest rate in Europe and the highest among the eastern European countries,” said Dr Fabio Levi of the University of Lausanne.

Levi and his colleagues used World Health Organisation (WHO) figures to compare the death rates from heart disease and stroke in 34 European countries. Their research is reported in the Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health.

In Western Europe, deaths from coronary heart disease fell by 32 percent, from 146 to 100 per 100,000 for men, after peaking in the mid to late 1970s, while falling by 30 percent for women.

The rates for strokes have also more than halved for both sexes.

But in Russia, heart disease deaths in 1995-1998 were 330 per 100,000 for men and 154 per 100,000 for women.

Deaths from stroke were 204 per 100,00 for men and 151 per 100,000 for women.

The researchers said that the rates were among the highest in the world and topped the records in some countries three decades earlier.

In the United States, deaths from cardiovascular disease in 1995-1998 were two-thirds lower than they were three decades ago. Japan, Australia and New Zealand have also achieved major improvements.

“Even among the countries which have lower levels than 10 to 15 years ago there is still room for improvement,” Levi added.

The researchers attributed the improvements in the numbers worldwide to better diet, including more fruit and vegetables, lifestyle changes and exercise and better treatments to control high blood pressure, which is a leading risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.

WATER

Continued from Page 1 plies in the 1960s.

Everyone seemed to be satisfied until 2000 when Putin made Novo-Ogaryovo his favorite residence and the luxury cottages started springing up nearby.

Novo-Ogaryovo is the place where Putin likes to receive foreign dignitaries, and one of his more recent guests there was U.S. President George W. Bush.

A resident in Usovo, who identified himself as Alexander, complained that his staff were unable to take baths.

“We have special pumps in our house to increase the water pressure, but in the other house my household staff can’t take showers,” he said.

To prove his point, he took a visitor to the servants quarters and turned on a tap. A thin stream of water ran out, frequently broken by the spitting and hissing sounds of empty pipes.

“When we need to water our garden we take water from our pond,” he said.

Medvednikova’s patience, meanwhile, was running low Wednesday.

“This is horrible,” she said. “In the summer there is this water problem, and every winter the sewage leaks and we have a stream of excrement running through our yard. But no one cares.”

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Court Orders Racist Paper Shut Down

By Nabi Abdullaev STAFF WRITER

Family Rites

ALEXANDER BELENKY/SPT

A woman praying amid relatives of the Romanovs, all gathered at the Peter and Paul Cathedral to honor the family of Tsar Nicholas II on Wednesday, the fourth anniversary of the family’s burial.

Bells Ringing After Decades of Silence

By Steve Gutterman THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SERGIYEV POSAD, Moscow Region — Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II on Thursday blessed two giant church bells made to replace a pair that were torn down from a tower at one of the country’s holiest sites and destroyed 72 years ago under Josef Stalin.

The bells — each with President Vladimir Putin’s name cast on its side in relief — are to be hoisted up next month into the bell tower outside the Cathedral of the Assumption at Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery in Sergiyev Posad, about 55 kilometers northeast of Moscow.

In addition to Putin, the bells bear the names of Alexy, the abbot of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery and its financial manager in old Russianstyle lettering along the base, said Hierodeacon Yakov, a monk at the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery.

He said that Putin was mentioned because the bells were cast under his rule — a tradition, that, he said, goes back centuries to when the name of the ruling tsar was engraved on church bells.

Yakov also said that it was done to thank Putin for creating a “favorable atmosphere” for religion and the church.

Putin is a practicing Orthodox Christian and embraced a new national anthem that celebrates Russia as a “holy country” that is “protected by God” — although the tune is the same as the So-

Remains Found in Remote Crash REUTERS

MOSCOW — The Emergency Situations Ministry said on Thursday that it had found bodies in the burnt-out wreckage of a helicopter that disappeared a week ago while taking 21 people, mainly scientists, to a remote Arctic region.

“Rescuers found bodies and body parts inside the helicopter,” Marina Ryklina, head of the Ministry’s press service, said by telephone. “We cannot say exactly how many people are dead until the public prosecutors finish their investigation.”

Russian news agencies quoted preliminary reports as saying that none of those on board had survived.

Air reconnaissance teams said they had found traces of the doomed helicopter some 110 km (70 miles) from the outpost of Eclipse in Russia’s desolate Arctic, Ryklina said.

Interfax news agency said that the wreckage was strewn over a 50 meter radius, and that the tail was found intact.

Crash investigators saidthat it was too early to say what had caused the disaster, but that the corpses would be flown out on Friday.

viet-era anthem that once praised the atheist Communist Party.

Dressed in a deep green velvet robe laced with golden thread and a matching crown-like miter, Alexy chanted a blessing and sprinkled the bells with holy water from a big silver cup outside the church as thousands of believers, packed into the sun-drenched square, looked on.

“In 1930, these bells were cast down ... and broken, and it seemed they would never be restored and placed in the bell tower of Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery again,” Alexy said. “But by the grace of God they have been restored, and today we bless these two bells.”

The bells — one weighing 27 tons and the other more than 35 tons — were modeled after two that were destroyed

as Stalin’s campaign against religion raged. Church bells were smashed in cities and towns across the Soviet Union.

Yakov said that the bells cost more than $2.2 million to make, all of it donated, much of it coming from the Nuclear Power Ministry. A list of donors posted outside the Assumption Church — underneath photos of the broken bells — includes six nuclear power plants as well as oil companies and banks.

The bells were poured at Zil, the factory that made the limousines Stalin and other Soviet leaders rode in.

Church and Zil officials said they are planning a third, even bigger bell to replace one that weighed more than 60 tons. The two bells are to be raised by a 250-ton crane in late August.

MOSCOW — A Moscow court has ordered that a tiny nationalist newspaper be shut down for inciting ethnic hatred with stories denigrating Jews, Asians and people from the Caucasus.

The decision was a victory for the Press Ministry, which, for the first time succeeded in banning a publication for breaking the law on mass media by running stories fomenting ethnic conflict.

Some observers, however, said the ministry may just have found an easy opportunity to show its ardor for the Kremlin’s declared fight against racial hatred.

The Timiryazevsky district court issued its verdict Wednesday against Russkiye Vedomosti. The four-page newspaper was founded in 1990 and published four times a year with a circulation of 10,000. It took its name from a respected newspaper closed by the Bolsheviks in 1917.

The Press Ministry’s lawyer, Yelena Bunina, said Thursday that a single issue of the newspaper in 2000 had contained more than 100 slurs that broke the law.

“We are fully satisfied with the court decision,” she said.

She said that the ministry warned the newspaper twice last year, but it had continued to print anti-Semitic and racist stories. The ministry filed suit against the newspaper in November 2001, and court proceedings began in January.

Russkiye Vedomosti editor Viktor Korchagin slammed the ruling Thursday.

It was the first time that the press ministry sucessfully banned a publication on the grounds of racism.

Chirac Seeks Compromise on Kaliningrad REUTERS

PARIS — French President Jacques Chirac said on Thursday that he would seek a compromise to end an impasse over Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave due to be encircled by the European Union after the bloc expands.

The prime minister of Lithuania, one of the countries bordering Kaliningrad, suggested during a visit to the enclave that talks could take place to resolve difficulties over Russian demands for visa-

free travel within the region.

Chirac, who is due to visit Russia this weekend, said the EU and Russia must use their imagination to resolve the problem — though he gave no indication of what the EU was prepared to concede.

“France ... will do its best to identify, with its partners, components of a pragmatic solution,” Chirac said in an interview with Russia’s Interfax news agency.

Chirac’s willingness to seek a compromise comes after EU diplomats said

“I consider it an attempt to put an end to the freedom of the press in Russia and to block the voice of Russian patriots,” he said.

Korchagin, who owns the Moscowbased Vityaz publishing house, conceded that his newspaper was openly anti-Semitic.

“My paper indeed reported that the Jewish mafia is carrying out a genocide of the Russian people, and called for Jews and people from the Caucasus to be deported,” he said.

He said that the newspaper had been self-supporting and received no financing from nationalist groups.

Prosecutors have charged Korchagin with inciting ethnic hatred before. In 1993 and 2001, judges closed cases for lack of evidence.

In 1995, a court found Korchagin guilty on the same charge, fining him and barring him from publishing for three years.

However, he was immediately amnestied under a decree signed by President Boris Yeltsin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the victory over the Nazis in World War II. Alexei Simonov, head of the Glasnost Defense Foundation, a freedom of speech watchdog, said that he considered the content of Russkiye Vedomosti to be illegal and that the ban was certainly not a crackdown on the freedom of the press.

Vyacheslav Likhachev, a nationalism expert with the Panorama think tank, said that although he personally found Russkiye Vedomosti offensive, the Press Ministry could find a better way to show its zeal against extremist media.

“There are plenty of nationalist newspapers published monthly and weekly with similar content and a much larger circulation,” he said. “Korchagin was just a convenient scapegoat picked for his notoriety in the courts.”

Likhachev suggested that Russkiye Vedomosti was targeted because Korchagin was highly critical of President Vladimir Putin, unlike many other nationalists. In addition, Korchagin lacks an outspoken readership that could protest the shutdown, he said.

Korchagin said he would not appeal the court’s ruling. “I will not amuse them,” he said.

on Monday that the bloc could not abide Moscow’s calls for visa-free travel for Russians between Kaliningrad and mainland Russia after the bloc enlarges.

“Nobody in Europe wants to isolate the million people who live there,” Chirac said in the interview.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas, stated during talks in Kalingra that any visa agreements had to be in accordance with norms adopted by the EU on proceeding with enlargement.

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FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2002

Arms Exporters Criticize UK Industry Financing Key Topic at Banking Talks

By Lyuba Pronina STAFF WRITER

MOSCOW — State arms export agency Rosoboronexport on Wednesday criticized Britain for refusing to safeguard Russian jets at the Farnborough Air Show against possible seizure by a Swiss trading company.

Russian makers of Sukhoi and MiG fighters have decided to leave their aircraft at home, fearing a repeat of last year’s embarrassment at France’s Le Bourget air show, where Noga attempted to impound Su-30 and MiG-AT jets.

“The show will suffer from the loss of the Russian planes,” Rosoboronexport Deputy General Director Viktor Komardin told reporters. “I feel sorry for the organizers,” he said.

Without the Su fighters, there will be a significant drop in public interest and returns from the show, Komardin said. “Our fighters are a circus on wings,” he added.

Noga says that the Russian government owes over $60 million from 1990s oil-for-food deliveries. The company has managed to impound a ship and freeze Russian bank accounts. The government successfully appealed both cases.

By Angelina Davydova SPECIAL TO THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES

SUKHOI

The Russian delegation planned to demonstrate Sukhoi’s Su-30MK at the show.

Komardin said that Rosoboronexport cus on modernizing aircraft delivered asked the organizers of the show in June earlier to Central and Eastern Europe.

Lindsey Hart, spokesperson for the whether the British government would deny requests by Noga to impound Rus- Society of British Aerospace Companies, which organizes the show, said that sian property, but got no guarantees.

The Russian delegation was plan- “not having the Russians does not ning to show Sukhoi’s Su-30MK jet and mean that we’ve got limited aircraft flying in the display.” the modernized MiG-29MRCA jet.

Komardin said that the Russian exRussian aircraft makers will display aircraft models, posters, helicopter sim- hibitors will not lose out on valuable ulators and other materials and will fo- export markets.

State Warns Euro Rise May Be Temporary

By Torrey Clark STAFF WRITER

MOSCOW — The government warned dollar-hoarding Russians not to rush exchange points Tuesday as the dollar dipped lower than the euro for the first time in 2 1/2 years.

“In any situation, the main thing is to avoid abrupt movements,” Alexei Volin, the Cabinet’s deputy chief of staff, was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying. “Mass dumping of the dollar would be the greatest mistake now.”

The Central Bank set Wednesday’s official ruble rates at 31.48 to the dollar and 31.66 to the euro, pricing the European currency over the greenback for the first time since early 2000.

With an estimated $50 billion to $70 billion under their mattresses, Russians are believed to hold more dollars in cash than anyone but Americans, and tend to react quickly to any news that could affect the exchange rate.

Oleg Kuznetsov, head analyst at the Moscow Interbank Currency Ex-

change, said that euro buying has increased gradually in recent weeks as the dollar has drifted down and the vacation season heats up. “Nonetheless, the dollar market remains about 20 times larger than the euro market,” he said.

Economists say that a weaker dollar could actually help the economy. “Overall, it could be positive for Russia,” said Peter Westin, economist at investment bank Aton. “Russia’s competitiveness could grow by 10 percent to 13 percent.”

Since the economy is so dollarized, the weakening of the dollar has pulled the ruble down with it. As a result, not only has real ruble appreciation against the dollar slowed, but the ruble has depreciated against other foreign currencies. “This puts a lid on euro-zone imports,” said Niclas Sundstrom, chief strategist for Citigroup in London.

The euro zone accounts for about 37 percent of total imports to Russia.

About 60 percent of the nation’s exports are dollar-denominated natural resources, but they are priced in the

global market and thus do not react strongly to exchange-rate movements, Sundstrom said.

Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Tuesday that, although dollar-euro parity could cost the country an additional $400 million in debt payments this year, no changes to the budget would be required. Much of the government’s roughly $150 billion debt is denominated in euros, including more than half of the $44 billion Paris Club debt and $2 billion in Eurobonds.

“The government is well hedged against any increase in debt payments,” Westin said. The price of gold, which makes up about 10 percent of the Central Bank’s $42 billion in international reserves, has increased by about 13 percent this year, and exports have grown as well, which could provide an additional $170 million to the budget, he said.

Additionally, the government collects export duties denominated in euros, which could generate another $200 million, Westin said.

The Seventh North-West Banking Conference began in St. Petersburg on Thursday, with the lack of cooperation between the industrial and banking sectors being the key topic of debate. Representatives from the industrial sector blamed the poor performance of bankers, while bankers in turn pointed fingers at the Central Bank.

In 2001, Russian banks issued $43 billion in credit, 70 percent of those loans being for short term periods, Vyacheslav Zakharov, vice president of the Russian Banks Association, said. Banks in St. Petersburg issued $8.7 billion in credit, showing a rise on the same figure for the previous year of 30 percent, according to Central Bank statistics.

The economy, however, is in desperate need of medium and long-term credit resources, according to Lyubov Pavlova, deputy head of the Central Bank’s St. Petersburg office. She said that the main reasons for the deficit are the high risks involved in the industrial sector and the low credibility of many of its enterprises.

Many of the experts taking part in the conference said that, though President Vladimir Putin has called for an annual growth in gross domestic product of 6 percent to 7 percent, the existing banking system is unable to supply the financing resources needed to make that possible.

“Although, in the last three years, we’ve seen stable industrial growth, a fall in the number of unprofitable businesses, salaries rising in real terms — by 25 percent last year — and a 50 percent rise in capital investment, the Russian industrial sector is still very weak and vulnerable,” said Vakhtang Kaveshnikov, chairperson of the coordinating council of the Industry and Enterprise Association of the Northwest Region.

“The main problem is a deficit in current assets — in 2001, banks loaned $83 million in current assets, while total banking assets are $6.5 billion — along with disastrous morale and the physical depreciation of fixed assets, which is reaching 65 percent to 70 percent in the heavy manufacturing sector,” Kaveshnikov added.

According to Kaveshnikov, “If we go on like this, in three years’ time we’ll

have written off 25 percent to 30 percent of assets, and 50 percent in five years’ time — that means half of present industrial assets will be worn out.”

In Kaveshnikov’s view, this could be a danger in the run up to joining the WTO: “Foreign industry is breathing down the neck of Russian industry, and foreign capital is breathing down the neck of Russian banks.”

The coordinating council of the Northwest Industry and Enterprise Association suggested that private individuals could provide the answer. At present, private accounts make up only 25 percent to 29 percent of the total amount held by banks. This figure falls to 13 percent if Sberbank accounts are excluded. Association specialists maintain that if the number of individual accounts were to grow, banks would have sufficient credit facilities to provide the much-needed long-term loans. Special guarantees or an insurance program for bank accounts would have to be implemented in order to attract potential private account holders, they said.

Other solutions proposed at the banking conference included state capital being put into commercial banks.

This would be achieved by banking shares being exchanged for state credits, the right for pension funds to be held within the capital of commercial banks and the encouragement of bond emissions by industrial enterprises.

Nevertheless, Russian bankers were quick to blame the Central Bank for not giving banks sufficient loan support.

In 2001, commercial banks issued $43 billion in loans, while the Central Bank only allocated $33 million for refinancing, mostly on overnight terms. At the same time, however, it requires that commercial banks keep $9 billion of their reserves at the Central Bank, Vyacheslav Zakharov said. “The Central Bank is just obsessed with the so-called ‘sterilization’ of the banking system, and it’s going to insist that banks have capitalization of at least five million euros, although I believe that the smaller banks are more stable than the larger banks,” he said.

“We are being forced to prove to the government that banks are not casinos,” complained the vice president of the Russian Banks Association.

Kasyanov Lays Blame for High Inflation Rate

By Darya Korsunskaya REUTERS

www.icspb.com info@icspb.com

MOSCOW — Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov lashed out at his government on Thursday, blaming it for high inflation and low investments, and saying that, under such conditions, Russia might not attain hoped-for growth targets.

President Vladimir Putin criticized the government in April for lacking ambition on the economy, while his chief economic aide, Andrei Illarionov, said that Russia needed to grow at 8 percent a year to catch up with the least developed EU states.

In order to ensure high, sustainable long-term growth, the government must restructure the natural monopolies — gas, electricity and railways — to attract investors.

But that involves raising prices to reflect real costs — politically sensitive ahead of parliamentary elections next year — which is one of the major factors fuelling inflation.

Nevertheless, at a cabinet meeting devoted to mid-year results, Kasyanov blamed the Central Bank and Finance Ministry for failing to control consumer price inflation.

“The Central Bank and the Finance

Ministry do not yet fully control inflationary processes, while we have set exactly such a task for ourselves,” Kasyanov said.

Consumer price inflation was nine FOR SPT percent in the first Mikhail Kasyanov half of the year, and the government is targeting 14 percent for the whole year.

The State Statistics Committee said on Wednesday that CPI stood at 0.6 percent in the first 15 days of July versus 0.5 percent in the whole of June.

But Vladimir Tikhomirov, an analyst at NIKoil investment bank said that price increases by the natural monopolies were a major factor behind inflation.

“This is about tariffs, and the central bank or the Finance Ministry have nothing to do with it,” he said.

The government has allowed gas monopoly Gazprom to raise prices by 35 percent, national power utility UES by 22.4 percent and railways by 22.8 percent.

Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said that Russia would meet the government’s inflation target anyway, pinning his hopes on a flat CPI in August, when

lower fruit-and-vegetable prices usually push inflation down.

“There was growth in July that was not forecast by the government, but further study is required and one cannot say from the results of half a month that it [the growth] will continue,” Kudrin said.

“There are no grounds to think that we will break out of the planned parameters [for inflation].” He added that the government’s fight against excess ruble liquidity had already borne fruit.

Kasyanov also said that investment growth in the first half of the year was just 1.8 percent, below government hopes, and too little to translate into accelerated economic growth.

Exports fell seven percent while imports rose seven percent, and wage arrears increased in some regions, he said.

“We must analyze the results of the first half of the year and work out measures for the second half to cement positive trends and remove negative ones,” Kasyanov said.

The Ministry for Economic Development and Trade said Russia’s reliance on the energy sector did not allow the economy to grow quickly, with investment in the sector sucking funds away from other parts of the real economy.

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Compromise Reached State Council To Promote Coal On New UES Reforms

By Torrey Clark STAFF WRITER

By Alla Startseva STAFF WRITER

MOSCOW — The government and both houses of parliament agreed to compromise on power reform-legislation Wednesday, with lawmakers accepting the government’s blueprint in exchange for a number of conceptual changes.

“We are prepared to look at any amendments and honor those that coincide with the government’s proposed aims,” news agencies quoted Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister Andrei Sharonov as saying in the State Duma.

Sharonov, the chief official dealing with the issue for the government, was speaking during the first meeting of the so-called conciliation commission, set up to ease the passage of a raft of energy bills needed to proceed with overhauling the national power grid.

“In those cases, we are prepared to make concessions on details and formulations,” Sharonov said.

Restructuring national electricity monopoly Unified Energy Systems is a politically sensitive issue, with vested interests vying to influence the future makeup of the sector and regional leaders fearing that deregulation will lead to unpopular price hikes.

Last month, deputies, despite pressure from UES, decided to postpone debate on the bills until the Duma reconvenes in September and they have had a chance to negotiate amendments.

Industry watchers said that the decision was due to the complexity of the bills and urgings from the Kremlin to

slow down the process.

“A law is needed that will take into account the interests not just of [UES] managers, but also average people,” said Vladimir Pekhtin, the head of the working group and Unity party leader in the Duma. Pekhtin said the whole point of establishing the working group was to avoid “the sad experience of privatization” in the 1990s.

UES CEO Anatoly Chubais was the architect of the scandalous loans-forshares privatization scheme in former President Boris Yeltsin’s government.

Lawmakers have already proposed hundreds of amendments to the government’s package of bills, some of which are “conceptual” and acceptable to the Cabinet, Sharonov said.

“We understand that, otherwise, our bills would have met a very sad fate,” he said.

Federation Council Deputy Speaker Valery Goreglyad, who is on the working group, said on Tuesday that the upper house alone has proposed hundreds of amendments, and that analyzing them is a daunting task.

“Just thinking about [getting ready] for the first reading of the bills by September is hair-raising,” Goreglyad was quoted by Interfax as saying.

Sergei Chernyavsky, who runs the Center for Energy Problems, and served in a previous working group, urged lawmakers not to be pressured to act too quickly. “I don’t understand the timing problem. It would be better to spend another six months working out a very good law than to produce a bad law,

MOSCOW — The State Council wants coal to have a bigger role in powering the country and will give a report on the industry to President Vladimir Putin in August, a member of the council’s working group on the coal industry said Monday.

The industry, which appeared to be getting to its feet in 2000 and 2001, was hit hard by an unseasonably warm winter and must repay billions of rubles to the government starting in the third quarter, the coal group’s Oleg Misevra, president of MDM-Group’s Siberian Coal Energy Co. Baikal-Ugol, or SUEK, said in an interview.

“The industry is seeing as many positive tendencies as negative,” he said.

“The negative are mainly connected with the warm winter in 2001-02.”

In the first half of 2002, power stations used just 70 percent of the amount of coal as in the same period the year before, said Sergei Shatirov, a Kemerov region representative to the government and deputy head of the State Council’s industrial policy committee, Interfax reported. Falling consumption pulled down production by 16 million tons in the first half of this year, he said.

Misevra said that, as a result, many coal companies cannot sell all the coal that they produce, and the surplus has caused prices to plunge.

The State Council group will push for power monopoly Unified Energy Systems to shift away from gas to coal in order to boost demand.

“Looking at Russia’s energy strategy, it’s clear that Russia has to change the ratios in its fuel supply to increase the proportion of coal,” said Val Vaninov, vice

VLADIMIR FILONOV/SPT

Falling consumption has already lowered coal production by 16 million tons this year.

The government, however, is not president of business development at Access Industries, which has extensive hold- likely to raise prices any time soon and ings in the Kazakh coal sector. “Gas is has resisted demands by some trading partners to equalize domestic and extoo valuable to burn.”

Coal can’t compete with cheap gas port gas prices before acceding to the World Trade Organization. prices dictated by the government.

Corporate Greed in America Pulls Russian Market Down

State Approves Tourist Plan

By Anna Raff

THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES

STAFF WRITER

MOSCOW — The best-laid plans of Russia’s biggest corporations are no match for the machinations of U.S. executives and the toll they are taking on the world economy.

Unlike most of the past decade, Russian companies are not suffering

NEWS ANALYSIS from problems of their own making — this time it is the “infectious greed” gripping American business culture, as U.S. Federal Reserve Chairperson Alan Greenspan put it, that is to blame.

Just as Russia’s top companies are finally beginning to embrace the practices of their Western counterparts — introducing corporate governance charters, electing independent directors and revealing beneficial owners — the international exchanges on which they hope to list have plunged to levels not seen in years, led by the string of corporate fraud scandals in the United States that has been running for months.

That is why few analysts believed LUKoil President Vagit Alekperov when he said earlier this week that the government would offer 6 percent of its stake in the oil giant on the London Stock Exchange on July 31.

Projected proceeds from the sale are not what they were three months ago, and government coffers may be squeezed even further if officials decide not to issue a sovereign Eurobond this year or next. The government has yet to announce its decision.

The federal budget, however, is not the only victim: Officials at Tyumen Oil Co., or TNK, say that it is “unlikely” that they will be able to place $500-million worth of Eurobonds, which were delayed due to an auditing mistake, before fall. The majority shareholders at Sibneft and Yukos, Russia’s two fastest-growing oil companies, will probably postpone floating more stock, analysts said.

“I would be surprised to see a Russian issue at this time,” said Niclas Sundstrom, Citigroup’s chief Russia analyst.

“Russian assets, though, do remain sig-

nificantly undervalued. Their prices would have been much higher had it not been for this global volatility.”

Many emerging-market investors are nervous about Brazil, where a strong showing by an opposition candidate in the polls has inspired a sell-off of stocks, bonds and the Brazilian currency ahead of October’s presidential election. Russia has been caught in the contagion despite a strong economy.

Why do problems in Brazil affect Russia? A common explanation involves the decisions made by managers of emerging-markets funds. If Brazilian stocks tank, as they have during the last several months, many managers are reluctant to crystallize that loss by selling Brazilian assets. Instead, they will look to sell something where they can show a

This time it is the “infectious greed” gripping American business culture that is to blame. profit. With its rising stock market, Russia is a logical choice.

And it shows. The Russian Trading System’s index has fallen 12 percent since it hit a high of 425.43 on May 20.

“It’s extremely difficult to issue into this market,” said Philip Poole, the chief economist for Eastern Europe at ING Barings.

Poole said that large dealers, most of whom aren’t willing to take on more risk, are looking to keep assets that can’t be sold quickly off their books.

The trading volumes for corporate debt are much lower than those for Russian sovereign bonds, putting Russian companies at a disadvantage at a time when investors are re-examining the balance between risk and yield.

Despite this prevailing pessimism about the short term, executives at Russian companies remained upbeat about Russia’s ability to defy Western markets.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, many Russian entrepreneurs have chosen to emulate the Western model in their business practices. But Western capitalism has revealed its own flaws through a series of recent corporate scandals, in some ways failing those Russian companies who chose to embrace them.

Consumer-goods company WimmBill-Dann was able to get in before the markets dropped. In February, the stock closed at $22.60 on its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Since then, however, the share price has taken a beating, falling 17 percent.

Although many companies are being forced to defer their Eurobonds, initial public offerings and secondary offerings, they have already benefited from the process, Sundstrom said.

“These roadshows give the companies a great opportunity to explain their story to investors,” he said. “That shouldn’t be underestimated. Those measures act as convenient platforms for some of these companies to advertise internationally.”

Alan Bigman, TNK’s head of corporate finance, agreed, saying the two-year process leading up to the Eurobond helped open up a company that was once closed to investors. The oil company was about to place a five-year Eurobond in late May when auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers realized at the last minute it had made a mistake, forcing TNK to call off the placement.

While the stillborn Eurobond was unfortunate, “it was and is still optional for us,” Bigman said. TNK had wanted to use the Eurobond receipts to refinance short-term debt. The interest rate on such a bond has risen since May and issuing one right now wouldn’t make much sense. It would also cost TNK tens of millions of dollars more than in May. At some point in the market freefall, analysts say savvy investors will realize that Russia — while it has its own corporate governance problems — isn’t directly related to the lack of confidence plaguing the United States.

“At some point the tide always turns,” Poole said.

MOSCOW — The government has approved a three-year tourism development plan aimed at increasing the number of tourists visiting Russia, the government press has announced.

Russia could receive 40 million foreign tourists per year according to the plan, compared with the current figure of just 7.4 million, or 1 percent of global tourism turnover.

The plan, prepared by the Economic Development and Trade Ministry, calls for 120 million rubles ($3.8 million) per year to be spent on tourism development.

The funds for the program will be drawn from federal and regional budgets.

Russia has already spent $140,000 on promoting tourism over the last year, in contrast to some countries, which spend upward of $40 million, Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said earlier this year.

The plan envisages an aggressive advertising and marketing campaign on television and radio stations around the world aimed at changing Russia’s negative tourism image.

Brochures, maps and posters will also be sent to travel agencies and exhibitions worldwide Under the plan, visas will become easier to obtain for residents of countries whose citizens are considered unlikely to stay illegally.

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Choosing Between the Sticks and the Carrots

By Chris Weafer

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N increasing share of economic activity in Russia is moving under the control of fewer and more powerful oligarchs, as current economic growth is ever more dependent on commodities, in particular oil.

The government, therefore, has a problem in that it has to find a way to boost very significantly investment capital flows into the noncommodity parts of the economy to achieve higher annual GDPgrowth rates that can be sustained in order to create a more diversified economy — both in terms of activity and ownership — by the end of the decade.

If it fails to do so, then Russia will end up as little more than a Venezuela writ large, with a “boom to bust,” commodity-dependent economy. Far from realizing the proclaimed goal of integration into the global economy as an equal partner, Russia will be held hostage to the commodity-price cycle and a few very powerful individuals and companies.

It has also been made very clear by President Vladimir Putin that a very significant element of the solution to this problem lies in the hands of the oligarchs. He has clearly set out the terms of the carrot that will be given for cooperation — an amnesty for repatriated flight capital and a continued forgiving attitude toward how state assets were acquired — and he has hinted strongly at what sticks might be deployed if the oligarchs choose not to participate voluntarily in the next phase of the administration’s growth plan.

This stick would surely come in the form of much more aggressive scrutiny of corporate activities, capital flight and tax audits, which, in many instances, could result in prosecutions, heavy fines and even confiscation of assets.

In an address to the oligarchs just after being elected president two years ago, Putin made it clear that they had a two-year window to clean up their acts and to start behaving as good corporate citizens. That period has now come to an end.

Defenders of the oligarch system in Russia liken the development to that of the robber barons in the United States and elsewhere, and therefore view it not just as inevitable but as necessary. This line of argument naively glosses over some very fundamental differences. In no other country did the oligarchs (or their equivalent) not simply sit close to the heart of government but largely displace and usurp it at a time when the largest privatization of state assets in the history of the planet was taking place.

For example, there is no historical counterpart to the loans-for-shares scheme that transformed mere millionaires into oligarch billionaires in the mid-1990s

Derk Sauer, CEO Stephan Grootenboer, General Director Tatyana Shalygina, Publisher Sergey Podoinitsyn, Managing Director Thomas Rymer, Editor Peter Morley, Arts Editor Tobin Auber, Business Editor Dmitry Dervenjov, Designer Mikhail Glusker, Webmaster Tatiana Turikova, Advertising Director Maria Berntseva, Marketing and Public-Relations Manager Alla Kalinovskaya, Production Manager Founding company: OOO Neva Media Publishing company: OOO Neva Media 4 St. Isaac’s Sq., St. Petersburg, Russia.

Copyright © 2002 The St. Petersburg Times. All Rights Reserved. Northwest Regional Department of the Russian Federal Press Committee, Registration PI No. 2-4636 July 1, 2000. Address: 190000, Russia, St. Petersburg, 4 St. Isaac’s Square. Telephone/Fax: (7-812) 325-60-80, Fax: (7-812) 314-21-20. E-mail: postmaster@sptimesrussia.com Internet: http://www.sptimesrussia.com The St. Petersburg Times is a free publication.

The result of the endgame that we are now entering will either see the emergence of a Korean or Japanese-style “Chaebol” system if the carrot is accepted, with all of the long-term economic risks that this entails, or a period of increased political and investment risk if the government ends up wielding the stick.

A good way to look at the government’s plan for economic reform is to break Putin’s likely two terms in office

into four two-year periods, with each having a specific objective and each having specific implications for investment and risk.

The theme of the first period can best be described as the removal of obstacles to future growth and the changing of attitude toward investment.

Some of the obstacles removed were economic; e.g. tax reform has clearly broadened the tax-paying base and permanently increased revenues, while

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pushing for growth in oil production and exports has created an additional safety zone in the budget and reduced vulnerability to oil-price weakness.

Other obstacles were people, the removal of Central Bank Chairperson Viktor Gerashchenko and Gazprom CEO Rem Vyakhirev being the most high-profile examples.

Over this period, investors were rewarded with strongly rising asset prices. For example, over the three years to the end of June, the RTS gained 188 percent compared to a loss of 24 percent for the average emerging market and a loss of 44 percent for NASDAQ. The theme of the next two-year period can be described as one of preparation for future growth.

Key obstacles have been removed but the economy is not yet ready to grow at the 6-to-8-percent annual rate being called for. That is still two years away in the third of the two-year periods and, in order for the objectives of that period to be achieved, a sound investment infrastructure has

to be put in place. This chiefly means reforming the banking system to create the infrastructure for capital flow, pension reform to create a local source of long-term investment capital, and judicial reform to protect investors and their investments.

The theme of the third two-year period is seen as implementation, as capital flows increase

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through the newly created investment infrastructure. Like Putin’s first two years in office, this third period is shaping up to have the same high-risk, high-reward characteristics. If successful, then the last of the four periods, covering Putin’s final two years in office, should see Russia become more closely integrated into the global economy with significant benefits in the form of substantial longterm investment flows.

However, it is the achievement of the objectives of the next phase of the economic plan and the future of the oligarchs that are closely linked. More than 50 percent of industrial capital investment is directed towards the fuel sector, and most of this is used to develop production and exports ever faster. So far, this suits the government objective of lessening exposure to oil-price weakness but, rather than wishing to become the new Saudi Arabia (a scenario that several of the oil oligarchs have publicly endorsed), it is clear that the government’s objective is for a one-off structural change that will see oil exports raise to between 4.5 million and 5 million barrels per day, and then a substantial shift in capital investment into developing other sectors of the economy.

A substantial amount of the estimated $160 billion of Russian capital held in foreign bank accounts is under the control of commodity exporters and oligarchs.

Investment spending in the noncommodity parts of the economy is today at a negligible level and success in increasing this to desired levels will depend on how successful the government is in either persuading, or forcing, the owners and controllers of that capital to take it out of safe foreign bank accounts and to significantly slow down oil-related capital expenditures.

If the scenario involving four two-year plans is correct, then we should expect there to be increasing debate on the deployment of Russian-owned capital, in parallel with the building of the domestic investment infrastructure, between now and the March 2004 presidential election.

After that, those in the Kremlin who still harbor ambitions to finally extract a fair price for state assets sold far too cheaply in the early and mid-1990s may yet be given an opportunity to realize those ambitions. The phrase “hydrocarbon windfall tax” might now only be mentioned in hushed tones in government circles but, nonetheless, it cannot have failed to come to the attention of certain oligarchs.

Whether they choose to heed the warnings will be the subject of intense scrutiny during this next phase of the economic-development plan.

Chris Weafer, head of research at Troika Dialog Investment Bank, contributed this comment to The St. Petersburg Times.

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Defense’s Financial Woes a Smokescreen

By Pavel Felgenhauer

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OSCOW is a deserted town in late July and August. Parliament is closed down for a lengthy recess, top bureaucrats tend to spend as much time at their dachas as possible and foreign diplomats leave to escape the scorching heat and gas fumes of downtown.

As August approaches, all serious official business seems to be put off for more pleasant times.

But behind the scenes there’s plenty of action: The federal government’s draft budget is currently being finalized and should be presented to parliament by August 15.

The Kremlin fully controls both chambers of parliament, and the budget proposals the government puts forward are no longer seriously amended. If any ministry or department wants to push through its spending plans, now is the time to make a last concentrated push. The military is the biggest recipient of taxpayer money in Russia, and it is now lobbying frantically to get even more — both concertedly and, in the case of every ministry that has military divisions, individually.

A long litany of complaints and disclosures regarding the terrible state of the military has been made public recently. Last month, General Anatoly Kvashnin, the chief of General Staff, surprised the nation by announcing that the military is in a “post-critical state” and that it has more or less degraded into a rabble of thieves and crooks. This week an official report was leaked to the press de-

scribing the misery and poverty in which the rank and file live.

The report states that 46 percent of soldiers’ families live below the poverty line. In the Interior Ministry and the Federal Border Service, 53 percent and 57 percent of families, respectively, are officially impoverished.

It turns out that the much-publicized militarypersonnel pay hike enacted this month did not help much because, at the same time, officers lost a number of tax and utility-payment privileges.

Kremlin propaganda has for some time emphasized President Vladimir Putin’s role in pushing through the military pay hikes — apparently to increase his popularity in the ranks. It may be that this propaganda will backfire if service personnel start to link their misery to Putin personally.

The disclosure of depressing information about the state of the military is obviously linked to the current budget-drafting process. But the military is indeed underpaid and underfinanced.

The ordinary rank and file and their families spend more than 50 percent of their official income on basic foodstuffs, while those better-off are the crooks who steal and sell military equipment, and those engaging in business activities to the detriment of their service, etc.

Of course, the generals making these shocking disclosures and masterminding the leaks about the state of the military are not themselves paupers.

The top brass is also not simply claiming poverty to get a bigger slice of the national budget pie, as their

counterparts in the United States and Europe often do. Russia’s generals are playing a much more sinister game: They have successfully managed to sidestep the issue of military reform and substitute it with the problem of defense financing.

Last week, General Vasily Smirnov announced that it will be impossible to create an all-volunteer military. The experiment to make the 76th airborne division in Pskov all-volunteer has proven to be too expensive, Smirnov told reporters, so the draft should continue indefinitely. Smirnov added: “The draft helps prepare citizens to defend the fatherland and form a reserve for mobilization.”

Of course, the result of the Pskov experiment has been all too predictable. The military is actively sabotaging any attempts at reform. However, without reform, with millions of soldiers and some 100,000 colonels in active service all told, there will be neither decent pay and service conditions nor a disciplined, modern force.

It seems the absence of reform and the deepening crisis in the military, which is actively perpetuated and exploited by the selfish top brass, is increasingly a grave political problem for Putin’s Kremlin. It’s not that the disgruntled military is ripe for mutiny already, but mass protests — secretly supported by the top brass — and a further breakdown of discipline are possible if better men are not put in command soon. The problem is where to find better men within Russia’s corrupt military elite?

Pavel Felgenhauer is an independent defense analyst.

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TRAVEL Vacation in Karelia. www.nor dictravel.r u E-mail: nordictravel@onego.ru

GUIDES Guide/Interpreter/Driver. Car with air conditioning.

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CARS Volvo 850 GLT, 1992, 2.5 litres, 170 hp, mileage 280,000, in Russia since 2000 (mileage 20,000), blue metallic, ver y good condition. $5600. Tel.: 316-6552, after 21:00.

Driver/Guide/English/Italian. Tel.: 945-5874, 370-0061

German businessman 40-years old, spor tive, 178/83, permanently going to StPbg is looking for tall, 27-33 y.o. good looking, openminded, educated Russian lady.

I’m interested in spor ts, diving, traveling to the sea. She should speak one foreign language, ready to show him around the city, travel with him occasionly, be ready/interested for more in the future. Please, contact my Russian friend for further details at: 927-3399, E-mail: Roco@newmail.ru, Anatoly European businessman, 53, tall, slim, active sportsman, frequently coming to St. Petersburg, fluent Russian, English, French and German seeks attractive and well-educated, independent Russian lady 30-35 y. o., preferably non-smoker for theatre, concert, leisure and maybe travel.

Please, write to: peterburger25@hotmail.com Russian lady, feminine, elegant, intelligent, beautiful, tall, graceful, warm-hear ted seeks white Western gentleman, respectable, well-positioned, kind for harmonious relationship and happiness, perhaps forever. Tel.: 947-9179

MARRIAGE AGENCIES

Spanish, English licensed guide. Car. Julia. E-mail: j-spb@yandex.ru English. Greek. Tel.: 567-2255, Elena. E-mail: alens@rol.ru Guide/Interpreter/Car. Tel.: 9141394, Sergey

LANGUAGE LESSONS Russian lessons. Tel.: 461-7930, 127-0547, Natasha New. English club. Free. Tel.: 8-921754-6501 Russian lessons. Tel.: 567-2255, Elena. E-mail: alens@rol.ru

Over 3,800 available women from St. Petersburg

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The largest marriage agency Fortuna In the center of the city 4/2 M. Konyushennaya, without days off.

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Elen-Anne Personal dating service.

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FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2002

To advertise, call Anna Varzina or Olga Safronova at 325-6080.

E-mail: annav@sptimes.ru

Every Tuesday and Friday

Apartments for rent best locations ■ long terms ■ short terms ■ huge database ■

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COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL

An Official Member of Real Estate Association

Accommodation. Center. 10 euro.

Tel.: +7-(812)-952-9619. E-mail: bbspb@hotmail.com An ideal place for accommodation a few minutes from the Hermitage.

Different types of accommodation in nine comfortable apartments (from 18 to 100 sq. m.) for one to six persons with separate full kitchen, satellite TV, internet, air conditioning, “Puhka Inn” restaurant and other conveniences. Security. The main features at the “Pushka Inn” apartments are the personal care and attention we provide to our guests. Tel.: 325-6354. E-mail: admin@pulford.ru, www.pulford.ru Featured hotels/rental apartments catalogue. Reservation. From $25 per day. www.ltour.ru International Hostel accommodation. Call 329-8018. E-mail: ryh@ryh.ru, www.ryh.ru Hostel in the center of the city.

Tel.: 319-4462.

E-mail: btamara@comset.net, www.lekatravel.spb.ru How about spending a weekend at the NEVSKY PROSPECT Bed & Breakfast Tel.: (812) 322-6100; 325-9398 (24-hour).

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• • • •

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SERVICED APARTMENTS, center, daily rent, comfort, privacy, services. Tel.: 325-6277, PULFORD www.pulford.com Nevsky. $40 per night. Tel.: 9693624; www.duckling.narod.ru Flats near Nevsky Pr. Any terms. Tel.: 325-8653, 322-2559 Accommodation. Nevsky Pr. From the owner. Tel.: 272-0711. E-mail: galina@apartment.spb.ru Two-level apartment on MILLIONNAYA UL.. Total area: 170 sq. m.

Deluxe. Near the Hermitage. View of the Neva River. Kitchen with bar: 40 sq. m. Two bathrooms (jacuzzi, sauna). Secure marble entrance.

Parking. European furniture. $900 per month, $50 per day. Tel.: 3120290, 341-6018.

Elite Center Rentals. American owned.

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Prestigious Malaya Sadovaya Ul., Moika, Fontanka. All amenities and more!Two bedrooms/two bathrooms.

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Short- and long-term rentals. Tel.: 909-0637 E-mail: forestb@aol.com Comfortable apartments for rent on Nevsky Pr. Fully equipped.

Housemate. From $50 to $120 per day. Tel.: 542-8511, 542-8527 MEGAPOLIS Real Estate Agency.

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ONE ROOM One-room apartment at 20 Ul. Zhukovskogo (M: Mayakovskaya).

Total area: 40 sq. m. Room: 20 sq. m. Kitchen: 8 sq. m. Recently renovated. All furniture, fully equipped.

Two-level apartment. Quite and cozy apartment. $350 per month, $45 per day. Tel.: 325-4020, Petersburgskaya Nedvizhimost Agency

TWO ROOMS NEVSKY PROSTOR Ltd. SPLENDID LOCATION on MARSOVO POLYE! Comfortable two-room apartment at 1 NAB. REKI MOIKI. Windows overlooking MARSOVO POLYE. Living room: 20 sq. m. and bedroom: 16 sq. m., elegant modern furniture.

Satellite TV. Fully equipped kitchen.

Code-locked entrance from MARSOVO POLYE. $1,300 per month, $100 per day. Commission includ-

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Serviced Apartments

Call 325-1306 mysuite@jensen.ru www.jensen.ru ed. Tel.: 981-3512, Marina, E-mail: mstarling@mail.ru, Tel.: 992-1522, Irina, www.irina.spb-estate.com, Tel.: 998-9289, Ekaterina, E-mail: telegina@mail.ru Tel.: 325-3838 NEVSKY PROSTOR AGENCY, www.spb-estate.com NEVSKY PROSTOR Ltd. Luxurious studio on the third floor of a new secured building, with parking, near M: Chernishevskaya in the historical city center, by a Western owner. Bedroom combined with a living room. Fully equipped with all necessary appliances for a comfortable lifestyle. Ideal place for a couple. $1,200 per month, $100 per night. Tel.: 948-6707, Marina, E-mail: apartments2002@mail.ru, Tel.: 955-5744, Peter, E-mail: bestapartments@mail.ru Tel.: 9813512, Marina, E-mail: mstarling@mail.ru, Tel.: 325-3838 NEVSKY PROSTOR AGENCY, www.spb-estate.com Two-room apartment on Nab. Reki Fontanki (Near Nevsky Pr.). 2/5 floor.

Rooms: 30 + 20 sq. m. Kitchen/dining room: 50 sq. m. Individual design, new furniture, fully equipped. View of the water. $2,000 per month. Tel.: 992-4878 Petersburgskaya Nedvizhimost Agency Nab. Reki Fontanki near Nevsky Pr. Two-room apartment. Kitchen/dining room: 25 sq. m. Room: 20 sq. m. Western-standard renovation.

Shower cabin, jacuzzi, all home appliances, furniture. $700 per month, $50 per day.

Tel.: 324-6939, 373-1382, E-mail: arenspb@mail.wplus.net, arenspb@mail.ru PARK POBEDY. Secure, Western, newly furnished. $600 per month.

Tel.: 325-6277, PULFORD. www.pulford.com 18 Nevsky Pr. Security, Satellite TV. Tel.: 325-8653 Lermontovsky Pr. Total area: 60 sq. m.

Furniture set. Closed yard. Code.

Quite. Only for foreigners. $900 per month, negotiatable. $60 per day.

Tel.: 919-8333 INATA agency. E-mail: inata1@mail.wplus.net Luxur y two-room apar tment on Konushennaya Ul. Near Nevsky Pr. $1,300 per month, $50 per day.

Tel.: 178-0770, 944-5023, Tatyana RENT-A-FLAT at the corner of Nevsky Pr., from $300 per week. Fully fit-

Jensen Group

ted, furnished two-room apartment with secure entrance. For more information, call COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL at +7 (812) 118-3618.

Two-room apartment on NAB. REKI MOIKI corner of Nevsky Pr. Rooms: 34 + 32 sq. m. Kitchen: 40 sq. m.

2/5 floor. Bathroom: 25 sq. m.

(French jacuzzi, sauna). New Italian furniture. Satellite TV. View of St. Isaac’s Cathedral, near Astoria Hotel. Secure clean entrance. Any terms. $500 per month, $30 per day. Tel.: 596-4332, 312-0290.

Italianskaya Ul. corner of Nab. Reki Fontanki. 3/6 floor. Rooms: 30 + 28 sq. m. Kitchen: 40 sq. m. Westernstandard renovation in 2002.

Bathroom: 15 sq. m. Jacuzzi, new furniture set, satellite TV, fireplace, fully fitted with BOS—H appliances, air conditioning. View of Fontanka River. 24-hour secure entrance, parking. $550 per month, $35 per day. Tel.: 341-6018, 312-0290.

Two-room. Near Hermitage. $40 per day. Tel.: 370-0061 Nevsky Pr./Nab. Reki Moiki. Modern eurostandard renovated furnished apartments. Living/kitchen/dinning room: 56 sq. m. Bedroom: 20 sq. m. - windows overlooking Moika River. Bathroom: 8 sq. m. Shower cabin. Heated floors. Fitted with home appliances. Guarded yard and parking. Code-locked entrance.

Clean staircases. $1,700 per month. Tel.: 542-8511, 542-8527 MEGAPOLIS Real Estate Agency.

E-mail: megarent@realtor.spb.ru Nevsky Pr. near Gostinny Dvor.

Western-standard renovation. New furniture and appliances. Bedroom: 20 sq. m. Kitchen/living room: 30 + 10 sq. m. Big bathroom with Jacuzzi.

Secured parking. Windows overlooking Nevsky Pr. Satellite TV. Codelocked entrance. $700 per month, $50 per day. Tel.: 542-8511, 542-8527 MEGAPOLIS Real Estate Agency.

E-mail: megarent@realtor.spb.ru

THREE ROOMS Three-room apar tment at M: Chernyshevskaya near Tavrichesky Garden. Eurostandard renovation, furniture, renovated safe entrance, windows overlooking a green yard. $800. Tel.: 379-5048, 912-9965, Tatyana.

Petersburgskaya Nedvizhimost Agency.

Near the Hermitage 14 Moika Tel.: (812) 312−0913, 312−0957 www.pushkainn.ru pushka@pushkainn.ru NEW! Three-room apartment on Malaya Sadovaya Ul. (pedestrian zone).

Eurostandard renovation in 2002.

Super modern design. Living room: 40 sq. m., bedroom: 25 sq. m., study: 20 sq. m., bathroom: 8 sq. m.

2 WCs, jacuzzi, shower cabin. Air-conditioning. New furniture. Video-control system. Tel.: 324-3151, 934-6657, Yelena Isaenko. www.pres.ru NEW! Bolshaya Morskaya Ul. 3/5 floor. Elevator. Eurostandard renovation. Kitchen/dining room: 30 sq. m., bedroom: 20 sq. m., study: 15 sq. m. All home appliances, clean entrance, video-control system.

View of Faberge House. Tel.: 3243151,934-6657, Yelena Isaenko. www.pres.ru NEVSKY PROSTOR Ltd. Elite threeroom apartment at 26 Karavannaya Ul just near Nevsky Pr. Third floor.

Two bedrooms: 25 + 25 sq. m. and living room/kitchen: 40 sq. m.

Elegant furniture, satellite TV. Fully equipped. Key-locked entrance, clean staircase. $1,500 per month, $130 per night. Commission included. Tel.: 998-9289, Ekaterina, Email: telegina@mail.ru Tel.: 9921522, 948-6707, Marina, E-mail: apar tments2002@mail.ru, Irina, www.irina.spb-estate.com Tel.: 9813512, Marina, E-mail: mstarling@mail.ru, Tel.: 325-3838 NEVSKY PROSTOR AGENCY, www.spb-estate.com NEVSKY PROSTOR Ltd. Elite two bedroom (20 + 30 sq. m.) apartment at 40 Nab. Reki Moiki, third floor, elevator. Recently renovated, spacious and convenient. Safe, quiet, with all necessar y electrical appliances, satellite TV. Jacuzzi, sauna, working fireplace. Entrance from Moika embankment. An admirable view of Moika River (windows overlooking the water). $2,500 per month. Tel.: 992-1522, Irina, www.irina.spbestate.com Tel.: 981-3512, Marina, E-mail: mstarling@mail.ru, Tel.: 955-5744, Peter, E-mail: bestapartments@mail.ru, Tel.: 325-3838 NEVSKY PROSTOR AGENCY, www.spb-estate.com Bolshaya Morskaya Ul. Three-room apartment. Rooms: 25 + 25 + 35 sq. m. Kitchen/dining room. Hall.

2/5 floor. Two entrances. Security.

Pink and white-colored bedrooms.

Modern renovation. European style. Representative class apartment. Suitable for living and for business negotiations. $1,800 per month. Negotiatable. Tel.: 3276747. 24-hour. ARGO agency.

KONYUSHENNAYA. Loft, two bathrooms, fireplace, security. $2,000 per month. Tel.: 325-6277, PULFORD. www.pulford.com Ul. Marata. Total area: 90 Excellent renovation. equipped. Code. Near the Any terms. $800. INATA Tel.: 910-1066. inata1@mail.wplus.net

sq. m.

Fully garden. agency.

E-mail:

325 6277

pulford@mail.wplus.net www.pulford.com

Three-room apartment at 126 Pr. Engelsa. Elite house. Rooms: 60 sq. m. Kitchen/dining room: 20 sq. m.

4/4 floor. Eurostandard renovation.

Build-up furniture in the kitchen.

Video-control system. Sauna. $800 per month. Tel.: 279-9488, 327-3737 Three-room apar tment at 13 Ul. Chekhova. M. Chernyshevskaya.

Rooms: 15 + 18 + 54 sq. m. 2/5 floor. Eurostandard renovation.

Italian furniture set, home appliances. Bathroom: 18 sq. m. parking, guard. $2,500 per month. Tel.: 279-9488 (home), 327-3737 (work), Yelena Ivanovna Dorozhko Three-room apartment on MALAYA KONYUSHENNAYA UL. View of Kazan Cathedral. Total area: 160 sq. m. Eurorenovated in 2001. New Spanish furniture. Bosch appliances. Satellite TV, air conditioning, fireplace, CCTV, near Grand Hotel Europe. Daily rent is possible. $700 per month, $40 per day.

Tel.: 312-0290, 596-4332.

Karavannaya Ul. Total area: 100 sq. m. Cozy and quiet apar tment.

Windows overlooking Italian garden. Fully equipped. Code. $1,600 per month, negotiatable. $100 per night. Tel.: 919-8333 INATA agency.

E-mail: inata1@mail.wplus.net

FOUR ROOMS Four-room apartment at 6 Nab. Reki Moiki. Total area: 110 sq. m.

Eurostandard renovation, stylish furniture. Guarded yard. $2,000.

Tel.: 379-5048, 912-9965, Tatyana.

Petersburgskaya Nedvizhimost Agency.

NAB. REKI FONTANKI. Three-bedroom apartment. Newly renovated to high Western standards in neutral colors.

View of the river, located on the third floor. The property boasts wooden floors, nice furniture in a contemporary style and comprises three bedrooms, two bathrooms, open-plan eat-in fully equipped kitchen, safe entrance with electronic lock and video system. For more information, call COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL at +7 (812) 118-3618, e-mail: colliers@colliers.spb.ru NEW! Four-room apartment on Furshtataskaya Ul. Eurostandard renovation in 2002. Super modern design. Stylish furniture. Living room: 45 sq. m., two bedrooms: 25 + 25 sq. m., study: 20 sq. m. Three WCs, sauna with shower cabin, bathroom with Jacuzzi and shower cabin. Two fireplaces. Video-control system.

Near Tavrichesky Garden. Tel.: 3243151, 934-6657, Yelena Isaenko. www.pres.ru Four-room apar tment on Admiralteyskaya Nab. 145 sq. m. $1,000 per month. Tel.: 930-1984.

Bolshaya Konushennaya Ul. Three bedrooms. Living room with balcony: 70 sq. m. Total area: 200 sq. m. Two bathrooms. Bright and fresh Western-standard renovation. Fully equipped. Satellite. Beautiful view.

Possible without furniture. Entrance from the street. $4,000 per month.

Tel.: 542-8511, 542-8527 For more Real Estate, see Classifieds page

World I N

B R I E F

Spanish Armada ■ EL YOUNECH, Morocco (AP) — Spanish special forces, backed by helicopters and warships, stormed the disputed islet of Perejil at dawn on Thursday, taking its six occupying Moroccan soldiers prisoner in a bloodless operation to restore Spanish rule.

The Moroccan foreign minister, Mohamed Benaissa, saw the Spanish action as “comparable to an act of war,” and King Mohamed VI said in a statement that Spain “wants to use this issue and transform a political difference into a military conflict.”

But Spanish soldiers who took part in the victorious armada felt jubilation. “When I saw the Spanish flag go up, I almost wept,” said a 23-year-old.

A comrade, 22, added, “We all feel really proud.”

Hailing the action as “a clear case of legitimate defense” in a speech to legislators in Madrid, Defense Minister Federico Trillo said, “Spain was attacked by force in a very sensitive part of its geography.”

It was unclear how such a description could be applied to Perejil — a barren half-mile-wide rock, uninhabited, except for a few goats, its name meaning parsley in Spanish.

U.S. Iraq Policy ■ WASHINGTON (NYT) — Concerned that the United States is rushing headlong toward a full-scale military confrontation with Iraq, many Congressional Democrats and a growing number of Republicans are urging the administration of President George W. Bush to provide a public accounting of its plans.

The Democratic-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans to hold hearings on Iraq before leaving for the summer recess in early August, and the Republican-controlled House International Relations Committee intends to do the same in late August or September, Congressional officials said on Thursday.

IRA Apology ■ BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — The citizens of Northern Ireland agonized Wednesday over the Irish Republican Army’s apology for killing several hundred civilians and its failure to extend the same gesture for slain soldiers and police officers.

IRA veterans said that Tuesday’s unprecedented statement demonstrated that commanders of the secretive organization want their self-declared war to be seen as finished, not merely on hold.

But moderate politicians, Protestant and Catholic alike, complained that the IRA statement drew an immoral and self-serving distinction between “legitimate” and “innocent” targets.

“This is another step along that path towards eventually saying “Yes, the war against the British state in Ireland is over.’ And we didn’t win. It is significant and painful,” said Tommy McKearney, a former IRA member who had three brothers killed in the conflict.

Suicide Blasts ■ TEL AVIV (AP) — Two Palestinian suicide bombers killed three people in Tel Aviv on Thursday night, a day after a West Bank bus ambush that took eight Israeli lives. The attacks have shattered a period of calm that began nearly a month ago when Israeli troops took over the West Bank.

The renewed attacks shook the faith of Israelis in the government’s tactics and brought angry responses from officials.

“Palestinian terrorists,” said David Baker, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, “seem to have an insatiable appetite for spilling Israeli blood and will do so at every opportunity.”

The St. Petersburg Times

❖

9

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2002

Greece Detains Nov. 17 Terrorist Suspect

By Elena Becatoros THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATHENS, Greece — Police on Thursday were interrogating a man believed to be a leader of November 17, Europe’s most elusive terrorist organization.

Authorities did not officially identify the elderly man, snatched by police special forces from a passenger hydrofoil leaving the eastern Aegean island of Lipsi on Wednesday, and flown to Athens by helicopter.

Police officials and state-run Greek media said he appeared to be named Alexandros Giotopoulos, 63, who presented himself as a university professor.

The police officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that they believed the man may be one of the founders of the rabidly anti-American terrorist group, which has eluded arrest for 27 years.

The capture of a senior November 17 figure would be a major breakthrough for the Greek police, who had failed to make any arrests since the

group first appeared in 1975 with the assassination of Richard Welch, the CIA’s station chief in Athens.

November 17 has claimed responsibility for 22 killings and dozens of bomb and rocket attacks since then. It has killed four American officials, two Turkish diplomats and Greek entrepreneurs and politicians. Its last victim was British defense attache Brigadier Stephen Saunders, shot dead in June 2000.

A manhunt for its members was launched after an abortive bomb attack on June 29 in which the alleged attacker, Savas Xiros, was seriously injured.

That incident and the detention of Xiros in hospital led police to two Athens apartments used to store November 17 weapons.

Authorities have identified one of the handguns found there as the weapon used to kill seven November 17 victims, including Saunders.

Police are seeking another man believed to be a key member.

Residents on the island of Lipsi

REUTERS

A propaganda photo used by Nov. 17 said that the man detained by anti-terrorist police had been visiting the area for the past 15 to 20 years under a different name. He is reportedly married to a French woman.

Authorities also raided an Athens apartment believed to belong to the

couple, removing a typewriter, a computer and numerous documents, neighbors said.

Police sources said that the man was believed to have been active in the Paris-based student opposition to the military dictatorship which ruled Greece between 1967 and 1974, and now lives in France and in Greece.

American, British and Greek authorities have for years suspected that November 17 had a French connection, and that its leaders may have had their ideological roots in the leftist movements that fueled France’s May 1968 student revolt. November 17 took responsibility for Welch’s killing in a letter delivered to a French newspaper in Paris.

Its founders are believed to be a small group in their 60’s who shared common ties in the left-wing resistance to the dictatorship. Blending extreme left-wing politics with nationalism, the group is named for the day of a 1973 student uprising against the military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967-74.

Missile Man Gets Huge Majority in Indian Election

By Laurinda Keys ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW DELHI, India — A missile scientist, who advocates nuclear weapons as a war deterrent, was elected India’s ceremonial president on Thursday.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam won 89.58 percent of the votes cast on Tuesday by 4,896 members of the national Parliament and the state legislatures, according to the Parliament Presidential Election Cell, which supervised the balloting.

The only other candidate was Lakshmi Sehgal, a woman proposed by the leftist parties.

Kalam, 70, told reporters on Thursday that the alleviation of poverty and development of rural areas are important issues for India.

“India has to be transformed into a

developed nation … a prosperous nation, and a healthy nation, with a value system,” Kalam said.

He also said that his scientific career prepared him for politics. Kalam helped develop missiles to carry nuclear weapons and rockets to launch satellites.

“Unless political decisions are taken, the satellite won’t be in orbit, the missile won’t reach its target, the nuclear weapon won’t be there,” Kalam said.

With gray, shoulder-length hair and a wardrobe of short-sleeved shirts and flip-flop sandals, Kalam is expected to bring more informality to the 340-room presidential palace.

He will be sworn in as India’s 12th president on July 25, replacing Kocheril R. Narayanan, who completed a five-year term.

Kalam, an advocate of scientific education for children, has insisted that his presidency would not signal warlike intentions from India.

Instead, it would show the world that “technology is going to be used for development of the nation.”

Born Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam on Oct. 15, 1931, he began his early education at a village school in the southern port of Rameshwaram.

He later received a degree in aeronautical engineering.

For many Indians, Kalam’s rise — from humble beginnings as the son of an illiterate boat worker in Tamil Nadu state to the top of India’s scientific and political establishments — symbolizes the strength of India’s democracy.

Critics, however, worry that he

does not have enough political experience to handle India’s chaotic and fractured system.

Though the office is largely ceremonial, the president can play a crucial role. If Parliament is deadlocked, where his verdict would be final, he can call elections or decide which party gets the chance to form a government.

Although born to Muslim parents, Kalam does not describe himself as Muslim. He reads Hindu scriptures each day and is a vegetarian.

When asked about who would act as his first lady, the unmarried Kalam waved his hands and said, “No, no, I’m a brahmacharya.” The Hindu word means someone who has given up worldly pleasures, including sex and marriage.

British Public Inquiry to Report on Killings of ‘Dr. Death’

By Sinead O’Hanlon REUTERS

MANCHESTER, England - Britain’s “Dr Death”, Harold Shipman, is set to be confirmed as one of the world’s worst serial killers on Friday when a public inquiry reports on the deaths of 500 of his patients.

Shipman was jailed for life in 2000 for murdering 15 patients with lethal heroin injections, but the inquiry is expected to blame the once trusted family doctor for many dozens of killings in northern English towns.

Relatives of the dead have already been informed of the outcome, although sworn to secrecy, but local community support services say the death toll is shockingly high and stretches back at least 18 years.

“It is absolutely devastating, shattering, for so many people — far, far worse than they thought,” said Father Denis Maher from St Paul’s Church in Hyde, the northern English town where Shipman worked.

“Even if they had suspicions, their reaction has been a lot stronger than they expected. Hyde will never get over this, not in my lifetime or for generations,” he said.

Maher, who was present at many of the exhumations of the original victims, said that some of his parishioners had received letters which indicated Shipman’s murderous spree began at least 18 years ago.

The expected findings will confirm Shipman as one of recent history’s most prolific serial killers, just behind Colombian Pedro Armando Lopez — dubbed

the “Monster of the Andes” — who was convicted of 57 murders in 1980 but is suspected of killing 300 young girls.

A spokesperson for the inquiry said that despite intensive speculation, no details about the findings would be made public before Friday.

Inquiry head Janet Smith’s 2,000 page report covers six volumes and sets out exactly how many people Shipman was likely to have murdered over 24 years as a general practitioner in the towns of Hyde in Greater Manchester

Mother’s Milk

and Todmorden, West Yorkshire.

Helen Ogborn, manager of the local Victim Support team, agreed, and said she had brought in extra staff to cope with the flood of calls from those who had already received bad news.

“The reactions range from shocked, angry and frightened to relieved,” Ogborn told Reuters.

Describing Shipman as a soft-spoken and caring doctor, prosecutors at Shipman’s trial said his drive to kill was fuelled by his enjoyment of a God-like

power over life and death.

Others have speculated that the doctor, who never admitted his crimes, was influenced by the experience of watching his mother die from cancer when he was a young man.

A Greater Manchester police spokesperson said, that no matter what the report concluded, Shipman would not be prosecuted for any further murders because of the virtual impossibility of finding a jury unaware of his previous history.

ROBERT CHALAUX/REUTERS

An orphaned wild pig in Fleury-la-Foet in northern France, nuzzling one of its adoptive parents after its real parents were killed by hunters. The cows even lie down in order for it to be suckled.

FAST Job Opportunities

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FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2002 To advertise, call either Olga Ataeva or Katya Voronina at 325-6080

Every Tuesday and Friday

Международная юридическая фирма ищет кандидата на позицию

ОФИС−МЕНЕДЖЕРА Combellga is one of the leading telecommunication companies in Russia operating since 1990, with more than 8,000 corporate clients.

We are looking for outstanding candidates to fill the position of

HEAD OF COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT in St. Petersburg Representative Office to be responsible for the overall planning, direction and control of: • all sales in the representative office • all marketing strategy and long term planning • all customer support programs and strategies Key requirements: • 4+ years of relevant experience (preferably in telecom) • advanced people and project management skills • excellent sales skills • experience in strategic planning and marketing • university degree (preferably in telecom) • fluent English The company offers attractive compensation (salary + bonus) and competitive benefits package.

For confidential consideration please send your CV to the addresses below:

☎ (095) 933-3947 (fax) :

✉

vacancy@combellga.ru 117049, Москва, ул. Мытная, 1

в Санкт−Петербург. Требования к кандидату: . опыт работы на аналогичной должности; . навыки владения компьютером; . базовые знания английского языка; . коммуникабельность. Просьбы направлять свои резюме на e−mail:

ZAO Raiffeisenbank Austria, a 100% subsidiary of Austrian Raiffeisen banking group, announces a vacancy in St. Petersburg branch:

Leading position in Retail Banking department

nkorovkina@mail.ru

meeting the following requirements:

We are looking for a professional candidate to fill the position of a full−time

• degree in finance/ economics • private customer service expertise of at least two years

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

• experienced and creative business developer, not necessarily in

• young (below 30) and ambitious female • degree in English • excellent (native speaker level) English, both written and spoken • work experience in the U.S. and/or U.K. • refined clerical skills (PC, filing, phone manners, touch typing) • presentable, suitable to serve as company interface • hard−working and willing to grow with the company

retail banking area • excellent negotiation skills • fluency in English is a must, German/French would be a plus • advanced PC user

Please fax your CV in strict confidence to Olga Popova at 118−6801 and/or e−mail to opopova@raiffeisen.ru

Please e−mail your CV at job@psi.ru or fax at 320−38−50 for the attention of Head Business Development

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Friday, July 19, 2002 SPORTS WATCH

Andrei To Arrive ■ ST PETERSBURG (Reuters) — Andre Agassi is to make his first appearance at the St Petersburg Open later this year, tournament organizers said on Thursday.

“We’re pleased to welcome such a great player as AnREUTERS dre Agassi to a Andrei Agassi tournament which already boasts many top-level players,” said marketing director Kirill Petrov.

“His acceptance to come here is further proof that we’re moving in the right direction to make the event even better.”

The 32-year-old American has won seven grand-slam titles.

The annual ATP event, which is now in its eighth year, enjoys a strong following, with home favorites Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov making regular appearances.

The tournament, to be held from October 21 to 27, has also increased the prize money from $800,000 to $1 million.

Stevie Y on Ice ■ DETROIT, Michigan (Reuters) — The Detroit Red Wings will open defense of their Stanley Cup title without captain Steve Yzerman, who is scheduled to undergo knee surgery next month.

Veteran center Yzerman battled AP through the entire Steve Yzerman NHL post-season with a damaged right knee, yet finished second in playoff scoring with six goals and 17 assists.

He is expected to undergo surgery in the first week of August and be out of the Red Wings lineup until January, according to reports on Thursday in the Detroit News.

The 37-year-old center injured his knee last January and then aggravated it while helping Canada to gold at the Salt Lake City Olympics.

Everton Looks East ■ LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) — Everton has announced the loan signing of China’s World Cup defender Li Weifeng, together with a new sponsorship deal with a Chinese manufacturer of mobile phones.

Everton has agreed to a 12-month loan contract with 24-year-old Li and a two-year sponsorship deal with the China Kejian Company, the club said on its official Website.

“We are absolutely delighted to be entering into this arrangement with a company which shares our belief in the virtues of professionalism and progressive thinking,” said club chairperson Philip Carter.

Everton said the deal with Kejian, whose name will be on the front of the club’s shirts next season, was the first between a European football club and a Chinese company.

As part of the sponsorship deal with Kejian, Everton have agreed a range of initiatives designed to raise awareness of the club in the Far East and to help the development of Chinese football at grass-roots level.

Limited Access ■ ROME (Reuters) — Italy’s Football Federation (FIGC), responding to tough new immigration laws, has put a temporary block on the number of nonEuropean Union players Italian soccer clubs can sign.

Serie A and B clubs will be allowed to register only one non-EU player during the transfer window, which ends on August 31, FIGC said on its Website on Wednesday.

After the end of August, a complete

block will be introduced for Serie A and B clubs. Serie C clubs, on the other hand, are not allowed to register any non-EU players from Wednesday.

The limit is a temporary measure introduced after parliament passed tough new restrictions on immigration earlier this month. The FIGC said it would remain in place while the body works out exactly how the new laws affect football.

Once it has established exactly what the new law means for the number of foreign players a soccer team can have, the FIGC said it would decide whether to lift the non-EU player limits.

The majority of Serie A and Serie B teams have large numbers of foreign players and there is currently no ban on the number of non-EU players they can field.

There were 341 foreign players in Serie A and B last season, compared to 66 during the 1995-96 season.

Big Shoes To Fill ■ DETROIT, Michigan (Reuters) — The Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings named long-time assistant coach Dave Lewis on Wednesday as their replacement for Scotty Bowman behind the bench.

Bowman’s understudy at Detroit REUTERS for nine years, Dave Lewis Lewis will have big shoes to fill when he takes over a team that has captured three of the last six NHL championships.

Bowman — who announced his retirement minutes after the Red Wings beat the Carolina Hurricanes in game five to win the title — leaves the sport as the NHL’s most successful coach, having drank from the Stanley Cup a record nine times.

“I just felt Dave (Lewis) was the man for our hockey club,” said Detroit general manager Ken Holland.

“He knows our team. He knows our players.”

The 49-year-old Lewis has spent his entire coaching career in Detroit after joining the team in 1987.

Grand Price for Rio ■ LEEDS, England (Reuters) — Leeds United has told Manchester United or any other club interested in signing Rio Ferdinand that the England defender will stay at Elland Road if no acceptable bid is received.

“We had amicable and constructive talks,” chairperson Peter Ridsdale said in a statement after his meeting with the unsettled Ferdinand on Thursday.

“Leeds United have not received a bid from any club that would come anywhere near meeting the valuation we put on a player we believe to be the world’s best defender,” Ridsdale added on the Leeds Website.

“Rio has assured me that, if the position remains as it is, he will give his full commitment as a player and captain to Leeds.”

Manchester United want to sign the player valued at 30 million pounds ($46.9 million), who has four years of his Leeds contract to run.

Ridsdale suggested on Wednesday that the Old Trafford club had made an initial, “derisory” bid for Ferdinand, reported by British newspapers to be around 20 million pounds ($31.4 million).

But United is expected to return with another offer.

Billups Moves Again ■ AUBURN HILLS, Michigan — Free agent Chauncey Billups joined his sixth team in as many years on Wednesday when he signed with the Detroit Pistons.

The 25-year-old guard, who averaged 11.9 points and a career-high 5.5 assists for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, signed a multi-year contract.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

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Yanks Grab Win in the Ninth REUTERS

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees saved their best for last, scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth inning to edge the Detroit Tigers 2-1 in the American League on Wednesday.

Jason Giambi and Jorge Posada each delivered a run-scoring single off

BASEBALL hard-luck loser Mark Redman (5-9) who went all the way for Detroit, allowing just six hits while striking out five.

Andy Pettitte (4-3), despite being rocked for a season-high 11 hits, also went the distance to earn the victory.

Blue Jays 7, Orioles 1. Rookie catcher Ken Huckaby’s inside-the-park home run with a man aboard in the second inning was all the Blue Jays needed for the victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

While Huckaby raced round the bases, Baltimore rightfielder Gary Matthews Jr appeared to be in no hurry to retrieve the ball. He apparently thought it had gone foul.

Vernon Wells went deep with two aboard off loser Jason Johnson (3-7) in the fifth to pad the Toronto lead.

Josh Phelps added a solo shot in the sixth.

Roy Halladay (11-4), Toronto’s representative in the recent All-Star Game, tossed eight innings of five-hit ball for the win.

Angels 10, Athletics 4. Anaheim had two, three and four-run innings as they cruised past Oakland.

David Eckstein drove in three runs with an eighth-inning homer for the Angels.

Kevin Appier (8-7) tossed six innings of seven-hit ball to earn the win.

Tim Hudson (7-8) failed in his bid for his third straight winning decision, lasting just 5 1/3 innings.

Twins 8, Indians 5. Minnesota wasn’t quite as supportive of starter Rick Reed as it was the last time he faced the Indians, but the Twins recorded more than enough runs to win.

The game featured a bench-clear-

ANDREW WALLACE/REUTERS

Matthews misplaying the ball Wednesday that led to Huckaby’s homer in Toronto. ing brawl, plus three home runs for the second inning, drove in five runs on three hits overall. each side.

David Ortiz, Dustan Mohr and Luis Braves 10, Marlins 0 Atlanta picked Rivas went deep for the Twins, with Jim Thome, Bill Selby and Benjamin Brous- up three first-inning runs and that was sard replying for the Indians. Thome’s more than Greg Maddux needed in a 10-0 rout of Florida. homer was his 28th of the season.

Maddux (9-2) tossed seven innings Reed (7-5) went six innings to pick up the win, with Danys Baez (7-7) get- of six-hit ball and even drove in a run as ting tagged for the loss. Eddie the Braves scored four more times in Guardado worked the ninth for his the fifth. AJ Burnett (8-7) was charged with seven of Atlanta’s 10 runs to take league-leading 30th save.

When Reed last faced the Indians the loss.

It was Florida’s seventh straight loss, in Minnesota on June 4, the Twins a season high. The Marlins are winless scored 23 times. since sending Cliff Floyd to the MonDiamondbacks 12, Rockies 3. Ari- treal Expos last Thursday. zona staked starting pitcher Curt Pirates 6, Reds 3. Pokey Reese Schilling to an early six-run lead to set up the victory over Colorado on taught his former team mates a lesson, driving in four runs in Pittsburgh’s vicWednesday.

Schilling could afford to ease up af- tory over Cincinnati.

Ryan Dempster (5-10), making just ter the early outburst and that is what he did, allowing an uncharacteristic 10 his second start for Cincinnati after behits in seven innings. But the win ing acquired from Florida, was tagged raised his record to a major league for all six Pittsburgh runs to take the loss.

Jimmy Anderson (7-10) gave up just best 16-3.

Mike Hampton (5-11) was banged two runs on four hits in his seven inaround in taking the loss, yielding 13 nings on the mound to record the win. hits and 10 runs in just five innings on Mike Williams closed out for his 29th save of the season. the hill.

Luis Gonzalez, who gave Arizona their 6-0 lead with a three-run homer in For other results, see Scorecard

New Zealand Team Snubs Pakistan, Australia REUTERS

KARACHI, Pakistan — New Zealand has turned down an invitation to play in

CRICKET a triangular one-day tournament with Pakistan and Australia in Nairobi starting next month, a Pakistan cricket board (PCB) official said on Thursday.

The PCB was forced to shift the series, which had been intended as the centrepiece of the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Pakistan attaining test status, from Pakistan to Kenya, after Australia and New Zealand raised security concerns.

“New Zealand cricket chief execu-

S BASEBALL AMERICAN LEAGUE East W L Pct New York 59 35 .628 Boston 55 37 .598 Baltimore 45 47 .489 Toronto 39 54 .419 Tampa Bay 29 63 .315 Central Minnesota 55 41 .573 Chicago 45 51 .469 Cleveland 42 51 .452 Kansas City 39 54 .419 Detroit 35 58 .376 West Seattle 59 36 .621 Anaheim 55 38 .591 Oakland 55 40 .579 Texas 40 54 .426 NATIONAL LEAGUE East Atlanta 60 35 .632 Montreal 48 46 .511 New York 48 46 .511 Florida 45 49 .479 Philadelphia 44 49 .473 Central St. Louis 51 40 .560 Cincinnati 49 45 .521

GB 3 13 19.5 29 10 11.5 14.5 18.5 3 4 18.5 11.5 11.5 14.5 15 3.5

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tive Martin Snedden has informed us that they can’t take part in the triangular series for various reasons,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director Chishty Mujahid said.

“However, Australia have given us a favourable response and will play in the triangular series. We are now considering two options after New Zealand’s unavailability.”

“The first option is to ask Australia to play a series of six to seven one-day internationals. The second is to include Kenya in place of New Zealand in the triangular series.”

Mujahid said New Zealand had informed him that its team could not play

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Houston 45 48 .484 7 Pittsburgh 44 50 .468 8.5 Chicago 39 53 .424 12.5 Milwaukee 34 61 .358 19 West Arizona 56 38 .596 Los Angeles 55 40 .579 1.5 S. Francisco 54 40 .574 2 Colorado 44 51 .463 12.5 San Diego 38 56 .404 18 Wednesday’s Games Atlanta 10, Florida 0 N.Y. Mets 9, Montreal 6 Pittsburgh 6, Cincinnati 3 Philadelphia 4, Chicago Cubs 3, 10 innings Houston 7, Milwaukee 3 San Francisco 5, St. Louis 4 Arizona 12, Colorado 3 San Diego 7, Los Angeles 0 Toronto 7, Baltimore 1 N.Y. Yankees 2, Detroit 1 Minnesota 8, Cleveland 5 Boston 6, Tampa Bay 1 Seattle 6, Texas 3 Kansas City 8, Chicago White Sox 6 Anaheim 10, Oakland 4

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in Kenya due to a heavy schedule.

The New Zealand team recently finished a tour of the West Indies after playing in Sharjah and Pakistan.

New Zealand was originally scheduled to tour Pakistan last September, but the tour was put off after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

The team toured Pakistan in April for the modified series of two tests, but returned home after playing just one match in Lahore because a bomb exploded outside their hotel in Karachi.

Disruptions to Pakistan’s cricket schedule caused by tensions in the region have cost the PCB millions of dollars in lost revenue.

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CYCLING TOUR DE FRANCE Thursday’s Eleventh Stage 1. Lance Armstrong (U.S) 4:21:57 2. Joseba Beloki (Spain) 0:07 behind 3. Rober to Heras (Spain) 13 4. Francisco Mancebo (Spain) 1:16 5. Raimondas Rumsas (Lituania) same time 6. Oscar Sevilla (Spain) 1:23 7. Ivan Basso (Italy) same time 8. Andrei Kivilev (Kazakhstan) 1:34 9. Laurent Jalabert (France) 1:49 10. Jose Azevedo (Por tugal) 1:52 Overall Standings 1. Lance Armstrong (U.S.) 40:47:38 2. Joseba Beloki (Spain) 1:12 behind 3. Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Spain) 1:48 4. Raimondas Rumsas (Lithuania) 3:32 5. Santiago Botero (Colombia)

D 4:13 6. Jose Azevedo (Por tugal) 4:31 7. Marcos Serrano (Spain) 5:17 8. Ivan Basso (Italy) 5:22 9. Francisco Mancebo (Spain) 5:33 0. Serhiy Honchar (Ukraine) 5:35

SOCCER Russian Premier League Wednesday’s Match: CSKA Moscow 2, Kr ylya Sovietov Samara 0 Tuesday’s Matches: Zenit St Petersburg 1, Saturn Ramenskoye 2 Torpedo Moscow 2, Lokomotiv Moscow 2 Anji Makhachkala 4, Rostselmash Rostov 1 Sokol Saratov 1, Alania Vladikavkaz 1 Torpedo-ZIL Moscow 2, Uralan Elista 2 Rotor Volgograd 2, Shinnik Yaroslavl 0

Sports

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FRI D AY, JULY 1 9 , 2 0 0 2

Armstrong Climbs to Tour de France Lead Putting

Lets Woods Down in First Round

By Francois Thomazeau REUTERS

LA MONGIE, France — Defending champion Lance Armstrong seized the overall lead in the Tour de France when he outclassed his rivals to win the first mountain stage over 158 kilometers from Pau to La Mongie on Thursday.

Helped by a fantastic effort from his U.S. Postal teammates, the three-time

CYCLING champion dropped his opponents one by one in the first big climbs of the Pyrenees to prove that he was once again the one and only boss in the bunch.

The American surged ahead in the last 200 meters to beat Spaniard Joseba Beloki, who took second place, seven seconds behind and appears to be Armstrong’s only rival for the rest of the Tour.

Armstrong’s teammate Roberto Heras of Spain, who led his leader towards an impressive 13th stage victory overall in the ski resort of La Mongie, was third.

“To me he was the stage winner,” said the American about Heras, and then explained that he could not let his teammate win the stage because Beloki was close to them.

“To me, the biggest takeaway is the team and the performance of the team,.

It’s one thing to take the yellow jersey and another thing to keep it.”

“For this you need a great team and I can sleep well at night knowing I have a great team, the best team in the race,” he added.

Overall, Armstrong leads Beloki by one minute and 12 seconds, with Igor Gonzalez Galdeano, who held the yellow jersey at the start of the stage, third, 1:48 behind.

For Armstrong, who had won the first mountain stage in each of his three previous Tour victories, the last climb to La Mongie, halfway up the Tourmalet pass, was almost business as usual.

But his teammates, who led the peloton’s chase throughout the stage behind early breakaways, did a fantastic job in an impressive final show of strength.

American George Hincapie was the first car in the so-called U.S. Postal ‘blue train’ and he led the main group in the first kilometers of the La Mongie climb.

Then Spaniard Jose Luis Rubiera took over, and the pace went up as yellow jersey holder Gonzalez Galdeano lost ground once and for all.

Former Tour of Spain winner Heras, Armstrong’s most precious aide, completed the work, dropping the Texan’s rivals except Beloki, the ONCE team leader.

Before the big final fight for the line, Frenchman Laurent Jalabert celebrated the announcement of his imminent retirement from the sport with a long solitary breakaway.

Crowned king of the mountains last

By Mark Lamport-Stokes REUTERS

GULLANE, Scotland — Tiger Woods began his British Open campaign with a sketchy 70 on Thursday, before fellow Americans Duffy Waldorf and David Toms and Sweden’s Carl Pettersson set the first-round pace at fourunder-par 67.

World No. 1 Woods struggled with his putter in calm conditions at Muir-

GOLF

STEFFANO RANALDINI/REUTERS

Armstrong climbing the Abisque pass Thursday on his way to grabbing the yellow jersey for the first time in this year’s race. year thanks to a similar move in the cluded all the leading favourites for him claim back the best climber’s polkadot jersey.

Pyrenees, Jalabert attacked on the first overall Tour victory.

Friday’s 11th stage takes the bunch The CSC-Tiscali team leader was super category climb of the race this caught five kilometers from the finish, over 199.5 kilometers from Lanyear, the Aubisque pass.

At best, the Frenchman held a 3:35 but the points scored from reaching the nemezan to the Plateau de Beille for lead over the chasing group, which in- Aubisque summit in the lead could help another high-altitude finish.

Feud Over Body of Baseball Legend May Be Put On Ice

By Mike Schneider THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INVERNESS, Florida – Ted Williams’ final wish was to have his body frozen, and the two youngest children of the baseball great say they have the authority to make sure it’s granted.

John Henry Williams and Claudia Williams stated their beliefs in a court filing on Wednesday. It was in response to their father’s will, which said that he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes spread at sea. But the executor of the 1996 will said Williams changed his

mind about what should be done with his remains.

Williams died on July 5. He was 83.

BASEBALL The two Williams children also said that the Florida court where the will was filed does not have jurisdiction over their father’s body because it is no longer there. The body has been moved to the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona so it can be cryogenically frozen.

A judge could decide whether Williams wanted to be frozen or cre-

mated because of the conflicting accounts of his intentions.

But the two children also asked the judge on Wednesday for a second chance to work out an agreement privately with their half sister, Bobby-Jo Williams Ferrell, who wants the body cremated.

They asked a judge to order a mandatory mediation session with Ferrell in order to avoid a public showdown in court.

“John Henry and Claudia feel strongly that the disposition of their father’s body is a private matter,” their at-

torney, Robert Goldman, said in the motion.

The children of the former Boston Red Sox slugger already have tried mediation, negotiating for hours Monday, but they were unable to reach a compromise.

Ferrell’s attorney, Richard Fitzpatrick, said an agreement is possible.

“There’s middle ground everywhere,” Fitzpatrick said. “Now this is a very difficult case to find that — I agree with that — but I’m not about to say there’s no possibility that there couldn’t be any middle ground.”

field while his playing partners Justin Rose and Shigeki Maruyama fired matching three-under-par 68s to steal the early limelight.

England’s Rose and Japan’s Maruyama ended the day tied for fourth in a group of 12 that included world No. 2 two Phil Mickelson, former champions Nick Price and Sandy Lyle, 1996 U.S. Open winner Steve Jones, and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn.

The 39-year-old Waldorf, best known for his colourful selection of Hawaiian shirts, was level for the day after eight holes.

But the Californian picked up shots on the ninth, 12th, 14th and last holes to hold the clubhouse lead on his fifth Open appearance.

“I played pretty conservatively because there’s a lot of high rough and the bunkers are very hard,” Waldorf said.

“It was very important to put the ball on the fairway. I stayed in play today and that let me get my irons going.”

Toms, the U.S. PGA champion, collected five birdies and a bogey to draw level with Waldorf late in the day as he chases his first title of the year.

“Maybe I’m just pacing myself. I’ve got close to a win this year but haven’t won a golf tournament. This would be a good place to start.”

Low scoring was expected in favourable conditions at the par-71 Scottish links course, but Woods, chasing a third successive major title of the year, struggled on the slow-paced greens.

The American needed a total of 34 putts and missed eight birdie chances from between two and five meters.

But Woods, who produced a mix of three birdies and two bogeys, was still reasonably satisfied with his round.

“I managed my way around the golf course pretty well today,” he said.

“Anything under par on this golf course is a good score and you’re doing just fine.”

The 26-year-old is the first player since Jack Nicklaus in 1972 to have clinched the first two majors of the year, with victories in the U.S. Masters and U.S. Open.

Rose reeled off two birdies, an eagle-three at the ninth and a bogey at the par-four 10th during a very impressive round.

“I really enjoyed it out here today, even though I knew there was going to be a bit of pressure,” said Rose, who sprung to prominence as an amateur when he chipped in at the 18th to tie for fourth at the 1998 British Open and who missed 21 consecutive cuts on the European Tour after turning professional four years ago.

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Jazz Singer Jennifer Davis of the local band the Ska-Jazz Review, a composite of Markschneider Kunst and Spitfire, recalls a crazy weekend on the road in Finland, where the band played the Ilosaarirock festival.

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Valaam, the largest and most visited island of the Lagoda achipelagio, and a holy site for the Orthodox faith, has been in the buisness of providing lush forests and still waters to visitors and pilgrims for over a century.

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Swan Lake hits the stage at the RimskyKorsakov State Opera and Ballet theater, highly impoved by Choreographer Nikita DolgushinÕs return to TchaikovskyÕs original score, and break from traditional moves.

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Dates and times are correct at the time of publication, but lastminute changes are not infrequent, so itÕs best to check using the phone numbers at the end of each entry or on the center spread. Unless otherwise stated, stage events start at 7 p.m.

Last admission to most museums is one hour before closing.

stages friday, july 19

ballet

opera

Lucia di Lammermoor David Dontshvili stages Gaetano Donizetti's tale of love and betrayal set in a Scottish castle in the 16th century. Mariinsky Theater

theater

Farces Theater: Vokhlyaky Iz Goloplekov The name is nonsense even to most Russians, but actor-director Viktor Kramer, who has taken the text from one of Turgenev's early works, promises it will all make sense in the end. Baltiisky Dom Molly Sweeney Lev Dodin directs Brian Friel's tragic play about a blind woman who has her sight restored. Maly Drama Theater — Theater of Europe The Disappearance Yury Kordonsky adapts Shamay Golan's story about contemporary Israeli society for the stage. Maly Drama Theater — Theater of Europe, Chamber Stage, 7:30 p.m.

saturday, july 20 concert

St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic Jeffrey Mayer (U.S.) directs the chamber orchestra, and soloist Merrin Tsong (U.S.) performing works by Benjamin Brittan, Charles Ives, Mozart, and Prokofiev. Capella, 7 p.m.

theater

Molly Sweeney Lev Dodin directs Brian Friel's tragic play about a blind woman who

FOR SPT

Giselle The Mussorgsky Theater's ballet company performs Adolphe Adam's perennial favorite, the tragic story of the consequences of a young peasant woman's love for a member of the aristocracy. Alexandriinsky Theater, 7:30 p.m.

A photo exposing a modelÕs tan line, from the exhibition Òrevealing the Human Body Un-Tanned by Dima Mishenin and Andrey Chezin, held in the Nabokov apartment Museum until July 26 as part of PRO-ARTEÕs annual ÒContemporary Art in the Traditional Museum.Ó See story Page X. has her sight restored. Maly Drama Theater — Theater of Europe The Academy of Laughs Koki Mitani's play about the problems of a playwright who has written a parody of "Romeo and Juliet" but has to remove everything that appears to be funny to get it past the censor. Vasilievsky Ostrov Theater of Satire Aesop Akhmat Bairamkulov directs Guiliermo Figeiredo's play about artists' relations with God and reality. The story of a slave who preferred death over life without freedom. Vasilievsky Ostrov Theater of Satire, Small Stage, 6:30 p.m.

sunday, july 21

new interpretation of Bulgakov's fantastical satiric masterpiece about what happens when the devil and his entourage turn up in Moscow to hold their midsummer ball.

Baltiisky Dom, 6 p.m.

The Long Christmas Dinner Sergei Kargin, a student of Lev Dodin, directs Thornton Wilder's play about three generations within one family. Maly Drama Theater — Theater of Europe, Chamber Stage, 7:30 p.m.

The Last Sacrifice Modest Abramov stages Alexander Ostrovsky's play about a woman who finds herself a commodity among men and struggles to defend her honor. Vasilievsky Ostrov Theater of Satire

ballet

monday, july 22

Swan Lake The St. Petersburg Theater of Classical Ballet performs Tchaikovsky's evergreen classic. Alexandriinsky Theater, 7:30 p.m.

concert

Russian National Orchestra Vladimir Spivakov conducts a program of works to be announced. Shostakovich Philharmonic

theater

#PREMIERE! The Master and Margarita Lithuanian director Ionasa Vaitkusa stages a

ballet

Giselle The Mussorgsky Theater's ballet company performs Adolphe Adam's perennial favorite, the tragic story of the consequences of a young peasant woman's love for a member of the aristocracy. Alexandriinsky Theater, 7:30 p.m.

concert

Jubilee Concert Yury Hytoretskai directs the Youth Chamber Orchestra in a program of Sacred Russian Music. Capella, 7p.m.

theater

#PREMIERE! The Master and Margarita Lithuanian director Ionasa Vaitkusa stages a new interpretation of Bulgakov's fantastical satiric masterpiece about what happens when the devil and his entourage turn up in Moscow to hold their midsummer ball.

Baltiisky Dom, 6 p.m.

tuesday, july 23 ballet

Giselle The Mussorgsky Theater's ballet company performs Adolphe Adam's perennial favorite, the tragic story of the consequences of a young peasant woman's love for a member of the aristocracy. Alexandriinsky Theater, 7:30 p.m.

concert

Evening of Organ Music Garri Grodberg plays a program of works by Bach, Joachim Nepomuk Hummel, Mozart, Schoenberg and Carl Czerny. Shostakovich Philharmonic Romantic Music for two Flutes Flautists Andrei Viharev and Kcenia Quelyar, accompanied by pianist Alla Levit, perform a program by Franz and Karl Duellorov. Capella, 8 p.m.

theater

Three Comrades A production based on the novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque in which three army veterans set up a shop in Berlin. Baltiisky Dom #A Play Without a Name Lev Dodin directs this extraordinary production based on Chekhov's "Platonov," with a flooded stage and exceptional staging by Alexei PoraiKoshits. Winner of a Golden Mask award in 1997. Maly Drama Theater — Theater of Europe Don Juan A young cast graces Andrzej Buben's production of Moliere's cynical 1665 classic. Vasilievsky Ostrov Theater of Satire

wednesday, july 24 ballet

Swan Lake The St. Petersburg Theater of Classical Ballet performs Tchaikovsky's evergreen classic. Alexandriinsky Theater, 7:30 p.m.

continued on page

v

ii

friday, july 19, 2002

the st. petersburg times

electronic mail from Germany

by Sergey Chernov STAFF WRITER

FOR SPT

concert

Lali Puna, one of the finest bands on the alternative electronic music scene, makes its local live debut this Friday.

Combining pop-song structures, elaborate sound textures and an indie sensibility, the Munich, Germany-based band is fronted by Valerie Trebeljahr, who sings and plays keyboards, and features bassist Markus Acher, drummer Christoph Brandner and keyboard player Florian Zimmer, of Munich bands Notwist, Console and Tied & Tickled Trio.

The band was put together by Trebeljahr, previously of the band L.B. Page.

“It was an all-girl group and it was more into rock,” she said, referring to her former band in a telephone interview last week. “We had two guitars ... but we had the band just two years before it dissolved. And we only recorded one song.”

When L.B. Page split in 1998, Trebeljahr formed Lali Puna — originally as a solo project.

“My idea, in the beginning, was to create pop songs with a techno beat,” she said. “I can’t play drums, so I used a drum machine. That was the idea at first, but then it changed and I began to look for other band members. Now it’s become something different.”

There are echoes of Stereolab’s sophisticated soundscapes and floating, melodic vocals in Lali Puna’s music, and Trebeljahr readily admits the British band’s influence on her songs.

“We’ve been compared a lot with them, and Stereolab is a very important band for me,” said Trebeljahr, citing Stereolab’s 1995 singles collection, “Refried Ectoplasm (Switched On, Vol. 2),” as her favorite record from the band.

Trebeljahr, 28, was born in Pusan, South Korea, but was adopted by German parents and taken to Germany

Trebeljar wandering the streets of St. Petersburg in preparation for Lali PunaÕs upcoming concert at Red Club.

when she was 1 1/2 years old. She then spent about 10 years in Lisbon, Portugal, with her stepmother.

“I grew up with German parents, so my nationality is German ... There’s sort of no nationality [about me], and because I lived for a long time in Portugal, there are songs written in Portuguese.”

Though based in Germany, Lali Puna has no songs in German. “It’s very difficult to sing in German because the sound of the language is quite hard, it’s not as melodic as English,” Trebeljahr says.

Trebeljahr also claims alternative

rockers such as New York guitar band Sonic Youth as an influence.

“Sonic Youth is an important band for me,” she says. “They have their very own definition of pop — they’re unique in their genre,” she said. Her list of influences also includes Pavement and Yo La Tengo, more electronic bands such as Tarwater, as well as Young Marble Giants.

But Trebeljahr’s tastes alone do not dictate the direction of Lali Puna’s music.“The other composer in Lali Puna is Markus, and he’s got a more diverse mu-

sical background,” she says.

Although her current musical projects are mostly electronic, Trebeljahr believes that the future belongs to acoustic music, given current movements in electronic music away from pure electronic sound.

“I think that electronic music will return to acoustic stuff. I don’t listen to very much electronic minimalist stuff — because in some way ... it’s not getting to my heart anymore.”

Lali Puna performs at Red Club this Friday at 11 p.m. Links: www.lalipuna.de

by Jennifer Davis SPECIAL TO THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES

concert

Last weekend, 18,000 rock fans invaded the quiet city of Joensuu, Finland for the two-day Ilosaarirock Festival. This year’s headliners included Suede, Nightwish, the Dropkick Murphys, an obligatory performance by Finnish favorites HIM, and St. Petersburg’s own Deadushki and St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review.

Joensuu is a town in the East of Finland about 500 kilometers North of St. Petersburg. As it was my first “mini-tour” as vocalist for St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review, I had no idea what to expect. The festival site contained three stages, including an outdoor stadium, makeshift campsites littered with half-naked, drunken punks, food stands, and t-shirt and jewelry vendors.

“Finland is amazing. About 50 percent of the population is punks,” commented Alexei Kanev, the baritone sax player for St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review, as a guy wearing a superhero costume and a curly, blonde wig walked by.

Getting there was our first problem— always a problem for a band consisting of ten members, with a van that seats nine, especially if the tenth member, namely me, wants to bring her boyfriend. We traveled to Joensuu via a taxi service for 35 euros a head.

Upon arriving on Friday afternoon, we received our accreditation: blue wristbands that entitled us to a free vegetarian meal, a cleansing swim in the nearby lake (in lieu of a shower) and backstage access. There was no dressing room or place to warm up — so all pre-concert activity centered around our van. I ran out to the hilly lakeside for a “sound of music” moment to warm up my voice only to be chased by a non-English speaking security guard who couldn’t understand

what I was doing singing on a hill.

Finally, around 11:00 PM, we went onstage before a large crowd of noisy Finns.

“The Finns are very nice and open people and certainly like to have fun. If you think Russians are the heaviest drinkers in the world — you’re wrong!” says Denis Kuptsov, the drummer and spokesperson for St. Petersburg SkaJazz Review.

The St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review, composed of members from Spitfire and Markscheider Kunst, is a relatively young band, having previously played only one concert abroad. Spitfire, however, is well-traveled and has played the Ilosaarirock festival twice before.

“This year’s Ilosaarirock Festival was well-organized as usual. The audience was very enthusiastic and positive,” says Kuptsov.

Unfortunately, since we were due in Helsinki the day after Ilosaarirock for a gig, we couldn’t take advantage of our backstage pass to meet the headlining bands arriving on Saturday.

When my boyfriend and I woke up Saturday morning on a friendly Finn’s floor, we knew we had a difficult day ahead. The night before, our local hosts had convinced us to hitchhike the 460 kilometers from Joensuu to Helsinki, instead of taking a bus. The band’s bass player and designated driver, Andrei Kuraev, dropped us off on the edge of the highway and bid us good luck. We had a good start, making it all the way to Kotka, about 150 kilometers outside of Helsinki, by 3:00 PM. Our drivers were all loquacious, friendly Finns, who said that they hunt “everything that moves,” and eat every little fish they can catch. It was at this point — when we felt the most overconfident — that our luck changed.

We were stranded on the hot, dusty high-

MISHA SPIRIDONOV

a day in the life of a local band

Jennifer Davis and the St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review performing in Finland.

way for over an hour, as cars went by.

Running late for a rock concert, delirious from thirst and getting on each other’s nerves, we looked like characters in a bad Aerosmith video. Finally, a completely non-English speaking Finn in an air-conditioned Mercedes delivered us safely to Helsinki, after a couple of stilted conversations requiring pantomime reminiscent of a Jim Jarmusch movie.

We arrived at the Makasiinit Alahuone club in Helsinki just in time for the sound check. I almost cried with joy as we walked backstage and found a refrigerator stocked with cold beer, juice and water compliments of the house.

However, the club had no ventilation system and the midnight concert was as hot as hell. Oddly enough, the club also lacked stage lights, so the overhead lighting was left on the whole time, providing

an atmosphere similar to an awkward 7th grade dance in the school gym. Nonetheless, the place was packed with a crowd that sucked up every sound and stayed until the very last chord.

After the concert ended at 2:00 AM, the entire band drove back to St. Petersburg in order to play the Leningrad/ Spitfire show at Yubileny Sports Palace on Sunday. My boyfriend and I stayed on and were graciously offered accommodation in the staff room of a rock club. As I settled down onto a dirty mattress, surrounded by metal lockers and piles of moldy towels I thought, “This is the life. I can’t wait to do it again.”

Spitfire is on tour in Germany, so the Ska-Jazz Review won’t play St. Petersburg until August. Jennifer Davis, however, performs this Sunday at (812)club.

See Listings for more information.

Leningrad headlined the Podogrev (Warming Up) benefit festival last Sunday, the aim of which was to raise funds for the treatment of Spitfire’s ailing trombonist, though the affair wasn’t without its drawbacks. By locking fans inside the heated and stuffy stadium, in order to prevent them passing on used tickets to those outside, the festival’s organizers weren’t helping, but the event more than served its purpose.

“We raised money and gathered people,” wrote Spitfire’s Denis Kuptsov in an e-mail before leaving for a German club tour earlier this week.

Charity events will continue this Saturday with the Ne Chuzhiye Deti (Not Somebody Else’s Children) onenight festival, at the alternative club Poligon. Around 20 local acts, including Buttweizer and Animal Jazz, will play for free to raise money for a children’s home. All the proceeds, according to Poligon, whose staff will all be working for free for the day, will be used to buy food and toys.

Tequilajazzz has a taste for establishing little traditions for insiders, perhaps the most popular being the band’s annual summer concert at Moloko.

The event is usually held on July 20, with the first such concert in the series dating back to 1999. A live “Moloko” album, recorded at a previous summer concert, is also available from the club.

It is a rare person who can spend more than 10 minutes in Moloko’s packed basement but, then again, Tequilajazzz’s hardcore fans can fairly be described as rare. Nevertheless, some do have to run out into the street for the occasional breath of fresh air.

Moloko has no plans to take a break over the summer, though some clubs will be interrupting their schedules. Orlandina is likely to close for two weeks after the club’s three-day alternative-rock festival this weekend, the venue’s spokesperson said. He said that the downtime would be used to build a chill-out room on the second floor. “Anyway, all the decent bands have gone away,” he added.

On the club scene, Par.spb has just announced it will go on vacation in August, after eight months’ hard work.

Poligon will take a break as well, but will probably hold its annual “extreme” festival, “Banzai,” late in July.

StereoLeto festival folds this Saturday, with the Stereo International party featuring the young, but much talked of ,Yonderboi.

Yonderboi, whose real name is Laszlo Fogarasi Jr., is one of very few Hungarian artists to have gained any degree of international fame of late. Having grown up in a village 250 kilometers from Budapest, he released his debut album, “Shallow and Profound” (2000), when he was just 19.

According to Yonderboi’s Web site, the artist, who has been labeled the “Jimi Tenor of Hungary,” is influenced by oldschool French hip-hop, 1990s triphop, soundtracks from Eastern European cartoons, and film noire of the 1960s. Apart from electronics, he uses acoustic instruments such as a vibraphone, accordion, saxophone and guitar. Yonderboi’s most beloved possession, though, seems to be a notorious Vermona organ from the former East Germany.

Yonderboi will be backed by his band Zagar. The event will also feature Hungarian DJ Bootsie and St. Petersburg’s own Messer Chups and DJ Lovesky.

— by Sergey Chernov

the st. petersburg times

friday, july 19, 2002

iii

vor of more mainstream rock. Billiards. The worst toilet in the city. Once in, you won’t be able to leave the place — if only to go home. Concerts start at 6 p.m. See Gigs for events. 40-100 rub. 65 Lesnoi Pr. M: Lesnaya. 245-2720. www.polygonclub.spb.ru

City Club — Located above the rockabilly bar Money Honey, with a more mature crowd, ages ranging between 20 and 40, the club specializes in pop/rock, blues, reggae and Latin. Hot food, three bars, pool and Russian billiards, plus real fireplaces — but nasty security. Live shows Mon.Sun. at 8.20 p.m. and on Fri.-Sat. also at 1 a.m., 60 rub. 2830 Sadovaya Ul., Apraksin Dvor, Korpus 13. M: Gostiny Dvor.

Entrance through Money Honey. 310-0549. www.moneyhoney.org/cityclub/ Cynic — A grungy student hangout that opened in Feb. 2001 near the Moscow Station and stole some of Fish Fabrique’s clientele. Oriented toward the Bohemian crowd and foreign tourists, once in a while Cynic features semi-spontaneous live performances, despite having no stage. Usually packed at nights. Sun.-Thurs., 10 a.m. to 3 a.m., Fri.-Sat., open 10 a.m. to 7 a.m. 4 Goncharnaya Ul. M: Ploshchad Vosstaniya. 277-5164. www.cynic.spb.ru Dostoevsky Art Bar — Long, narrow room with two lines of tables, a bar and a small stage. Eclectic crowd of managers and foreign tourists. Mostly cover bands playing rock, blues, and Latin, often too loud to talk. Daily, 12 p.m.-1 a.m. (Fri.-Sat., 12 p.m.-3 a.m.) Bands play daily, 8 p.m.-11 p.m., a second set (11 p.m.-2 a.m.) is added on Fri. Fri.-Sat. 70 rub. from 7 p.m. 15 Vladimirsky Pr. M: Dostoeyevskaya/Vladimirskaya. 310-6164.

Faculty – Opened in cooperation with St. Petersburg State University last year, Faculty claims to be oriented towards students, offering discounts and even free entrance if you have the proper documents. Lots of space, slow barmen, arrogant management. Usually too loud and messy to appreciate the music played by both obscure rock acts and the city's favorites such as Markscheider Kunst, Tequilajazz and Kirpichi. Live concerts, disco nights, "hangover parties." Besides drinks, the bars offer dictionaries, which can be used in the venue if needed. Daily, 12 p.m.-6 a.m. See Gigs for events. 50-100 rub. (after 9 p.m.) Face control. 6 Pr. Dobrolyubova. M: Sportivnaya/Gorkovskaya.233-0672. www.fakultet.sp.ru Fish Fabrique — Despite the spartan interiors and menu, this place is still a favorite for local rock musicians and alternative artists, with the bonuses of table hockey and underground films. Daily 3 p.m. until the last person leaves. Live gigs start at 10:30 p.m., film program at Sun. 8 p.m. 50 rub. 10 Pushkinskaya Ul. (entrance through the arch at 53 Ligovsky Pr.). 164-4857. www.fishfabrique.spb.ru Friday— Also known as Pyatnitsa, the club, which opened last year, now divides its time between rock concerts, electronic-music festivals and parties with DJs. Fri.-Sat., 11 p.m.-6 a.m. Occasional live concerts, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. (when announced.) 80-150 rub. 10-12 Moskovsky Pr. M: Sennaya Ploshchad. 310-2317.

Front — The underground club is located in a bomb shelter (just like Griboyedov) and features live rock and pop/rock bands, with the repertoire similar to those of Fish Fabrique and Moloko. No techno! Daily 7 p.m.- 6 a.m. Live concerts, Tues.-Fri., 8:30 p.m. 50 rub. cover when bands are performing. 31 Ul. Chernyakhovskogo (watch for a bunker in the yard). M: Ligovsky Prospect. www.front.vov.ru Liverpool — None-too-cheap theme bar based on the mop-top legends, with photos and other paraphernalia hanging everywhere, and videos of the Beatles playing constantly. Live bands such as ZaRok, Ticket Too or Back Up perform Beatles covers and 1960s/70s hits at night.

Daily, 11 .a.m-2 a.m. (Fri.-Sat. 11 p.m.-5 a.m.) Live concerts, 8 p.m.-11 p.m. (three sets.) Free entrance. 16 Ul. Mayakovskaya. 279-2054. www.liverpool.ru Manhattan/Kotyol — Art club with bar, billiard room and very strangely organized toilets. Originally intended for the underground art elite, it has since changed management and direction a number of times. Live concerts start at 10 p.m., except Fri.-Sat. (11 p.m.) Daily 2 p.m.-5 a.m., 60-100 rub. after 9 p.m. 90 Nab. Fontanki. 113-1945. www.kotel.spb.ru Moloko — Probably the best underground rock club in town, where Tequilajazzz, Spitfire and Markscheider Kunst like to perform. Often compared to the seminal, now-defunct TaMtAm Club, Moloko has won a solid reputation among acts and student audiences, which are its mainstay. Wed.-Sun. 7 p.m.-12 a.m. 60-80 rub. 12 Perekupnoi Pereulok. M: Pl. Alexandra Nevskogo/Pl. Vosstaniya. 2749467. http://moloko.piter.net Money Honey — The city’s first and premier rockabilly bar — complete with a confederate flag and Elvis and Marilyn posters. Usually packed with a rowdy crowd of tech students and leather-clad teddyboys. Alas, coat check can only handle half the crowd. Bar open from 11 a.m. Shows daily at 8 p.m. and 12:30 a.m., 40 rub. 28-30 Sadovaya Ul., 14 Apraksin Dvor. M: Gostiny Dvor. 310-0549. www.moneyhoney.org Orlandina – A new art-rock club located is in the same building that the Pereval club occupied in 1995-97. The place has been completely renovated and redesigned by the artist Nikolai Kopeikin, who works with the art-rock band NOM-Zhir. The club belongs to the owners of the popular Caravan and Rock Podval record shops, as well as the Caravan Records label. The capacity is between 100 and 150 people. Nightly concerts at 7 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. 50 rub., Fri.-Sun. 100 rub. 36a Ulitsa Mira. M: Petrogradskaya.

No phone yet, but interested parties can call Caravan at 1106536 for information.

Poligon — Heavier sounds, from hardcore punk to thrash metal, with lots of teenagers in grubby leather until recently, but now the direction seems to have changed in fa-

Red Club — One of the newest additions to the city’s club scene, opened in September in a former horse-fodder warehouse behind the Moscow Station. With two stages, cheap drinks and daily concerts (with night shows by major acts added on Fridays and Saturdays) it looks like the place will soon be able to recoup the considerable amount of money that was poured into opening it. It may run the risk of becoming another Saigon. Daily, 12 p.m.-6 a.m. 50100 rubles (free before 6 p.m.). Concerts daily, 8 p.m. (Fri.Sat., also 11 p.m.) 7 Poltavskaya Ul., M: Ploshchad Vosstaniya, 277-1366. www.redclubonline.com

pop/dance

Aquatoria — Huge entertainment complex with bowling, billiards and disco. Sea-theme interior, Eurodance, lipsynching pop stars, male and female striptease shows.

Tues.-Sun., 10 p.m-6 a.m. Live shows start at 12:30 or 1:30 a.m. Men 200 rub., women 150 (weekdays), men 300., women 200 (weekends and holidays), even more on special occasions. 61 Vyborskaya Nab. M: Lesnaya. 245-2030, 1183518. www.aquatoria.ru Chaplin Club — On the scene since Apr. 1997, the club was formed by the clown group Litsedei, being the remnants of Slava Polunin’s once-famous collective. The clowns and comedians fill most of the schedule. Daily 12 p.m.-11 p.m. 80-300 rub. cover when live bands or clowns are performing. Seating capacity is limited to 48; reservations recommended. 59 Ul. Tchaikovskogo. M: Chernyvshevskaya.

272-6649. www.chaplin.spb.ru Gigant Hall — A venue for the nouveau riches located in the building of the former Gigant cinema occupied by the Conti Casino. Inconveniently located if you don't have a car. Mostly pop shows, approximately three times a month.

See gigs for events and times. 100-600 rub. 44 Kondratevsky Prospect. M: Ploshchad Lenina. 540-1355.

Hali-Gali — One of the few places where Muscovites want to go when they deign to visit. Great place if you speak good Russian, but without it you'll miss the point of the cabaret. Don't miss splashing out 450 rubles to sink a meter of beer, there is a prize at the end of it. The program starts at 10 p.m., after which the door will only let you in "for aconsideration." Open daily. 600 rub. 15 Lanskoye Shosse, 246-3827.

Havana — Smart Cuban theme club with live bands and three dance floors playing Latino, house and pop. Resturant, chill-out room, pool, and free popcorn for all. Daily until 6 a.m. 30-60 rub. Free on Wed. for “real Latinos” with passports, 75 rub. Fri.-Sat. 21 Moskovsky Prospect, M: Tekhnologichesky Institut. 259-1155.

Hollywood Nites — The once-intimidating original home of the New Russian royalty has become a lot less elitist and more accessible in recent years. The wealthy but largely relaxed crowd is there mainly for the constant cycle of shows — usually lip-sync pop and strip shows, with occasional MTV stars playing late concerts after stadium shows to beef up their wallets. Weds.-Sun. 11 p.m.-6 a.m. 46 Nevsky Pr., 311-6077. www.hollywood.ru Marstall — Usually packed with googgle-eyed foreigners (whose passports get them in for free), Marstall runs a dazzling array of stripshows, with the most athletic dancers and the most creative costumes in town. Bar and restaurant. Open daily from 12 p.m. to 6 a.m. Stripshows start at 11 p.m. 5 Kanal Griboyedova. M: Nevsky Prospect. 315-7607.

Metro — Someone has spent a great deal of money on Metro and the results, while hardly intimate, have been a great success. Now Metro comes with a fully functioning third floor containing a relaxing saloon-bar and yet another dance floor, enabling it to accomodate even more well-off local teenagers. Chewing gum is forbidden. Open daily 10 p.m.-6 a.m. 66-250 rub. 174 Ligovsky Pr. 166-0204. www.metroclub.ru Monroe — Sex-oriented Marilyn Monroe theme club. The interior features faux-Greek frescoes depicting naked men, minotaurs cavorting with teenage boys and women playing penis-flutes. Bar, a dance floor playing unimaginative house and pop, Japanese chill-out room with incense and soft porn, booths with erotic channels for individual “relaxation” and very strange toilets. Daily 1 p.m.- 11 p.m., 25 rub until 6 p.m., 50 rubs afterwards. 8 Kanal Griboyedova, M. Nevsky Prospect. 312-1331. www.metroclub.ru/monro.html National Hunt — Eurodance dominates this roomy hunting-lodge-style(ish) club. In contrast to its early days, the ladies of easy virtue have been sent packing. The strip show is still in evidence, however, including male strippers on Tuesdays and Fridays. Open daily, 12 p.m.-6 a.m., 50-100 rub., free for foreigners. 11 Malaya Morskaya Ulitsa. 3111343.

Ostrov — Glitzy joint where those with silly amounts of money and couture clothing are always welcome. Rotating dance floors, good shows, fashionable and relatively friendly crowd. Café and chill-out room. Fri.-Sun. 9 p.m.-6 a.m., 300 rub., 37 Nab. Leytenanta Shmidta. M: Vasileostrovskaya. 328-4857.

La Plage — This beach-theme nightclub opened last March at the same venue where the notorious Candyman had been until December 1999. Mostly Eurodance, but some trendier pop and, on occassion, rock sounds make their presence felt as well. Two levels, two bars, restaurant.

Thurs.-Sun., 10 p.m.-6 a.m. 80-380 rub. Free entrance for girls wearing bikinis. Students get 50-percent discount at the door on Thurs. and Sun. 17 Prospect Kosygina. M: Ladozhskaya. 525-6313. www.laplage.ru

FOR SPT

rock, etc.

Psycho Pub — With an unlikely location right off Nevsky, Psycho is a small bar with live alternative music. Aimed primarily at students (both local and foreign), the place started with psychobilly and hardcore punk acts, but after the first 12 months broadened its repertoire, incorporating a wide range of styles from pop/rock to experimental. Now it has been redesigned as a “cross between a saloon and a tavern,” as the owners put it. The stage has been moved to the second floor and replaced by a beer bar. Daily, 3 p.m.-5 a.m. Live concerts, Wed.-Sun., 9 p.m.-12 a.m. 40 rub.

23 Nab. Fontanki. M: Gostiny Dvor.

Billy's Band, which specializes in Tom Waits covers, will give local audiences a break as it leaves to go tabroad for an undefined period. The last chance to check them will be at Red Club this Saturday.

Plaza — The newest rival to Hollywood Nites and La Plage, Plaza opened the nightclub/restaurant in a 19th-century building on the Strelka in August 2000. The clientele arrives in jeeps to see Moscow pop stars. Restaurant open daily from 9 p.m. until last client leaves. Club program, Tues.Sun., 10 p.m.-6 a.m. 300-600 rub. (seat at a table 700-1,000 rub.) 2 Nab. Makarova. M:Nevsky Prospect/Sportivnaya.

323-9090.

Tribunal — Often packed, playing the better Russian pop, a bit of rock and a fair amount of classic mainstream, with an all-pervading tequila theme. Good beer-and-munchies place, with a nice interior, but on the pricy side. 12 p.m.-6 a.m. Free entrance. 1 Pl. Dekabristov. 311-1690

jazz & blues

(812) Jazz Club — The latest addition to St. Petersburg’s jazz scene, (812) hosts mainstream, funk, and — inevitably — Latin. Concerts are followed by jam sessions. Conveniently located next to the Petrogradskaya metro station.

Daily 8 p.m. until last person leaves. Concerts start at 8 p.m., with jam sessions following at 10:30 p.m. 100-150 rubles. 98 Bolshoi Prospect (Petrograd side). Enter from the yard. M: Petrogradskaya. 346-1631.

Blues Billiard — Blues bar, billiards and gambling machines. The repertoire is lovingly compiled by ex-Akvarium guitarist Alexander Lyapin, who often performs there himself. Strip shows, Thursday, 9 p.m.-11 p.m. Daily, 10 p.m.-7 a.m. Free entrance. Live blues concerts start at 9 p.m.

(Thurs.-Sun.) 48 Ulitsa Professora Popova. M: Petrogradskaya. 234-4448.

Jazz & Phrenia — This jazz club/restaurant is located on the right bank of the Neva, quite a way from downtown.

Capable to hold up to 70 people, the club has a dance floor, billiards and pool (three tables). Daily, 8 p.m. until the last visitor leaves. Concerts start at 9 p.m. 29 Pr. Udarnikov.

Bus or marshrutka taxi from Metro Ladozhskaya. 529-0529.

Jazz Philharmonic Hall — Staid, state-sponsored jazz venue, intended by its founder, local jazz patriarch David Goloshchokin, to be Russia's answer to New York's seminal Blue Note. Mostly mainstream and Dixieland repertoire, with the occasional drop of blues. Home of the annual White Nights Swing jazz festival. See Gigs for concerts. 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m. 100-120 rub. Tickets in advance at box-office, 2 p.m.-8 p.m. 27 Zagorodny Pr. M: Vladimirskaya/Dostoevskaya. 164-8565. www.jazzhall.spb.ru.

Jazz & Phrenia — Opened in December, this jazz club/restaurant is located on the right bank of the Neva, quite a way from downtown. Capable of holding up to 70 people, the club has a dance floor, billiards and pool (three tables). Daily, 8 p.m. until the last visitor leaves. Concerts start at 9 p.m. 29 Pr. Udarnikov. Bus or marshrutka taxi from Metro Ladozhskaya. 529-0529.

JFC Jazz Club — Probably the most innovative and progressive jazz venue in town. Less formal atmosphere, with all styles up to avant-garde and improv. Classic and folk concerts occasionally. The latest addition is Ethno World, a monthly concert of world music. Mostly jazz crowd and expats. Bar and snacks. Daily from 7 p.m., 60100 rub. 33 Shpalernaya Ul. M: Chernyshevskaya. 272-9850. www.jfc.sp.ru Jimi Hendrix Blues Club — What was once the Armenian café “Shagane” (and Armenian cuisine is still available) now offers live blues, rock and jazz concerts, with videos from the likes of Eric Clapton and Blue Cheer in between.

Open 24 hours. Concerts start at 7:30 p.m. 50-70 run. 33 Liteiny Pr., 279-8813.

Kvadrat — The latest location for the jazz club with a long history. Launched way back in 1964 as one of the first jazz clubs in the country, it was the underground center of Russian jazz for decades. Mostly younger musicians fill the stage and auditorium, which holds 40. Mainstream jazz.

Mon., Sat., 8 p.m.-10:45 p.m. 30 rub. 83 Bolshoi Prospect .

M: Vasileostrovskaya. 315-9046, 322-2404. www.jazz.nm.ru.

Neo Jazz Club — What the restaurant “Mukha Tsokotukha” (opposite the Mukhina Art College) turns into at night. Neat design, though the place has still yet to find its

own atmosphere. Specializes in mellow jazz styles, with duos and trios performing for the most part, usually without a drummer. Capacity: 35-40 seats. Armenian and European cuisine. Daily, 9 a.m.-12 a.m. 50 rub. cover after 8 p.m.

14 Solyanoi Per. 273-3830.

Palitra Art Café — Yet another medium-priced art café with live jazz and blues, less frequently some rock and country. Photo and art exhibitions. Music program is basically equivalent to Jimi Hendrix Blues Club, Neo Jazz Club and Sunduk Art café. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Concerts daily start at 9 p.m. 30 rubles cover when a band is playing. 5 Malaya Morskaya Ul. M: Nevsky Prospect. 3123435.

alongside techno parties. For events see gigs. 100-150 rub.

5B Alexandrovsky Park. M: Gorkovskaya. 233-3374, 238–0970. www.icc.sp.ru PORT — Intended to blow the competition away when it first opened, with a great layout and loads of space. Needs to be full, otherwise its emptiness is overwhelming. Originally for the progressive crowd, now it attracts all kinds, including suburban kids and thugs in shell suits. Techno and pop, plus a billiards room. Daily 3 p.m.-6 a.m. Techno parties with resident DJs at 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. For special events see gigs. 40-300 rub. 2 Per. Antonenko. M: Sennaya Pl. 3142609. www.clubport.spb.ru

Sunduk Art Café — Another small place with a pleasant atmosphere and live music. Though it used to feature restaurant musicians and Soviet pop songs, lately it has featured mostly jazz, blues and some rock. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. 30 rubles cover charge from 8:30 p.m. 42 Furshtatskaya Ul. M: Chernyshevskaya. 272-3100.

Tunnel — The pioneering techno hangout has recently reappered, after a five-year hiatus, in its former location — a bunker. Now it specializes in all kinds of electronic dance music. Two dance floors, chillout room. Military stylings. Fri., Sat., 12 a.m to 6 a.m. 150-300 rub. Corner of Lyubansky Pereulok and Zverinskaya Ulitsa. M: Gorkovskaya. Tel.: 2334015. www.tunnelclub.ru

house, techno etc.

gay

Griboyedov — Located in a bomb shelter and operated by the band Dva Samaliota, this club is generally full and cool, with a good habit of booking alternative bands to mix with its standard rave and techno. This is one of the best in the city. Wednesday is disco night. Daily, 5 p.m.-6 a.m. 60-80 rub. Free between 5 p.m and 8 p.m. 2A Voronezhskaya Ul. M: Ligovsky Pr. 164-4355. www.mfiles.spb.ru/griboedov Mama — Decadent house-party feel, featuring some of the best techno in St. Petersburg. Drum’n’bass/jungle, visiting and resident DJs. Very young crowd, so if you’re over 20 you may feel out of place. Fri.-Sat., 11:50 p.m.-6 a.m., 60 rub. 3B Mal. Monetnaya Ul.. M: Gorkovskaya. 232-3137.

Par.sbp — New house club opened in Nov. Officially, it is a club extension of the International Cultural Center, located on the same premises. Exhibitions are planned

Greshniki — The decor suggests that Greshniki (“Sinners”) is more of an S&M joint, with chains hanging across the spiral staircase and a curious medieval castle interior. The bar staff are dressed as either demons or fallen angels and the strippers in leather. Spread over four floors, Greshnki caters to the lower end of the gay market and much of what’s on offer here is in imitation of 69. Daily, 6 p.m-6 a.m., free-70 rub. (men), 100-200 rub. (women), 29 Kanal Griboyedova. M: Gostiny Dvor. 318-4291. www.greshniki.gay.ru Mono — This tiny and unremarkable little club is friendly and smart. With a bar, minute stage for cabaret and what must be the smallest dance floor in the city lined with seating for 40 or so (50 rub. a table during show time), the overall impression is that they are expecting a crowd of gnomes. Daily, 10 p.m.-6 a.m. 20-50 rub. (men), 50-100 rub. (women). 4 Kolomenskaya Ul., M: Ligovsky Prospect.

164-3678.

day n o M Every s

Ladie Night

Every day Thurs

an i s s u R y t r a P Style Open 4 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Tel.: 311-1690 1 Pl. Dekabristov (next to the Bronze Horseman)

iv

friday, july 19, 2002

the st. petersburg times Cathedral). Open from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. (or until the last guest leaves). Phone for table and ticket reservations at 311-0024.

“Adamant” discount cards and credit cards accepted.

home delivery

a paid service $ under $10, $$ under $25, $$$ over $25

New coffee house has just opened at 2 Kamennoostrovsky Pr. 82 Bolshoy Pr., P.S. 2 Vladimirsky Pr., 19 Kirochnaya Ul., 15 Nevsky Pr., 112 Nevsky Pr., 130 Nevsky Pr., 25 Sadovaya Ul., 46 Sredny Pr.

all-english pub/club The Red Lion

confectionary James Cook pub & cafe

Enjoy an exciting and unforgettable adventure day or night at the first authentic English Pub in St. Petersburg.

Come and join the fun in the beautiful surroundings of Alexandrovsky Park.

Experience the genuine atmosphere you have been looking for, Traditional English Pub Food, and satisfy your thirst with more than 30 kinds of beer.

Every Monday you can listen to live music starting at 20.00. Tuesday all ladies enjoy three hours of Unlimited Free Champagne from 19.30 until 22.30 as well as live country music at 20.00 and disco music from 23.00. On Wednesday and Thursday enjoy our live house band from 20.00, and, if youre brave enough, try your voice in our Thursday Karaoke Competition starting at 20.00. Then, if you’re still standing, put on your dancing shoes. Every Friday and Saturday, there’s live music at 20.00 and Super Disco Music from 23.00 until 5.00. Draft beer 34 rubles. Great food, big menu, affordable prices. All-day breakfast. And, as always, superior service.

Open 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, we never close. 4 Alexandrovsky Park. Tel.: 233-9391. M: Gorkovskaya, next to Baltiisky Dom Theater.

bars Caviar Bar Traditional Russian cuisine. Open 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. In the Grand Hotel Europe. 329-6000 .

cafe Kameya We are open again after a complete renovation and waiting for you. Two new halls. A wide range of delicious dishes and a wide choice of beverages. Every fourth mug of beer is free!

We organize banquets, corporate parties and funeral banquets for 10 to 50 people for $17 per person. Business lunch daily from noon to 4 p.m. for $2.

Open from noon till the last guest leaves.

32 Gagarinskaya Ul. Tel.: 272-6066 Private Lounge Café-Bar We invite you to visit our elegant café, located in the historic center of St. Petersburg. European cuisine. A wide range of delicious dishes and exceptional wines.

Good music and cozy interior, it`s the ideal place for romantic meals.

You are welcome to enjoy Italian coffee with your friends.

4/1 Malaya Morskaya Ul. (near Nevsky Prospect). Tel.: 315-8978

catering

Give your next event a touch of excellence with our five-star catering services.

Banquets, buffets and full event planning.

Corinthia Nevskij Palace.

Tel.: 380-2001. Fax: 380-1937. $$$ Tandoor Restaurant We provide small to medium outdoor catering services for parties and banquet functions. Reasonable prices.

2 Voznesensky Prospect. Tel.: 312-3886. $$-$$$

coffee houses Ideal cup The first chain of coffee houses in Russia. Classical coffee recepies and our own unique coffee inventions, delicious pastries and original desserts.

La Cucaracha La Cucaracha - Delivery. For the first time in St. Petersburg, free delivery anywhere in the city in just 40 minutes. Original Mexican cuisine at your office, home or party. 11 a.m. to midnight. Tel. 222-1212.

La Cucaracha - Take Away.

Mexican cuisine to take away in five minutes. 62-64 Sverdlovskaya Nab. Call-a-Pizza. Genuine Italian pizza delivered free anywhere in the city in 35 minutes. Special discounts for offices.

Tel. 227-3571.

Live jazz every Friday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. July 19 - Uncle Misha (“DDT”) and friends. Saxophone night.

July 26 - “Doo Bop Sound” Quartet. Pop jazz. Please join us!

Open 11 a.m. until the last guest leaves.

5, 7-aya Krasnoarmeiskaya Ul. M: Tekhnologichesky Institut. Tel.: 112-7875.

Magrib Restaurant, night club, cafe.

Oriental, European, Japanese cuisine. The only Moroccan night club with exquisite cuisine. Every weekend - famous DJs, fashion shows, cozy atmosphere. You can also enjoy a light snack in our cafe, which is open 24 hours.

Address: 84 Nevsky Pr., (across from the Nevskij Palace Hotel).

Club is open 10 p.m.-6 a.m. every day, cafe - 24 hours, restaurant 12 p.m.- 6 a.m.

Tel.: 275-7620. English-speaking staff Pyramid Restaurant-Casino

german Beerstube Restaurant German style pub restaurant. Traditional dishes and draught beer. Business lunch: Monday-Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Daily from 12 p.m. to midnight. 57 Nevsky Pr., Ground floor, Corinthia Nevskij Palace. Tel.: 380-2001, fax: 380-1937.

COFFEE TO THE LEFT, BEER TO THE RIGHT! Welcome to enjoy the real coffee and a great beer at one place – at a stylish pub and cozy coffee house. 14 kinds of beer on draught, 30 kinds of coffee, 25 kinds of elite tea. Own confectionery. Business lunch from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. French breakfast from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Live music Thu.-Sat. Credit cards accepted.

Open daily 9.00 a.m. till the last guest leaves (coffee house), 12.00 till the last guest leaves (pub). 2 Shvedsky Pereulok (at the end of Malaya Konyushennaya Ul.).

Tel. 312-3200 (free reservations!)

european Crocodile Whiskey Bar

More than 25 kinds of whiskey (Scotch, Irish, American, Canadian). Friendly atmosphere and excellent European cuisine at the lowest price you can get.

Expats most welcome. Modern photography exhibitions. Chess and backgammon. Crocodiles are all over the interior, but our bartenders are pleasant and alert. Daily 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. All credit cards accepted. 18 Galernaya Ul. (near St. Isaac’s Square). Tel.: 314-9437.

Valhall

Valhall is a unique cabaret restaurant on Nevsky Prospect. There are four halls at your service: Sea Hall, Royal Hall, Iggdrasil and Show Hall. There are torches on the walls, the seats are covered with animal pelts, and the bar looks like the front part of an ancient ship. The hustle and bustle of a great city remains outside the door. At Valhall, you are in a 19th-century atmosphere. Pork ribs are smoked for you, and Valhall’s cellars — full of exquisite wines and other drinks for those who like something more strong — are waiting for you.

NEW: Our experienced cook will cook you succulent meat, fish or poultry shashliks over a charcoal stove. The pop-opera “Three little pigs” — an appetizing, hot main course, prepared from songs and dances to a varietyshow recipe and spiced with strong jokes — plays in Valhall’s Show Hall. The disco can be your desert. Outside catering. Breakfast from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 80 rubles. (4 different menus).

Lunch from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 180 rubles.

(4 different menus, including vegetarian). Dinner from 6 p.m. from 450 rubles. 22/24 Nevsky Pr. (opposite Kazan

korean Grand Café Koreana Welcome to the new grand café. We offer authentic South-Korean cuisine and also sushi. Ten percent lunch discount valid until 3 p.m. Wedding parties and banquets welcome (free karaoke for parties).

25 Ligovsky Pr. Tel.: 277-0213.

mexican Tequila-Boom Tired of the same old meals in the same old restaurants? Pyramid Casino’s restaurant offers a fresh twist on traditional Russian cuisine. Sample

Restaurant THE NOBLE NEST

Ontrome

We invite you to visit the Ontrome chain of French confectionary shops to try a tasty dessert, made from heavenly sponge cake, rich whipped cream, fruits and berries, nuts and chocolate — with these basic ingredients turned into a small miracle through the art of a master! And our miracles aren’t only small, as Ontrome’s pastry chefs can also prepare to order cakes of all shapes and sizes. 58 Nab. Kanala Griboyedova. Tel.: 310-7339. Mon. to Wed.: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thu. to Sat.:10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

36 Bolshaya Morskaya Ul. Tel.: 315-5030.

Mon. to Wed.: 10 am. to 9 p.m., Thur., Fri. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

New Location! 3 Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 311-8286.

Mon. to Sun. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. www.aktivist.ru/ontrome “Adamant” discount cards accepted.

Japanese delicacies while you watch (we only use ecologically clean water). You will be delighted by our interior, which represents the spirit of the Land of the Rising Sun. Indulging in traditional sake and plum wine will help you understand the secret of the health and lifespan of the Japanese people. New take-out service. Sushi bar – from $7. Business lunch – from $15 (noon – 6 p.m.)

11 Gorokhovaya Ul. Tel.: 314-7417.

26 Ul. Vosstaniya. Tel.: 275-3297.

140 Moskovsky Pr. Tel.: 327-0199

21 UL. DEKABRISTOV TEL.: 312-3205, 312-0911

Now you don’t need to go to Mexico to try Mexican cuisine. You can find it at TequilaBoom! Tequila-Boom belongs to a chain of cantinas in Mexico City, Acapulco, Cancun, Los Angeles and now here in St. Petersburg! It is the only cantina here run

by Mexican chefs. You can enjoy all kinds of seafood, meat delicacies, many varieties of Mexican tequila, wonderful prawn cocktails, and traditional dishes made to recipes such as Carnitas, Alambre, Fajitas, Quesadillas and many others. Live folk music, Latin-American dancing.

Daily, 12 p.m. until the last guest leaves.

Parking. English, Spanish-speaking staff.

Credit cards accepted.

57/127 Voznesensky Pr., corner of Voznesensky and Fontanka.

To reserve a table or book a banquet, call 310-1534.

old-russian cuisine

russian Count Suvorov

A fine-dining restaurant, located in the historical center of St. Petersburg in one of the wings of Vorontsovsky Palace right on the corner of Gostiny and Apraksin Dvor. Excellent Russian cuisine.

Unique dishes from the Court of Her Imperial Majesty. First-class service. The best musicians in the city. Dancing.

Daily from noon until the last guest leaves. All credit cards accepted.

6 Ul. Lomonosova/26 Sadovaya Ul. Tel.: 315-4328.

Rasputin Restaurant-Bar

Authentic Russian cuisine served in traditional Russian dishes. Stylish interior. Show of Russian beauties from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday. “This place has a professional level of cooking” (Kommersant, 30.03.2002). Business lunches daily from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. for 180 rubles.

Daily from 12 p.m. until the last guest leaves. Tel.: 277-3141, 277-0256.

Near Moskva Hotel and AlexandroNevskaya Lavra. M: Ploshchad Alexandra Nevskogo.

St. Petersburg

A Russian restaurant in authentic Petersburg style located in one of the most beautiful places in not only our city, but also in all world, opposite the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood. Business lunch daily from noon until 5 p.m. A great wine list and irreproachable service. Live music and dancing beginning at 8 p.m. The new program of a renowned Russia-style variety show starting at 9 p.m.

Call 314-4947 to reserve a table.

5 Kanal Griboyedova.

Demidov restaurant

vietnamese Tschaika

Seven kinds of German beer. Live music daily. Authentic German cuisine. Open daily 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Some credit cards accepted. 14 Kanal Griboyedova.

M: Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 312-4631.

E-mail: tschaika@mail.wplus.net http://www.aktivist.ru/tschaika $$

international

a wide-range of delicious and hearty meals served in our relaxed, yet elegant restaurant that is ideal for both business negotiations and intimate dinners. And after your meal, don’t forget to take advantage of Pyramid’s special offer. Cash in your restaurant bill, and receive the value of your meal in free casino chips to test your luck at our roulette wheels or card tables.

Located only a block off of Nevsky Prospect, Pyramid Casino is open around-the-clock. Pyramid Casino takes you to the peak of your game.

1 Ul. Lomonosova (M: Gostiny Dvor).

Tel. 312-3600.

Aquarel

italian St. Petersbirg’s first fusion-cuisine restaurant. Exclusive menu from a French chef. Two levels. The second level - fusion-restaurant; the third level - grill and bar. Exclusive deserts. Club-style jazz music. DJs on Fridays and Saturdays.

The best panoramic views in the city.

Petrograd Side, near Birzhevoi Bridge.

Tel.: 320-8600 (Malaya Neva area).

Dvorianskoye Gnezdo (Noble Nest)

The city’s top restaurant, located in the Trianon of the Yusupov Palace.

Excellent cuisine combined with impeccable service and a wide range of exceptional wines. Live music from 8 p.m. Open 7 days a week from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. Reservations recommended.

Call 312-3205 or 312-0911 to reserve.

21 Ulitsa Dekabristov (near the Mariinsky Theater) $$-$$$ Manilov

C A F E – C L U B Manilov is a new cafe-club, named for a character in Nikolai Gogol’s novel “Dead Souls,” that was recently awarded the title of “The Best Restaurant of St. Petersburg 2002.”

It has a stylish interior, including a show-cum-sale of modern art. In a pleasant, quiet atmosphere, you can enjoy Russian and European dishes.

Also special vegetarian menu.

Business lunch from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for 150 rub. A large range of alcoholic drinks, from absinthe to the rare chacha to 12-year-old Japanese whisky.

Cuban and Dominican cigars. Live music every Thursday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

July 25 - “NeitNoi” Duet and “Dvigenie” group. Modern folk music

La Strada Restaurant

Italian Restaurant-Pizzeria under a crystal cupola. Unique interior in the style of a small Italian street with a Florentine balcony. Salad bar and homemade pasta. Pizza prepared right before your eyes. Open daily noon to 11 p.m. 27 Bolshaya Konnushennaya Ul. Tel.: 312-4700 Rossi’s Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. Live lobster and trout in our aquarium.

Open 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. In the Grand Hotel Europe. Tel.: 329-6000. $$$

Pagoda Mot Kot

Want to live history today? Take a break from the hassles of modern life with a memorable dining experience at Demidov Restaurant. From classic Russian cuisine to antique interiors and gypsy music, Demidov creates the ambiance of Russia from centuries ago.

We also cater for parties and banquets, and serve business lunch weekdays until 5 p.m. for 300 rubles. 50-percent discount on alcohol with the purchase of a business lunch. Gala dinner 600 rubles. 30% discount on alcohol with gala dinners. For a quick snack, visit our cafe for home-style Georgian cooking.

Open from noon until the last guest leaves, major credit cards accepted.

14 Nab. Fontanki, Tel.: 272-9181. http://www.demidov.spb.ru

oriental Kalif Restaurant

wine Beautifully designed oriental Restaurant.

Extensive menu. Daily folk music and belly dancing. Live music daily except Tuesday and Wednesday. Three minutes walk from the Hermitage. Open daily noon to midnight.

VISA, Mastercard, Union.

21 Millionnaya Ul. Tel.: 312-2265

japanese Planet Sushi

Planet Sushi belongs to a chain of traditional Japanese restaurants. It is popular and well-known for its reasonable prices, great choice and good quality of food and drinks! Our chefs and servers serve you the best food and dining at our restaurant is most pleasant and enjoyable! We are open daily from noon to midnight. Our special Lunch Bentos are available until 5 p.m. on weekday. We accept major credit cards! 94 Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 275-7533.

Shogun

The well-known Japanese restaurant Shogun invites you to the opening of our new SUSHI BAR on Moskovsky Prospect in addition to its popular bar on Gorokhovaya and the eponymous restaurant on Vosstaniya. Our skillful chef prepares SUSHI, SASHIMI and other

A new theme restaurant featuring original Vietnamese cuisine from the Chan Service Group. Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll be greeted with the banging of a gong, just like when entering a real Buddhist temple (pagoda). There are three main halls, individual dining cabins, a waterfall, a goldfish pool, handmade furniture, and a bamboo hut. Everything was made with you in mind. The pleasant and romantic atmosphere, European comfort, oriental hospitality and exotic taste of delicious cuisine will make your visit an unforgetable one. Welcome to sunny Vietnam right in St. Petersburg. The restaurant is open from noon until the last customer. Credit cards are accepted. 10% discount on all dishes until 5 p.m. on weekdays. Live music daily from 7:30 p.m.

Tel.: 273-0184, 275-1446. www.pagoda.ru 50 Ul. Chaikovskogo.

M. Chernyshevskaya. Opposite the Finnish Consulate

pizza Chippolino Pizzeria A variety of homemade Italian pizzas.

Twelve types of pizza, salads, pasta. The best choice of Italian wine in the city.

Open daily noon to 2 a.m. All major credit cards accepted. Truly Italian know-how! 43/1 Lermontovsky Pr. (Sovetskaya Hotel, 13th floor) Call 329-0327 for reservations. $$ Patio Pizza

Patio Pizza restaurants are a small piece of sunny Italy right here in St. Petersburg.

All-you-can-eat business lunch on weekdays from noon until 4:00 p.m. for 195 rubles. Enjoy our unlimited salad bar with 25 types of salad for 185 rubles. From June 1 – new menu. We accept American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club, JCB, and Maestro.

Visit us at the following locations: 182 Nevsky Prospect, Tel.: 271-3177.

30 Nevsky Prospect, Tel.: 314-8215

Château Club

Wine Salon and Grand-Cafe located in the historic center of St. Petersburg.

The saloon interior is decorated with refined works by sculptors, smiths, engravers and artists. The wine list of Grand-Cafe features the finest examples from the Wine Salon’s selection, which comprises 600 brands of drink from all over the world. There is a lunch menu, which is very simple to select from and is not expensive, and a refined dinner menu.

Life saxophone and accordion music every Friday and Saturday. All major credit cards accepted. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The wine in the cafe is sold at wholesale prices, without a restaurant mark-up.

Château Club – Grand-Cafe and wine salon: 8 Malaya Morskaya Ul. Tel.: 312-6097. Château Club - wine Salon: 6/8 Bolshoi Pr., Petrograd Side.

Tel.: 232-0472.

spanish Torres Spanish cuisine. Very large selection of Spanish wines. Pleasant setting. Daily live music from 9 p.m. Flamenco dancing and the Argentine tango on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 p.m. Business lunch for 130 rubles on weekdays. All credit cards accepted.

Open daily noon to 5 a.m.

53 Nevsky Prospect. Tel.: 113-1453

the st. petersburg times continued from page

i

stuck in the middle with you

Mariinsky Theater Orchestra Valery Gergiev conducts a program of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" and Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony.

Mariinsky Theater

by Shawna Gamache

theater

the dish

concert

Rhythms of Love Vladimir Tykke directs Nikolai Denisov's play, in which the story of Giselle is moved into a modern club called "Night Cemetery." Baltiisky Dom Secret Romance Vladimir Tykke directs Nikolai Kolyada's story of the secret love between a coat-check worker and a bartender.

Baltiisky Dom, Small Stage, 7:30 p.m.

A Play Without a Name Lev Dodin directs this extraordinary production based on Chekhov's "Platonov," with a flooded stage and exceptional staging by Alexei PoraiKoshits. Winner of a Golden Mask award in 1997. Maly Drama Theater — Theater of Europe Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro Polish director Andrzej Bubenj directs a revisionist version of Pierre Augustin de Beaumarchais' oft-staged 18th-century comedy. Vasilievsky Ostrov Theater of Satire

thursday, july 25

concert

Evening of Organ Music Oleg Kinyaev plays a program of Bartok and other well-known composers from the 16th to 20th century.

Capella, 7 p.m.

opera

PREMIERE! Turandot Puccini's tragic opera, based on Carlo Gozzi's drama, about a Chinese princess and a young man who is the first to answer her three riddles, thereby escaping execution. Mariinsky Theater

theater

Farces Theater: Farces A comic romp based on French farces of the Middle Ages. Directed

by Viktor Kremer. Baltiisky Dom A Play Without a Name Lev Dodin directs this extraordinary production based on Chekhov's "Platonov," with a flooded stage and exceptional staging by Alexei Porai-Koshits.

Winner of a Golden Mask award in 1997. The last performance of the theater's season. Maly Drama Theater — Theater of Europe My Feast for the Eyes Alexei Serov's update of Alexey Arbuzov's little-staged '60s era play, done in a "retro" style, about the tribulations of one man's aging. Vasilievsky Ostrov Theater of Satire

friday, july 26 ballet

One-Act Ballets "Serenade," set to music by Tchaikovsky; "Appolon," set to music by Stravinsky; and "The Prodigal Son," set to music by Prokofiev, all choreographed by George Balanchine. Mariinsky Theater

theater

Farces Theater: Fantasies, or Six Characters Waiting for the Wind Comic sketches directed

by Viktor Kremer. Baltiisky Dom The Glass Menagerie Alexander Isakov directs Tennessee Williams' drama about life in a struggling, fatherless family of three in the

✂

v

friday, july 19, 2002

SPECIAL TO THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES

I have been told that, as I grow older, I will begin to appreciate moderation. I respect that not all of life’s events and adventures are doled out in hyperbolic proportions, but I’m just not as happy describing them when I can’t overzealously employ the superlative. It is for this reason that I rarely find myself embarking on the sort of description that I’m about to relay here — that of a restaurant whose business lunch I would — neither heartily nor warily — recommend for its refrainment.

Such an institution seems rare in Russia — the land of “Leninist Legacy” and “Eurostandard” does not lend itself easily to self-control. Maybe that’s why I’m so happy here, and maybe that’s why I’m so depressed. After lunch yesterday, for once, in “Peter’s City,” I found myself happy taking the middle road home.

The James Cook Pub and Cafe is located in a courtyard just behind the Church of the Savior, and its entry — slightly vainglorious in its massive facade and billowing flags — gives way to a divergence. Here, the institution becomes two, with the breezy and light cafe to your left, and the warm, mahogany-hued

American south. Baltiisky Dom, Small Stage, 7:30 p.m.

The Bankrupt Modest Abramov stages Alexander Ostrovsky's satire on the 19thcentury banking world, which was banned when it first came out. Vasilievsky Ostrov Theater of Satire

pub to your right. We went for the latter, knowing that the meal might give way to desserts and coffee across the hall.

The pub houses about 14 dark- wood tables, accompanied by attractive cherrywood and red velveteen seats, and is fronted by a massive bar housing every alcoholic beverage under the sun, and a pretty good selection of beers on tap, including well-known German malts and English stouts. The walls are tastefully cluttered with prints, photos, and pub-related memorabilia.

We chose the business lunch without much debate, an excellent deal at 150 rubles ($4.83). James Cook’s business lunch actually comes with the promise of free alcohol for those who desire it. For the free drink, one can imbibe either soda, coffee, tea, mineral water, beer or wine. The lunch also comes with a trip to the salad bar, a choice between three soups, and between three mains.

We headed over to the salad bar and were delighted to find a tray of fresh vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, Chinese cabbage and bell peppers), alongside three salads, one featuring potatoes, mayonnaise and fish, one a classic Russian Vinaigrette, and the other an interesting mix of shredded cucumber, egg and noodles. We piled our plates high, dipped into the delicious salads with the Eskimo, Garage, Cheryomukha, Baobaby, Dve Sashi and Dead Kedy. Orlandina. 7 p.m.

The Propellers Psychobilly. Psycho Pub. 8 p.m.

La Minor Urban folk. Red Club (Second Stage). 8 p.m.

Lali Puna Electronic/acoustic pop act from Munich, Germany. Red Club (Main Stage). Midnight

jazz & blues

gigs

friday, june 19

rock, etc.

Yellow Pillow Beat. City Club. 8:30 p.m.

El. Coyotas Latin. City Club. 1 a.m.

Mute Rock. Fish Fabrique. 11 p.m.

Nameless/Rid Rock. Front. 8 p.m.

Trop Acid funk. Griboyedov. 10 p.m.

Ptichkin Les/Uragan Rock. Manhattan. 11 p.m.

Baobaby Rock band from Pskov. Moloko. 7 p.m.

The Jets Rockabilly. Money Honey. 8 p.m.

The Big Livers Rockabilly. Money Honey.

12:30 a.m.

CARAVAN RECORDS ALTERNATIVE ROCK FESTIVAL: Three-night event featuring Jane Air, Tribal Massive Orchestra,

Russian Restaurant

Olga Khilko Jazz vocal night. (812) Jazz Club.

9 p.m.

Sergei Grigoryev Trio Popular jazz classics.

Jazz Philharmonic Hall. 7 p.m.

Solar Project and DJ Chak Contemporary cool. JFC Jazz Club. 7 p.m.

Forrest Gump Blues. Jimi Hendrix Blues Club.

8 p.m.

Vadim Lebedev and Friends Jazz, Braziliana.

Neo Jazz Club. 8 p.m.

Olga Ponomaryova Jazz songs. Palitra Art Cafe. 9 p.m.

Black Magic Electric blues. Sunduk Art Cafe.

8:30 p.m.

pop

Smysloviye Galyutsinatsii Pop/rock. Plaza.

1 a.m.

party mix

Svek Party DJs Stefan Greider (Svek, Stockholm, Sweden), Lovesky, Kfear, Chak, Raf and Banderas. Par.spb. 11 p.m.

the food, and this allowed us to expound all of our energy on each other.

Having reaped all of the free benefits of the business lunch, we decided to retire to the cafe for cappuccinos and cheesecake. Seated atop sophisticated wicker chairs with a tight olive weave, we chatted over a bouquet of fresh-smelling flowers. Encased in warm terra-cotta brick and crisp white walls, we drank our tiny — but sprinkled with freshly ground chocolate— cappuccinos (60 rubles, $1.94), which, while hardly dry, were warm and strong enough. Underneath a vaulted roof and gilded steel lighting fixtures, we enjoyed urbane but generously-sliced cheesecake (90 rubles, $2.90). Mostly, we talked. The food provided pleasant nourishment as back-beat to our conversation.

In its temperance, James Cook provides a crucial lesson: Man can survive on peaks and valleys alone, but walking the middle ground occasionally brings life into focus. I suppose I’m growing up already.

fresh bread provided and decided, in a moment of giddy fervor, that, since the meal had been so cheap, we’d top it off with some inordinately expensive drinks.

Luckily, at James Cook these are easy to find on the menu, and we seized upon the Oxygen Cocktails section, choosing the “Sportman,” a mix of apple, orange and banana juice, and the “Pink Fantasy,” a mix of pineapple, banana, and orange juice, each 150 rubles ($4.83).

Though I can’t report whether the Cocktails provided the promised immune-enhancement, I can say that, while they were good enough, they weren’t nearly what one might expect of a fivedollar-shake. Our soups came immediately after: I had gone for the cream and green pea, and my dining companion the borscht. Both were warm, bland and filling. There were no terrifying “I have something really yucky in my mouth” moments, and no orgasmic cries of satisfaction. It was just soup, after all.

The mains came after a slightly prolonged wait. I had ordered the Vegetable Ragout and my companion the Pikeperch po-rysskiy (fried on a bed of cheese-smothered potato quarters).

Both were on the smallish side, but flavorful. We sat and gabbed, spanning time as the food disappeared. Neither of us had found time to think much about

James Cook Pub and Cafe, 2 Shvedskiy Pereulok. Tel 312-3200. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays until 4 a.m. Credit Cards Accepted. Lunch for two with desserts and Oxygen Cockails, 900 rubles ($29).

saturday, july 20

Leningrad Dixieland Band Jazz Dancing.

Jazz Philharmonic Hall. 7 p.m.

Andrei Kondakov Band Acoustic project.

JFC Jazz Club. 7 p.m.

Dixie Free Jazz classics. Jimi Hendrix Blues Club. 8 p.m.

Natalya Tashchiyan and Friends Jazz standards. Neo Jazz Club. 8 p.m.

The Way Blues. Palitra Art Cafe. 9 p.m.

Vadim Lebedev and Alexei Lyapko Jazz, Braziliana. Sunduk Art Cafe.

8:30 p.m.

rock, etc.

Magic Bus Beat. City Club. 8:30 p.m.

Nameless Pop/rock. City Club. 1 a.m.

Nado Podumat Experimental. Fish Fabrique.

11 p.m.

Dudubeat Electronica. Griboyedov. 10 p.m.

Psycho Festival Manhattan. 11 p.m.

Tequilajazzz Traditional summer concert. Alternative. Moloko. 7 p.m.

The Cadillacs Rockabilly. Money Honey.

8 p.m.

The Hoox Rockabilly, jive. Money Honey.

12:30 a.m.

CARAVAN RECORDS ALTERNATIVE ROCK FESTIVAL: Three-night event. See June 19.

Orlandina. 7 p.m.

NE CHUZHIYE DETI/NOT SOMEBODY ELSE’S CHILDREN: Charity event in support of children’s homes. Jan Coo, Animal Jazz, Para Bellum, Vragi, Lyudi Lopesa, Psychea, Prorva, Katysha, Buttweizer, Baobaby (Pskov). Alternative, rock, pop/rock, Latin.

Poligon. 6 p.m.

Shvedsky Stol Opasniye Sosedi, Alternative (Ivangorod), Liven. Rock. Psycho Pub. 6 p.m.

Billy’s Band Tom Waits covers, original material in Waits’ vein. Red Club (Second Stage). 8 p.m.

pop

Monokini Hollywood Nites. 1 a.m.

party mix

DJs Demidov and Raf. Deep house.

Griboyedov. Midnight.

STEREOLETO FESTIVAL: Yonderboi.

Molodyozhny Theater. 114 Nab. Fontanki.

M: Tekhologichesky Institut. Tel. 316-6870.

11 p.m.

Open-Air Promo Party DJs Primat, Strong, Lovesky, Oleg Pak, Aram, Phunkee and Vitalik. Par.spb.

11 p.m.

Russian Trance DJs Pimenov and PPK. Plaza.

1 a.m.

jazz & blues

continued on page

Alexander Ulayev’s Samosad Band (812) Jazz Club. 9 p.m.

Disco−Bar №1

The original rock ‘n’ roll club

viii

Ost−West Association

Konyushenny Dvor

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A warm Irish welcome awaits you at Mollie's – St. Petersburg's first IRISH PUB. Come and enjoy a pint of Guinness and GOOD food at a GOOD price.

20 kinds of beer on tap.

36 Ul. Rubinshteina, tel.: 319-9768

Open daily 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

82 Nab. Reki Moiki, tel.: 315−1675 ●

Great Russian and vegetarian food served all day

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vi

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friday, july 19, 2002

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the st. petersburg times

st. petersburg city guide Need information

128 Leninsky Pr. 36/40 Sredny Pr. V.O.

about the best services in St. Petersburg?

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94 Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 275-7533

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6 Ul. Lomonosova/26 Sadovaya Ul. Tel.: 315-4328.

All credit cards accepted.

20

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vii

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7 Kazanskaya Ul. Tel.: 118-5566 www.bestbeer.ru

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7 14 29

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6

17

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4.

5.

6.

7.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 325−6080

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4

nki nta i Fo Rek Sunday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Closed the last Friday of every 6 p.m. Closed Monday. Ploshchad Chernyshevskogo. M: month. 2B Ul. Graftio. Tel.: 234-1056.

Park Pobedy. Tel.: 298-3984.

9. Dostoevsky Museum. Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed 19.Museum of the History of Religion. Daily, 11 a.m. to Monday. 5 Kuznechny Per., Tel.: 311-4031.

6 p.m. Closed Wednesday. 14/5 Pochtamtskaya Ul. 10.Engineer’s (Mikhailovsky) Castle. 2 Sadovaya Ul. Tel.: Tel.: 314-5838.

210-4173.

20.Museum of the History of St. Petersburg. Daily, 11 11.Ethnographic Museum. Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed a.m. to 6 p.m. 3 Petropavlovskaya Krepost. Tel.: 238-4540.

Monday. 4/1 Inzhenernaya Ul. Tel.: 210-4715.

21.Museum of the Political History of Russia. Daily, 10 12.Free Arts Foundation at Pushkinskaya 10. See Lista.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Thursday. 2/4 Ul. Kyubyshevskaya. ings for opening times. 10 Pushinskaya Ul. (Entrance Tel.: 233-7052. from 53 Ligovsky Pr.) Tel.: 164-5371.

Museum of the Political History of Russia Annex.

13.Kirov Apartment Museum. Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 6 Admiralteiskaya 26/28 Kamenoostrovsky Pr. Tel.: 346-0217.

Nab. M: Sadovaya/Sennaya Ploshchad. Tel.: 312-2742.

14.Kunstkamera. Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Thursday.

Museum of Theater and Musical Arts. Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 3 Universitetskaya Nab. Tel.: 328-1412. p.m., Wednesday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Tuesday. 6 Pl. Ostro15.Manezh Central Exhibition Hall. Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 vskogo. M: Nevsky Prospect/Gostinny Dvor. Tel.: 310-1939. p.m. Closed Thursday. 1 St. Isaac’s Square. Tel.: 314-8859.

22.Nabokov Apartment Museum. Wednesday through Sun16.Marble Palace. Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 5/1 Millionaya day, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 47 Bolshaya Morskaya Ul. Tel.: 315-4713.

Ul. Tel.: 312-9196.

National Center Gallery. Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Masters’ Guild Gallery. Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 82 Closed Monday. 166 Nevsky Pr., M: Ploshchad Alexandra Nevsky Pr. M: Mayakovskaya/Ploshchad Vosstaniya. Tel.: Nevskogo. Tel.: 277-1216.

279-0979.

23.Nikolai Nekrasov Apartment Museum. 36 Liteiny 17.Menshikov Palace. Daily, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Prospect. Tel.: 272-0165.

Closed Monday. 15 Universitetskaya Nab. Tel.: 323-1112.

Nota Bene Art Gallery. Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Sun18.Military Historical Museum of Artillery and Engiday. 5 Stremyannaya Ulitsa. M: Mayakovskaya. Tel.: 162-5992. neers. Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 7 Alexandrovsky Park. Tel.: Printing Museum. Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sun232-0296, 238-0704. day, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 4. p.m. Friday, Mitki-VKhUTEMAS Gallery. Saturday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Wednesday and the last Tuesday 16 Ul. Pravdy. M: Dostoevskaya/Vladimirskaya. No teleof each month. 32/2 Nab. Reki Moiki. M.: Nevsky phone.

Prospect/Gostinny Dvor. Tel.: 311-0270.

Moskovsky District Exhibition Hall. Tuesday through 24.Pushkin Apartment Museum. Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to Closed Tuesday. 12 Nab. Reki Moiki. Tel.: 312-1962.

25.Rumyantsev Mansion. Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Wednesday and the last Tuesday of each month. 44 Angliiskaya Nab. Tel.: 3147544.

26.Samoilov Dynasty Apartment Museum. Wednesday through Sunday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. 8 Stremyannaya Ul. Tel.: 164-1130.

27.Sheremetyev Palace. Wednesday through Friday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. 34 Nab. Reki Fontanki. Tel.: 272-4441.

28.Smolny Cathedral Exhibition Hall. Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 3/1 Ploshchad Rastrelli. Tel.: 311-3690.

28.Smolny Historical Memorial Museum. Daily, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment, groups only. Friday 3 p.m. open to individual visitors. Closed Saturday, Sunday. 3 Pl. Proletarskoi Kultury. Tel.: 276-1461.

SPAS. Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Sunday. 93 Nab. Reki Moiki. M: Sadovaya/Sennaya Ploshchad. Tel.: 3114260.

St. Petersburg Center for Modern Art. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 60 Nevsky Pr. M: Nevsky Pr./Gostinny Dvor. Tel.: 219-4737.

29.State Hermitage Museum. Daily, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 10:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Monday. 34 Dvortsovaya Nab. Tel.: 311-3465.

30.State Russian Museum. Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Closed Tuesday. 4 Inzhenernaya Ul. Tel.: 219-1608.

Yelagin Palace Museum. Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 1 Yelaginsky Ostrov. M: Krestovsky Ostrov. Tel.: 430-0131.

31.Yelizarov Apartment Museum. Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Closed Wednesday. 52/24 Ul. Lenina. Tel.: 235-3778.

1. Akimov Comedy Theater. 56 Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 312-4555.

2. Alexandrinsky Theater. 2 Pl. Ostrovskogo.

Tel.: 110-4103.

3. Baltiisky Dom. 4 Alexandrovsky Park.

Tel.: 232-6244.

4. Bolshoi Drama Theater. 65 Nab. Fontanki.

Tel.: 310-0401.

Bolshoi Puppet Theater. 10 Nekrasova Ul. Tel.: 273-6672 Komissarzhevskaya Drama Theater.

19 Italianskaya Ul. Tel.: 315-5355.

Lensoviet Theater. 12 Vladimirsky Pr. Tel.: 113-2191.

Maly Drama Theater. 18 Ul. Rubinshteina. Tel.: 113-2028.

5. Mariinsky Theater. 1 Teatralnaya Pl. Tel.: 114-4344.

Molodyozhny Theater. 114 Nab. Fontanki. Tel.: 3166870.

6. Mussorgsky Theater. 1 Pl. Isskustv. Tel.: 219-1978.

Priyut Komedianta Theater. 27 Sadovaya Ul. Tel.: 311-3314.

Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory Theater.

3 Teatralnaya Pl. Tel.: 312-2519.

7. St. Petersburg Opera. 33 Galernaya Ul. Tel.: 315-6769.

8. State Hermitage Theater. 34 Dvortsovaya Nab. Tel.: 311-9025.

Theater Dozhdei. 130 Nab. Fontanki. No phone.

Theater on Liteiny. 51 Liteiny Pr. Tel.: 273-5335.

Vasilievsky Ostrov Theater of Satire. 48 Sredny Pr. Tel.: 213-6683.

9. Yusupovsky Palace. 92 Nab. Moiki. Tel.: 314-9883, 3156769.

Zazerkalye Theater. 13 Rubinshteina Ul. Tel.: 164-1895.

1. Children’s Philharmonic Hall.

1/3 Dumskaya Ul. Tel.: 219-4175.

2. Gigant Hall. 44 Kondratievsky Pr. Tel.: 5408130.

3. Glinka Philharmonic. 30 Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 312-4585.

4. Jazz Philharmonic Hall. 27 Zagorodny Pr. Tel.: 164-8565.

Music Hall. 4 Alexandrovsky Park. Tel.: 232-6165.

Oktyabrsky Concert Hall. 6 Ligovsky Pr. Tel.: 2751273.

Shostakovich Philharmonic. 2 Mikhailovskaya Ul. Tel.: 311-7333.

Cappella. 20 Nab. Moiki. Tel.: 314-1058.

Yubileiny Sports Palace. 18 Pr. Dobrolyubova, M: Sportivnaya, Tel.: 119-5614.

halls

Mexican chefs • Our staff speak three languages

1. Academy of Arts Museum. Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 17 Universitetskaya Nab. Tel.: 213-6496.

2. Alexander Blok Apartment Museum.

Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Wednesday.

57 Ul. Dekabristov. Tel.: 113-8633.

3. Anna Akhmatova Museum at the Fontanka House. Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Closed Monday and the last Wednesday of every month. 34 Nab. Reki Fontanki. Tel.: 2722211.

Art Collegium Gallery. Monday through Friday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. 64 Ligovsky Pr.. M: Ligovsky Prospect. Tel.: 164-9564.

Art Gorod Gallery. Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 47 Bolshoi Pr., Vasilievsky Island. Tel.: 327-7527.

Artists’ Union of Russia Exhibition Center. Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 38 Bolshaya Morskaya Ul. Tel.: 3143060.

Association of Free Artists Gallery at Nevsky 20.

Daily, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. 20 Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 311-7777.

Borey Art Gallery. Tuesday through Saturday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. 58 Liteiny Pr. M: Mayakovskaya/Ploshchad Vosstaniya. Tel.: 273-3693.

Bread Museum. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 73 Ligovsky Pr. M: Ligovsky Prospect. Tel.: 164-1110.

Center of Photographic Arts. Friday and Saturday, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. 38 Malaya Monetnaya Ul. M: Gorkovskaya.

Tel.: 232-3137.

Central Naval Museum. Wednesday through Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. 4 Birzhevaya Pl. Tel.: 218-2502.

Chaliapin Apartment Museum. Wednesday through

museums

Now you don’t need to go to Mexico to try Mexican cuisine.

5

9

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

cinemas

2

12

4

theaters

9

VOZNESENSKY PROSPEKT

26

Avrora. 60 Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 315-5254.

Barrikada. 15 Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 315-4028.

Crystal Palace. 72 Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 272-2382.

Dom Kino. 12 Karavannaya Ul. Tel.: 314-8036.

Khudozhestveny. 67 Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 314-0045.

Kolizei. 100 Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 272-8775.

Leningrad. 4 Potemkinskaya Ul. Tel.: 272-6513.

Mirazh. 35 Bolshoi Pr. P.S.. Tel.: 232-4838.

Molodyozhny. 12 Sadovaya Ul. Tel.: 311-0045.

Parisiana. 80 Nevsky Pr. Tel.: 273-4813.

Rodina. 12 Karavannaya Ul. 311-6131.

Spartak. 8 Ul. Saltykova-Shchedrina Tel.: 272-7897.

Sport. 79 Bolshoi Sampsoniyevsky Pr. Tel.: 245-4522.

☎ BCL Payphones

Prepaid & Credit Card Payphones HOTELS

Astoria • Deson-Ladoga • Grand Hotel Europe • Hotel for Seamen • Karelia Business Hotel • LDM • Morskaya • Okhtinskaya • Oktiabrskaya • Olgino • Pribaltiiskaya • Radisson SAS • Rossia • Saint Petersburg Hotel • Corinthia Nevskij Palace Hotel • Sovetskaya • St. Petersburg International Hostel

RESTAURANTS AND BARS

Academia • Astoria club • Bahlsen • Cafe “Graf NN” (Corner of Marata & Razjezhaya st.) • California Grill • Chaika • Hollywood Nites • Le Francaise • Liverpool • Mollie’s • Nevsky 40 • Patio-

CARDS WELCOME

Pizza • Pizza Hut • Restoran’ • Sadko’s • Seamen Club • Shanhai • Shamrock

MUSEUMS & THEATERS

State Russian Museum • State Hermitage • Peter&Paul Fortress • Menshikov Palace • Mariinsky State Opera&Ballet Theatre • Maly Opera Theatre PULKOVO airport • Central Airline Tickets Agency • Central Railway Tickets Agency • Glavpochtamt

SOUVENIR SHOPS:

Neva-art (54 Angliyskaya Emb.)

• Pevcheskiy Most (20 Moika Emb.) • “Captain” (19, Konushennaya st.)

SPORTS CENTRES: Ubileyniy

STREETS:

Nevsky 34 • Nevsky 42 • Bolshaya Morskaya 12 • Malaya Sadovaya 3, 6 • Malaya Konushennaya 9, 10

PIERS:

Kronshtadt, fort “Konstantin” • Angliyskaya Embankment • Leutenant Schmidt Embankment • Sea Port, Pier 32

When sightseeing in St. Petersburg Use a BCL payphone to call home!

viii

friday, july 19, 2002

the st. petersburg times

by Larisa Doctorow STAFF WRITER

travel

Among the most popular inland waterway routes from St Petersburg is the trip to the monastery island of Valaam, 220 kilometers to the northeast, in Lake Ladoga.

The islands of the Valaam archipelago have fjord-like shores covered with forests. In the 19th century, Russian writers and artists were drawn to Valaam for its exquisite natural beauty. In 1866 Tchaikovsky lived on Valaam for several weeks and wrote his Second Symphony looking out at its lush forests and still water.

Poets said that the islands possessed the best views in Russia, and students of the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts spent summers there. The landscape artist Shishkin was among those who celebrated the archipelago in well known canvasses that now hang in the State Russian Museum and Tretyakov Gallery.

This pristine glory may seem exaggerated to today’s jaded tourists. But when you sit on a sun-lit terrace on Valaam island some fifty meters above granite rock, and look out at the grace and tranquility of the chapel of the Ascension with its white-washed walls and intense lapis lazuli cupola, set against a background of birch trees and silver firs; when you listen to the gentle lapping of the waves and laments of sea-gulls, you will surely agree with the Russian poets and artists of a simpler age.

The journey to Valaam begins on the 74 kilometer stretch of the Neva from St. Petersburg river port up to its source in Lake Ladoga. The approach to the lake is marked by a magnificent suspension bridge, the only crossing of the river north of the city.

Ladoga is the biggest and also deepest fresh-water lake in Europe, 233 meters at its deepest point. Upon embarking on this vast expanse of water, you lose sight of land for hours and have a sensation of being out at sea.

Valaam is the largest of fifty islands comprising the eponymous archipelago, measuring 28 square kilometers. It is known for a microclimate that is explained by the granite base on which it sits. The stone accumulates warmth all summer and then emits heat in the autumn and winter. Accordingly, the local seasons are several months out of sync with the calendar. Winters are very late and mild, but there is snow on the French confectionary chain

ground from late January until April.

Apart from the splendid scenery, religious interest contributes greatly to the attraction of Valaam — and always has.

According to church records, two holy fathers, Saints Sergey and Germain, came to the Valaam archipelago from southeast Europe in the tenth century — even before the conversion of Kievan Rus — to prosthletize the pagan Karelian tribes who worshipped the god Vaal. To strengthen the local population’s new Christian beliefs, Sergey and Germain commissioned a monastery, the Transfiguration of the Saviour.

The monastery eventually became the outpost for territory dominated by Novgorod, and was caught up in the centuries-long struggle between Slavs and Swedes for control of the lucrative trade route connecting the Scandinavian north and Byzantium.

Between the 12th and 15th centuries, the monks fought 82 battles with the Swedes. The buildings of the monastery were burned down innumerable times. One conflict wreaked particularly savage destruction at the beginning of the 17th century ended the monastery’s existence for 100 years.

Then, like the legendary Phoenix, the monastery was resurrected from its ashes under Peter the Great as the surrounding area was taken over by the Russian state.

In the 19th century, the monastic community achieved rare prosperity and fame, which made it a magnet for pilgrims from across the Russian Empire.

Through laborious effort, the monks transformed the inhospitable barren rocks, that lacked natural topsoil, into an oasis of prosperity. They dug canals to connect the numerous inland lakes, brought soil from the mainland, and planted orchards and vegetable gardens. Their mastery won them awards at international expositions. They built fisheries and dairy farms, engaged in horse-breeding, and established brickworks and stone quarries that served their own needs as well as those of the capitol.

Religious tourism grew to such proportions at the end of the 19th century that the Transfiguration of our Saviour Cathedral became too small to accommodate all of the pilgrims and clergy. It was demolished to make way for the larger structure, accommodating 4000 parishioners, that stands there today.

In the early 20th century, Valaam had more than 2, 000 monks residing in a

sunday, july 21 rock, etc.

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S PET

PARI

RG RSBU

Shoobie Doobie Swing. City Club. 8:30 p.m.

Armadil Rock. Front. 8 p.m.

Poimanniye Muravyedy Punk hop.

Griboyedov. 10 p.m.

Podarki Fei Rock. Manhattan. 11 p.m.

Vnezapny Sych Pop/rock. Moloko. 7 p.m.

The Propellers Rockabilly. Money Honey.

8 p.m.

The Barbulators Rockabilly. Money Honey.

11:45 p.m.

CARAVAN RECORDS ALTERNATIVE ROCK FESTIVAL: Three-night event. See June 19.

Orlandina. 7 p.m.

S.O.K. Reggae. Psycho Pub. 8 p.m.

Big Livers Rockabilly. Red Club (Second Stage). 8 p.m.

jazz & blues

36 B. Morskaya Tel.: 315-5030

58 Nab. Kanala Griboyedova Tel.: 310-7339

3 Nevsky Tel.: 311-8286 p a s t r y, c a k e s o rd e r, d e l i v e r y

Jennifer Davis Jazz vocals night. (812) Jazz Club. 9 p.m.

Mikhail Kostyushkin and His Band Saxophone night. Jazz Philharmonic Hall.

7 p.m.

Ars Nova Mainstream. JFC Jazz Club. 7 p.m.

Black Magic Electric Blues. Jimi Hendrix Blues Club. 8 p.m.

Angel Dust Band Fusion. Neo Jazz Club.

8 p.m.

Blues Session Palitra Art Cafe. 8:30 p.m.

Tanya Gromova and Jazz Duo Mainstream.

Sunduk Art Cafe. 8:30 p.m.

party mix

Boogie Nights DJ Kikabit-Z and friends.

Jazzy and Latin grooves. Griboyedov. 11 p.m.

FOR SPT

valaam: centuries of rest for the weary

A tree bending over Lake Ladoga, the deepest freshwater lake in Europe.

number of different orders, each one with its own rules and varying degree of asceticism.

The island had a hotel for well-to-do visitors. About 700 tourists arrived each year from abroad. The tsarist family honoured the monastery with ceremonial visits and gifts.

This golden age came to an abrupt end in 1917. The monastery suddenly found itself on the Finnish side of the border, with all contacts with Russia cut off. During the interwar years, the number of monks dwindled to a few hundred. But the Valaam monastery was spared the tragic fate of the Russian clergy after the revolution.

At the start of Russo-Finnish war in 1939, Soviet planes bombed the monastery and destroyed many buildings. In February 1940, under the cover

of night, the monks were evacuated to Finland. Travelling along the frozen lake, they and their 150 cartloads of possessions safely reached the Finnish lines.

The survivors founded the New Valaam monastery, which exists to this day on Lake Pappinieme in Northern Finland.

The last living monk from that exodus died in 1973 at the age of 107.

The history of Valaam over the half century following the war was grim. First it was turned into a convalescent house for Russia’s most severely injured war veterans. Six hundred soldiers were brought here and stayed till their deaths.

Then it was turned into a tourist complex where people from Leningrad came in large groups to have a good time. Many of the surviving wooden chapels burnt down due to negligence.

With the advent of Perestroika, and

Sunday Lounge — Atarihuana DJs Max Bitter (Dusseldorf, Germany), Chak, Antonio and Sahaj. Acid jazz, intelligent hip-hop, triphop. Par.spb. 11 p.m.

Doggy Doggy Rockabilly. Money Honey.

11:45 p.m.

monday, july 22 rock, etc.

The Hoox Rockabilly, jive. Money Honey.

8 p.m.

jazz & blues

Liapin Blues Blues rock. JFC Jazz Club. 7 p.m.

The Way Blues. Jimi Hendrix Blues Club. 8 p.m.

Alexander Charsky Trio/Jam Session Mainstream. Kvadrat Jazz Club. 8 p.m. ldar Kazakhanov and Mikhail “Uncle Misha” Chernov Jazz standards. Neo Jazz Club. 8 p.m.

Alexei Lyapko Duo Pop jazz. Palitra Art Cafe.

9 p.m.

Leonid Vasilyev Quartet Retro instrumentals.

Sunduk Art Cafe. 8:30 p.m.

party mix

Ground Level DJs Maxim Kislovsky, Sputnik and guests. Deep house and techno.

Griboyedov. 11 p.m.

tuesday, june 23 rock, etc.

G.T.O. Rock. Manhattan. 11 p.m.

Annie Fire and the Phantoms Rockabilly.

Money Honey. 8:30 p.m.

jazz & blues

Zoya Zharzhevskaya and J.P. Funk. (812) Jazz Club. 9 p.m.

Jazz Today Konstantin Maminov Quartet. Jazz Philharmonic Hall (Ellington Hall). 8 p.m.

Local Stars and Natasha Smirnova Contemporary jazz. JFC Jazz Club. 7 p.m.

Ines & S.B.A. Blues. Jimi Hendrix Blues Club.

8 p.m.

Yury Slavtsov and Jerry Kim Pop flamenco.

Neo Jazz Club. 8 p.m.

Vadim Lebedev and Friends Jazz, Braziliana.

Palitra Art Cafe. 9 p.m.

Yury Silkin & Co. Jazz standards, blues.

Sunduk Art Cafe. 8:30 p.m.

party mix

Dub and Reggae Roots DJs Dym Selector, Rasklad and Sunshine. Griboyedov. 11 p.m.

wednesday, july 24 rock, etc.

Shamanada Rock. Fish Fabrique. 11 p.m.

Kabzon/Igrai Garmon Pop punk. Front. 8 p.m.

Tsarapina Rock. Manhattan. 11 p.m.

The Rattlesnakes Rockabilly. Money Honey.

8 p.m.

The Shatters Rockabilly. Money Honey.

11:45 p.m.

jazz & blues

Hollywood and Broadway Melodies Jazz Vocal Parade featuring Elvira Trafova, Larisa

the revival of the Russian Orthodox Church, efforts were made to establish the monastery of Valaam anew. On December 13, 1989 the first monks returned to Valaam after more than seventy years.

The monastery was re-inaugurated by the Russian Orthodox Church in a mass celebrated by Patriarch Alexy II. Pilgrims and tourists also returned.

Every summer volunteers flock here to help with the restoration work. The results of these restoration efforts are seen everywhere. The churches, chapels, and hermitages are being returned to life. The island is gradually turning into a marvelous historic, spiritual and cultural monument— again.

There are now 160 monks living permanently on the island, in addition to the local population of 500. While monks are busy with their monastic life, the locals fish, smoke their catch and sell it to the tourists.

The return journey from St Petersburg takes two nights and permits a full day of sightseeing on the island.

Depending on the travel agency, a cruise package costs about $100 per person with full board. Nearly every travel agency in St Petersburg offers reservations on these popular trips. A comfortable fleet of passenger ships built in East Germany during Soviet times plies routes on the inland waterways of the region. They offer single and double cabins, often with air-conditioning, and provide simple, but adequate, meals as well as a satisfactory selection of foreign wines and liquors in addition to the traditional vodkas, all at attractive prices.

The cruise ships release tourists for a day of well-organized sightseeing conducted by professionals under license from the monastery. Sturdy walking shoes are recommended, since the morning and afternoon excursions each require between three and fiver kilometers of hiking. At one chapel, there is a demonstration of Russian choral singing including the Valaam tradition of ‘a capella.’ Women should bring headscarves and wear long skirts or trousers when visiting the churches and chapels.

Although Lake Ladoga is generally too cold for comfortable bathing, Valaam’s inner lakes are warm and swimmable during summer and there is sufficient free time in the schedule to allow this.

Motorboats are available for short trips around the island at negotiable prices. Sailing season runs from May through November.

Samsonova, Yelena Yalovaya, Viktoria Urusova, David Goloshchokin Band, Vladimir Lytkin Band and Dmitry Nazarychev Band. Jazz Philharmonic Hall. 7 p.m.

Yana Radion and Tirami Su Latin. JFC Jazz Club. 7 p.m.

Lone Star Riders Country. Jimi Hendrix Blues Club. 8 p.m.

Alexei Lyapko Pop jazz. Neo Jazz Club. 8 p.m.

Leonid Vasilyev Quartet Retro instrumentals.

Palitra Art Cafe. 9 p.m.

Ildar Kazakhanov and Mikhail “Uncle Misha” Chernov Jazz standards. Sunduk Art Cafe. 8:30 p.m.

party mix

DJs Redisco and Vasya Attic Rare disco, soul, beat, USSR retro. Griboyedov. Midnight.

thursday, july 25 rock, etc.

New New acts. City Club. 8:30 p.m.

Skafandr Alternative. Griboyedov. 10 p.m.

Vladimir Vysotsky Memorial Night featuring Nikita Vysotsky, Nina Urgant, Leonid Mozgovoy, Mikhail Kane, Alexander Dolsky and Bratya Zhemchuzhniye. Lensoviet Palace of Culture, 42 Kamennoostrovsky Pr., M: Petrogradskaya, Tel.: 346-0438. 7 p.m.

Alfa-Strekozy/ShizLong Alternative.

Manhattan. 11 p.m.

The Other Culture New Composers, DjswoPorchEstra. Electronica, experimental.

Moloko. 7 p.m.

The Barbulators Rockabilly. Money Honey.

8 p.m.

the st. petersburg times

friday, july 19, 2002

ix

by Genine Babakian STAFF WRITER

travel

There are a million and one reasons to go to Budapest. Some go for the spectacular architecture. Others go for the music, an evening cruise along the Danube, or a weekend of wine tasting. And one must not underestimate the gastronomic lure of the city — the countless ways in which goose liver alone is creatively presented in Budapest is enough to titillate any gourmand’s taste buds.

I went for the baths.

To be fair, I knew that, once there, I’d take pleasure from all that Budapest has to offer: the scenic views over the Danube from Castle Hill, the strolling violinists serving up hearty helpings of gypsy music, a visit to the market to stock up on embroidered linens and the trendy cafes along Andrassy Utca, the tree-lined main drag in the heart of Buda.

I also liked the idea of going to two cities in one: Buda and Pest — two distinct cities divided by the Danube that joined to form one city in 1873.

But when my former banya buddy called to recommend that we meet for a weekend in Budapest, I thought only of the dozens of natural springs peppering the city. A spa weekend in one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe. Who could say no?

Our Hungarian bathing odyssey began at the Danubius Hotel Gellert, a mammoth Art Nouveau complex nestled between the Danube and the foot of Gellert Hill. The hill (and the hotel, for that matter) were named after St. Gellert — a martyr thrown off the peak to his death some 1,000 years ago for preaching Christianity to some local pagans.

Our experience at the Gellert was infinitely more pleasant. We had a spacious double room overlooking the river, complete with bathrobes and intriguing instructions enabling us to navigate the bathing facilities and make use of the Gellert Spa. Donning my bathrobe and holding the paper in the palm of my hand, I felt like a character in a turn-ofthe-century spy novel. Written in English and German, the instructions began: Doggy Doggy Rockabilly. Money Honey.

11:45 p.m.

Epos Rock. Psycho Pub. 8 p.m.

S.O.K. Reggae. Red Club (Second Stage). 8 p.m.

jazz & blues

David Goloshchokin Jazz violin night. Jazz Philharmonic Hall (Ellington Hall). 8 p.m.

Soul Food Fusion. JFC Jazz Club. 7 p.m.

Lucky Sharks Rockabilly. Jimi Hendrix Blues Club. 8 p.m.

The Way Blues. Neo Jazz Club. 8 p.m.

Svetlana Fyodorova & Co. Irish folk. Palitra Art Cafe. 9 p.m.

Yury Slavtsov, Jerry Kim and Friends Pop flamenco. Sunduk Art Cafe. 8:30 p.m.

party mix

Goa Trance Party DJs Samadkhi, Mist and Orange (Shanty Sound System). Griboyedov.

11 p.m.

It’s My House DJ Strong. Par.spb. 11 p.m.

friday, june 26 rock, etc.

PSYCHOBILLY FESTIVAL: The Poachers, The Baskerville Cats, Green Man, The Bombers. City Club. 8 p.m.

Besheniye Ogurtsy Ska punk. City Club. 1 p.m.

Besheniye Ogurtsy Ska punk. Fish Fabrique.

11 p.m.

Ska-Punk and Garage Party Manhattan. 11 p.m.

The Jets Rockabilly. Money Honey. 8 p.m.

The Big Livers Rockabilly. Money Honey.

12:30 a.m.

Ackee Wa-Wa Reggae. Red Club (Second Stage). 8 p.m.

jazz & blues

Yevgeny Ponomaryov Quartet Jazz standards. (812) Jazz Club. 9 p.m.

Ars Nova Mainstream. Jazz Philharmonic Hall.

7 p.m.

Ivan Vasilyev/Leonid Volsky Octet Mainstream. JFC Jazz Club. 7 p.m.

“The baths open at 6:00 a.m. Larger numbers of tourists may also come in from outside. Go down in your bathing suit and robe. No one will stop you.”

Indeed, no one did stop us as we passed the main desk on our way to explore the territory and map out a bathing strategy. We found the men’s and women’s thermal baths, where visitors lounged upon underwater benches in pools of hot spring water. Between the two gender-separated thermal baths is an indoor swimming pool where bathers in shower caps swim in leisurely circles.

An even larger pool with a well-timed wave machine is in the outdoor lounging area, as is a thermal bath where the two sexes are allowed to mingle.

Our instructions led us to the women’s thermal baths, where the staff greeted us with “decency covers” — apron-like pieces of cloth that made us look anything but decent — and repeated offers for a full-body massage.

Having been a regular at a very strict banya in Moscow, where the mistresses of steam feel free to chastise their fellow bathers for any breach in protocol, I was paralyzed with uncertainty: Do we enter the thermal baths before or after the steam room? When do we hit the swimming pool? And how, exactly, are we supposed to put on these decency covers?

But my worries, it appeared, were unfounded. At the Gellert, at least, the thermal baths were an as-you-like-it kind of ritual. Steam when you like, swim when you like, hop back and forth between the 36- and 38-degree baths at whim. In fact, the only hard and fast rule I observed during my weekend at the Gellert was the shower cap in the swimming pool rule. “This is one that is cast in stone,” I thought, witnessing a whistling attendant order a man — who was balder than most babies — to don the head cover.

While the Gellert baths are among the most famous in Budapest, they are not the only gig in town. The city has some 50 baths to choose from, ranging from the ancient springs that have been used for nearly 2000 years to other more modern baths in business for merely a century. Among the latter are the Contrast Blues Band Blues. Jimi Hendrix Blues Club. 8 p.m.

The Way Blues. Neo Jazz Club. 8 p.m.

Forrest Gump Blues. Palitra Art Cafe. 9 p.m.

Olga Ponomaryova Jazz songs. Sunduk Art Cafe. 8:30 p.m.

pop

7B Pop/rock. Bada Boom, 113a Pr. Engelsa. M.: Ozerki. Tel.: 510-0911. 1 a.m.

Alexander Martsinkevich and Kabriolet Hollywood Nites. 1 a.m.

Yelena Volgina Plaza. 1 a.m.

party mix

DJs Vertov and Satin, fashion show.

Griboyedov. 11 p.m.

Future Vibes DJs Primat, Dan Shuvalov, Chak, Timij and Shtaket. Par.spb. 11 p.m.

exhibits

Academy of Arts Museum Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Permanent Collection Paintings and drawings from the 18th century to the present day by past and present academy members and graduates.

Alexander Blok Apartment Museum Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Wednesday. 57 Ul. Dekabristov. M: Sennaya Ploshchad. Tel.: 1138633.

Permanent Collection Blok lived in the apartment for 10 years, and it is now one of the few apartment-museums in St. Petersburg that has been preserved exactly as it was when the writer lived there. It includes exhibits that describe Blok’s everyday life — books, furniture, pictures and so on — as well as his creative work.

THE MOSCOW TIMES

bathing is best done in budapest

The baths at the Gellert Hotel, a legacy of the once-ruling Ottoman Turks, include a large pool with a wave machine.

Szechenyi Baths inside the City Park — a sprawling complex at the end of Andrassy Utca. To enter the park, visitors must pass through the imposing Hero’s Square, where a massive statue of the Archangel Gabriel presides over representations of Hungarian leaders.

For a more eastern flavor, head to the Kiraly baths. These Turkish baths date back to the 16th century and the waters — a calcium-hydrogen-magnesium-carbonate cocktail — are said to work wonders on bad backs. The Danubius Thermal Hotel on Margaret Island, the green strip of land nestled between Buda and Pest, also welcomes weekend visitors and day guests to the spa. In contrast to the Art Nouveau style of the Gellert, the Thermal Hotel spa has a more modern flavor. And if you are looking for a quiet afternoon escape from the bustle of Pest, Margaret Island is a delightful place to stroll and people-watch.

Though you might find it hard to coax yourself from the languid hours spent at the spas, there is much more to do in Budapest than just bathe. Even if you have

no time to visit the National Gallery housed inside the Buda Palace on top of Castle Hill, it is worth a ride up the funicular to explore the narrow streets of this district and visit the imposing Matyas Templom Cathedral, located on the main square of the Buda Hills. On a sunny day, you can look out across the Danube and get a fine view of the Chain Bridge — the first to link Buda and Pest — and the neo-gothic Hungarian Parliament.

It would certainly be a crime to miss the Basilica — the city’ s largest cathedral — located on the other side of the Danube in the busy heart of Pest. The Basilica is a short walk from the Opera Theater that was once headed by Gustav Mahler. Visitors are allowed to step inside and marvel at the gold-leaf interior, but it is far more enjoyable to take in a performance. Evening opera and ballet performances start at 7 p.m. and tickets are available (sometimes right up to curtain time) at the box office. The theater is located at 22 Andrassy Utca, Pest’s most beautiful boulevard. The street is also home to a growing number of chic cafes

and dining establishments, making it the perfect location for a post-theater dinner.

Anna Akhmatova Museum at the Fontanka House Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Closed Monday and the last Wednesday of every month.

Permanent Collection Exhibits about Akhmatova’s life and work.

Children’s Drawings Exhibition of drawings done by Petersburg children, all aged five.

Through July.

Pavel Nakhimov An exhibition commemorating the 200th anniversary of Nakhimov’s birth. Documents, paintings, drawings, models and banners. Through September.

Vladimirskaya/Dostoevskaya. Tel.: 311-4031.

Permanent Collection A permanent memorial to the writer, including sections dedicated to his personal and professional biographies. Plus an exhibition of models for plays based on Dostoevsky’s novels “The Gambler,” “The Idiot,” “Demons” and “The House of the Dead.”

Dostoevsky Museum Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Closed Monday. 5 Kuznechny Per., M:

Where to Stay: A luxury double room at the Danubius Hotel Gellert (1 Gellert Ter., Tel. 36-1-385-2200) with a river view costs 190 euros ($191) per night. A buffet breakfast and use of the thermal baths and swimming pool are included. Single rooms and more modest doubles are also available. A more intimate and modest choice is the 24-room Kalvin House (6 Gonczy P. Utca. Tel. 36-1-430-0833), a turn-of-the-century hotel just one kilometer from Pest’s city center. Singles start at 50 euros, and doubles at 65.

Where to Eat: If you like candlelight, Gypsy music and a generous sampling of Hungarian wine, then try Szazeves, one of the city’ s oldest restaurants, located at 2 Barnabas Utca (Tel. 266-5240).

How to Get There: Pulkovo offers four flights a week from St. Petersburg to Budapest. Call Pulkovo (104-34-35) for details.

Art Gorod Gallery Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Everything Must Go An exhibition-cum-sale of works by St. Petersburg artists and sculptors. Paintings, decorative objects and sculptures. Through July 21.

Artists’ Union of Russia Exhibition Center Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Artists in the City An exhibition of more than 70 pieces created by artists of the union, primarily ceramics pieces and poster art.

Through August 4.

Association of Free Artists Gallery at Nevsky 20 Daily, noon to 8 p.m.

Erotica An Exhibition by Polish Humoristscum-Artists.Through August 15.

Sergey Mikhankov An exhibition of contemporary avant-garde paintings. Through August 14.

Borey Art Gallery Daily, noon to 8 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Change of Scene An exhibition-cum-sale of works by St. Petersburg artists. July 13 though September.

Central Naval Museum Wednesday through Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Permanent Collection The exhibitions “The Russian Orthodox and the Navy,” and “The Youth of the Baltic Fleet,” plus more than 650,000 historical objects and works of art about the navy, and about 2,000 models of both Russian and foreign ships.

Sergei Pen An exhibition marking the 50th birthday of Sergei Pen, the head of the Mariners’ Art Studio. Through September.

GENUINE RUSSIAN HOSPITALITY IN THE EUROPEAN RESTAURANT PLAZA

friday, july 19, 2002

Free Arts Foundation at Pushkinskaya 10 Museum of Nonconformist Art and Art Poligon, Tuesday through Saturday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; New Academy Museum, Saturday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Navicula Artis, Daily, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Gallery 21 Techno-Art Center, Tuesday through Saturday, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Bridge Over the Styx Gallery, Saturday 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The John Lennon Rock n’ Roll Temple, Friday, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Temple celebrations by invitation only. Tel.: 164-5353. Kino-Phot-Media film showings as advertised. Please Note: The Free Arts Foundation at Pushkinskaya 10 will be closed for the month of August.

703 “Paintings” and “Potraits” created by artist Grigoriy Katsipson. Kino-Phot-Media.

Through July 29.

Azimat E. Chest- 3/33 Life An Autobiographical Photography exhibition.

Kino-Phot-Media. Through July 27.

Children of Chechnya Photographs done by Alexander Simeninko of the Stavropol Regional Human Rights Center. Museum of Nonconformist Art. Through July 29.

Partial Breakdown The “Grand prix” organization presents a photo exhibition by the Netherlands’ Robert Knot, detailing a gruesome car accident and its victims.

Museum of Nonconformist Art. Through July 29.

Timor Novikov in Photographs Photographs of the late, great, post-modernist painter taken at various points of his life and career. St. Petersburg Archive and Library of Independent Art. Through July 23.

German Cultural Center Tuesday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. 5 Isaakievskaya Ploshchad. M: Sadovaya/Sennaya Ploshchad. Tel.: 314-4034 We Are Here … An exhibition of photographs

by Edward Serotta. Through July 20.

Ink Club Gallery Daily, noon to 7 p.m. Closed Monday. 79 8-aya Liniya, Vasilievsky Island. M: Vasileostrovskaya. Tel.: 323-5620.

For Laughter’s Sake Primitivist art by Maria and Filipp Kazak. Through July 21 Kirov Apartment Museum Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 26/28 Kamenoostrovsky Pr. Tel.: 346-0217 Permanent Collection Memorabilia about Leningrad in the 1920s and 1930s, when Sergei Kirov was Communist Party boss in the city, and artifacts related to his assassination in 1934, including the cap he was wearing at the time. In addition, “To Our Happy Childhood,” an exhibition about growing up in the “good old days.”

Kunstkamera Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Thursday.

Permanent Collection The collection of the Kunstkamera, the oldest museum in Russia, features sundry items belonging to Peter the Great and the Lomonosov Science Museum.

Also on display are the exhibitions “Amazon Indians,” about South American tribes; “Toys of the Peoples of the World,” a collection of playthings from around the globe; “Bronze in a Japanese House,” consisting of sculptures from 19th and 20th-century collections; and the infamous “Anatomical Rarities,” Peter’s collection of physiological freaks, pickled and floating in jars — definitely not for the squeamish.

Manezh Central Exhibition Hall Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Thursday.

Anniversary Exhibition An exhibition to mark the anniversary of the St. Petersburg Artists Union. More than 1,000 paintings and drawings by Petersburg artists. Through August 4.

Masters’ Guild Gallery Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Viktor Anufriyev Paintings. Through August 10 Military Historical Museum of Artillery and Engineers Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Permanent Collection This museum was established in 1703 by Peter the Great and

a fleshy tribute to the good life

by Aliona Bocharova STAFF WRITER

The exhibition “Revealing the Human Body Un-tanned,” by Dima Mishenin and Andrey Chezhin, at The Nabokov Museum until July 26, may well contribute to a discussion about the essence of contemporary art. The exhibition is part of the local annual artistic event “Contemporary Art in the Traditional Museum” initiated by The PRO ARTE Institute.

The exhibition comprises ten digital photos of a beautiful young woman basking in the sun, and ten fragments of her arrogant monologue, crowning a floor covered with a layer of sand tread by barefooted patrons.

The opening of the exhibition was a bold, yet inspired and tasteful blend of contemporary art and advertising — a huge screen with an online broadcast of a pedicure procedure from the adjacent gallery, and a beach video with half-naked girls changing in dressing-huts, and women in bikinis serving orange juice.

“I consider myself a magician, whose mission is to dissolve the border between art and advertising,” Dima Mishenin says. “I believe that someone producing tasty juice, and good quality hi-fi technology, or someone skilled to do a pedicure, can be called a contemporary artist as well”. Dima Mishenin, the ideologist of “The Doping-Pong Comics” group, started as a comicmaker and alternative commercial artist. Now the Doping-Pong comics can be found both in museum space and glossy magazines, and are a mix of digital contemporary art and unique advertising of undeniable artistic value.

One would think that Chezhin, a well-established Petersburg photographer, known for his black-and-white works — absurd, grotesque and surreal — would hardly fit in with such company. However, this exhibition is the third joint project that Chezhin and Mishenin have successfully brought together. “Our co-operation has been very enjoyable and fruitful so far,” notes Chezhin. “Dima is a very unpredictable artist — the projects that he offers always differ and I do enjoy working in various manners, although, of course, I must confess that it was quite a stretch for me to allow my photos to documents the military history of Russia since that time. The permanent collection includes early Russian cannons, plus war trophies and memorabilia.

Moskovsky District Exhibition Hall Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Monday.

Artak Muradyan Still-lifes, urban landscapes and figurative art created by St. Petersburg’s own Muradyan, using the brightly-hued Armenian colorization method. Through August 1.

Museum of Bread 73 Ligovsky Prospect M: Chernishevskaya. Tel.: 164-13-59 Exhibition Exhibition of the works of artist Valery Beganov featuring portraiture, still life, and landscape. Through August 1.

Museum of City Sculpture Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Thursday. 179/2 Nevsky Prospect.

M: Ploshchad Alexandra Nevskogo. Tel.: 2742635 Permanent Collection Housed in the Church of the Annunciation at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, the museum contains exhibitions dedicated to some of St. Petersburg’s most famous sons and daughters. Exhibitions include “The Necropolis of 18th-Century Artists,” “The National Pantheon of Russia,” and “The Annunciation Burial Vault.” The museum also has a branch, called “Literary Bridges,” at 30 Rasstanaya Ul. It is open daily, except Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tel.: 166-2383.

Museum of the History of Religion Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Wednesday. 14/5 Pochtamtskaya Ulitsa. M: Sadovaya/Sennaya Ploshchad. Tel.: 311-4549.

Permanent Collection Exhibitions about the history of religions, including “Ancient and

SERGEI KALAKUTSY

Ethnographic Museum Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Monday.

Permanent Collection Exhibitions of artifacts and anthropological bric-a-brac from every corner of the former Soviet Union, including “The Caucasus” and “Peoples of Siberia and the Far East.”

Copper Kingdom More than 200 copper objects from the collection of St. Petersburg collector Vladimir Zhukov. Tools, bowls, church items, decorations, coins and picture frames, dating from the 15th to the 20th century.

Through September.

Mexico, Guatemala — My Love An Exhibition of around 30 water-paintings, arranged in a lyric-philosophical cycle accompanied by poems by the artist Nina Dyakova, documenting her time spent in and love affair with these two Central American countries. July 10 through August 4.

Treasures of the Russian Orthodox Church Exhibition of rarely-seen gifts given to Patriarch Alexiy II, some of which have never before been exhibited for the public. Through September.

the st. petersburg times

exhibit

x

Dima Mishenin (l), amid sand and barefeet, showing his exhibition last week to dj fantastic plastic machine (Japan).

be digitally altered.”

The Easy, frivolous mood of the exhibition, sexual energy of the visual images, and tension of the texts combine to tell a story of an intensely erotic memory from Mishenin’s childhood. “As a 6- or 7-year old boy I spent summers on the Black Sea with my parents. Along the seashore there were always a number of dumb guys selling pocket calendars with top models in bikinis. They pulled down straps of their panties so one could see a small piece of the un-tanned body.”

“Those were innocent photos, far from pornography, but as a child I was truly amused and aroused. What doubled my excitement was my strong belief that these beautiful women were married to these clownish sellers.” “ I drew a picture of this idyllic life on the beach: men come home and these ladies cook dinner for them, and then, together, they make photos that they later sell on the shore and thus earn money. These childish erotic memories cannot be compared to any Traditonal Belief;” “Religion in the Ancient World,” about Egypt, Greece, Rome and the Far East; and “The Development of Christianity and the History of Russian Orthodoxy;” plus the exhibition “What a Pleasant Millenium We Have Outside,” which includes icons, sculptures and the like describing the development of religions in recent times.

Museum of the History of St. Petersburg Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Permanent Collection The History of St. Petersburg from 1703 to the Early 19th century. Commandant’s House. OreshikNoteburg-Shlisselburg. Nevskaya Kurtina.

Museum of Old Petersburg, Petersburg Interiors in Photographs. Engineers’ House.

Furniture and Interior Objects from the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg.

Naryshkin Bastion. Thursday, 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Walking tours along the top of the kurtini and bastions of the Peter and Paul Fortress also leave from Nevskaya Kurtina.

Petersburg Through Artists’ Eyes Works with a local theme by members of the Pechatnya printing workshop. Nevskaya Kurtina. Through August.

Contemporary Flemish Art An exhibition in two parts. The first, “My Angel Will Still Fly Here,” comprises photographs by six young Flemish artists. The second, “Flemish Watercolor,” comprises paintings in various different styles. Through August 15.

Museum of the Political History of Russia Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Thursday.

Permanent Collection A range of exhibitions that give an insight into what makes Russia what it is today, including “Russian Reforms and Reformers;” “Business Russia,” a history of finance and banking in Russia in the 19th and 20th centuries; “From the Sublime to the Ridiculous,” the history of Russia through

sexual experience that I had later.”

Indeed, the un-tanned body parts demonstrated at the exhibition — pale strips on the wrist, fingers and toes from wearing a watch and rings — can evoke sexual fantasies, but do not have much to do with the rough sexuality of a naked body. Their innocence is set off by a funny story shared by Olya, or Olaf, the model depicted in the photos.

“When we worked on the project, it was quite cold outside and there was no natural sun, so I went to the tanning booth. I wore a bikini and the other supposed un-tanned parts were covered with a plaster!”

Dmitry Milkov, a board member of The Nabokov apartment museum and deputy director of the PRO-ARTE Institute, said of the project, “I believe that Nabokov himself would have liked the exhibition. Perhaps [the exhibition] would shock an ordinary viewer, however, it has nothing to do with the platitude or bad taste that Nabokov hated so much. Moreover, the untanned body propaganda; “Who Killed Nicholas II?;” and “Having Won the War.” Also the exhibition “Kshesinskaya’s Mansion: Times and People” that runs through 2003 and traces the fate of the mansion built for Matilda Kshesinskaya, a prima ballerina at the Imperial Ballet, by her lover — Nicholas II. Russia and the U.S.: The Importance of Understanding Each Other An exhibition about the history of Russia-U.S. relations in the 20th century. A wide range of materials culled from the museum’s own collections, including documents, photographs, World War II-era weapons and munitions, memorials and clothing. Through September 1.

The Smooth Surface of History An exhibition of needlework by artists from the Soviet period. Through September 1.

Fashion and Politics A video-installation about the transient nature of fashion and politics. July 7 through August 7.

Museum of the Political History of Russia Annex Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Permanent Collection The exhibition “The VChK-KGB-FSB Against Espionage and Terrorism,” including photographs, documents and video footage documenting the state spooks’ valiant fight against espionage, economic crime, terrorism and their repression of Soviet citizens.

Museum of Theater and Musical Arts Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 6 Ploshchad Ostrovskogo. M: Nevsky Prospect/Gostiny Dvor. Tel.: 311-2195 Permanent Collection An exhibition about Russian drama theaters, actors, directors and designers of the 19th and 20th centuries. The exhibition includes paintings, mockups of plays, photographs, costumes and private objects belonging to actors and directors.

parts demonstrated are very erotic, but it is not about innocence. In their nakedness, one can find both sexual aggression and almost childish tenderness. Visual images and texts fascinate and frighten at the same time. And fascinate again.”

However, the exhibition is not only about the artist’s desire for the un-tanned body. As the exhibition unfolds, the texts grow in aggression and fatality — starting from innocent delightful descriptions to farewell warnings “The Higher Truth will follow closely by your steps. Happy repressions, you, the future morgue dwellers!” It is a demonstration, a visual manifesto of a way of life for a new generation of “the lazy and joyful,” intelligent and idle nothing-doers. “I believe it is the only proper way to live — enjoy being yourself, do nothing, produce nothing except from beauty,” Mishenin explains. “Unfortunately I cannot lead such a way of life — for the simple reason that there should be someone to propagandise its benefits.”

Nabokov Apartment Museum Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tel.: 315-4713.

Permanent Collection The museum includes the whole apartment where the Nabokov family lived from 1887 until November 1917, and describes the writer’s family and his creative work.

Nota Bene Art Gallery Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Closed Sunday.

Summer Festival An exhibition of paintings, drawings and decorative-art pieces by artists from across Russia. Through August 4 Natalya Golovkishaya An exhibition of ceramics. Through August 3.

Printing Museum Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Wednesday and the last Tuesday of each month.

Permanent Collection Publishing and typography at the start of the 20th century, plus “The Music Room,” a reconstruction of a 19th-century St. Petersburg music-lover’s apartment, replete with all manner of gramphones, records and other paraphernalia.

Pushkin Apartment Museum Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Tuesday.

A Friend of Pushkin — Nashyekin An Exhibition of works by Nashyekin. Through August.

Rumyantsev Mansion Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, 11a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Wednesday and the last Tuesday of each month.

Permanent Collection A range of exhibitions with local themes, including “The History of the Rumyantsev Mansion,” “NEP: Images of

the st. petersburg times

Sheremetyev Palace Wednesday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.

Permanent Collection The suites of the palace, plus an exhibition of watercolors, blueprints and photographs to mark its 250th anniversary. The palace also houses an annex to the Museum of Theater and Musical Arts that describes St. Petersburg’s musical life from the 18th century to the 20th century and includes an exhibition of musical instruments.

Smolny Cathedral Exhibition Hall Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Permanent Collection Two exhibitions, about the architecture of Smolny Cathedral and the history of Smolny Convent.

The Restoration of Museum Values in Russia About 600 paintings, frescoes, decorative-art pieces, icons and cultural objects from the 15th century to the present day, restored by 15 St. Petersburg and 15 Moscow artists. Through August 15.

Smolny Historical Memorial Museum Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment, groups only. Friday, 3 p.m. open to individual visitors.

Permanent Collection Exhibitions about the history of women’s education in Russia, Smolny and the first Soviet government from October 1917 to March 1918, and Smolny during the siege of Leningrad.

SPAS Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Sunday.

State Hermitage Museum Daily, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, 10:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Monday.

Avant-Garde Jewellery: Sources and Parallels. One hundred and twenty works by European jewellers from the 1970s through the 1990s, and Russian creations from the past two years. Through July 24.

The World’s Masterpieces at the Hermitage Currently on display, on loan from various museums around the world, are Caravaggio’s “Amor Vincit Omnia” (“Love Conquers All”), through July 31; Titian’s “Venus With a Mirror,” through August 26; Lorenzo Lotto’s “The Flight Into Egypt;” two 13th-century Italian icons, through August 18; an exhibit of Kazakh gold, through July 27; and John Constable’s “Gillingham Mill” and George Stubbs’ “Gimcrack, with John Pratt Up, on Newmarket Heath,” through September 21.

For the Common Good: Commemorating the 300th Anniversary of the Monetary Reforms of Peter the Great More than 500 displays from the collection of the Mint Museum: coins, Russian, European and Asian medals from several centuries. The test mintings and medals from the era of Peter the Great and rare 19th-century medals are of particular interest. Through December Union of Museums: The Madonna and the Knights. Van Dyck’s “The Madonna and the Partridges,” from the Hermitage’s own collection; Oscar Kokoshka’s “Knight Errant,” from the collection of the Guggenheim Museum in New York; and Van Dyck’s “The Vision of the Blessed Hermann Joseph,” from the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. Through August 18.

Gothic and Renaissance Dreams Siennese paintings from the 14th century to the first half of the 16th century. Through September 25.

One Collection’s Fate Five hundred works in stone from the collection of one of the Dukes of Orleans. Through December.

Nicholas I and the New Hermitage.

Nicholas I opened St. Petersburg’s first public museum, and this exhibition covers the event through paintings by European old masters, sculptures, graphic works, creations by Russian masters and documents. New Hermitage. Through August 25.

Buddhist Cave Art Wall paintings from the Bezeklik Buddhist monastery near Tuffan, east Turkistan. Through July 28.

Black Square Kazimir Malevich’s famous futurist masterpiece, saved from being sold abroad by a last-minute state intervention. On display until further notice.

State Russian Museum Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Tuesday. www.rusmuseum.ru Permanent Collection Russian art, from 12th-century icon-painters to the latest movements in modern art.

by Andrei Vorobei SPECIAL TO THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES

Two weeks have already passed since the “Contemporary Art in a Traditional Museum Festival” appeared, comprising 13 works by up and coming contemporary artists displayed in the city’s most traditional — and sometimes least-visited — museums.

The opening of the Festival, which came with the presentation of the “Antarctica for Sale” can best be described as quaint. Though Antarctica is un-owned and, according to intergovernmental agreements, it can only be used for scientific purposes, it is also regarded as a tasty morsel by many states.

Thus, the performance included the symbolic eating of a large cake in the shape of Antarctica by representatives of different countries, and other visitors.

Guests complained that the penguins were slightly bitter. With the Russian State Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic as the location for the exhibit, visitors could also see works by the young artists of the PRO ARTE Institute. Though the works demonstrated flair, they were somewhat overawed by the richly heavy nature of the museum’s own collections, with which they were forced to compete.

Just up the road, at the Dostoevsky Memorial Museum, a stiumulating work entitled “The Echo Territory” by the Kaliningrad-based artist Dmitry Bulatov was being displayed. Bulatov is probably best remembered for representing Russia at the Russian Contemporary Art Exhibition at the MAK Museum in Vienna in 2002, where he appeared in a military tank shouting into a megaphone in his interactive performance «Davai!» («Come on!»).

Here, Bulatov claimed that he wished “to represent the international Italian Painters of the 18th and 19th Centuries Paintings by Italian artists working in St. Petersburg in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Part of the festival “L’Italia sulla via Italiana.” Through July 25.

Introspection Exhibition of the works of Vitaly Pusnitsy in varied mediums, featuring paintings, graphic art, and an installation by the artist. Marble Palace.

Through August 8.

Natalya Goncharova: The Russian Years Works, often with religious themes, from Goncharova’s early period, before she left Russia in 1915. Benois Wing. Through July 25.

Vanity Case A traveling exhibition of works by designer Philippe Starck. Marble Palace. Through July.

Russian Folk Toys An exhibition of more than 1,000 toys from the 19th and 20th centuries, from various regions of Russia and made in different technical styles. Through August.

Judith Rothschild An exhibition of more than 50 paintings and collages by this member of the famous family of bankers. Marble Palace.

Through July 29.

Toy Museum 32 Nab. Reki Karpovki. Tel.: 234-4312 Paper Puppets More than 30 St. Petersburg painters and sculptors show off a range of items in this unusual genre. The puppets are meant to reveal the artists’ inner world and their unrealized potential. Through September 15.

From the Storeroom of Work An exhibition of toys made from clay by Novgorod-based artist Stanislav Tarasov.

The toys on display demonstrate a new approach to the subject, using natural materials collected from the environment.

Through September 30.

Valensiya Art Center 5 Prospect Bakunina.

Tel.: 346-7460.

Home Music-Making An exhibition of the works of Sergei Volkov (1955-1994). Sketches, mixed media. Through August 17.

Yelizarov Apartment Museum Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Wednesday. 52/24 Ul. Lenina.

Tel.: 235-3778 Permanent Collection An exhibition about Anna Ulyarova-Yelizova, Lenin’s daughter. Part of the series “The Fate of the Russian Intelligentsia.”

sound-poetry collection of the end of the 20th century in the light of existential and maximally personified gesture.” To this end, the exhibition includes an audio-poetry archive, featuring 110 poets from 22 countries, and a video montage of the last hours of the life of Japanese writer and poet Yukio Mishima, including excerpts from Paul Schrader’s feature film “Mishima” and archived footage of the poet’s speech to Japanese soldiers before committing suicide. The leitmotif of “The Echo Territory” project was a famous quote from Mishima: “Language is a true fascist, for the essence of fascism is not in forbidding, but in forcing one to say something …”

Another Kaliningrad-based artist, Yuri Vasiliev, presented his laconic and somewhat obvious metaphor, “Russian Red,” in the Kuinji Apartment Museum where birches — a perennial, Yuri VasilievÕs ÒRussian Red,Ó on display in the Kuinji Apartment Museum. stereotypical image of Russia — stood in blood. Vasiliev claimed that the per- designed and styled in terms of their in- “Never Odd or Even”, butterflies are formance had originally been under- teraction with the museums that played the centerpiece — “beautiful, fragile, host to them, creating new meanings and elusive insects that have been taken in a Smolensk forest.

More intriguing, perhaps, was the and ideas. One was carried out by the caught and prepared for scientific metaphor presented at the State Mu- Dustmen art group at the Alexandrin- study.” The butterflies are juxtaposed seum of Russian Political History, sky Theater Museum. They displayed with other objects — photographs that where the artist Leonid Rusnak played theatrical dust collected from stages are folded, pinned and labeled like inwith the concept of political leader as and backstage areas of well known ar- sect specimens, and presented in caselawgiver of styles. The exhibition was eas, making it the focus of their exhibi- like frames. The photographs depict interestingly accomplished through the tion. According to the artists “The dust the “most beautiful and most horrific use of a video installation projected collected in the theaters, preserves in it examples of symmetry.” Miniaturized from a derelict car symbolizing “The the power of the stage when the great formal gardens, Palladian architecture, March of Time.” The artist explores masters create their eternal chef-d’oeu- grand squares whose symmetrical the phenomenon of political power and vres.” At the same time, the exhibition structure of balance and harmony are draws a parallel between the change of points toward the problem of modern shown next to Nazi architecture, such political regimes and the change of art, which has inherited the refusal of as Albert Speer’s Reichskanzler or the fashion labels — Yeltsin as “Guess” cultural tradition from the 20th century, Haus der Kunst in Munich by P.L. and Putin as “Boss,” for example. The as well as reflections on traditional cul- Troost, and Stalinist architecture, where “order is equated with power guest book, where visitors left their im- tural fetishes.

The second of the two “hits” was by and submission.” According to the art pressions of the exhibition, makes for the New York-based-artist Barbara biography of Barbara Bloom: “She interesting reading.

The next two projects in the festival Bloom, who exhibited at the Nabokov traveled the world to seek beauty.” were, for many, the most successfully Apartment Museum. In her work, The Festival runs until July 31.

screens NEW! 8 Women (8 Femmes) (France, 2002). Catherine Denueve, Isabelle Huppert, Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Beart, Danielle Darrieux and others investigate a murder in this charming comedy by Francois Ozon.

Avrora. Through July. Leningrad. Through July 25.

The African Queen (1951) Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn star in this adventurous love story, set in World War I. Bogart won an Academy Award for his performance. John Huston directs.

Spartak. Sun., July 21 at 2:30 p.m.; Thurs., July 25 at 3 p.m.

Bad Company (2002, U.S.-Czech Republic) Criticized for its bad timing and overall banality, this is an action comedy featuring a pair of CIA agents and terrorists who try to buy a nuclear bomb from the Russian mafia in Prague.

Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock star.

Joel Schumacher directs. Crystal Palace.

Through July.

Death in Venice (1978, Italy) Dirk Bogarde stars in Luchino Visconti's adaption of the title work by Thomas Mann. Spartak. Fri., July 19 at 7 p.m.; Sun., July 21 at 5 p.m.

The Doors (1991, U.S.) In this ultimate story of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, Oliver Stone pays homage to Jim Morrison and the 1960s.

Val Kilmer acts as the late Doors' frontman and does most of the singing himself.

Spartak. Sat., July 20 at 3 p.m.; Mon., July 22 at 8:30 p.m.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999, U.S.-U.K.) Stanley Kubrick takes a close look at a marriage in crisis in his last work, which was released after his death. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman star. Spartak. Tues., July 23 at 3 p.m.

Hair (1979, U.S.) Milos Forman's screen version of the Broadway musical about flower power and the Vietnam War. John Savage stars. Choreographed by Twyla Tharp. Spartak.

Sun., July 21 at 7 p.m.; Tues., July 23 at 9 p.m.; Fri., July 26 at 5 p.m.

Kung-Fu Soccer (Siu lam juk kau) (2001, Hong Kong) An action comedy about a bunch of martial arts masters turned soccer players.

Leningrad. Through July 25.

Last Tango in Paris (1971, FranceItaly) Marlon Brando stars as a washedup, middle-aged American in Paris who initiates a purely sexual liaison with a chance acquaintance (Maria Schneider).

Directed by Bernando Bertolucci. Spartak.

Sun., July 21 at 4:30 p.m.; Wed., July 24 at 7 p.m.

Love's a Bitch (Amores Perros) (2000, Mexico) An award-winning comedy about relationships which follows three storylines, each also featuring a dog. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu directs. Spartak. July 20 at 7 p.m.; Mon., July 22 at 3 p.m.; Thurs., July 25 at 7 p.m.

Love's Labour's Lost (2000, U.K.-FranceU.S.) Kenneth Branagh directs this musical adaptation of the early Shakespeare comedy, with songs by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin. Spartak. Sat., July 20 at 5:30 p.m.; Mon., July 22 at 7 p.m.; Fri., July 26 at 3 p.m.

NEW! Men in Black II (2002, U.S.) Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith star in this sequel to the 1997 hit about an unofficial government agency that hunts for aliens. Barry Sonnenfeld directs. Avrora, Barrikada, Crystal Palace.

Through July. Kolizei. Through July 25.

Mirage Cinema. Through July. Parisiana.

Through July 24.

Microcosmos (Microcosmos: Le peuple de l’herbe) (1996, France) A unique, unclassifiable film about the insect world. Won the Technical Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Spartak. Sun., July 21 at 1 p.m.

Mulholland Drive (2001, U.S.) David Lynch is his usual self in this latest outing, a surreal, neo-noir thriller in which a would-be actor attempts to rediscover her past after she loses her memory in a car accident. Naomi Watts and Laura Harring star. Dom Kino.

Through Aug. 4.

Nico and Dani (Krampak) (2000, Spain) Set on the Mediterranean coast, the film tells a story about two Spanish boys discovering gay

sexuality. Secs Gay directs. Spartak. Tues., July 23 at 5:30 p.m.; Wed., July 24 at 9 p.m.; Thurs., July 25 at 5 p.m.; Fri., July 26 at 7 p.m.

NEW! Resident Evil (2002, U.S.) The protagonists have to fight a deadly virus and hordes of mutant scientists in this mediocre action movie based on the videogame of the same name. Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodrigue star. Avrora. Starts July 25.

The Son's Room (La Stanza del figlio) (2001, France-Italy) Winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, this drama deals with a family trying to cope with a loss.

Nanni Moretti, Laura Morante, Jasmine Trinca star. Moretti directs. Spartak. Fri., July 19 at 5 p.m.; Tues., July 23 at 7 p.m.

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002, U.S.) Jedi knights continue their struggle against the forces of evil. Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson and Natalie Portman star. George Lucas directs. Crystal Palace. Through July.

NEW! Talk to Her (Hable con ella) (Spain, 2002) Two men in love with two different women suffer through the same predicament in this character study by Pedro Almodovar.

Avrora. Through July.

Would I Lie to You? (La verite si je mens) (1997, France) In this romantic comedy, the hero tries to pretend to be Jewish to work effectively in the Jewish community. Thomas Gilou directs. Spartak. Fri., July 19 at 3 p.m.; Wed., July 24 at 3 p.m.

CLASSICAL MUSIC ON CD 5 St. Isaac’s Sq. Tel.: 311-5976 Mon. – Sat.: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Sun.: noon – 7 p.m.

THE WIDEST CHOICE IN ST. PETERSBURG

OPEN WORLD MUSICAL−INFORMATIONAL CENTER

FOR SPT

Samoilov Dynasty Apartment Museum Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. 8 Stremyannaya Ul. Tel.: 164-1130.

Permanent Collection “Stars of the Russian Ballet,” an exhibition of artifacts documenting Russia’s rich ballet history.

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bring in the old with the new festival

the Town and Man,” “St. Petersburg on the Edge of the Millennium,” plus an exhibit commemorating the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

friday, july 19, 2002

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friday, july 19, 2002

the st. petersburg times

top honors from placido domingo

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past] been cleared away by training?

Tremolo is not encouraged in our Academy. Our professors teach us to sing naturally, not forcing the voices, the way we speak. They teach us the European manner of singing.

We work a lot at the details, nuance, and phrasing. They also advice us not to rush. The voice develops gradually and, if you rush, you can damage it.

moment on, my life changed. So much has happened in these past two years.

In the autumn of that same year, I participated in the Rimsky-Korsakov vocal competition here in St Petersburg and was awarded the special prize for musicality.

Later, I participated in the Moniuszko Competition in Warsaw, and won third prize. And then I went to England to take part in the BBC contest in Wales. There were three singers from the Mariinsky Academy. I represented Georgia; Vladimir Moroz was there for Belorus and Katya Semenchuk, for Russia. After my participation in that contest, which was broadcast live on TV, I was approached by one of the agencies, which offered me the role of Olga in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin.” As a result, I performed in the Austrian city of Graz last fall. And, in last year’s White Nights Festival, I participated alongside other members of our Academy when we performed Rossini’s “Voyage to Rheims” under the direction of Yury Bashmet.

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What are your plans for the coming months? Vacations? Going to Georgia to visit your family?

I would like to, because I haven’t seen my family for two years. In July I will perform the role of Cherubino in “The Marriage of Figaro.” It will be my first appearance as a soloist in the Mariinsky. And then I will start preparing for the RimskyKorsakov Competition. This competition has a difficult program, because the contestants have to perform both 19th century romances and modern works … [allowing us to] demonstrate our knowledge of different styles.

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Participating in such contests enlarges your repertoire, doesn’t it?

Of course. It is our exam, the test of our artistic abilities and of our stamina.

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What was the most exciting moment of your artistic life last year?

Our Academy did a concert version of Saint-Saens’ “Samson and Delilah” where I sang the role of Delilah, and our vocal teacher, Graer Chanedanian, was Samson. It was very exciting. We performed the piece on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater and Leonid Korchmar was conducting.

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FOR SPT

opera

Anna Kikadze, the young mezzo from the Mariinsky Academy of Young Singers, is among the laureates of the Placido Domingo Vocal Competition, held recently in Paris The ‘Operalia’ Competition was founded by Placido Domingo in 1993 to help talented young singers launch their careers. In keeping with tradition, the competition took place in the Chatelet Theater in Paris from the 16th to the 22nd of June.

Before being admitted to the first round of the competition — which contains three rounds in all — aspiring contestants had to present audio tapes of the pieces that they were planning to perform. Altogether, 550 entries were presented to the jury for consideration.

Of these, 40 young singers were invited to compete. Among them were three contestants from The Mariinsky Academy of Young Singers: Ilia Bannik, Anna Kiknadze and Tatiana Mazur.

In the end, Anna Kiknadze came home with the ‘Zarzuela prize’ awarded to the best performers of traditional Spanish operetta music. Placido Domingo included this genre of music in the program as an extra incentive to those contestants who wanted to try their luck performing this specific genre. The award is dedicated to the memory of his parents who were well known performers of zarzuela.

Anna spoke to Larisa Doctorow about her experience at the Operalia upon returning from Paris.

Marinsky Academy Mezzo Kikadze recently took top honors in ÔOperalia.Õ

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Is there a difference for you between singing in concerts and participating in staged operas?

Of course. Costumes and scenery create a special atmosphere and help to better show the character. The stage is an altogether different world.

But singing in a concert brings you into better contact with the audience, because [the choir] stands in front of the audience, sing and do not interact with one another.

It’s true that our whole life is the theater. But that is our favorite occupation, our dream profession, so it should not be tiring. Sometimes, waiting for my turn in the wings and getting very nervous, I ask myself: “Why have I chosen this profession that requires so much?” But after the show, when I hear people applauding, I tell myself: “Thank God that I have chosen this profession, that brings [me] so much satisfaction.”

What roles would you like to perform?

I love the role of Carmen.

Why this one particularly?

How did you decide to compete in the Zarzuela category of the competition?

There were two awards in the category of Zarzuela, one for a man and the other for a woman, but it was not required that we participate. I had prepared a program of four arias. After I decided to enter this category, our concertmaster, and the artistic director of the academy, Larisa Gergieva, looked at my proposed program and suggested: “Why not try to do something from Ximenes’ operas?’ She found the scores. That is how I became the winner of this competition within a competition.

How would you describe your relations with conductors? Are they like teachers to you, or strict fathers, or colleagues?

Mostly we work with Leonid Korchmar. We rarely work with Valery Gergiev. Korchmar is closely associated with the Academy. He always includes our students in his stagings. As he says, he likes the way we sing. We also performed Richard Strauss’s “Ariadne auf Naxos” with him, as well as “Dido and Aeneas” by Purcell. These were all concert performances.

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new swan lake preened to a shine

How did your singing career begin?

I was born and grew up in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. When I was a fourth-year student at the local conservatory, I was named as a soloist to the Opera and Ballet Theater in Tbilisi. One of my first roles was [that of] Carmen in Bizet’s opera. Later, when I heard about the Mariinsky Academy of Young Singers, I decided to try my luck and came to St Petersburg. It was in the autumn of 2000. At the auditions, I sang the fortune-telling scene from “Carmen,” among other things, and I was accepted. From that

STAFF WRITER

The lights go out, quiet coughs from the anticipating audience resonate in the auditorium, the director lightly taps his stand, and the performance begins at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Opera and Ballet Theatre.

The second ballet season is underway with classical performances that captivate every member of the audience. Choreographed by the talented and highly respected Professor Nikita Dolgushin, the theater is currently performing “Giselle” and “Swan Lake.”

The theater itself creates in ideal atmosphere for revisiting the classical past. Upon entering the theater, one is immediately struck by the quiet sounds of violins in the background, which set the mood for an enchanted evening of cultural reawakening.

In this city, everything has a story, and the theater is no exception. The State Opera and Ballet Theatre, located on Teatralnaya Ploshad, opened in 1783, and was originally a grand theatre designed to entertain the nobility of the city until 1811 when it burned down and was restored in 1818. After the completion of remodeling in 1836, the theater served another 54 years until repair was inevitable. In 1920, the theater was turned into a conservatory, then named after A. Glazynova. Only in 1991 did the theater return to serve its

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In addition to all these performances, you continue to take classes. Isn’t this sometimes too tiring?

original purpose, and two of the world’s most popular ballets are being performed at the theater this season.

The Rimsky-Korsakov State Opera and Ballet Theatre is an appropriate setting for two of the most dramatic ballets. Dolgushin explained that, although both “Giselle” and “Swan Lake” belong to the world cannon of ballets, only a small part of their original choreography is known.

“The audience sees both ballets as symbols of classical theater,” described Dolgushin, but many are mistaken about the true history of the ballets.

In “Swan Lake,” for example, there are certain established choreographic moves, yet much was left to Dolgushin to design for himself.

“Swan Lake’s” original choreography is largely unknown and that which is regarded as the classical choreography is actually Lev Ivanov’s 1895 adaptation. Dolgushin chose to take the path less traveled and express his own unique and captivating choreographic approach in the performance.

In the first scene, Dolgushin uses blue and silver tones in order to create a medieval setting while introducing the concept of romanticism. The colors also symbolize the lake around which the whole performance revolves.

This highly intellectual and intricate approach, along with extraordinary choreography, creates a magical spectacle for all audiences.

At the same time, in the fourth scene,

In the Soviet past, tremolo or warbling voices were pretty typical of the Russian school. That was not appreciated in the West. Has this [relic of the

How did the Tbilisi theater take your departure?

They let me go with great regret, but understood that it was better for me to come to the Mariinsky.

FOR SPT

q: a:

by Anastasia Boreiko

ballet

What are your impressions of the contest? Was it difficult?

Certainly, but, at the same time, rewarding. In the third round when we performed with the orchestra, Placido Domingo himself was the conductor.

That was unforgettable. We also had rehearsals with the orchestra, and it was moving to see him trying to help and to encourage all the contestants. The Jury, of over 15 members, consisted of directors of opera theaters, and international opera performers. Placido Domingo did not vote because, as I understood, he could not bring himself to eliminate anyone. After each round he told us: “Remember that you are all winners, because you are participating in such a prestigious contest. And it is not so important whether you get the first prize.”

After our orchestral rehearsal, he proposed that I work again on separate pieces and sat down at the piano to accompany me. It was a dream come true to sing alone with an orchestra conducted by him!

a:

Because she embodies everything, all the emotions. She can be frivolous, teasing, cunning, playful, serious, tragic, and challenging. In Tbilisi, stage director Robert Sturua made her restrained. When I have performed arias from the opera they sound different depending upon my mood. We all change with our moods.

Dancers performingTchaikovskyÕs Swan Lake, choreographed by Dolgushin.

Dolgushin chooses to use the original music intended by Tchaikovsky instead of the version used in most theaters from the 1895 adaptation. Dolgushin incorporates his years of experience to create unique choreography and setting, while also incorporating many traditional aspects that are lost in other performances.

It is Dolgushin’s approach to ballet, which sets the performance in the historical State Opera and Ballet Theater-

apart from other performances. “I would like my troop give one hundred percent,” said Dolgushin, and the dancers truly do give their all.

Both “Giselle” and “Swan Lake” will appear regularly at the the Rimsky-Korsakov State Opera and Ballet Theater, entertaining audiences with extraordinary design and choreography through August. See Listings for more information.