The Odessa Review - № 1 (April 2016) by The Odessa Review

Edition

# 01/ April 2016

Publisher: Hares Youssef

Editor-in-Chief: Vladislav Davidzon

Managing editor:

Regina Maryanovska-Davidzon

Editor at large: Peter Dickinson

Senior Editor Julia Makarenko

Associate Editor Alexandra Koroleva

Contributors:

Simon Sebag Montefiore, Jerome Vacher, Joshua ‘Socalled‘ Dolgin, Boris Khersonsky, Ute Kilter, Nikolai Holmov, Vadim Goloperov, Yulia Malikova.

Design by:

Alex Noio Design

Photography:

Katja Bakurova, Dmitry Kharenko, Evgeniy Arefiev, Igor Sytnik

Illustrations:

Sasha Geifman, Alex Noio

Advertising:

Commercial director: Julia Makarenko Advertising managers: Valeria Krasnitskaya, Olga Lumerovskaya email: adv@odessareview.com Tel.: +38 (048) 796 40 26 Mob.: +38 (067) 488 13 40

Office-manager: Natalia Solyanik

Post-Imperial Censor: Nadezhda Kizenko

Printed by:

“Ot A do Ya” printing house, 38/40 Kollektorna, srt. 02121 Kyiv Ukraine

Monthly circulation: 10 000

Registration information:

The Odessa Review is registred with the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice as a print media title. Licence N°: OD1801-672R

Address:

The Odessa Review Editorial Office 47, Nizhynska Street 65023 Odessa Ukraine email: info@odessareview.com Tel.: +38 (048) 796 40 21

www.odessareview.com

All materials published in The Odessa Review are the intellectual property of the publisher and remain protected by Ukraininan and international copyright laws.

Content

Editorial

Odessa Opinion

Odessa Calendar

Odessa News

From the Editor-in-Chief. Letter from the Publisher.

Charms of Amazing Odessa.

March-April events.

The latest news from Odessa.

Odessa Humor

Odessa Politics

Odessa Business

Odessa Architecture

A Tradition and Modern Times. Anecdotes. KVN and Odessa: Between Humor and Politics.

Are Odessa Officials Ready for Decentralization?

Odessa IT Excitement Set to Continue in 2016. A Conversation with Bate Toms.

Odessa General Post Office. Michael Reva on Michael Reva. Odessa’s Monuments as Displaced Persons.

My Odessa

Odessa Cinema

Odessa Fashion

Odessa Art

Actor Oleg Filimonov muses on his favorite place in Odessa: 7 Gogolya Street.

Odessa in Films.

Odessa designer Tanu Muino: Making the World Jealous.

OdessaConceptualism or “L’Enfant Terrible”.

Odessa Literature

Odessa in Photos

Odessa Expat

Odessa Tourism

Babel: the Black Sea Bard. Babel’s Extended Ode to Odessa. The Art and Science of Translating Babel. Taking Isaac Babel to Canada.

Odessa Photographer in Focus.

Interview with Hobart Earle.

Odessa Region Fishing Guide.

Odessa Society

Odessa Listings

Odessa Essential

Editorial

From the Editor-in-Chief By Vladislav Davidzon

Two and a quarter centuries since its foundation, Odessa continues to be just what it has always been: an urbane, mercantile, ingenious and cosmopolitan city with a strikingly independent personality and swaggering sense of style. It is a town with a legendary history and a remarkable future brimming with infinite potential for development.

phisticated town with an ingrained - and well-deserved - sense of grandeur and flair that makes its citizens every inch as proud as the denizens of such global capitals as New York City. No true Odessan would ever feel him or herself inferior to a Parisian, a New Yorker or Londoner. This magazine seeks to capture Odessa’s unique ambience and project it around the globe. The Odessa Review aims to offer international audiences and local readers a window onto Odessa’s artistic and commercial realities, introducing them to Odessa’s dazzling cultural cocktail and innovative investment climate via quality journalism combined with insider perspectives. We will tell you where to find the best restaurants, parties and cultural happenings, and we will be there to take a photo of you while you are dancing the night away. During daylight hours, we will help you navigate the town’s investment, business and economic life. We will bring our readers the most interesting and original writing about Odessa, both historical and modern. Contemporary art and film

For generations, Odessa has produced many of the leading lights and innovators in every known field of human endeavor We could try to enumerate them all, but such an undertaking would necessarily fill up every page of this magazine. These larger-than-life Odessa luminaries not only shaped the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and subsequently independent Ukraine – they have had a major impact in global terms. Odessa is a city where cultures meet, meld and modify to create fantastic new combinations and potent hybrids. A so-

will play a significant role for us. Literary translations of the classics and of contemporary work, as well as original fiction, nonfiction and reviews of newly published books about Odessa will be regular features. Nothing of the spirit and legacy of the city will be foreign to us. This first issue of The Odessa Review features a wonderful memorandum on the history of the city by the famed British historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. Like many foreign visitors, Mr. Montefiore has long since fallen hopelessly in love with Odessa. Starting

in this issue, well-known Odessa commentator Nick Holmov will offer up a monthly column taking aim at the city’s political scene. Ukraine’s most beloved Russian language poet, Boris Hersonsky, will pen a column about Odessa Life. This issue also features a welcome contribution from Uta Kilter, Odessa’s most fastidious art critic, who explains the history of the Odessa Conceptualist movement. The theme of the first issue is that of ‘monuments’, with all the symbolic changes that they encapsulate in moments and epochs of transition. The issue devotes an entire portfolio to the work of Isaac Babel, which is itself the greatest standing monument to the splendor of the city. Like Babel’s tales, The Odessa Review hopes to build a monument to the city. As well as cultural coverage and business analysis, every issue will boast feature-length interviews with Odessa celebrities and well-known citizens from the realms of culture, politics, diplomacy and business. The first interviewees include Hobart Earle, the American expatriate and legendary conductor of the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra. He is joined by sculptor Mikheil Reva and actor Oleg Filimonov. Odessa’s energetic Governor and former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili is merely the latest in a long line of talented foreign politicians who have chosen to cast their lot in with the city. Odessa is the gem of Ukraine’s cultural, political and economic life, and Mr. Saakashvili shrewdly recognized that it is here that Ukraine must stake its reformist and modernizing hopes. We think that Governor Saakashvili could not be more correct in his appraisal of Odessa’s character, capacity and potential. We are lucky to be living in a remarkable time of unprecedented challenges and opportunities. At The Odessa Review, we aim to chronicle the historic events taking place in this most remarkable of cities, serving as your humble guides as Odessa enters a new chapter in its international integration.

Editorial

Letter from the Publisher By Hares Youssef

As well as being a shimmering myth, Odessa is also a concrete fact and a world class city of commerce and culture. My editorial team and I have set ourselves the task of providing this global city with the kind of world class English-language publication it deserves. We believe the timing is ideal for the arrival of Odessa’s first ever dedicated Engish-language magazine. After all, 2016 is the year of English in Ukraine, and Odessa is Ukraine’s most cosmopolitan city.

I am both proud and excited to publish The Odessa Review. I hope this new publication will add a touch of style and beauty to Odessa’s already ample charms. Any city named after the Greek king and Homeric hero Odysseus would necessarily have an air of legend about it, and indeed Odessa is a legendary city in terms of everything from history and architecture to literature and humor. The spirit of adventure associated with the legendary Odysseus is Odessa’s very life blood. For centuries, Odessans have been drawn to all things epic and romantic, with a cosmopolitan mindset inspired by the limitless opportunities beyond the Black Sea horizon.

Odessans deserve an English-language magazine that reflects the city’s growing international status and rich cultural heritage. Today’s Odessa is the future of Ukraine and the country’s gateway to the world. The city’s international links need to be nurtured and celebrated. We aim to make a meaningful

Nothing connected to the life of the city will be outside the editorial boundaries of The Odessa Review contribution to this process. Nothing connected to the life of the city will be outside the editorial boundaries of The Odessa Review. We plan to serve as a bridge connecting Odessa to the wider world, as well as an essential guide introducing visitors to the very best of life in this unique and exciting city. We are passionate about Odessa, and we are confident that readers of The Odessa Review will come to share our passion.

Editorial

Odessa Opinion

Unique Charms of Amazing Odessa by Simon Sebag Montefiore

About the author: Simon Sebag Montefiore is a British writer, historian and television presenter. He is the author of ‘Catherine the Great & Potemkin’, ‘Young Stalin’, ‘Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar’ and ‘Jerusalem: the Biography’. ‘The Romanovs 1613-1918’ is his latest book. Odessa is a city of beauties and merchants, rebels and adventuresses, Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, Greeks, French, Caucasians and Italians, of beaches and bourses, of gangsters and countesses, of fiction and poetry, of cosmopolitanism and brutality. It remains unique in the sphere of the ex-Russian and ex-Soviet empires. That is why this magazine, The Odessa Review, is such a worthwhile and, indeed, essential enterprise.

Globally acclaimed historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore is convinced that Odessa is unlike any other city

I first visited Odessa when I was researching my first history book on Prince Potemkin and Catherine the Great, the two statesmen who were ultimately behind its creation. I stayed in the famed Londonskaya Hotel. I walked the Seaside ‘Primorskaya’ Esplanade, the Potemkin Steps, the beaches and streets. In the city archives I was delighted to discover the only and last existing copy of an invitation from Field Marshal Prince Potemkin of Taurida to his wildly extravagant ball in the Taurida Palace in St Petersburg. This was an event attended by the Empress as well as the future Alexander I – shortly before his final departure for the south, whence he never returned. The photo reproduction of that invitation is in my book. During that first encounter with Odessa, I relished the elegant grandeur of the city, the raffish nature of the people, the beautiful girls, the international atmosphere and the mixture of shadiness and swagger that makes Odessans, both male or female, move with a special physical confidence that comes from living in one of Europe’s greatest cities. Odessa history is particularly colourful. It started as an Ottoman fortress captured by Admiral Jose di Ribas, the Spanish adventurer turned Russian admiral under the command of Potemkin who, on hearing of its fall, ordered the creation of a new stronghold and city. De Ribas, himself a fascinating cutthroat (who

Odessa Opinion later planned to stab or poison Emperor Paul but died before the plot reached fruition), was the early driving force behind the Odessa project, but it was Catherine who named it Odessa after the Greek ‘Odessos.’ The city stalled under the feckless command of Prince Zubov, who governed New Russia (‘Novorossia’) after

Vorontsov, known as ‘Milord’, presided over the city as well as his huge governorship that included Crimea Potemkin’s death. It was Alexander I’s decision to appoint the competent Duc de Richelieu as governor that really transformed Odessa into the multinational metropolis that dazzled the world, attracting Russian, Jewish, Italian, Polish, Greek, Georgian and French settlers who quickly made it prosperous. When Richelieu left Odessa to become prime minister of France, his compatriot Count Alexander de Langeron, who had earlier fought in the tsar’s armies, succeeded him. His tenure is immortalized in the city’s Langeron Beach. By the time Nicholas I appointed the able and liberal Count (later Prince) Mikhail Vorontsov to manage Odessa, the city was becoming Russia’s southern capital and its economic hub, the port for the export of over half its grain to Europe that passed through the Straits. Vorontsov, known as Milord, presided over the city as well as his huge governorship that included Crimea, much of today’s southern Ukraine and, later, the Caucasus. He ruled from his Vorontsov Palace that still just about stands, overlooking the port. He was accompanied by his pretty, clever, playful and extremely grand wife, Countess Lise Branitska. She was Potemkin’s great niece and had been born in the Winter Palace before growing

up close to Catherine the Great herself. When Pushkin arrived in exile to report to Vorontsov, he embarked on an affair with Lise. It was not the affair itself (the count had mistresses too) but Pushkin’s flaunting of it that outraged the count, who subsequently arranged for the poet to be despatched to count locusts. Pushkin got his revenge by writing rude poems about Vorontsov and claiming paternity of their daughter. By now, Odessa had a population that included all sorts of decadent aristocrats living far from Petersburg living alongside political rebels, Poles and others. Gradually a unique Russian-Polish-Jewish culture developed in the city along with a highly educated intelligentsia and debauched aristocratic society, and, increasingly, a top strata of wealthy (sometimes Jewish) merchant princes, rich on grain and ships. At the other end of the scale was a bottom strata and underclass in the Moldavanka district, which included Odessa’s famous caste of Jewish gangsters. The Ephrussi family, illuminated recently by the family memoir of Edmond de Waal, were amongst the wealthiest of these early oligarchs. Charles Ephrussi was later the model for Proust’s Charles Swann in ‘A La Recherche de Temps Perdu’. Benya Krik, the fictional hero of Isaac Babel’s Moldavanka stories of Odessa, typified the Jewish gangsters of the city.

Politically, the city was now strategically important: indeed, in some ways, the Crimean War and other wars with the Ottomans in 1877-8 were concerned with the ability of Russia to exports its grain from Odessa through the Straits to the wider world. The new dark times of revolution, repression, and intolerance began to transmogrify the city’s enlightened atmosphere: in 1905/06, pogroms by vicious rightist militias known as the Black Hundreds victimized the Jews. The Battle Potemkin-Tavrichesky mutinied here, which was why the name of Odessa’s Steps changed from Richelieu to Potemkin. The 1917 Revolution ruined this colourful outrageous swaggering and cosmopolitan city forever, but the stories of its best writer since Pushkin, Isaac Babel, immortalized the quaintly shady culture of its gangsters and beautiful molls in the Moldavanka with his brilliant Odessa Tales that gave us the aforementioned Benya Krik and many other characters. Odessa’s worst tragedy came in 1941/3 when the city fell to the Romanian allies of Hitler’s invading Nazi legions. The Romanians, both by diabolical design and in murderous frenzy, slaughtered the Jews of Odessa in scenes of turbulent bloodletting that horrified even the homicidal bureaucrats and killers of the SS. 80,000 died in the massacre. After the fall of the USSR, many of the Jews who had returned to Odessa following WWII left for Israel or America. And yet Odessa is still Odessa; Odessans are still the graceful and elegant and playful products of this amazing history. The flamboyant men and the gorgeous women still walk with the swagger that distinguishes only the citizens of this great city.

MARCH

Odessa Calendar

Until March 31

March 17-23

March 18 at 7pm

Black and White History.

Ukrainian Fashion Week (in Kyiv)

Sukhishvili Georgian National Ballet

‘Black and White History’ photography of Ilya Gershberg. An exhibition of ravishing black and white photographs of Odessa taken from the 1960s to the 1980s by the Odessa native photographer. The exhibition is supported by the Israeli Cultural Center. Odessa Museum of Modern Art 5 Bjelinskoho Street Open 12PM-7PM

The main event of the year for Ukraine’s fashion industry, which has been bringing new faces and brands to the market for about 20 years. The new 38th season of the seminal fashion show will feature multiple Odessa designers. Kyiv, Mystetskyi Arsenal 10-12 Lavrska str.

The ensemble of the Georgian national ballet puts on an unforgettable show that includes 100 dancers, an orchestra and more than 1000 unique costumes. The ballet is under the direction of the third generation of the Sukhishvili—Ramishvili family dynasty. Odessa Mikhail Vodyany Academic Theater of Music and Comedy 3 Panteleimonivska Street

March 19 at 7pm

March 20 at 10am

Mikhail Zhvanetsky

Concert of Blooms Corda

7th International Odessa Marathon

A Ukrainian prog-rock band with a synthesizer heavy but mellow sound. Their debut album ‘Moondance’ has garnered a lot of attention. (In Ukrainian) Co-working space Platform #7 56 Mala Arnautska Street

One can choose to run a 42 kilometer marathon within a six hour time limit, 21 kilometers in three hours or four kilometers in forty minutes. Open to any runner older than eighteen. Arkadia, 5th kilometer of ‘Route of Health”

Turning eighty one years old has not slowed down the legendary Odessa born comedian, satirist and actor one bit. The beloved Zhvanetsky’s home town concerts always draw a great inter-generational crowd. (In Russian) Odessa Mikhail Vodyany Academic Theater of Music and Comedy 3 Panteleimonivska Street

MARCH

Odessa Calendar

March 21 at 7pm

March 22 at 7pm

Troilus and Cressida

Misery

Umberto Tozzi and Pupo

The premiere of an adaptation of the William Shakespeare play is a fruitful collaboration between Kyiv’s Podil Theater and the British Moving Theater. British director Johnathan Banatvala produced this adaptation of Troilus and Kressida’s love affair and the Trojan War with Ukrainian actors. (In Russian and Ukrainian) Odessa Vasilko Academic and Ukrainian Musical and Drama Theater 15 Pastera Street

A theatrical premiere of the dramatization of Stephen King’s 1987 novel with Victor Loginov and Evgenia Dobrovolska playing the leads. (In Russian) Odessa Vasilko Academic and Ukrainian Musical and Drama Theater 15 Pastera Street

A concert from a pair of wellknown 1970s Italian pop stars who became famous for hits such as ‘Ti Amo’ and ‘Gloria’. (In Italian) Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater 1 Chaikovskoho Lane

March 23 at 5pm

March 24 at 7pm

March 26 at 7pm

‘Mazepa as Metaphor’

Mikhail Yefremov

‘World pictures’ Audiovisual concert by Pavlo Ignatyev

Lecture by Adrian Karatnycky. One of the West’s most prominent and respected experts on Ukrainian politics will be giving a lecture on the historical context and modern lessons to be drawn from the life of seventeenth century Cossack Hetman Ivan Mazepa. Absolutely not to be missed. The lecture will be followed by Q & A. (In English) Main Reading Hall of the Odessa National Research Library 13 Pastera Street

The beloved Russian actor returns to Odessa with a performance of his play ‘Mister Good’. The performance will include appearances by the poet Andrey Orlov (Orlusha). Ribald and hilarious satire. (In Russian) Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater 1 Chaikovskoho Lane

A mixed media production featuring 16 great video works showcasing the beauty of our planet accompanied with music specially composed by Ignatyev. The orchestration is an amalgam of classical and jazz traditions. Co-working Space Peron #7 5 Mala Arnautska Street

APRIL

Odessa Calendar

March 31 - April 2

April 1 at 8pm

April 5 at 7pm

‘Komediada’ International clown and mime festival

Olga Polyakova

Kvitka Tsisyk Memorial Concert

Olya Polyakova also known as the ‘super blonde’ is a Ukrainian singer, TV host, participant of many TV projects and also leggy showgirl. (In Russian) Sady Pobedy

Tsisyk (‘Casey’ to Americans) was an American coloratura soprano of Ukrainian descent who died at 45 from cancer in 1998 after achieving world renown. She successfully pursued a career in four different musical genres: popular

The fifth iteration of the annual clown gathering which has put Odessa on the international clowning map. Per tradition, on the first of April all participants of ‘Komediada’ will march through the streets of Odessa in their clown suits before taking part in a ‘happening’ on the Potemkin Stairs. Don’t miss the ‘ceremony of the meeting of the clowns’. Central streets of Odessa and in the House of Clowns 23 Olhivska Street

music, classical opera, Ukrainian folk music and commercial TV advertisements. A special presentation from the ‘Exclusive’ concert promoters. The concert will include a dozen performers. (In Ukrainian) www.exclusive.od.ua/poster/1/58 Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. 1 Chaikovskoho Lane

April 8-10

April 9 at 7pm

April 9 at 10am

Odessa Fashion Day

Epolets Concert

The ‘100km Belt of Odessa’ Bicycle Rally

The Ukrainian rock band is on tour with their new album. They first became famous on the ‘X-Factor’ TV talent show. Night Club Palladium 4 Italiiskyi Boulevard

A must for serious athletes and fans of sport. This year the legendary ‘Odessa Sotka’ is devoted to the anniversary of town’s liberation from under Nazi occupation. The 100 kilometer route will include welcoming fans along the way, tourist excursions, and picnics! The ‘Route of Health’ bike path

Odessa’s annual spring fashion shows place a real emphasis on the work of local and regional designers. A real treat for fashionistas. April 8 at 17:30: The Dom (55, Uspenska Street) April 9-10 from 14:30: Odessa General Post Office (10 Sadova Street)

APRIL

Odessa Calendar

April 10 at 7pm

April 13-17

April 14th, 7 pm

Boris Grebenshchikov

‘Batumi Days’ Photo Festival

NuAngels

Grebenshchikov is a living legend and one of the most prominent figures of the Soviet youth culture of the 1970s’ onwards. The birth of his group ‘Aquarium’ was a decisive moment in the development of the whole of Russian contemporary musical culture. In thirty years of creative activity he has penned the scores for a variety of movies and released almost 70 albums. (In Russian) Odessa Philharmonic Hall 15 Bunina Street

The second annual iteration of the photo festival will also be accompanied by a program of exhibitions, lectures, workshops and screenings. Odessa Modern Art Museum 5 Bjelinskoho street

NuAngels are known for their powerful voices and impassioned stage personas. This year, the young women were participants in Ukraine’s Eurovision selection process. (In Russian) Odessa Mikhail Vodyany Academic Theater of Music and Comedy 3 Panteleimonivska Street

April 14 at 7pm

April 16 -17

April 17 at 7pm

Georgiy Matviiv

‘Revolution’ folk market

Vivienne Mort

Audiovisual concert ‘Travels around Ukraine’ by a soloist of the European Jazz Orchestra, composer and innovator for the bandura. Discover the extraordinary sound of this renowned Ukrainian national instrument. Co-working Space Peron #7 56 Mala Arnautska Street

An open air market with an emphasis on crafts, food and design. Will include cultural program and a ‘children’s zone’. Chernomorets Stadium 1/20 Marazlievska Street

This Ukrainian indie-rock band just put out a new experimental album. It was recorded late at night inside a Gothic church. Terminal 42 44 Uspenska Street

APRIL

Odessa Calendar

April 18 at 7pm

April 20 at 7pm

April 22- 23

‘Dangerous Corner’ by J. B. Priestley

Hardy Orchestra

Sova Picnic

This Odessa orchestra will be presenting a concert devoted to the rock band Queen. Odessa Philharmonic Hall 15 Bunina Street

This gastronomic festival is dedicated to the cultural heritage and multinational character of Ukraine. Restaurant Hutorock 1A Lanzheron Beach (also known as Dolphin beach)

The English detective classic will be staged by the Kyiv-based Lesya Ukrainka Theater. Odessa Vasilko Academic and Ukrainian Musical and Drama Theater 15 Pastera Street

April 22

April 23

Nordic Business Day 2016

Bookfest The Nordic Business Day 2016 forum will highlight the crucial target areas of potential cooperation between the Nordic countries and Ukraine. These include ICT, energy, agriculture and technological innovations. Participants will be drawn from business, politics, culture and numerous other stake holders in Nordic-Ukrainian relations. Organized by the embassies of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Odessa Hall 5 Haharinske Plateau

The local chapter of World Book Day will include book exhibitions, panels, forums, readings exhibitions, sales and author presentations. City Garden Deribasivska Street

April 24 ‘Stiliagi’ (Dandies) Festival

Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the 1960s. Dandies, hipsters, peacocks and other stylish critters will strut their stuff through the city center, filling the city with color. Throughout the city center

Odessa Calendar

April 26 at 7pm

April 28 at 7pm

Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra

Metallica Cover Show with a Symphonic (Chamber) Orchestra

This pre-Easter spectacle promises to be one of the most sensational projects of the year. The ‘Grand Ball in the Opera’ will be performed for the first time this year and will include audience participation galore with make-up artists, animators and everything else one might need to get into the spirit of the show. Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater 1 Chaikovskoho Lane

SCREAM INC. is an official Metallica tribute band that has played more than 400 concerts under the capable baton of Andrew Chernyi. They have collaborated with world music stars such as Alessandro Safina and Lara Fabian. Odessa Philharmonic Hall 15 Bunina Street

April 28 at 7pm

April 29 – 3 June

Jazziotacia

The Dashing 90’s

International Jazz Day, with the support of UNESCO, will bring together artists from Armenia, Greece, Israel, Ukraine and France. It will include flutists from Armenia, Greek guitarists, drummers from Israel, and a pianist from France. The festival will include classical music, improvisation, impromptu performances and much else. Odessa Mikhail Vodyany Academic Theater of Music and Comedy 3 Panteleimonivska Street

An exhibition devoted to a heady and creative time in the Odessa art world. Highly recommended. Odessa Museum of Modern Art 5 Bjelinskoho Street

APRIL

Odessa News

International Airlines Return to Odessa

CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW ODESSA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING IS SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN JUNE 2016.

From 27 April onwards direct Odessa-Prague-Odessa flights will return to the Ukrainian Black Sea capital courtesy of Czech Airlines. The return of the Czech national carrier after a two-year absence is a huge boost to the Odessa regional international air travel industry and signals the growing interest in tapping into the Odessa market among international carriers. Also returning following a twoyear break is German airline Lufthansa, which recommences Odessa-Munich flights on 31 March. In summer 2016, the airline plans to add additional flights connecting Odessa and Vienna. Construction of the new Odessa International Airport terminal building is scheduled for completion in June 2016.

Odessa Invests in 2016 Tourism Season In 2015, Odessa took second place in Ukraine’s national ranking for tourist tax revenues, finishing behind Kyiv but overtaking Lviv. As the 2016 season approaches, city officials are working hard to improve Odessa’s ample charms and invest in more tourist-friendly infrastructure. Top of the list for renovation work are Odessa’s signature Potemkin Stairs, which will receive new granite plates and improved waterproofing. The nearby Istanbul Park is set to get new flowerbeds, playgrounds and recreation areas. One of the most noticeable municipal initiatives will be the introduction of bicycle lanes in the city centre as part of efforts to encourage more cycles. Bike patrols for park security will begin by the start of the tourist season in May. Thanks to these changes, cyclists should find Odessa far more accommodating in the coming months, while tourists will have one more way to explore the city.

Chernomorets Stadium Financing Crisis Odessa’s Ukrainian Premier League football club Chernomorets is facing a financial headache connected to a loan taken from a Russian bank in 2011 to finance the renovation of the club’s Black Sea coastline stadium. Sberbank of Russia have secured a court ruling in their favour over the Chernomorets management in connection with the multimillion-dollar loan, but the Odessa club has vowed to appeal and called for a compromise solution. Chernomorets CEO Sergey Kernitsky has commented that one possible outcome would be to declare the stadium bankrupt. Odessa’s football stadium was redeveloped as part of efforts to gain host city status for the Euro 2012 European Championships – a bid that ultimately failed. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most impressive stadiums in the entire Black Sea region.

Odessa News

L.A.P.T.I. Bringing Odessa to Heel The popular L.A.P.T.I Odessan shoe start-up has stepped out on to the runway of NewYork Fashion Week. The Odessa born shoe brand entered the market in May 2015. The high quality of the product, attention to details, cooperation with myriad Ukrainian designers and the gratitude of clients helped the brand develop quickly became a constant participant in Ukrainian Fashion Week and the Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days. On February 15th, 2016, the New York Fashion Week jointly presented the new L.A.P.T.I collection along with popular Ukrainian designer AnnaK. The new collection has suede vans dotted with with French beads the textile vans with a print by GAPCHINSKA.

Natalya Piro: Face of Ukrainian Fashion Week The fact that Odessa is home to some of the the most beautiful girls in the world is not a secret. Yet even by the local standards - the super model Natalia Piro has shown herself to be an exception. The ginger haired Piro has conquered some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest catwalks. Now the Ukrainian model who has captured the imagination and loyalty of some of the most cynical designers and fashionistas in New York, Milan and Paris, is returning in glory to Ukraine. The international jet setter who makes sure to return to her native Odessa at least twice a year will be the face of the 36th Ukrainian Kiev Fashion Week in the autumn of 2016.

Odessa News

MARA Concept Beauty Salons Celebrate First Anniversary Odessa’s MARA Concept Beauty Salon network is celebrating its first anniversary this spring. MARAMAX Group opened the first two salons of its new series in the past year. Over the past twelve months, these new venues have quickly established themselves as a bright and popular phenomenon in the Ukrainian beauty industry. The first MARA salon opened in 2015 at the historically important Hretka Square location. Within days, clients had fallen in

MARA team, handpicked by MARAMAX GROUP founder and owner Maryna Kanikovska. “My staff of hairdressers, manicurists, and administrators all seem to love the MARA brand just as much as me. The mood they bring to their work and the professionalism they possess translates into masterpieces of hairstyling and beauty. Our goal is to

has been able to glance into the cool interiors of this beauty oasis, or to drop in for a range of procedures and services. Additionally, clients of this MARA salon can also explore the unique menu of the salon’s café, which has made spending time at the salon even more pleasurable and rewarding. In 2016, the MARAMAX GROUP plans to develop even more ideas and do everything to please our new clients and new friends. We welcome all Odessa residents and guests of the city to enjoy our MARA Concept Beauty Salons.

3/7, Vitce-Admiral Zhukova str.

love with the new venue. The interior of the salon is reminiscent of a duplex studio loft, combining massive wooden-framed mirrors with a concrete reception area based on the designs of architect Olga Fedina. The salon features luxurious and comfortable chairs designed to provide maximum coziness for clients enjoying pedicures. Tables featuring original elements from Zinger sewing machines add to the eclectic ambience. Meanwhile, the location of the salon provides panoramic views of magnificent Hretska Square. The magic of the venue is also down to the

help our clients look fabulous and I am happy to say we are meeting this challenge,” says Ms. Kanikovska. Summer 2015 saw the opening of the second MARA beauty salon in Odessa. This second salon was also located at a prestigious Odessa address – Arkadiyska Avenue close to the city’s beach resort district. Since the arrival of this second salon, everyone travelling to the beach

Odessa News

Odessa’s New Tel Aviv Hipster Hangout Statue of Empress Catherine Great on Kateryninska Square is now home to one of the hippest restaurants and dance spaces in Odessa with the arrival of the newly opened Dizyngoff restaurant. Flanked by the Potemkin Stairs and the statue

of the empress herself, Dizyngoff serves a hummus dip that is

as good – or arguably better - than anything to be found in the Middle East. As everyone who has ever visited the city knows, Odessa cuisine is a mix of Russia, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Moldovan, and Jewish influences. The Odessa region is located on the borderlands of several countries and has always been a melting pot of cultures. This has given rise to a remarkable culinary history and unique tastes. Odessan native Dizyngoff was the first mayor of Tel Aviv, and his name gracing the restaurant’s windows is an indicator of its provenance. In fact, two of the owners moved back from Israel to Odessa to found this stylish new venue. French and Swiss educated chef Nika Lozvoskaya presides over an Israeli-Parisian-Asian fusion kitchen. Her playful and mouth-watering dishes include the liberal use of Miso, Cardomon and Chumin spices. The bar is also one of the first in Odessa to

offer the services of a dedicated mixologist. The drinks on the menu include such classic concoctions as ‘Damascus Gate,’ ‘Berry Sisters,’ ‘Purim Shpil,’ ‘Bokertov’ and ‘Haifa in Blossom.’ The Damascus Gate cocktail, for example, is

composed of Gin, Vermouth, Masalla and Lyme. Not to be missed. Dizyngoff 5, Katerynyns’ka Square +3 80 (050) 542-42-16

Benedikt Offers Odessans Breathtaking Breakfast World Tour This spring 24-hour dining venue Benedikt offers Odessa residents and visitor the chance to embark on a culinary tour of the world’s best breakfast options. Whether you are hankering for spicy Indian cuisine or traditional English fare, you will find it on the Benedikt breakfast menu. These breakfast epiphanies are available around the clock, so whenever you happen to wake up is breakfast time. You can also add to the experience by selecting one of a number of amazing cocktails hailing from every corner of the world.

Benedikt. Worldofbreakfasts. Gastronomical Restaurant Working hours: 24 hours Phone number: +38 (048) 759-99-95 19 Sadova Street www.benedikt24.com.ua

Odessa News

+38 (063) 524 16 02 (Viber, Whatsapp) www.detox.com.ua

Odessa News

Juice Delight for a Healthy Odessa Lifestyle The growing global emphasis on healthy living has proved a big hit in Ukraine. In recent years, the country has witnessed a surge in interest in phenomenon like the detox culture, which is becoming a central element of today’s health-conscious lifestyles. Sporting activities are also fast becoming an integral part of modern family life, with parents and children taking part in activities ranging from marathons to sports festivals. This is especially true in Odessa, with its culture of outdoors sports traditions, ‘Odessa Brighton Beach’, and seaside environment, However, the twin issues of physical fitness and healthy eating are still widely ignored by Ukrainian schools and kindergartens. The western style culture of nutritional awareness with the usual accompanied growth in health food cafes and shops has only recently begun to develop. This has also led to the emergence of detox juices and training accompanying training programs.

Alexandra Sinyacheva Healthy lifestyle guru and founder of ‘We Love Detox, We Love Running, We Love Yoga’ campaign. “It is my job to explain the value of cold pressed juice to health-conscious audiences. It is squeezed out of fruits, vegetables

and even herbs without heating them. This helps to preserve all the end product’s myriad health benefits. When one used cold pressing, all the enzymes are preserved, which makes this kind of juice particularly wholesome. It can be stored for up to 48 hours in the fridge so you can either drink it immediately or leave it for tomorrow. The effect will be the same: you will gain a sense of easiness and the replenishment of vitamins. Just imagine you can replace all the vitamins you used to get from tablets via locally grown vegetables, fruits and herbs! I started producing detox juices last year and I was the first to do it in Ukraine. It was quite difficult to acquaint people with this product. Besides juice production, I conduct workshops about juice cleansing, nutrition and healthy lifestyle. They are not only face-to-face, but also virtual, as there are people who are eager to take part in them all around Ukraine and across the world.” Being conscious of what you eat is crucial for health. Nevertheless, in Ukrainian schools the subject is completely ignored, unlike in America, where it is taught in schools. We don’t know where the products in our supermarkets come from or the way in which they are produced. We are not encouraged to pay attention to seasonality and forget about the impact that local food can have on our organisms. Happily, there are a lot of self-respecting people who attend healthy living and sports seminars. Fresh juice is the perfect way to start the new day, but not everyone has time to prepare their own juices from a range of ingredients. That’s why we created our detox juice delivery service - so nobody can have an excuse for missing their morning juice! Our courier will wake you up with a call and will deliver the juice any time you wish! You can drink these juices as a vitamin potion every day or you can choose a specific diet day for particular needs. This kind of diet is regularly chosen by celebrities. Now Odessa girls have the chance to do so too!

Our juices are delicious and nutritious. Each drink is unique and comes with a cool name that explains it`s impact on the body and mind.

`Wake Up` juice is self explanatory. Besides portions of carrot and apple, it also contains a dose of ginger that creates a welcome awakening effect.

`AfterParty` juice is a good idea after a hard party or overeating. Beetroot cleans the organism from heavy metals, cleans the blood and liver and normalizes the metabolism.

`Iconic Detox` juice mainly consists of herbs and can alkalize your organism and even renew it, replacing the salad that you don’t have time to eat. A bottle of juice contains 2-3 bunches of spinach, several cucumbers, green apples and a little lemon. This is a must-have drink! We also have sweet mixes with cinnamon, pineapples, citruses, and grapefruit & carrot juice - that is our men’s special.

Odessa News

Odessa Humor

Odessa: Ukraine’s Comedy Capital By Vadim Goloperov THE HUMOR CAPITAL Throughout the former Soviet Union, Odessa is considered the capital of humor. It’s unclear exactly how this came to be, but most people who have encountered Odessa locals will note their cheerful nature and original sense of humor. Perhaps it is the southern temperament, or the

and a uniquely ironic worldview. Staples of Odessa humor are aphorisms from the Odessan Privoz market, elements from Jewish culture, a unique jargon and conversational style. Odessa has given the world a great number of talented humorists: writers and screenwriters, actors and showmen.

Dialogue between two Odessan neighbors: - Hello, how are you? - Don’t count on it!

A SMALL TRAGEDY OF ODESSA HUMOR Ordinary Odessites usually don’t flaunt their sense of humor, since for them it is simply a part of daily life and conversation. However, outside the city limits, Odessa’s unique sense of humor enjoys wide popularity. This results in a small tragedy for the ordinary Odessite – if he leaves Odessa and ends up in mixed company, everyone seems to believe that meeting an Odessa citizen is a free ticket to an evening comedy. The Odessite is

motley national mix of this city in which Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, Moldavians, Greeks, Armenians and Georgians live alongside each other. This melting pot environment is what created a specific Odessan subculture, with its own slang

festively sat down on a chair, people gather around and wait for him to deliver a joke – regardless of whether he wants to, or even if he considers himself a funny

In an Odessa market: - Tell me, is your fish fresh? - Well, of course! Look, the fisherman hasn’t even sobered up yet. person. In this way, the city’s glory sometimes plays a mean joke on its residents. Of course, there are also Odessites who embrace this and turn comedy into their profession – usually, Odessan youth with a comic leaning starts by participating in the KVN games.

Odessa Tales with Boris Khersonsky ***

One time, the Odessa intelligentsia dropped her birth certificate out of her muff. I picked it up and opened it. Written on the blank next to “mother” was “Odessa-mama.” But the blank indicating paternity was blank. Displaying my lack of delicacy, I asked her, you really don’t know who your papa was? You know my mother’s willful nature - the Odessa intelligentsia replied sadly – even the devil would’nt be able to pry the truth out of her. I think that I had many fathers. But as a child I dreamt that I would be adopted by Isaac Babel. I probably would have asked him to change his name, because Intelligentsia Isakovna does not sound like a very good patronymic. He would have read the 28

“Odessa Tales” to me at bedtime. And he would kiss me on the cheek. Well, Babel was not the sort of man to only kiss one on the cheek - I joked rather lamely. Oh yes! - the Odessa intelligentsia exclaimed - he would kiss me everywhere! And waving farewell to me with her Chinese fan, she slammed the door as she abandoned me. A week later, she sent me a telegram: never make flat jokes with a curvaceous woman sha*

* “Stop!” Odessa’s slang

Odessa Humor

KVN and Odessa: Between Humor and Politics By Vadim Goloperov KVN (Club of the Cheerful and Resourceful) is both a game and a TV show, created for Soviet TV in the middle of the last century. KVN is a combination of student’s comic theater, improvisation, and American stand-up comedy. Of course, Odessites couldn’t pass up participating in such an interesting game. During Soviet years, Odessa’s KVN teams claimed the USSR championship several times. Curiously, throughout all this, it was considered “bad manners” for the Odessa KVN teams to use traditional local humor. But if there is a demand, some Odessites are always ready to satisfy it. The Odessan humor makes a fine export. One of the most successful modern examples is the KVN team “The Odessan Mansa”. This team chose to play into the “Odessa style” from the very beginning, and the choice certainly turned out to be right. “The Odessan Mansa” have been participating

The Odessan humor makes a fine export in the Highest KVN League in Moscow successfully for several years, however, the political crisis in Ukrainian-Russian relations has not passed the seemingly neutral game by. Although KVN itself is an international movement, power over the game is monopolized by the Russian showman Alexander Maslyakov. Mr. Maslyakov has done a lot for the development of KVN, but at the official level he has assumed total control over the game – going as far as registering the KVN trademark. Following this, over time the Russian KVN has turned into a

tiny copy of Russian society under Putin. Judge for yourself: rumors abound about corruption in KVN, strict censorship has been introduced, no criticism of the government is allowed - something the old KVN was famous for. Appearing in the middle of the last century, KVN was one of the very few outlets which allowed people to ridicule Soviet realities a veiled form - something for which the game was been banned for a long time. It was no coincidence that the revival of KVN happened at the time of Gorbachev’s Perestroika. Today in the Moscow KVN there is a rigid power hierarchy with an authoritative leader, and the power is handed down hereditarily. Mr. Maslyakov’s nickname, “Barin” – “The Baron”, speaks volumes. He operates KVN together with his wife, Svetlana Maslyakova. Their son, Alexander, is set to inherit his father’s post. For a long time many teams, including the Ukrainian ones, put up with this situation, because participation in the Moscow KVN is a great opportunity to get into the world of big show business.

But the Ukrainian-Russian conflict has divided not only these two nations, but also KVN. In 2014, the “Odessan Mansa” team refused to attend the semi-final game in Moscow. As the captain of the Odessan team Sergey Sereda diplomatically declared to the newspaper “Arguments and Facts”, “the team has had issues with the sponsor, and besides, it feels quite impossible to make jokes in Moscow while people perish in East Ukraine”. The Odessan KVN players were supported by many. The Moscow KVN also lost a skilled team of editors from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, who after departing have created the Ukrainian counterpart to KVN - “League of Laughter” with the cooperation of Ukrainian TV channel 1+1 and production center “95th quarter” last year. The games take place in Odessa, Kiev, Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk. How successful the show will be, and whether it will become part of history the way KVN did, only time can tell.

Odessa Humor

Anecdotes

Rabinovich has an appointment with the doctor: – Doctor! Can you diagnose me with something else? This disease is too expensive! The pie shop assistant in Odessa: – Buy some pies, so I don’t worry any more that you are hungry! – Sara, now we will live in an expensive apartment like you always wanted! – Oh, Abram I am so happy! You bought a new apartment? – No, they raised our rent... Sara Isaakovna from upstairs was screaming at her children so loudly, that even her downstairs neighbor Peter cleaned his apartment and remembered to dress warmly. – Jascha, we are such unhappy people! – Fimochka, why do you think so? – We already live by the sea…we don’t even have anywhere to go on vacation!

An old Jew is dying. He asks in a frail voice: – Is my wife here? – Yes, dear. – Are my children here? – Yes, daddy. – And my grandkids? – Yes, grandpa! – So if all of you are here, who’s still in the kitchen that the lights are on? Excuse me, I have a question! Right now, everyone is fighting for their state language. So in this case, what do we, Odessites, stand for? – Our state accent! – Mother, Lyova said yesterday that I am the most proper girl in all of Odessa! Can we invite him for dinner? – Absolutely not! We want him to go on thinking that. Odessa. Mother stands on the balcony and shouts: – Arkasha! Home! The son shouts back: – Am I cold? – No! You’re hungry!

Two old Jews are taking the number 5 tram down Moldovanka Street. They pass by a house which used to be a brothel before the revolution. One sighs deeply. The second turns to him and says: – Tell me about it! Two men meet and one asks the other:. – You wouldn’t happen to know where Deribasivska Street is? – Who me, not know?! It’s you who does not know! Rosa runs into her friend Tzelia. – What, you aren’t going to ask me how life is going? – Rose, how is life? – Oh, Tzelia, don’t ask! – Is it true that you always answer a question with a question in Odessa? – Who told you that? An old Jew walks out of his house and he sees a huge rainbow hanging over the city. – ‘Oh, for this they can find the money!’

Odessa Humor

Local wines and local food in the very heart of Odessa

If you prefer restaurants that are different from the rest of the pack... Come to the Dva Karla Bessarabia style bodega. Local Cheese. Local wines. Local food. A real taste of old Odessa. 32, Hretsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ka Street (10am - 11pm) +380 96 524 16 01 Facebook: BODEGA 2K 31

Odessa Politics

Are Odessa Officials Ready for Decentralization? by Nikolai Holmov

Nikolai Holmov is The Odessa Review’s political columnist. He is a writer, and consultant specializing in Ukrainian politics, civil society, local governance and security affairs. He is the founder of the widely read Odessatalk blog. When national and local governments fail to meet society’s needs, it often falls upon civil society to step in. Some gaps are obvious and need urgent attention. While structural weaknesses can often be less obvious, they are no less im-

From the very beginning, decentralization of centrally held powers to Ukraine’s regions has been a core policy of President Poroshenko. Ukraine has already come too far, and at too great a cost in blood and treasure, to remain

“Ukraine is Ukraine, but Odessa is Odessa” portant. In this respect, Odessa is no different from any other city. As 2016 unfolds, the challenges of decentralization look set to test the strengths of both local government and civil society in the Ukrainian Black Sea port city.

captive to its centralized legacy of post-Soviet administrative bureaucracy. The basic expectation of Ukraine’s population is that governance will be brought down to the local level as much as is practicable or possible. Achieving

Odessa Politics

this would bolster the kind of grassroots democracy long denied to Ukrainians. It would also offer much for Odessa itself. Odessa has always been an outlier city, giving rise to the old adage: “Ukraine is Ukraine, but Odessa is Odessa.” This may be true, but Odessa is also a particularly mercantile city -its business is business, as the saying goes. Decentralization would

the delivery service of current policy. Like all civil services everywhere, it will need to execute projects large and small, complex and simple, on budget and on time. There is also the expectation that the local civil service must deal fairly and swiftly in its daily interactions with constituents. As Ukraine’s decentralization process

Historically, there have been definite benefits to having a feckless and inefficient Ukrainian civil service bring clear and obvious mercantile advantages. The constitutional amendments required for decentralization will likely become a reality at some point during 2016. The question will then be whether Ukraine’s local authorities are able to manage these new responsibilities successfully. Local officials will need to be more receptive, tolerant and inclusive in their decision-making, while there are also significant practical questions for the Odessa civil service to answer. Historically, there have been definite benefits to having a feckless and inefficient Ukrainian civil service. In practice, this has often resulted in the failure to implement ineffective or counterproductive policies. Decentralization means this is no longer an option. Neither the local political elites nor the local constituency of Odessa will benefit from ineffective policy implementation once new responsibilities and accountability pass to the regions. Blaming Kyiv will become far more problematic. How well positioned is Odessa to meet these challenges? In the final analysis, the local civil service will be the nervous system of the city and the Oblast. Through the local civil service departments, agencies and public sector bodies, it will act as

gains momentum, there will be an on-going role for civil society in Odessa to monitor and influence not only policy creation but also implementation. The ultimate objective is a better all-round administration. The major benefits of a competent local civil service are internal stability and the institutional longevity that comes from removing undue political considerations from the work of the civil service. Like career civil servants all over the world, these newly empowered officials will necessarily have to take a longer policy view of Odessa’s interests than the political class, which shuffles around after every election. The questions facing Odessa are no different from those of any other Ukrainian region. Local authorities must prove themselves competent and accountable to the local political class and residents alike. Are these expectations realistic? What can we expect from an Odessa civil servant who is earning a pittance? At present, it is important to recognize that many within the Ukrainian civil service are used to using post-Soviet bureaucracy not only as a method of enhancing their pay through soliciting illicit additional fees, but also using the new post-Soviet bureaucracy as an excuse not to offer proper service to local constituents. How can we wipe away the post-Soviet institutional memory of this corrupted civil service model and cre-

ate solid foundations worthy of a modern public administration institution able to meet the requirements of Odessa? Preparatory steps are required in Odessa in order to create well-trained and efficient structures capable of adequately supporting politicians with newly enhanced power and budgets, whilst also meeting the much higher expectations of a post-revolutionary society. Soviet communication structures between the civil service and the local community will need to be modernized and brought into a 21st century environment. It is not yet clear how Ukraine intends to meet these challenges. Do the central authorities hope that civil society in cities like Odessa will yet again fill the gap that the traditional governance structures have yet to address? If it is to fall upon civil society once more, where can the necessary funding be found? Who will decide – and who will decide who will decide? Will NGOs such as the “Regional Development Office” from Odessa, which was specifically created to address these civil service/public administrative issues, actually gain any serious funding? Or will Odessa’s small army of Western educated volunteers be forced to abandon attempts to reform the local civil service and instead return to the careers they left behind more than a year ago? Patriotism goes a long way, but volunteering to work for as long as one’s own personal savings hold out has its natural limits - regardless of the righteousness of one’s cause. The new Civil Service Law in Ukraine enters into force in May 2016, while constitutional amendments facilitating the decentralization of power to the regions will also come into force sometime this year. The allotted preparatory time is short. If there is to be a local civil service in Odessa that delivers efficiently, with integrity, and with a thorough understanding of its critical role in the building of a modern region, work needs to begin now. How prepared is Odessa to meet the challenge?

Odessa Business

Odessa IT Excitement Set to Continue in 2016 by Julia Sulimova CEO of IT-Cluster Odessa

unique selling points that help Odessa’s IT industry stand out from the rest. The city’s greatest IT asset is undoubtedly its people. IT is an industry where most of the revenue is generated by human resources. In this respect, Odessa has a lot to offer. The city boasts technical universities producing more than 1000 IT graduates annually. For those who would like to change their profession and obtain an IT education, Odessa can offer a developed IT ecosystem of private educational IT institutions including the Computer Academy ‘Step’, the Computer School ‘Hillel’, Fabrika, iQSpace, also the new Beetroot Academy and Brain Academy, and a range of other IT courses conducted by IT companies like Luxoft, NetCracker, DataArt, EIS Group, and KeepSolid. Odessa has more than enough large IT companies to accommodate these grow-

Ukraine’s Black Sea port city looks to build on growing international reputation for IT excellence The growth of technology industries across the world continues unabated and this process is increasingly making itself felt across Ukraine. The familiar world around us is changing every day and is becoming more and more technologically advanced. So what does Odessa have to offer to this rapidly developing world? Well, a highly advanced IT industry, of course! The Odessa IT industry is composed of over 200 IT companies, not counting IT departments in commercial and state structures. The sector provides employment for more than 8,000 people, or just under 3% of the total working population of the city. Salaries are far higher than regional averages, while prospects for career development and international recognition are also attractive. What makes the Odessa IT sector exceptional? There are a number of

ing numbers of IT graduates and retrained IT professionals. This large number of IT companies based in the city provides constantly high levels of demand for new IT specialists. Odessa has branch offices of many major companies that operate on global IT markets. Moreover, every one of these offices creates unique IT projects for

Odessa Business corporate customers from all around the world. Odessa’s Luxoft office, for example, creates software for leading international automotive companies, providing them with solutions that can be favorably compared to the work of the world’s most well established IT giants. Ciklum has one of its major delivery centers in Odessa, hosting development teams for a range of dif-

Odessa schools need to develop student capacity for technological creativity is not new: the President of the United States recently supported this statement, pointing to the importance of teaching the basics of programming to pupils.

A key goal for 2016 is to persuade the best school-age pupils to choose IT for their further education ferent corporate clients from Europe and the US. HYS Enterprise provides 10% of all telecom operators in the Netherlands with software for their core business. There is also a strong media distribution presence (FilmOn, BattleCam, MondoTunes) from 111PIX UA, Google Express via Intersog, and video advertising for Facebook from VertaMedia. Software developed by TechInsight helped a leading global business aviation company to perform 15,000 flights in 2015. This is just a taste of the international IT innovation currently taking place in today’s Odessa. The list could go on and on. Alongside these major IT market players, there are many smaller companies based in Odessa that also have world-beating credentials. This thriving sector is always open to the new opportunities provided by new technologies and innovation, and has the swagger to compete at the highest level internationally. Odessa has a range of excellent innovative product companies and startups. Augmented Pixels is ranked as one of the world’s top 20 augmented reality startups and has its own Research and Development department in Odessa. Readdle has held leading positions in the productivity category on the AppStore for years. You may have also heard of Look-

sery – the company that made international headlines in late 2015 when it was acquired for USD 150 million. The sector is full of exciting and innovative brands. Kwambio is a project developing user-friendly 3D printer solutions. Clickky is a big player in the advertising market of mobile applications and has already attracted USD 2 million in investment. Then there is Netpeak, the company behind a series of Odessa IT startups. As you would expect in a city increasingly known for IT excellence, Odessa has a well-developed IT community with lots of professional user groups and IT events. In September 2015, the city played host to a major international IT conference entitled ‘Black Sea SummIT’. The event was the largest of its kind to take place in Odessa to date and attracted over 600 participants from Ukraine, Europe and the USA. The IT situation in Odessa is already impressive, but those working to develop the industry have much bigger ambitions. Our work for 2016 will focus on ensuring the long-term sustainability of the IT industry in Odessa, from specialist training to the creation of conditions for the maximum development of companies. More and more people are already paying attention to IT as a new field for job opportunities and career growth. Moreover, as demand grows, there will be new IT courses offered in the city. The idea that

This year Odessa will see the launch of a program to help schoolchildren gain insight into IT career opportunities and learn basic skills. Students from the city’s technical universities will teach schoolchildren the basics of IT programming. IT businesses are also involved in the promotion of the IT sector among the next generation of potential Odessa IT professionals. This support includes events such as the ‘Days of Information Technology’ for children and parents, and excursions to the offices of IT companies. IT executives are also involved in the development of the curriculum at specialized Odessa educational institutions. A key goal for 2016 is to persuade the best school-age pupils to choose IT for their further education. We hope to achieve this by telling everyone how interesting and useful the world of IT is and by helping with professional IT career guidance. The objective is to make sure the Odessa IT industry attracts the very best human capital. This will aid the development of the IT sector and lay the foundations for further growth. More and more people are betting on Odessa as a center for IT industry innovation. The city must now rise to the challenge and make the most of the huge opportunities currently presenting themselves. 2016 looks set to be a crucial year of growth and consolidation. We have the opportunity to create something genuinely incredible – a globally competitive industry capable of shaping the future of the entire city. Odessa has always been home to innovation and creativity – with enough support and investment in the next generation, it is now poised to become a leading voice in the digital revolution shaping the global village.

Odessa Business

A Conversation about Odessa’s Future Development with Bate Toms The Chairman of the British-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce Bate C. Toms speaks to the Odessa Review about the BUCC’s activities to help facilitate the future development of the Odessa region.

THE BRITISH-UKRAINIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, LAUNCHED IN 1997, has always been focused on Odessa. For example, recently we have been co-hosting the opening dinner for the annual Odessa Film Festival, assisting this excellent Festival. This dinner is held at the Bristol Hotel: it typically combines talks by British and Odessa officials and cultural presentations on film. Everyone has a lot of fun. The event then leads into the Film Festival’s beloved outdoor silent film screening on the Potemkin staircase. LAST OCTOBER, WE ALSO HELD THE BLACK SEA ECONOMIC FORUM AT ODESSA’S BRISTOL HOTEL AND DIPLOMATIC CLUB. This was, in fact, the largest investment event ever hosted by any chamber of commerce in Ukraine. We had over 400 diverse participants flying into Odessa to attend from America, Australia, the Middle East, western Europe and elsewhere, attracting investor attention. Together with holding regular networking events to create professional links and friendships, the Chamber is presently focused on promoting the following six areas of economic development for Odessa city and region: PORT REFORM AND DEVELOPMENT We are working hard on promoting port reforms in the city. Governor Mikheil Saakashvili has identified reform of the Odessa ports as essential for its development. We completely agree. The blockages in customs need to be eliminated, operations needs to be made more transparent and E-Government based customs clearance made much more efficient. With such reforms, Odessa can be the quickest route between northern Europe and Asia, and be competitive with Constanta and other European ports – becoming again one of the leading ports of Europe.

Find out more about BUCC at: www.bucc.com.ua or please call Diana Dobriy on +38-066-440-08-22

Odessa Business TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE To assist this port promotion, we are also focused on increasing freight railroad capacity by involving private investors, so that as more cargo passes through Odessa ports, there will be enough freight rail capacity to carry it. The creation of concessions for private expenditure on rail cars and gauge transfer stations could greatly help take care of this need. Presently, the state cannot easily fund such rail capacity expansion due to the crisis. We have been in contact with the leading companies in the field, including some from Britain and Poland. In particular, we envisage development of private freight railroad capacity between Odessa and Lviv, connecting into the western European rail gauge at the Polish border, that would greatly help the economies of both cities. IRRIGATION FARMING One of the worrying consequences of global warming for southern Europe in general, and for southern Ukraine in particular, is that it is becoming increasingly dry. In fact, all of southern Ukraine, particularly the Odessa region, has been increasingly experiencing droughts. As a consequence, farm yields in the Odessa region have been plummeting. For grain many farms are down to around a ton and a half per hectare or less, instead of the six or more tons that would be possible with adequate water. As Odessa oblast has many rivers, getting adequate water to farms depends primarily upon larger irrigation system being put in place. The contemplated expansion of irrigation works during the Soviet period was never completed. With many nearby Middle Eastern countries increasingly dependent on Ukraine to meet their food needs, developing irrigation should be a priority. Those sorts of projects are economically self-sufficient â&#x20AC;&#x201C; any investment should relatively quickly pay for itself many times over. Attracting international investment for the redevelopment of southern Ukraine should be of pivotal importance during this otherwise difficult period.

IT, BUSINESS AND LEGAL EDUCATION We have identified several UK, US and other foreign universities with top IT, business and legal courses that are interested in expanding into Odessa to augment existing Ukrainian courses. Bringing in such foreign courses is especially important now that the currency devaluation and the decrease in the availability

tourists, starting with London that, with a population of over 15 million, is the largest tourism market in Europe. The BUCC is spearheading a project to apply what we have learned from our past experiences in this area elsewhere in Ukraine to engage such experts to help promote Odessa. We are now fund-raising to cover the costs for the leading British travel PR firm to start Odessaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s UK promotion. This is be-

Odessa needs a top tourism PR promotion firm to market the city to western tourists, starting with London that, with a population of over 15 million, is the largest tourism market in Europe of scholarships has made studying abroad much more difficult for most Ukrainians. For example, we want to organize the teaching of English law subjects at Odessa universities. That is important if local lawyers are to have a broader background for international business, since English law is the leading governing law for cross-border contracts. In a major trading city like Odessa, the law and business schools should be able to offer courses in British commercial law and related subjects. The same should apply for Western style MBAs, as have been developed in Kiev to integrate Western style education into the Ukrainian curriculum. DEVELOPING TOURISM Broadly speaking, Ukraine has been hidden from the West since the 1920s. This largely remains the case. However, with the recent decline in popularity of many traditional tourism destinations, Western tourism agencies and airlines are on the lookout for new places for their clients to travel to. The economic multiplier effect from such tourism is extraordinary. For this, Odessa needs a top tourism PR promotion firm to market the city to western

ing timed to coincide with the upcoming opening of the new airport terminal. We will thereby build on the best British travel PR expertise to develop the British tourism market for Odessa. OTHER Development of the Odessa real estate construction sector will be spearheaded by the growth of the tourism sector. The key is to stimulate hotel and residential construction. In turn that would lead to more commercial and retail development as well. Odessa is a justly famous and exceptionally beautiful city benefiting from an excellent location as a gateway to Europe. The BUCC seeks to help Odessa capitalize on its potential, by developing projects that could readily achieve significant results. We hope that local Odessa entrepreneurs and stakeholders will join with us, and the Odessa city and the oblast administrations, to seize these important opportunities.

Odessa Architecture

Odessa Architecture * Glavpochtampt was the first building in the Russian Empire which was specially designed as a communications center. * The roof of the hall serves Odessaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest skylight measuring more than 1700 square meters. * The building was destroyed by bombing during World War II. It was rebuilt in 1956-1962 based on designs produced by architect V. L. Feldstein. * In the early twentieth century Odessa students used to earn extra money at the post office by helping illiterate people write letters to family members and loved ones.

Address: 10 Sadova Str. Year: 1898 Architects: V. F. Kharlamovand V. A. Dombrovsky Style: Classical

Odessa Architecture

Odessa General Post Office (Glavpochtampt)

Illustration by Alex Noio

Odessa Architecture

Michael Reva on Michael Reva: Odessa’s Best Known Sculptor is Wistful for the Architectural Heritage of his Home town FATE HAD IT SO THAT I LIVE IN A COUNTRY WHICH IS CURRENTLY SICK. AND I HAVE TO TREAT HER. WE DO HAVE VERY BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS, BUT EVEN THEY REMIND ME OF A DILAPIDATED OLD WOMAN. A part has fallen off here, something was added there. The construction is overwhelmed by AC units, TV antennas, wires…all in all, it is horrible. The original architecture is completely obscured by all of this. This is not to even mention these hideous signs, advertisements and such. WE LIVE IN A POST-SOVIET SOCIETY. The defining traits of the preceding Soviet way of life were a belief in ideology, the illusion of a prosperous future. Individuality was not a concept people thought about. If you held on to your individuality, it would be taken away over time. People had to blend into the grey mass, be part of the group – and if you failed to, if you tried to be different, you would very quickly be cut down to size. This is why the architectural space we inherited has the same characteristics. It has no individuality – everything is an even, dreary gray. The only thing which gave the space any measure of individuality was the people that filled it.

HERE (IN ODESSA) EVERYTHING HAS BECOME INTERTWINED – THE JEWISH HUMOR, THE STAPLES OF LOCAL CUISINE LIKE FRIED FISH, THE GREEK HISTORY. At first, Greeks and Turks came to settle here, and eventually, this place became associated with a kind of freedom. Opportunists and adventure seekers from around the world started coming here. In a way, it was very similar to the United States – in fact, Odessa and the United States are of approximately the same age. A totally unique society arose here. It was this mixture of different cultures, this sense of freedom that permitted Odessa to persevere as a city with its individuality intact; instead of becoming the kind of bleak faceless sea-side province where local tourists come to vacation that exists in abundance in the post-Soviet space. ODESSA BECAME HOME TO A UNIQUE BLEND OF NATIONALITIES AND ETHNICITIES, WHICH LED TO IT ACQUIRING ITS OWN LITERARY LANGUAGE. I LIVED NEXT TO THE ODESSA PRIVOZ (MARKET) for many years and it was always a pleasure to visit the yards of surrounding houses. Those were the places where you could encounter those legendary Odessa characters with their mixed nationalities and scorching sense of humor. Greek, Jewish, Polish – all these people gave Odessa its color, their presence changed everything. The rest of life was bleak and sad. ODESSA RESIDENTS WORRY ABOUT EACH ONE OF THE CITY’S BRICKS, and this worry is very easy to understand. They have seen so much of the city ruined before their eyes – this is why everything new is received so painfully. ODESSA IS A LITTLE PARIS. When we come to Paris, we see that the streets are laid out in a certain scale, a specific ratio of the height of buildings to the width of streets. This is what is called the “golden ratio”, the aesthetic formula of harmony. Odessa once adhered to the same kind of scale, but because of the relatively recent and very chaotic development, it has lost much of that.

Odessa Architecture

I WORK WITH SPACE – I try to bring harmony into any space I work with. I want the people who will later find themselves there to feel good. I want children to be exposed to different forms and shapes, which will help develop their imagination. For every space I work on, I try to find its own method, a way to « heal » it. I DON’T VISIT THE GRECHESKAYA SQUARE ANYMORE, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN MUTILATED, butchered. I can’t go there – it breaks my heart. When I walk through the city, I try to make a route through places which have not been damaged yet – but these are becoming fewer and fewer in number. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO RE-INVENT THE WHEEL – we have to take the existing experience and implement it. Lviv was able to handle this splendidly, as was Prague ; not to mention Venice, Florence, and other such cities. There, certain rules have been set in place and people involved in business have to abide by those rules. If they follow the rules, they are left alone. But if they do not, there are measures in place to influence them – financial or administrative. However, our problem is of a different nature – the advertisements and signs are not even the worst of it. We are in a totally tragic situation, because we do not even have restoration companies – and right now, the old city is simply taking its last breaths. We do not have panoramic restoration – we do not have any tools adequate for the task of rescuing this architecture.

WHAT WE ARE DEALING WITH IS CHAOS, IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. ODESSA LACKS A SYSTEMATIC NATURE TO ITS ACTIONS. Architectural decisions should not be made to favor the interest of specific groups, they should be part of a systemic effort. Certain ground rules need to be set which would apply to everyone equally. SINCE THE 60S, A LOT OF DEVASTATION TOOK PLACE HERE. Back then some horrid functionary decided that the old fences in the city were something bad. And they simply started demolishing them. These fences had some absolutely unique decorative elements! Thank God, our local historians were able to preserve some materials related to these designs. A serious effort must be made to recover at least the blueprints of these lost pieces of the city. IF THE TOPIC IS ABOUT SOMETHING NEEDING TO CHANGE – WELL, EVERYTHING NEEDS TO CHANGE… THE DEVOLANIVSKIY DESCENT IS THE WOMB OF THE CITY, THIS IS WHERE THE PORT FIRST APPEARED AND THE GULLY BY IT – everything else began to grow from there. When I walk by there on the bridge and look down – my heart sinks. It could have been an amazing place full of art, it could have housed cafes, theatres, so many things. An architect from Amsterdam was visiting my daughter, and after he saw this place during a walk through the city, he came back extremely excited. He could not stop thinking about how amazingly it could be utilized. You can see the roofs of houses right from the bridge – the charisma of this place is amazing. I don’t know if such projects are even realistic at this point – as Alex Roytburd says, « every window » in Odessa already belongs to someone. But I still feel the dramatism of this place needs to be understood, a concert or exhibition needs to be put on, the citizens need to realize what kind of possibilities are hidden here. SADLY, FOR US, BUSINESS HERE OFTEN COMES DOWN TO SQUARE METERS – THE MORE OF THEM, THE BETTER. No one understands that besides square meterage, there has to be some sort of charisma facilitated by the design, an inner attractiveness. This is the way it is done all over the world. But here – you build it, you sell it, and the quality of what you have built does not matter. It doesn’t matter if the acoustics of the building are such that tenants feel like they are all living in one room, instead of their own apartments.

Odessa Architecture

WE HAVE A WONDERFUL YOUNG GENERATION. The more I work and communicate with them, the more I realize how advanced they are – but they lack the necessary environment for growth. The city only has two or three stages where one can hear a lecture or host an exhibition. But Odessa is a cultured city with an enormous historical potential and an abundance of literature, art, and theater! I would very much like to see Odessa expand its cultural and creative platforms. ODESSA WILL ALWAYS HAVE A FIGHTING CHANCE BECAUSE IT IS THE CITY OF IRRATIONAL OPTIMISM – IRRATIONAL IN A POSITIVE SENSE. Most importantly, this is a city which can look at itself from the side with a healthy dose of sarcasm. There might be many ruins in this city, but there is still a strong spirit permeating it. It rises above the ruins and the dirt, and a certain harmony still exists here. Odessa will always have a chance, because it is simply amazing…Odessa’s potential is limitless. And I believe this city has an amazing future. I WORK WITH MANY DIFFERENT VISUAL LANGUAGES. I love it all – the classic, the avant-garde; any style or aesthetic I can use to give a space individuality or harmony, a sense of completion.

DESPITE THEIR GREAT LOVE FOR ALL THINGS NEW, ODESSA CITIZENS ARE VERY CONSERVATIVE. OFTEN, I WILL HAVE TO THINK VERY HARD BEFORE ACCEPTING THE OFFER TO MAKE A SCULPTURE. I approach the aesthetic of the city very carefully. When I do create a sculpture, I observe how it lives in the city, how it is perceived by the citizens. For example, lately I see how some sculptures are embraced and there is a feeling that they have been present forever. Now whole other generations of children will remember the dog they sat on in the City Garden. Maybe it is naïve, simple; not very fashionable or modern, but it is something close to us. It is ours. I ALWAYS UNFERSTOOD THAT ODESSA HAS ITS OWN AESTHETIC – SOMEWHAT IRONIC, SOMEWHERE NAIVE. I want the city to have more interesting, earnest, gripping sculptures – because this is why people come here, for the legend, the mythology.

Odessa Architecture

Photo by Oleg Vladimirsky 45

Odessa Architecture

Odessa’s Monuments as Displaced Persons by Boris Khersonsky

Boris Khersonsky is a physician and poet. One of the most prolific Ukrainian poets in the Russian language, he is the author of more than a dozen volumes of poetry

There weren’t many monuments in old Odessa – they could be counted on one’s fingers. Among them, the famous Duc de Richelieu or just simply ‘the Duc”, as he is affectionately known, was and is the uncontested patriarch of our statuary. In the past, not many people were even aware of the significance of the title “Duc”. However, the scroll in the famous Duke’s hand has entered history on two occasions. The graduates of Intermediate Learning institutions subscribed to a superstition that his bronze scroll contained the questions which will be on their final exams. However, unfurling the bronze scroll, of course, proved impossible. Still, rumored exam themes like Gorky’s “The Mother”, Mayakovski’s “Poem of the Soviet Passport” and such, passed from student to student for years. In some miraculous cases, the rumored themes matched up with the ones on the actual exam papers – evidently due to an information leak from the Local Department of Education. According to the tradition, a “bride” had to be chosen for the Duke. The happily squealing female graduate would be solemnly lifted onto the pedestal reserved for the first governor of the Novorossiya region. One year, at some instance the decision was made to strip the lucky girl nude. This indecent episode would cause the tradition to be halted for many years. Another moment is even more indecent yet. It is a phenomenon that now bears the colloquial name “View of the Duke from the second manhole over”. When one stands on the second manhole over from the monument and observes it from the correct angle, the scroll becomes an obvious phallic symbol, and the Duke himself a variation on the Mannekin Pis. The manhole does not give way under the observer’s feet even after this realization.

Odessa’s second most important monument is that of the poet Alexander Pushkin, standing with his back to the City Duma in a symbolic gesture of disdain at their refusal to fund his construction. Pushkin has become the proverbial recipient of baseless accusations – “Go get the dead ass’s ears from Pushkin” as the saying goes. Pushkin looms symbolically in the manner of a certain Don Juan character who seduced Elizaveta Ksavierievna, the wife of Prince Vorontsov. A good tour guide will even show you the exact location in the Vorontsov palace where the poet and the princess indulged in their illicit affair. The reality of course was that during Pushkin’s residence in Odessa, the palace had yet to be built. But what does that matter? A myth is a myth.

Odessa Architecture

Half-lord, half-merchant, Half- wise man, half-rube, Half-louse, but there’s still hope That he will form a whole some day

The monument of Mikhail Vorontsov that stood at the Sobornaya Square survived the demolition of the Preobrazhensky Cathedral only through divine intervention. Vorontsov was scheduled for demolition as well, but instead he suffered only the indignity of having his memorial plaque full of praise to the “Most Esteemed Prince..” exchanged for one containing the humiliating epigram composed about him by Pushkin: Later, this plaque was also removed. I recall another one – with the laconic inscription reading simply, “Vorontsov”. Today, the original version of the plaque has been restored. Meanwhile, Vorontsov’s tombstone was lying near his own palace under a small façade staircase. Later, I recall it being split in two, and after that disappearing – forever and without a trace. Today, the remains of the Vorontsov family are interred in the church crypt of the restored Preobrazhensky Cathedral (to mind, the old cathedral did not have a crypt at all).

The Aleksandrovskaya column managed to keep its old location in Shevchenko Park, which at one point was known as Aleksandrovsky Park. Still, it was deprived of its crown and a plaque commemorating the “Sovereign Lord.” It is in this mutilated state that I remember it from my childhood. After that, the column was hastily remodeled to honor General Suvorov. That transformation didn’t take much work…now, the column has been restored to its original iteration. Not all monuments managed to survive. I look at Odessa as a sort of chessboard upon which the monuments move around like figures. They are positioned, relocated, removed…how many of these relocations I have witnessed in my years!

Odessa Architecture

The “Queen” piece on the Odessa chessboard has always been the monument to Catherine the Great and the founders of Odessa on Kateryninska Square. It was erected, demolished and replaced with Karl Marx who was subsequently literally blown away by the wind. Later, the location was occupied by a bust of that same Karl Marx. Some even say there was a fountain there at some point. I myself only witnessed a flower bed there in my time. In recent memory, the horrid Potemkin Sailors monument was erected there, which locals immediately and affectionately dubbed “The Iron”. This latter monument was recently relocated to Tamozhennaya Square, and Queen Catherine regained her place amid a maelstrom of ideological clashing. I still remember the figures of Odessa’s founders encircling the Empress, standing by the wall in the yard of the Odessa Local History museum. At first they were simply left leaning against the wall, as if sentenced to death by firing squad – later, they were mounted on small pedestals in that same yard. Catherine’s top half was left lying in that yard as well. The lower half, which was considered to be the more indecent one, was destroyed…

First, the wind of changes swept away the monuments to Stalin (good riddance!) – I shudder when I recall all those degenerate sculptures. One of them sticks in my mind – depicting Lenin and Stalin calmly discussing the future of electrification; above a flowerbed in which daisies and forget-me-nots form a map of channels linking Moscow River to the Volga and the Volga to the Danube… Recently, it was Lenin’s turn to become a “dislocated person”. Now all of his busts and effigies are concentrated in one of Odessa’s parks. Before that, they were plentiful and widespread. I remember classifying them with a friend according to type: “City Square Lenin”, “Neighborhood Lenin”, “Resort Lenin”, “Hospital Lenin”, “Factory Lenin”, and even “Yard Lenin”… In recent times, Odessa’s historical center has been showered with new monuments as if from a horn of plenty. Sadly, most of these were unsuccessful and did not prove to be long-lasting.

The new monument to Grigorios Maraslis (ed: a beloved mayor of the city of Greek origin) has been relocated from the Hretska street to the Marazlievska Square. It is a quite bad monument on its own, but the construction being erected in its stead is far more horrible. In its former place now yawns an enormous ditch, haphazardly covered by slabs with pseudo-antique designs. The “bribe” monument, however, initially located by the Archaeological Museum has been relocated to the Boulevard of the Arts.

This list can go on and on… another time, perhaps 48

Odessa Architecture

Leninâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Statue and the Dark Side As part of the continuous process of decommunization underway all over Ukraine, Soviet era imagery and monuments are being taken down all across the country. The newly passed decommunizations laws mandate that any remnants and symbols of the communist past must be dismantled. Odessa has carried out this task with typical flair, with a statue of Vladimir Lenin being converted into one of the Sith lord Darth Vader from the Star Wars Trilogy. Local artist and sculptor Alexander Milov has converted the statue. Darth Vaderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s helmet and cape are now composed of a titanium alloy and Vaderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head emanates electro force in the form of a Wi-Fi hotspot.

My Odessa

50 Photo by Evgeniy Arefiev

My Odessa

Actor Oleg Filimonov muses on his favorite place in Odessa: 7 Gogolya Street

I moved here when I was already an adult. In this yard, in the apartment of my first wife’s parents, on the fourth floor from

The yard was approximately the same as everywhere else. Bleak and gray. Still, it was downtown - one of the most aristocratic places of Odessa, so the public was of an appropriately high level - captains of long-haul ships, senior engineers from the

I had migrated across Odessa and lived in many places, but this one was by far the most beautiful where the balcony faced Teshchin Bridge, I lived during my student years: from 1973 to 1976. I had migrated across Odessa and lived in many places, but this one was by far the most beautiful. Before that, I lived on Moldavanka, on Skisna street – the very center of Moldavanka society. The conditions were such that I couldn’t imagine that it is possible to live so beautifully that the toilet was inside, in the apartment, and not an outhouse under the open sky. Imagine the cognitive dissonance - going straight from Moldavanka to this apartment with designer furniture, a panel of semi-precious stones hanging on the wall, walls fitted with red silk, and most of all – a real bathroom! This apartment was surprisingly beautiful. The director Govorukhin even used it as location for a film.

ship-repair plant, and other significant people. The academic Filatov used to live in the next apartment, and his family and I would exchange pleasantries in the yard. In general, everyone was very courteous to each other here. The line with the drying clothes is a necessary attribute even of the most aristocratic Odessa yard, as you can see now. It is simply impossible to imagine an Odessa yard without the washing hanging out to dry, and the old ladies eating sunflower seeds on a bench. But I loved this place not only because I lived here. Everything in my life seemed to revolve around it. First, I was still a student of Romano-Germanic philology at the University which held lectures on Pastera Street, and this aura permeated the place where we lived.

looking out to the Teshchin Bridge and the cliff. I remember spending many hours on that terrace with my student friends, drinking cheap port, discussing James Joyce, Kafka, and various world issues. Third of all, right there is a hidden staircase, which leads to an old seaport where I made additional money as a musician, playing on a bandura. For our Odessa street musician collective, the biggest earnings began at 10 pm, when we would announce: “The orchestra is preparing to finish!” After that, people rushed to order a couple more songs. The taxi drivers also came to drink there after their shift changes. We already knew all of their faces and as soon as they would appear, I would instantly begin to sing: “And the road curls like a gray ribbon…” They all gave a minimum of 5 rubles. These are my favourite places in Odessa. Some time ago, I bought a triptych with these Odessa roofs under Teschchin Bridge and poplars from an artist selling his paintings on the street. These pictures remind me of this place, of my youth. A time when we were all young, optimistic and healthy.

Secondly, my friends lived in the Foltsveynov’s house next to the Atlantean sculptures, which had an enormous terrace

Odessa Cinema

Odessa in Films By Regina Maryanovska-Davidzon Odessa, with her cobble stone streets and picturesque Italianate architecture, majestic port and epic monuments is a grandly cinematic city. She has been a fixture and setting of films for as long as the medium has existed. The city was home to some of the very first film studios in the Russian empire and became a primary center for film making in the wake of the Bolshevik revolution. The legendary Odessa film studio continued producing films throughout the Soviet period and still continues functioning today – though much reduced in scale and capacity from it’s Soviet peak. The Odessa Reviews’s managing editor Regina Maryanovska – Davidzon is a native of the city as well as being a film maker. She studied for a PhD in film theory in Paris and also shot several documentary films set in her hometown while living in France.

Battleship Potemkin

Benya Krik

Man with a Movie Camera

Soviet Union Directed by Sergein Eisenstein 1925

Soviet Union Directed by Vladimir Vilner 1926

Soviet Union Directed by Dziga Vertov 1929

Any list of great films shot in Odessa must by necessity commence with the cult classic which revolutionized film making technique. It was inspired by a sailor revolt aboard a Black Sea ship during the 1905 revolution, during which the sailors raged against being fed rotten meat. The execution of the rioting sailors is abruptly halted by the other sailors, but the violence that follows cause the death of the revolt’s instigator Valenchuk. The scene set on the Potemkin staircase of the government troops opening fire on the Odessans who attend his funeral is the most famous scene in the history of cinema.

A black and white dramatization of themes from Isaac Babel’s ‘Odessa Tales’ Starring Yuri Shemskya as Benya Krik. The main protagonist is the legendary Odessa bandit and opportunist, king of the criminal underworld Benya Krick. The film follows the prototypical career arc of Benya as he takes revenge against those who have betrayed him by setting fire to the city jail. We watch as he gathers around him a criminal band and lends his ‘talents’ to the revolution. The film’s denouement is a reminder that nothing in life is forever...

Fun fact: The scene was screened to the grandiose sounds of live accompaniment by Michael Nyman for the 15,000 viewers sitting on the staircase during the 6th annual Odessa film festival.

Fun fact: The film’s script was written by Babel himself, and was published as a standalone volume in 1926.

Fun fact: The scene was screened to the grandiose sounds of live accompaniment by Michael Nyman for the 15,000 viewers sitting on the staircase during the 6th annual Odessa film festival.

Odessa Cinema

Odessa In Flames

The Two Fedors

A Slave of Love

Italian- Romanian co -production. Directed by Carmine Gallone 1942

Soviet Union Directed by Vladimir Vilner 1926

Soviet Union Nikita Mikhalkov 1976

Shot by Italian director Gallone in Odessa during the Romanian occupation of the city. The film follows the events of the battle for Odessa during which Romainian troops supported by the 11th Wehrmacht army fought the Red army. The film was banned when the Soviet Union recaptured Odessa and invaded Romania in 1944, and the actors who participated in producing it were prosecuted. Fun fact: The film won a prize during the 1942 Venice film festival.

Fedor returns home from the front at the end of the second world war only to meet a homeless boy who is his namesake. The two bond and and decide to live together. However, the only obstacle to their happiness together is the older Fedor’s married life. Despite Natalia’s attempts to bond with him, the younger Fedor runs away from home. The film ends happily however with the two Feodors being reunited.

The film is an ode to cinematography and to the cinema. Set in late 1918, during the Russian civil war, it depicts a melodrama being shot in Southern Russian territory controlled by the white army. Inspired by the life of silent film actress. Vera Kholodnaya. Fun fact: Before Mikhalkov made this film about Vera Kholodnaya another great Soviet filmmaker, Rustam Khamdamov was attached to the project. Shooting was stopped because of disagreements between the director and the scriptwriter.

Тhree Stories

Odessa...Odessa!

Friend’s from France

Ukraine Directed by Kira Muratova 1997

France-Israel Directed by Michale Boganim 2005

France Directaed by Ann Weil and Phillip Kotlyarski, 2013

Muratova is Odessa’s greatest living filmmaker and all of her films are absolutely worth watching, but ‘Three Stories’’ is my own favourite. A criminal drama which unfolds over three lapidary novellas, it’s unifying theme is that the crimes are all committed with seemingly without a motive. The killer in every story turns out to be the person who we least suspect.

The film consists of three interlinked stories which are shot in Odessa, New York and Ashdod - two cities home to many emigres from Odessa. The protagonist of each story is full of nostalgia for a lost past. Each one pines for a personal Odessa that they have lost and are hoping to recapture. The film is noteworthy for it’s quirky presentation of Brooklyn’s ‘Little Odessa’ enclave of Brighton Beach and of the many picaresque characters who live there.

Soviet Odessa in 1979. Carol and Jerome are cousins who pretend to be a couple while touring the Soviet Union. In the evenings they avoid the informer guide who leads their tour and visit dissidents. For the risk loving Carole, this absurd world is enchanting and seductive. But the only thing that interests Jerome during the trip is Carole.

Fun fact: The film was awarded the Golden Bear at the 47th International Berlin film festival.

Odessa Fashion

Odessa designer Tanu Muino: Making The World Jealous by Yulia Malikova

JEALOUSY is the name of the emerging Odessa-based clothes brand that can already be found worldwide through both stores and online retailers in Ukraine, Georgia, Singapore, Kuwait, Russia, Great Britain, and USA. The brand is earning a reputation for its bright and brave collections and even more provocative fast-paced campaign videos. Behind the brand’s success stands 27-yearold designer Tanu Muino, a funky and photogenic young fashion industry insider from Odessa.

Before her interview with The Odessa Review can begin, Tanu asks for a few minutes to finish a quick photo shoot. She explains she needs to shoot a preview for her new collection before an upcoming show in the Ukrainian capital. She then gets to work right in the middle of the crowded coffee shop where we have agreed to meet, positioning a beautiful model up against the wall and photographing her with an ordinary smartphone camera. The model is sporting a white bomber jacket featuring tender flamingos and the slogan: ‘The less I know the better,’ a song lyric that is a great example of typical JEALOUSY style. The shoot is a success, but Tanu confides that the collection itself is not yet complete. Prints are late arriving and much remains to be stitched. She does not appear to be overly wor-

ried about these de-lays. A couple of nightmares are all she anticipates, but she is confident that she’ll be ready for the coming fashion week with everything done perfectly – albeit at the last moment. Whatever happens in the Tanu universe, she seems to be completely convinced that things will work out just fine. She is not prone to overthinking and is instead always in the flow of things, a state of mind that comes from her personality as someone who knows no doubts. “I always know exactly what I want. Yes or no. I know the answer immediately,” she shares. “Like I don’t want to go to the office ever and I want to sleep as much as I can. I love red and I hate violet. For me, it is as easy as that.” Her fast brain never seems to slow down and she has little patience for social convention. Tanu’s intrinsic sense of complete freedom may well be rooted in her early childhood, which was spent in the sun-kissed and vibrant surroundings of Cuba. The memory of women barely covering their killer curves in colorful hyper-stretch clothes has been a big influence on her fashion sense throughout the years. Another powerful tool for creativity has always been music. Growing up

Odessa Fashion

JEALOUSY clothes first appeared in a private runway presentation in 2012 and the same year a full Spring Summer collection featuring dinosaur prints and baby-doll dresses was showcased at Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days. Having been noticed and offered international distribution, the designer continued to develop the brand, playing with textures like vinyl leatherette while emphasizing a trademark item: signature coats. into her teenage years back in her native Odessa, Tanu didn’t have local channels and watched only MTV endlessly, occasionally distracting herself long enough to play video games in her father’s computer club. Never had many friends — not that she needed anyone. Being increasingly self-sufficient has shaped her career and come to dominate her personality. A flame-haired beauty, Tanu first entered the fashion industry as a model. She then tried her hand as a photographer and stylist, working with Odessa’s Shop City magazine. While doing photo shoots, she noticed that there was always a shortage of clothes she liked. She decided to have

a go at designing her own. The solution was simple – she teamed up with friend Sasha Stukalskaya to establish her very own fashion label. Stukalskaya has since pursued a culinary career in Paris, while Tanu continued, not only making collections but also producing her own fashion campaigns as well as music videos for local artists — only the ones she truly felt a connection with. Her videos reflect her wild and fearless character, always on the go, trying to be the best until she gets bored, only to switch to something else she is good at. She has a narrow circle of friends and is notoriously guarded. “Whenever a guy comes

Odessa Fashion up to me and says ‘hi’, I say ‘bye’ right away. That way, he is immediately offended and we don’t end up wasting each other’s time,” she explains. This straightforward approach is typical of Tanu’s ultra-rational take on human relations. It saves time for more important things, she argues, such as spending hours on Tumbler going through photos to help inspire new clothing creations. Tanu can’t draw, nor sew but she has the vision and her collections are born to amaze free-spirited girls each season. “Can I influence a lady’s taste? No, it has already taken shape. What I do is create things that I want to wear my-

‘Tanu can’t draw, nor sew but she has the vision and her collections are born to amaze free-spirited girls each season.’ self. There is not a single thing in my collections that I would not wear,” she says. The designer has been accused of making clothes exclusively for tall girls like herself, but she does not seem to care about such criticism. For her, the whole point is to create the ‘I’m jealous of your outfit’ ambience that inspires her own label. Tanu’s ultimate dream, she says,

would be sitting on a throne in her own store telling her customers what to choose and what not to wear. She lets out her deep and melodic laugh as she imagines the surreal situation. Seeing her happy encourages an obvi-ous conclusion: you don’t have to conform to succeed. You don’t have to conform unless you want to. You should listen to your inner freedom even it makes the whole world jealous.

Odessa Fashion

Odessa Art

Odessa Conceptualism or “L’Enfant Terrible” by Uta Kilter current of contemporary art had already been present in the western world since the early 60’s, – but the unfortunate denizens of the USSR were obviously unaware of its existence (though to be fair they were also unaware of many other cultural phenomena). The country was trapped behind the iron curtain which allowed for no outside cultural penetration. Thus, when we hear the local artists’ claims to having had “invented” conceptualism – this is certainly not an empty boast. They did not have and could not have had any idea of its Western existence, and so they reinvented the wheel. Moreover, owing to their activity, Odessa’s contribution is now known not only in places like Berlin, but is also recognized even in Moscow – the home of all the varied post -Soviet forms of conceptualism.

Uta Kilter is an art-critic

The movement was born as a response to the ubiquitous slogans and commands which permeated Soviet society For the Odessa art world, the main event of 2015 was undoubtedly the “l’Enfant Terrible” exhibition which took place in the Kyiv National Ukrainian Museum of Art. Subsequently, the Odessa Museum of Modern Art conducted an enormous investigative effort to compile a hefty catalog before it subsequently hosted another iteration of the same exhibit. Odessa has staked out its claim in the artistic sphere, giving birth to its own artistic movement. Thus we have ‘Odessa Conceptualism’, a home grown Odessan art movement imprinted with the values of the city. Of course, conceptualism as a

The movement was born as a response to the ubiquitous slogans and commands which permeated Soviet society; conceptualism was a direct answer to the absurd (and often plainly idiotic) Soviet mantras. It strove to use the Soviet authorities own semiotics against them. The conceptualists took real phrases, newspaper headings, and slogans and turned them into something completely antithetical to the

Odessa Art

Odessa Art officially intended meanings, taking the Soviet rhetoric to its logically absurd conclusion. These young people (who only later would assume the title of “artists”), in fact these Enfants Terribles, simply gathered in makeshift underground “salons” to party, exchange sarcastic jokes, to have dark acerbic fun at the expense of the thoroughly rotten late-Communist ideology. They were trying to come up with ways to humiliate it, to “get one over” on it, without the system becoming aware and punishing them for it.

tion of dead ‘ platitudinous’ language into living human language, to illustrate how they were perceived by the common person. For example: international passports were unimaginable at the time. As leaving the borders of the USSR was not possible, the artists reacted by creating fantasy “passports” populated with absurd and fantastical “visas”. The movement was delineated by it’s production of artistic objects which resembled the underground satirical magazines that were popular with dissidents. The draw-

Why Odessa specifically? Most likely this is because of the town’s proximity to the sea They were not part of the official artistic milieu, and that is the reason that textual works dominated the early movement. They were not quite dissidents however. Their political discontent was expressed through an exhibitionism of everyday late-Soviet norms and standards, and the wry assault against the system’s hypocrisy and absurdity percolated underground. Why Odessa specifically? Most likely this is because of the town’s proximity to the sea. Port cities always foster cultural exchange even when they are located in reclusive regimes, and this in turn makes for an irreverent insubordination against imperial – or faux-imperial - control. This was not visual art per se, but rather illustration of the texts: a sort of transla-

ings made by members of the movement and their captions elicit laughter even today – their bitter sarcasm conveys the environment of those years in a manner so powerful, that it retains it’s striking force decades later. Some, if not most, modern satirical magazines pale in comparison to the wit of those early works. It would be complicated – and not entirely necessary – to comment on the visual aspects of the work. This was a movement where every aspect of a work, visual as well as non-visual, was crafted to work together towards a greater and holistic idea. Actions and performances such as the self explanatory “Cutting of Smoke” by Yuri Leiderman also played an important role for the movement. 1982 is conventionally regarded as the year Odessa Conceptualism was born. It was then that the meeting between Leonid Wojcekhov and Sergey Anufriev took place, resulting in the founding of the first group of Odessa conceptualists. Among its members were Yuri Leiderman, Alexey Kotsievsky, Igor Chatskin, Fedot, the “Perzy” and “Martynchiki” groups as well as myriad lesser known artists. The driving spiritual impulse of the movement itself was a peg on which to hang a

critique of reality and life, with all the gusto that reflected Odessa’s famed spirit of “apathy” and bravado. The prickly artists involved with the project practiced a kind of irreverent “rascaldom”. Their aim was to assert their self-identification and determination through a particular kind of sarcastic criticism. This was a gesture distancing them from the establishment. It was a narrow circle, which, as it grew wider gave birth to ever more groups and fractions both inside and outside of itself. These groups would gather to spend time together and exchange ideas and criticism of their artistic production. These artists were young and most importantly, alive in the real sense of the word. They were not part of that ubiquitous, beaten down grey mass of Soviet society which was ready to submit to any order or directive (even those issued within the art world). They refused complacency and harshly mocked and rejected the mode of life which the USSR attempted to impose on them. Most of the artists were forced to relocate to Moscow, where a collective was formed under the name “Inspectors of Medical Hermeneutics’”. This sub group exerted a great deal of influence over the Moscow conceptualists. However, by the early 90s, conceptualism had outlived its purpose. According to the words of the conceptualists themselves – “The statement has been made”. Unfortunately, while the USSR may be defunct on paper, it does persist as a mode of consciousness for many. This is why conceptualism is not obsolete, and continues to be quite relevant in our day. The routines of life have changed only slightly, but the mechanisms of control remained in place. Art gained a dimension of seriousness – it now has a desperate need to speak with absolute sincerity and to emphasize important things. Although… as always irony and sarcasm remain in style.

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Odessa Literature

Babel: the Black Sea Bard The Odessa Review pays tribute to Odessa’s most influential and inspirational literary figure

saac Babel’s short story collections, ‘The Odessa Tales’ and ‘Red Cavalry’ remain justifiably beloved cornerstones of the Russian-language literary canon. These stories of adventure, fantastical gangsters and maravding Cossacks remain perennial favorites, and Babel the most treasured literary son of what has always been a consummately literary city. More than any other poet, writer or essayist who got their start in Odessa, Babel’s work captures the spirit of the city in all its anarchic glory. The ‘Red Cavalry’ stories of conflict in Ukraine, of military maneuvering between rival cavalry is now more timely than ever -except the steeds now are steel tanks. Babel met an infamous end. Last year marked the grim 75th anniversary of the execution of the great writer in Moscow’s Butyrka prison. The exact circumstances surrounding his death constitute a widely disputed and decades-long enigma. For many years, the details of his arrest and imprisonment were unknown and unknowable, but we now know that the sentence was carried out the day after a hasty twenty minute trial. Babel’s letters and notebooks were confiscated by the Chekists who arrested him. They were deposited into one of innumerable secret archives and have not been seen since. The fate of his final, confiscated manuscript remains the last outstanding piece of the puzzle. Despite this tragic finale, Babel lives on. His slangy, street smart, funny stories about Odessa are certainly monumental

- an archetypal monument unto themselves, but that has never prevented his most passionate local partisans from building him literal monuments. The tales are themselves a vital living monument to the city but it has been five years since the statue of him was erected on the plaza across the street from his former apartment building on the corner of Rishelyevska and Zhukovska streets. The monument itself is not bad. Commissioned with donations that were raised from among Odessa’s sprawling worldwide expatriate community, it was molded by the Russian celebrity sculptor Georgy Frangulyan. It certainly has a rough hewn charm. For many, it is a work of populist kitsch redeemed by its humaneness. The kindly, frocked, Babel reposes next to a massive “wheel of fate.” He scribbles his tales into a notebook. He gazes dreamily into an imaginary world. He is hunchbacked, yet the folds on his jacket look like wings that are about to sprout from out of his back. His nose has already been oxidized away from palms rubbing up against it. This summer, the plaza in front of the lumpy neo- Soviet columns of high school number 117 on which the statue (literally) sits will also be renamed in his honor. In a popular gesture towards cultural credibility, Governor Mikhael Saakashvili’s administration has also announced the inauguration of an annual Babel Award for narrative fiction composed in Russian. The prize criteria sparked some of

the usual debate about the politics of the Ukrainian and Russian languages in the city. ‘’The main criterion for selection of entries for the award, in the words of Isaac Babel, should be a “tyranny of taste” as the prize guidelines stipulate. Babel’s legacy is also explored this year by an excellent and emotionally laden new film. In Finding Babel, Andrei Malaev-Babel, Isaac’s grandson returns to Ukraine to seek out his grandfather’s legacy. Made by the American filmmaker David Novack along with the participation of the Canada-based international organization ‘Ukrainian - Jewish Encounter,’ the film follows Malaev-Babel’s search for his family identity. Babel himself is voiced by Hollywood actor Liel Schreiber. The film had its Ukrainian premiere last year at the Molodist Film Festival in Kyiv. After screenings in Tallinn and Moscow, Andrei Malaev-Babel will be returning to Odessa to take part in the inauguration of the prize, and the filmmaker is planning an Odessa premiere later this year It should be said that this is a good time for Babel publishing. He is experiencing a rush of renewed attention in the English-speaking world. Babel’s Red Cavalry collection of 35 stories, first published in 1926, has been newly retranslated by Boris Dralyuk for the Pushkin Press (a publishing house known for their excellent literary taste). The reception for that book has

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been glowing with the Financial Times critic declaring: ‘this new edition does an excellent job of capturing both the joy and the violence’ and that we should ‘salute this beautiful new English translation for bringing our attention back to one of the enduring jewels of 20th-century Russian language literature.’ Babel’s latest translator, the New School professor Val Vinokur, is working on a set

of brand new translations of all of Babel’s tales (forthcoming from Northwestern University Press). The key story ‘Odessa’ as well as an essay on the history of translating Babel into English, appear in this premiere issue of The Odessa Review. Vinokur’s translation is remarkably fecund and shapely. We await the publication of his forthcoming edition of Babel’s collected stories with impatience. Vinokur also appears as a talking head expert in the

film Finding Babel. An interview with David Novack will appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine. We hope readers will enjoy this month’s homage to Isaac Babel in the debut issue of The Odessa Review. Given his status as a giant of Odessa’s cultural heritage, we regard it as an honor to dedicate this month’s magazine to the Black Sea Bard.

Odessa Literature

Babel’s Extended Ode to Odessa Translated by Val Vinokur

“Odessa” by Isaac Babel

Editor’s Note: Written exactly a century ago, between 1916-1917, ‘Odessa’ is the title story in Babel’s canonical ‘Odessa Tales.’ It is a love letter as well as a manifesto, and frames the other ‘Odessa Tales.’ It is remarkable how much the culture of the city remains unchanged one hundred years on, and how much of the spirit of the city Babel had captured.

dessa is a nasty town. Everybody knows this. Instead of saying “what’s the difference,” over there they say, “what’s the differences,” and also, instead of “here and there,” they say, “hayr and thayr.” But still, it seems to me you could say a lot of good things about this important and most remarkable city in the Russian Empire. Just consider – a city where life is simple and easy. Half of the population consists of Jews, and Jews are people who are sure about a few basic things. They get married so they won’t be lonely, make love so they will live forever, save up money to buy their wives astrakhan jackets, love their offspring because, after all, it’s very good and important to love one’s children. Poor Jews in Odessa can get very confused by officials and official forms, but it isn’t easy to shift them from their ways, their fixed and ancient ways. Shift they will not, and one can learn a lot from them. To a significant degree, it is thanks to their efforts that Odessa has such a simple and easygoing atmosphere. An Odessan is the opposite of someone from Petrograd. It is becoming axiomatic that Odessans do very well in Petrograd. They make money. They are brunettes – so naturally the city’s soft blonde ladies fall in love with them. In general, an Odessan in Petrograd tends to settle on Kamennoostrovsky Prospect.1 I’m not setting up a joke here. No, sir. This is about something more profound. Quite simply, these brunettes bring a little sunshine and lightheartedness with them. Aside from gentlemen bringing a bit of sun and a lot of sardines in their original containers, I would also think that there will come – and come soon – the prolific, life-giving influence of the Russian south, of Russian Odessa, which may be (qui sait?) the only city in Russia where our very own and much needed national Maupassant will be born. In fact, I perceive the tiniest slender wisps of a premonition – Odessan chanteuses (I speak of Isa Kremer)2 with small voices, but full of joy, joy artfully expressed in their very being, a fervent and light, charmingly sad yet touching feeling for a life that is good and bad and extraordinarily – quand meme et malgré tout – interesting. I saw Utochkin, and Odessan pur sang, carefree and profound, fearless and absentminded, graceful and gangly armed, brilliant and stuttering. They say he’s been consumed by cocaine or morphine since he fell out of his airplane over some swamp in Novgorod Province. Poor Utochkin, he’s lost his mind, but all the same it’s clear to me that soon the time will come when Novgorod Province will walk itself over to Odessa.3

Known as the Gallery of Art Nouveau because of its turn-of-the-century buildings, Kamennoostrovsky Prospect was, in the words of Osip Mandelstam, “one of the lightest and most irresponsible streets of Petersburg” (Mandelstam, The Egyptian Stamp). 1

Isa Kremer (1885-1956) was a Russian Jewish soprano who moved to Odessa when she was twelve and began writing revolutionary poetry for a local paper. After studying opera in Milan, she went on to become a star of classical and popular song, singing in many languages, including Yiddish. She eventually moved to the United States and then settled in Argentina. 2

Sergei Utochkin (1876-1915), pioneering Russian aviator, born in Odessa. In 1929, fellow Odessan Yuri Olesha would write that Utochkin “was considered a freak. He was a subject of fun. It’s unclear why that was. He was one of the first to ride a bicycle, a motorcycle, an automobile, one of the first to fly. People laughed. He crashed flying between Petersburg and Moscow. People laughed. He was a champion, but in Odessa they thought he was the town madman.” 3

Odessa Literature

Photo by Igor Sytnik

‘in the evening, out at their comical vulgar dachas, beneath the dark velvety sky, the fat comical bourgeois lie about on their day beds in white socks’ Above all, this city simply has the material conditions necessary to nurture, let’s say, the talents of a Maupassant. In the summer, its sunny bathing establishments gleam with the bronzed and muscled physiques of young sports enthusiasts, the powerful bodies of fisherman, who are not sports enthusiasts, the fat, round-bellied, amiable bulks of the “gentlemen of commerce,” the pimply scrawny dreamers, inventors, and brokers. And a small distance from the deep wide sea, there are factories puffing smoke and Karl Marx up to his usual business. In Odessa there is a very poor and crowded, long-suffering Jewish ghetto, a very self-satisfied bourgeoisie, and a very Black Hundreds town council. In Odessa, there are sweet and languorous spring evenings, the spicy scent of acacia, and the unwavering and irresistible light of the moon above the dark sea. In Odessa, in the evening, out at their comical vulgar dachas, beneath the dark velvety sky, the fat comical bourgeois lie about on their day beds in white socks, digesting their five courses… Behind the bushes, their powdered wives, fat from idleness and naively corseted, are passionately squeezed by temperamental physicians and jurists. In Odessa the “luftmenschen” root around the coffee houses trying to make a ruble and feed the family, but there’s nothing to be made, because what can a completely useless person – a “luftmensch” – really make? In Odessa there is a port, and in the port – ships from Newcastle, Cardiff, Marseilles, and Port Said; Negroes, Englishmen, Frenchmen, and Americans. Odessa has known prosperity, and now knows its own decline

Odessa Literature

– a poetic, rather carefree and utterly helpless decline. “Odessa,” the reader will finally say, “is a city like any other city, and you are just exceedingly biased.” All right, so I’m biased, it’s true, maybe even exceedingly so, but parole d’honneur, there is something to it. And a truly human being will sense this something and will say, true enough, life can be sad and monotonous, but all the same – quand meme et malgre tout – extraordinarily, most extraordinarily interesting. From these thoughts about Odessa my mind turns to deeper things. If you think about it, doesn’t it seem that in Russian literature one has yet to find a truly joyful and vibrant description of the sun? Turgenev sang of the dewy morn, the stillness of the night. With Dostoevsky you can feel the uneven grey pavement along which Karamazov walks to the tavern, the heavy and mysterious Petersburg fog. Those grey roads and shrouds of fog have stifled people and, having stifled them, contort them in amusing and awful ways, giving birth to a rumble and jumble of passions, making people even more frantic amidst the usual human bustle. Do you remember the bright and fructifying sun in Gogol, a man who came from the Ukraine. If there are such descriptions, they are but a passing phase. And not the phase with “The Nose,” “The Overcoat,” “The Portrait,” and “Diary of a Madman.” Petersburg defeated Poltava, Akaky Akakievich has modestly but with brutal efficiency overwritten Gritsko, and Father Matvei fin-

‘But he is not the singer of the sun, but a herald of the truth’ ished off what Taras had begun. The first person who started to talk about the sun in a Russian book, and to talk about it ecstatically, passionately, was Gorky. But the very fact that he talks about it ecstatically and passionately means that it’s still not quite the real thing. Gorky is a precursor, and the mightiest in our time. But he is not the singer of the sun, but a herald of the truth: that if there is one thing worthy of song, you can be sure it is the sun. In Gorky’s love of the sun there is something cerebral; it is only thanks to his enormous talent that he overcomes this obstacle. He loves the sun because Russia is rotten and perverted, because in Nizhny and in Pskov and in Kazan people are flabby, thick, sometimes incomprehensible, other times pitiful, and sometimes just incredibly and stupefyingly boring. Gorky knows why he loves the sun, why one is supposed to love it. This awareness is in fact the reason why Gorky is a precursor, an often mighty and magnificent one, but a precursor. As for Maupassant, maybe he doesn’t know anything, and maybe he knows everything; a covered wagon clatters down a scorched road, in the carriage sit the fat and sly Polyte and a strapping clumsy peasant lass. What they’re doing in there and why there are doing it – that’s their business. The sky is hot, the earth is hot. Polyte and the lass are dripping with sweat, while the wagon clatters on the bright scorched road. And that’s all. Lately, there’s been a lot of writing about how people live, love, kill, and elect local village councils in the province of Olonetsk, Vologda, or, say, Archangelsk. All of it is written in the most authentic dialect, exactly like they speak in Olonetsk and Vologda. People live there, it turns out, and it’s cold, and there’s a lot of rough stuff. An old story. And pretty soon people will get sick of reading about this old story. Actually, they’re already sick of it. And what I think is, Russians will be drawn south, to the sea and the sun. Will be drawn? No, in fact, that’s wrong. They have been drawn already, for many centuries. It is in Russia’s persistent drive to the steppe, even perhaps “to the Cross of the Holy Sophia,”4 that she will find her way. People feel the blood should be refreshed. It’s stifling here. The literary Messiah, awaited in vain for so long, will arrive from there – from the sunny steppe, washed by the sea.

The Holy Sophia (Hagia Sophia or Holy Wisdom) is the cathedral that served as the seat of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople from 537 until 1453, when it was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans. It became a museum in 1935. Many Russian ideologues – including Dostoevsky – believed that it was Russia’s messianic destiny – as the last remaining Christian Empire or “Third Rome” – to retake Constantinople from the Muslim Turks. 4

Odessa Literature

The Art and Science of Translating Babel by Val Vinokur

Recreating the magic of beloved Odessa native Isaac Babel in English has proved a Herculean literary endeavor. Val Vinokur is associate professor and chair of the Literature, Culture, and Democracy Program at The New School in New York City. He is the author of The Trace of Judaism: Dostoevsky, Babel, Mandelstam, Levinas.

ries. The generally ignored publisher’s note on the first page of that edition – now out of print for more than two decades – complicates its provenance: The stories in the section entitled Red Cavalry, with the exception of “Argamak,” were originally published in Nadia Helstein’s translation by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1929; they have been revised by Walter Morison for this edition. “The Sin of Jesus” was translated by Mirra Ginsburg; “First Love” by Esther and Joseph Riwkin; and “Guy de Maupassant” by Raymond Rosenthal and Waclaw Soski. All the other stories have been translated by Walter Morison.

n 1929, the great American literary critic Lionel Trilling read a book “about Soviet regiments of horse operating in Poland” that disturbed him, charged, as it was, with an “intensity, irony, and ambiguousness” of the kind that the usually placid academic wished to avoid. That disturbing book was Nadia Helstein’s 1929 translation of Isaac Babel’s Red Cavalry (1926). Ernest Hemingway confessed: “Babel’s style is even more concise that mine,” proving that “even when you’ve got all the water out of them, you can still clot the curds a little more.” Trilling’s sensibility could not be more different from that of Hemingway, but they both seemed to find kindred interests in Babel. Hemingway had also read the Helstein edition, and also owned the 1955 Walter Morison translated edition of Babel’ Collected Sto-

Stranger still is the unexplained fact that Helstein’s 1929 translation is apparently identical to a translation attributed to a translator named John Harland, published in London the same year by the same publisher. Since I first encountered “Morison’s Babel” in a windowless mail room in the Downtown Miami law firm where I worked as a seventeen-year-old Bartleby, I have dreamed of retranslating it. This was not because the 1955 edition was lousy. Indeed, it has a beautiful and coherent literary matrix – aurally and visually right, a fluid mix of high modernist lyricism and vernacular shape shifting, prancing around like Dubliners on horseback. At the same time, it was littered with prominent but correctable irritants and omissions and dated Anglicisms: for example, over-translations of names (Sashka becomes “Sandy,” Matvei “Matthew”) and over-explanatory titles (“The Crossing of the Zbrucz” becomes “Crossing Into Poland,” even though Babel deliberately fudges the location, since whatever Poland was in 1920 began at the River Slucz). The two new translations that appeared during the past two decades

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(one by David McDuffs in 1994 and the other by Peter Constantine in 2002) fixed many of these mistakes, but, as many a reviewer has noticed, they have added fresh ones and, more importantly, their literary merit has been questioned. Aside from Boris Dralyuk’s new version of Red Cavalry, published after I began my own translations, these have been the only English versions of Babel in print, obliging me, and most of my colleagues who teach these stories, to use photocopies from outof-print translations. Given Babel’s mystifying quotations and obfuscations, it pleases me to add my uncertain name to the uncertain provenance of Morison’s edition. I join a string of attributions that should also include several rather graceful translations by Max Hayward and Andrew McAndrew (published in the out-of-print collections You Must Know Everything and Isaac Babel: The Lonely Years, 1925-1939, both edited by Babel’s daughter Nathalie Babel). Babel himself was a translator from French and Yiddish. One of his bestknown stories, “Guy de Maupassant,” is ostensibly about translation. Its narrator, a fictional Babel, has been hired by Raisa Berndersky, a rich Jewish Petersburg society wife, to help her with her attempts at translating Maupassant: In her translation there was no trace of Maupassant’s free-flowing phrases with their drawn-out breath of passion. Mrs. Bendersky’s writing was tediously correct, lifeless and loud, the way Jews used to write Russian back in the day. I took the manuscript home with me…and spent all night hacking a path through someone else’s translation. The work was not as bad as it sounds. A phrase is born into the world both good and bad at the same time. The secret lies in a barely discernible twist. The lever should rest in your hand, getting warm. You need to turn it once, but not

twice. In the morning, I brought back the corrected manuscript. Raïsa wasn’t lying when she told me of her passion for Maupassant. She sat motionless, her hands clasped as I read it to her: these satin hands melted to the floor, her forehead went pale, and the lace between her bound breasts strained and trembled. “How did you do that?” So then I started talking about style, about an army of words, an army in which all manner of weapons come into play. No steel can pierce the hu-

ease. At first, he suffered from headaches and fits of hypochondria. Then the specter of blindness rose before him. His sight grew weak. He became paranoid about everyone, unsociable and deceptive. He struggled furiously, dashed about the Mediterranean in a yacht, fled to Tunis, Morocco, Central Africa – and wrote constantly. Having achieved fame, in his fortieth year he cut his own throat, lost a lot of blood, but survived. They put him in a madhouse. There he crawled about

Translation can be a peculiar drug – and, at its heady best, it is as exhilarating, intimate, crafty, and paramilitary as the hero’s steam-punkish metaphor man heart as cold as a period placed just right. She listened, her head bowed, her painted lips parted. A black light glowed in her lacquered hair, smoothly pressed and parted. Her legs, with their strong tender calves, were bathed in stockings and splayed wide on the carpet. Translation can be a peculiar drug – and, at its heady best, it is as exhilarating, intimate, crafty, and paramilitary as the hero’s steam-punkish metaphor. But the seduction – both the hero and the translator’s – is inconclusive. After planting a drunken kiss, the hero stumbles into the bookcase, causing twenty-nine volumes of Maupassant – “twenty-nine petards stuffed with pity, genius, passion” – to come crashing down. The narrator returns home to his bohemian garret, where he ponders the fate of Maupassant in the pages of Maynial’s biography: He was twenty-five when he had his first bout of congenital syphilis. His prolific joie de vivre resisted the onset of the dis-

on all fours and ate his own excrement. The last line on his medical chart read: “Monsieur de Maupassant va s’animaliser. (“Mr. Maupassant has turned into an animal.”) He died when he was forty-two. He was survived by his own mother. I read the book to the end and got out of bed. The fog came up to the window and concealed the universe. My heart felt tight. I was brushed by a premonition of the truth. Babel wrote “Guy de Maupassant” in 1922 and it appeared in print only a decade later, but it describes the period in which he was writing “Odessa”: 1916, while he was living in Petrograd, dreaming of the Odessa of his youth – and having “premonitions” about being an Odessan who makes it big in Petrograd. The “tiniest slender wisps” of that premonition, the “small joyful” voices of 1916 brought sunshine through the Petersburg fog. By 1922, and certainly by 1932, those wisps have congealed into the premonition of a truth caught tight in a heart shrouded by a world-concealing mist.

Odessa Literature

Taking Isaac Babel to Canada The Canadian producer, rapper and ‘nerdcore’ hip hop performer Josh Dolgin, AKA ‘Socalled’, is famous for his wildly original admixtures of Klezmer and folk music with more contemporary influences. Socalled has been at the forefront of the Klezmer musical revival that is now well into it’s third generation, and he is a frequent visitor to Ukraine and Odessa. The “Socalled” Movie, a 2010 documentary about him made by filmmaker Garry Beitel, includes remarkable footage of the music making and merriment that took place during a “Klezmer Cruise” down the Dnipro River. As part of The Odessa Review’s focus on the creative legacy of Odessa literary legend Isaac Babel, we asked Socalled to reminisce about his family history in Odessa and his role in the 2013 Montreal staging of a cult classic musical version of Babel’s Odessa Tales.

had first discovered Babel’s writing by accident rummaging through the stacks of the fabled Strand bookshop in New York City. I happened upon his diary and the Red Cavalry stories. I had studied Russian Literature in university and managed to miss Babel, but well, when I caught it later, those stories just blew me away. Babel’s language, his life story, his humor, his pain, his perspective: what I found in the tales of Benya Krik was really the synthesis of all my interests and obsessions. Consciously, I made it a long-term artistic goal to find a way to work his classic material into the stories that I wanted to tell.

Hip Hop innovator ‘Socalled’ reflects on adapting Babel’s Odessa Tales for Canadian audiences – in Yiddish!

My grandfather Joe was from Dnipropetrovsk, or Khortytsia, or Zaporozhia it’s not entirely clear where exactly. In a scratchy interview on an audio cassette that my uncle taped before he died, he talks about going down to the Dnipro River during the Shabbat for picnics with his family. Apparently he had played the mandolin before he married my grandmother. They left for Canada from Odessa and arrived in Winnipeg in August of 1914. He died when I was 10, but neither he nor my parents ever spoke Russian, Ukrainian or Yiddish to me. So I never

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heard those languages in childhood, and never had much of a connection to them until I got into Yiddish music and culture in my 20’s while looking for samples on old records to make Hip Hop. Through my interest in those old vinyl and 78 records, I began the journey of self-discovery that led me to discover the language and culture of my Ashkenazi Jewish Ukrainian ancestors. Particularly that of their music: the music of the Yiddish Theatre, the celebratory instrumental music now known as Klezmer, as well as art song, folk song, Hassidic niggunim (wordless melody) and cantorial music (the refined music of prayer and the synagogue).

Approached to create a new work for the Montreal Yiddish Theatre, my first proposal, without a second’s hesitation, was a Yiddish musical staging of Isaac Babel’s Odessa Stories. Babel and his Odessa Stories are beloved in Russia and Europe, but not as widely known in North America as they should be. I wanted to create something for a Yiddish theater that told a story that could and should only be told in Yiddish. Babel offered me the vehicle for a story that would be the negation of the hyper saccharine and off putting sentimentality of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’. One might wonder at the effort needed to take Babel’s Russian text, putting it into an English version, translating that into Yiddish – a language very few actually speak – and then subtitling the product with English and French subtitles for a Canadian audience? Babel wrote in Russian, but wouldn’t it be fun, I thought, to see those stories performed in the language in which they took place?

I had some time off between shows in Moscow and Europe, so I stopped off in southern Ukraine for a week of research and aimless hanging around. It was my third trip to Odessa. I had no friends in town, did not know anyone at all. I had not set up any meetings or sought out any historians or archivists. I just procured a

cozy room over a restaurant and walked around. I wanted to breathe that air. To feel those cobblestones under my feet, and to find some of the addresses from the stories, which I read continuously in the cafes and on park benches. I explored the alleys and courtyards of Moldavanka. I took some photographs and I got laid. There was Babel’s crappy apartment and the newly erected Babel monument. My search for the vestiges of Jewish life there did not yield much. I walked from Moldavanka to a Jewish cemetery, and got hopelessly lost until a girl from a Vietnamese restaurant, who only spoke Vietnamese, pointed the way. The graveyard only had headstones from the 1950’s onward. What I found was that the whole Yiddish-speaking world painted by Babel had disappeared. Destroyed by pogroms and genocide, the Holocaust and emigration. Still, I soaked Odessa into my brain, hoping to cram those echoes and references into a musical adaptation. I wrote a melody that ultimately became the theme for the town in the show, but I wrote most of the music weeks later at my parent’s piano.

Returning to Montreal, I began working on the script with a well-known Montreal-based Russian director and writer. I wanted to keep everything that I adored about those stories: the turns of phrase, textures, characters and twists of plot that I wanted to tell the story of the rise of a Jewish gangster king. So I came up with a flow and filled out that flow with musical numbers for certain moments. The lovely writer/director Derek Goldman, an expert in transforming literature into theater, cobbled together the first draft. I based the lyrics on the (translated) Babel text I had been working with. Some of the songs were literally Babel’s own words set to music, such as the speech that Benya makes at the graveside of Savka Butsis, which was based on a Kaddish prayer melody from the Odessa region of the late 19th century. All this was painstakingly translated into Yiddish by Miriam Hoffman.

Clea Minaker, a puppet designer of genius, developed shadow puppets that ‘performed’ along with the human actors. Michael Winograd, one of the finest of the new generation of Yiddish musicians, came up from New York to be the musical director. He played clarinet with a band made up of a Moldovan gypsy accordionist, a Romanian cimbalom player, a Bulgarian flutist, two Jewish classical string players and a drummer. They were all Canadians but this was a simulacra of an Odessan Yiddish orchestra. The company’s young director, Audrey Finkelstein, took the directorial reins. The set was based on photographs I’d taken during my trip to Odessa, the costume design based on photographs from an ethnographic expedition the writer and folklorist Ansky (best known for his play the Dybbuk) made while collecting stories in 1908.

The show looked and sounded historically authentic, but it was also absolutely original. It ran for three weeks: a Broadway-style show, Yiddish gangster musical, in Montreal, based on the stories of Isaac Babel! I went to see it every night that it played. There was smoke and gunshots. Sex and violence and crime during a wedding, as well as a funeral. That is to say everything. It had everything a good musical should have. People from outside the normal Yiddish theater world came to see it, and it got great reviews in the French Canadian press. I was over the moon. It was my greatest achievement to date: staging a collaboration between music, story, dance, theater and literature. I recorded the score with the original cast and I’ll probably put that record out someday. It’s been hard finding another home for it since. I hope the next time I put it on will be in Odessa. Or maybe we’ll shoot the movie on the mean streets of Moldovanka?

Odessa Photography

Odessa Photographer in Focus

Igor Sytnyk Odessa photographer Igor Sytnik has won a series of regional, national and international photo competitions since taking up photography seriously ten years ago. A former seaman, he is equally inspired by the sea and by his native Odessa. He began his photography odyssey by snapping traditional portraits, before moving on from people to portraits of Odessa itself. “People like to say Odessa is a city of photographers and sailors,” he quips. “So after my career as a seaman, what else was I supposed to do?”

Odessa Photography

Odessa Expat

Interview with Hobart Earle by Vladislav Davidzon

Hobart Earle has been the music director and principal conductor of the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra for as long as independent Ukraine has existed. A cosmopolitan figure from the cradle onward, he was born and grew up in Venezuela to an American family and was educated in Scotland, America and Vienna. Having studied with some of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, he took the plunge and moved to Odessa to become both an improbable and legendary figure in the Ukrainian cultural and music worlds. The Odessa Reviewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief editor Vladislav Davidzon interviewed him as they sat on the stage of the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra. 82

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We’ve also done a lot of contemporary music never played here, as well as a great deal of American music… Odessa Review: I am very much honored to be joined today by maestro Hobart Earle, who is music director and principal conductor of the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra (OPO). We are sitting here in the fantastic and remarkable hall of the Odessa Philharmonic, which is a great monument of architecture which I hope the maestro will tell us a bit about. Hobart Earle: Thank you. Absolutely, with pleasure. OR: You are very much a historically minded conductor, you care about the history of the city, you care about the history of music. You are very much aware of the history of what has been played in the city and in the country and in the Soviet Union before that. What has the Odessa Philharmonic played recently that has never been performed in the city before? HE: Right now, this week, Arnold Schoenberg’s “Five Pieces for Orchestra” and his 1937 version for orchestra of Brahms Op. 25. It’s safe to say that over the past year, Sibelius’s 4th, 5th and 7th symphonies were most likely Odessa premieres. In general, Sibelius’s music was not played very much in the former Soviet Union. If it had been played it would have been played from hand written parts ( because his music was copyrighted and the USSR did not sign any international copyright treaties ) and if these parts existed, they’d be here somewhere. Aside from St. Petersburg (Leningrad) and Moscow, Sibelius symphonies really did not get played much, and certainly not in Odessa. OR: Yes, relations between the Soviet Union and Finland being what they were, he was a symbol of nationalism, and he did live to a ripe old age. His works are still copyrighted, so it seems unlikely.

HE: Yes, he died in 1957. Over the years we’ve played a lot of pieces that haven’t been played here before. But how to determine what has and what has not been played here is an art of its own, sometimes a little bit of guess work is needed. Edward Elgar is another example of a composer, who for whatever reason, was just not played in the Soviet Union. Maybe the violin or cello concerti from time to time, but not much more. Way back in 1993, when I conducted what was most definitely the Odessa premiere of the “Enigma Variations”, to my amazement it wasn’t just a premiere, but at the time, the musicians didn’t know the piece existed. OR: Elgar, is not a particularly Soviet taste! But what do you think you have added to the history of the city, what do you think you have brought here that did not exist here before? It is after all a deeply musical city, it has a deeply rich musical history, and has produced world - class musicians for a century. HE: No question of that, yes. I think we’ve broadened the repertoire during my tenure. Just last week, we played some Tajik music – all of which would have been Odessa premieres – Tolibkhon Shakhidi and his father Ziyadullo Shakhidi (ed: he

least 30 years by this orchestra, that’s for sure, but the older members of the orchestra certainly remember playing it. We did Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” way back in 1992. We played a lot of Aaron Copland and also the Ukrainian premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Jeremiah Symphony,’ but also pieces like Gustav Holst’s ‘Planets’ and various Mahler symphonies. I can’t claim to have conducted the Odessa premiere of Mahler’s 1st and 5th symphonies, but certainly his 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 9th, yes, those were Odessa premieres. I don’t think Mahler’s music was played a great deal in the former of Soviet Union outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg. With both Bruckner’s 7th and 8th it’s highly unlikely they had been played here before. OR: He had a bad reputation in the Soviet Union for the obvious historical reason of his appropriation by Hitler. HE: Yes. To come back to your question of what I might havee added to the history of the city, there is certainly the geographical component: the list of the world’s halls in which the orchestra has played. Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in the United States. Five times in the Musikverein in Vienna. I studied in Vienna and I think everyone who studies in Vienna remains very attached to the city. To perform in the Musikverein is very special for any musician, and the fact that this orchestra has played there five times in the past twenty five years is wonderful. I think we’ve also managed to create various traditions locally. When I speak of Vienna,

I studied in Vienna and I think everyone who studies in Vienna remains very attached to the city was the founder of the Professional Tajik Academic Music) who is considered to be the father figure of Tajik music. We’ve also done a lot of contemporary music never played here, as well as a great deal of American music …. OR: A remarkable Porgy and Bess which we heard you play a week ago. HE: Indeed, the symphonic picture from “Porgy and Bess” hasn’t been played for at

and think of Johann Strauss and our new year’s concerts (ed: these include usage of toys, mini explosive devices and confetti), these are actually much more sophisticated than they seem. As any Viennese music student knows, it’s very easy to play Strauss badly and really hard to play him well! I often try to explain it as follows: it’s as if Strauss, in particular the waltzes, are like kind of “nineteenth century Jazz” – in 83

Odessa Expat other words, music that’s not played the way it’s written. The waltzes are written evenly, but like Jazz, they have a rhythmic lilt to them which is very free. The Viennese have the very unique rhythmic “flow” of this music in their blood, in a way that even the Germans do not. For the Germans – and for everyone else outside the borders of Austria – it’s a foreign art form. We have built this tradition over the years and the orchestra has become really quite good at playing these waltzes. The polkas and the marches are much easier because they are in two and four, while the Waltzes are in three. Three is always an uneven element in music. OR: Your Strauss concerts which I attended were all very popular with Odessans. People really enjoyed them and they really like Strauss as well as the little theatrical twists that you brought with the firing of the little popguns. HE: You know, I caught a lot of “flak” for these concerts in my first years here. Strauss’s music, being a very specific repertoire, was a vehicle to develop the orchestra’s flexibility and sense of ensemble. In the early nineties I was criticized most heavily for these Strauss concerts, and for using these “tricks” you mention. Although these “tricks” have al-

OR: That is a very good note, a liminal note to bring us to the question of connoisseurship. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a great deal of the social capital ebbed away, a lot of people from here moved away. They moved to the West, to Russia, Canada, Israel and Germany. It seems to me that a great deal of the cultural traditions that were passed down from generation to generation dissipated. Much of that spirit of connoisseurship goes all the way back to the nineteenth century. HE: Yes, there is no question that times change and generations change. I’m not sure one can trace the tradition back from recent Soviet times all the way to the nineteenth century. That is of course a very interesting topic. In Soviet times, Odessa was very much closed off from the outside world. So in effect our sense of history is diluted – even now, the archives for this orchestra go back only to 1936. We don’t really know what happened in terms of orchestral music in Odessa before. That is by the way typical not only for the Odessa Philharmonic but for many performing arts organizations in the former Soviet Union. The 1930’s were the time when many of these institutions were created, or officially “re-organized”. For example, the

In Soviet times, Odessa was very much closed off from the outside world ways been part of the New Year’’s concerts in Vienna, in Odessa when we implemented them in the early 90s, they were considered to be horrendous! OR: Savagery! HE: Well, we decided to bite the bullet, and unbeknownst to those criticizing us, with those Strauss concerts we were actually improving the orchestra’s sense of ensemble !

State Orchestra of the USSR, now renamed after [conductor Yevgeny] Svetlanov was created the same year, so was the orchestra in Kiev, as well as a myriad of other institutions. Of course orchestral traditions existed here in Odessa before 1936, but it’s a tough nut to crack – and there’s no question each generation breathes its own air and drinks its own water. No question, too, that the emigration from Odessa, beginning in the 1970’s, meant there was less of a bridge to older times – and what those older times were before the 1970’s becomes guesswork. We don’t really have that many recordings – we have recordings of some of the great soloists performing, but almost no recordings of the orchestra here

in Odessa. For example, with the Berlin or Vienna Philharmonic you can listen to them in the 30’s or 40’s, and there is so much more historical material. Here, it’s missing. I often make historical connections purely by musical instinct which seem to be controversial at first but then turn out to be true. OR: Give us an example of that sort of dynamic. HE: Classic example, I conducted Shostakovich’s 5th symphony on this very stage, way back in 1994. At a particular moment during a rehearsal I suddenly stopped, and said to the orchestra: “I’m convinced there’s no way he could have written this passage, had he not heard Alban Berg’s opera “Wozzeck” !” I could just feel the musicians thinking “here he goes again” and “what’s he going on about this time? Our foreign friend telling us about Shostakovich and “Wozzeck” ?!?” . . . The next day the principal cellist came to the rehearsal telling me that he opened a book and found out that indeed “Wozzeck” had been performed in Leningrad in 1927 and that the young Shostakovich went to all the performances, met Berg, and was very taken by him and his music. My observation was just a gut feeling of musical instinct – neither I nor the musicians knew this fact at the time. OR: I always ask you about the much heralded Odessa School and the imprint it has left here. HE: Yes, but you see, what is the Odessa School? If you can find me a definition, or someone who can persuasively explain in words what it was, please let me know. OR:So maybe it’s a spirit? HE: The thing is if you look at the great musicians from Odessa … OR: …they were all born here and left. HE: Right. But look at David Oistrakh and Nathan Milstein, they are very different violinists. Look at Gilels and Richter: they are completely different pianists. Take Shura Cherkassky, he is different yet again. They are all representatives of Odessa, but they were all very different. That’s normal in any city, soloists are very individual.

Odessa Expat

Every music director brings his imprint to the sound and that is what I can be proud of – this very particular sound which the orchestra has today What unites them could well be this sense of “spirit”, that word you mention. Odessa, being a port city, this unites them – at least in their character “offstage” – with a certain kind of typical Odessan “joie de vivre”. OR: So there is no technique that unites them all? Nothing that Gilels gave to Richter? No Stolyarsky musical school magic? HE: They were all very original. That unites them. A lot of them had their childhood in Moscow and then came to New York, for example, after studying in Moscow. Cherkassky left very young. Yet, the city produced many great musicians, so there is indeed something about the city that was very special. During the time when Stolyarsky was teaching it was very fashionable to play the violin and in every courtyard there were young kids playing the violin. OR: So what is the difference for you between a city like Vienna and Odessa? You came here as a young man at twenty - nine, given an opportunity to conduct your own orchestra right after the collapse of the Soviet Union. What is the most rewarding part about being the conductor of an orchestra in Odessa rather than say a city like Vienna? HE: In a city like Vienna there are so many established traditions. If you are a music director, it’s harder to create new traditions, or, let’s put it this way – it would take more time. Here, over the years, I think we’ve managed to change a lot. OR: What were some of the negative, pernicious traditions or issues that came along with the positive legacies of Soviet musical training? Personnel issues? Cohesion issues?

HE: Ironically, the Soviet Union tended to create people who were not always interested in the general good. More often than not, there were the sorts of people who were attuned more to their own personal interests than to the collective good. A classic example here on stage was the war over getting the curtains (which were horrible for acoustics) down in 1996. After the curtains finally came down, it was hard to make the musicians understand that they needed to fight to make sure the curtains stayed down when I was away. It was hard to get them to insist to the bureaucrats who ran the hall that the curtains needed to remain removed when the orchestra was on stage. And the bureaucrats did not want to have to expose the ill-repaired walls hidden behind the curtains on stage. My attitude to that issue was : “don’t hide this under the rug – open it up and show the public that the walls need to be repaired”.

I like to use the phrase ‘dark sound’ OR: This is a good moment to transition into your personal crusade over the much needed repair work needed for the hall. HE: The previous governor, Ihor Palytsia, of his own initiative upon hearing the story from me, said: “let’s get this fixed”. Way back in 1996, we had the legendary American acoustician, Russell Johnson, come here to compile a major report on the hall. In that report, Russell wrote that “this concert hall could rival the great European halls” if the proper acoustical repair work and structural changes were made. Some elements of Russell’s report have been implemented. The stage was rebuilt, using a

single layer of wood, for example ( before that, they kept adding layers of wood one on top of another from the 1930’s onward, and that was horrible for acoustics). New seats were installed throughout the hall – this is important because the seat backs need to reflect the sound. In any good hall the back of the seats are made of a hard material, such as wood, that reflects the sound. Johnson’s vision has yet to be fulfilled. The main issue is, the windows have yet to be properly repaired: one can hear some of the traffic sounds coming through. We can’t record here unless we stop traffic in the surrounding streets, which we did on two occasions over the years, including rerouting the trolley buses. OR: What are you most proud to have accomplished during your tenure as the musical director? HE: To be honest with you, I would go straight to the way the orchestra sounds. I like to use the phrase ‘dark sound’ and we also search for a kind of transparency. It is a special sound and it is a sound which is very different from that of any other orchestra in Ukraine. It is also different from the great Russian orchestras in Moscow and St. Petersburg, in that there is a ‘southern’, warm element to the sound. Perhaps not many people are aware of this, but every conductor is different, and every conductor has a very powerful effect on the sound of the orchestra he/she is conducting. Whether that effect is tangible or intangible, minor or major, if you look at the great conductors, they all had their own sound. Just compare Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan, for instance – they both conducted the Vienna Philharmonic, and each of them elicited their own different sound from the same orchestra! Every music director brings his imprint to the sound and that is what I can be proud of – this very particular sound which the orchestra has today. Another positive note should be that we have maintained the size of the orchestra, despite all the concerted efforts to reduce it over the years. Our orchestra is full-time and plays at least sixty concerts a year. In the nineties in particular there was a push

Odessa Expat

For years, we have been fighting this terrible legend, spread by Leonid Utesov’s joke to cut the size of the orchestra by as much as thirty percent and hire ringers. I resisted that effort with every bone in my body. When you do that it, it is the beginning of the end. You have to have a full sized orchestra! Today, no other orchestra in Ukraine has eight double basses full-time, and even some of the great orchestras in Moscow have only seven. OR: What are your regrets if any? HE: Well, the first regret must certainly have to be the hall, which of course has a somewhat tragic history. People in Odessa do not really understand to a full extent that the hall is architecturally as unique and significant as their rightly beloved Opera house. The Odessans are funny people in that to all of them the opera house is a symbol, which is of course wonderful. It is a wonderful building, but even Russell Johnson made the point that he would not rank this building that far below the Opera house in terms of its architectural importance. He said to me: what sets this city apart is that it has both a great Opera house and a great hall. Most cities only have one of the other. For years, we have been fighting this terrible legend, spread by Leonid Utesov’s joke on this very stage, that the acoustics are bad, because the hall was built as a stock exchange and built so that nobody standing over there could overhear our conversation here. A wonderful story, but the trading room was elsewhere in the building, and today’s concert hall was used as a hall for banquets and ceremonies. According to Russell Johnson, there is nothing about this hall’s soul which is anti-acoustical, only a few specific elements – such as the windows – that do need to be changed. We need to install wooden shutters over the windows to reflect the sound, and the windows need to be isolated, so the ambient street sounds stay outside. I can’t say that I have been able to get the local government

to focus on the windows. I can’t say that we have achieved what we wanted to. If this hall was to be redone correctly it would become a real destination for classical music. Secondly, the international market is very difficult, and – despite the clearly established success that the orchestra has had, both in Europe and North America for a number of years now – we have been unable to establish ourselves on a regular basis with Western tours. Unfortunately, and also kind of unfairly, this is in part because the orchestras from St. Petersburg and Moscow have a huge lion’s share of that market and those cities have the kind of name recognition that Odessa just doesn’t have. I think the orchestra has deserved its fair place in the international market, but alas, we don’t seem to have it. This I do genuinely regret. OR: Yet you have had some remarkable world class musicians perform here despite all the difficulties. HE: Getting big names to Odessa is a whole problem. A lot of the names of stature internationally, with whom I perform abroad, such as Ivo Pogorelić or Steven Isserlis, Daniel Mueller Schott, the orchestra simply cannot afford to pay them to come here. There is a very limited budget

Getting big names to Odessa is a whole problem for guest artists. I have had conversations with people like Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham and Joshua Bell about coming to Odessa. They are all interested. We have had some major artists come to perform here, like Yefim Bronfman and Piotr Anderszewski, who are great pianists and very well known worldwide, they have certainly never come to play with the orchestras in Kiev or elsewhere in Ukraine. They enjoyed being

here, but they came as a gesture of friendship, basically for pocket change. We have a serious financial problem. OR: The local government does not help very much? HE: We pay taxes into the local budget without receiving one Hrivna of subsidy – all of our subsidies come from Kiev and all our taxes go back out to the Oblast (regional authorities). So bearing that in mind, the local government should at the very least be giving moral support to the orchestra which costs them nothing and which is a major tourist and cultural attraction. They have not really understood the value of the orchestra’s ambassadorial role for the city. In terms of support, we have had private charitable funds both here and in the United States, and these funds did all sorts of things. We even did dental work for wind players so that they could continue to play fifteen years ago. It turned out to be a very important issue, I had one horn player who had a number of teeth pulled by an idiot dentist and so he could not put his dentures in and was completely unable to play. OR: That is not the kind of problem we have in the west. HE: We were very fortunate and found a French-Swiss dentist who told us he could fix this. Our man is still playing the horn, his son is our principal horn player. While we were at it, we decided to do the same for all the other wind players as they all had serious dental issues. We also did things in the 90’s like bring vitamins for the musicians. That was all funded by a charitable fund, a 501 C3 that we had in the U.S. – the ‘American Friends of the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra’. We no longer have it because the IRS closed out many of those foreign funds which were not functioning for long periods because of money laundering and terrorism concerns. You need an entire team of people to operate that sort of structure properly, and we were not able to maintain such a team from a long distance, that is unfortunate. The new class of

Odessa Expat

nouveau riche here in town also don’t seem to be interested in traditional philanthropic endeavors, and it is true that there is no legal framework or tax deduction structure for it here either. The general apathy here has been disappointing. Even though we’ve had support from time to time, there has been a general indifference over the years from the local government, and also from local business. OR: And what about the effects of recent

The general apathy here has been disappointing events? Have they been detrimental? HE: We are just now beginning to see proposed budget cuts – for the first time since the start of the war – of almost 10%, and this is very unfortunate. The national government is the only institution in this day and age here in this country who can properly support the arts. Ukraine is a country of a very high culture, and I’d like to think of it as a country where this is one of the best things it has going for it. If the federal government starts to cut funding for culture and to go down the road that a lot of European governments have gone down… well that is a very bad road to go down. Very sad news. Which is not going to solve the budget problem of the country either. The amount of money that the government spends is significant – if you add up the total of all the national level arts organizations – but it’s not significant at all in terms of the percentage of the national budget. People who are leaders in society need to lobby against these proposed budget cuts, only that way can we resist them. OR: So let’s conclude on a happy note. You and the orchestra defy all the expectations of fussiness and conservatism often associated with classical music. You

put on popular music, in the good sense of popular, and in fact you were the first to bring film scores to the classical scene here, which is of course common in the West. HE: Correct. And yes, film scores are also easy to play badly. They are very demanding on the orchestra, and we need to be good to play them well. For the annual “city day” concert, we have played a diverse repertoire of Western European, Hungarian, Latin and North American, Romanian, Greek and Turkish music, as well as pieces representing Asia and almost all fifteen former soviet republics. Multi-national music for the multinational city of Odessa. A lot of it is easy to listen to but hard to perform. OR: Odessa and the many musicians who worked here had a great tradition of creating some of the best of Soviet popular music. There was the aforementioned

his music, including his “Concert Waltz” – which, by the way is purely a concert piece, not from film or operetta. It is sad to note Dunaevsky is almost completely unknown outside of our neck of the woods, despite his great talent as a musician. But that’s the way life goes. There is so much – on all sides – that we don’t know about each other. Would you believe that the orchestra did not know who Stephen Sondheim was? I discovered that last week, while explaining the lyrics of “Porgy and Bess” to them. I also explained to them something that most people, even in America don’t know: Sondheim was Milton Babbitt’s last private student. For that matter, many people don’t know that Leonard Bernstein’s parents were from Berdichev and Shepetovka … OR: How remarkable it is to have a Venezuelan born, Scottish and Viennese-educated American, a student of Babbitt and

Utesov, Isaac Schwarz as well as my own composer ancestor- Isaac Dunaevsky. HE: Sure, the two Issacs! When I speak of the two Isaacs however, this being Odessa, I think of a third. We had a very special concert with the third Isaac, who was of course Babel. We had a wonderful evening with Babel’s grandson Andrei Malaev-Babel, he read some of the Babel stories interspersed with music by Isaac Schwarz. But Dunaevsky – he was a wonderful musician and we’ve played much of

Leonard Bernstein (whose own family was from this part of Ukraine) explaining Sondheim to the Odessa orchestra. That really brings the circle all the way back around.

Odessa Expat

Odessa Tourism

Odessa Region Fishing Guide By Vadim Goloperov

Fishing in and Around Odessa

SEA FISHING When one hears “Odessa”, “sea” is often the first association. For many tourists the sea means not only relaxing days at the beach, but also coastal fishing. It is also no secret that fishing near the coast of Odessa often yields great trophies. The most popular target for amateur fishermen is the common bullhead, which can be caught near virtually any Odessa pier from April through October. Boat fishing is usually more successful, since the bullheads inhabiting the deeper areas are more plentiful and substantially bigger. The best location to catch stingray, flatfish, and spiny dogfish is the estuary near the bank of the Dniester river. Another popular fish is the Black Sea garfish, which is somewhat smaller than its northern relative but nevertheless is also a fun catch. It can be caught near the coast during the late sumThe outskirts of Odessa are home to a large number of estuaries. The khadjibey estuary is the most popular with fishermen because of its abundance of mugil. This large and delicious fish will accept only the nereis worm as bait. Besides the mugil, the estuary is home to zander, carp, bighead carp, crucian, and perch.

mer and early fall using live fish, pieces of fish, or the sea worm nereis as bait – however, fishermen also often use spinning lures. The late summer-early fall season is

also when schools of Black Sea merlangius pass close to the Odessa coast. These small fishes are a favorite because despite their size, they take the bait almost every time.

RIVER FISHING Approximately 40 kilometers from Odessa is the Dniester delta – a paradise for any lover of nature but especially for those who are fond of fishing. The Dniester and its Turunchuk anabranch can be accessed from the villages of Mayaki, Belyayevka, Yaski, and Troitskoe; all of which can be reached by taking the Odessa-Izmail or Odessa-Chisinau highways. In Belyayevka and Yaski, one can rent a boat and visit the delta and the beautiful surrounding lakes, which are home to many species of rare birds. It is no surprise that this area hosts a National Nature Reserve. The Dniester itself is home to vast quantities of carp, crucian, bream, perch, pike, zander,

Odessa Tourism in the local polders, which are also a great place for lovers of predatory fish such as pike and perch. EQUIPMENT Whether they are a tourist or local, anyone who wishes to learn about the Odessa fishing world, stock up on fishing gear and bait, and catch up on the latest fishing news simply must visit the oldest specialty market in Odessa – the Starokonny open market. This market lies at the heart of Old Odessa in the Moldovanaka, and specializes in the sale of live animals as well. It not only serves as a hub for the best fishing gear shops in the city, but also as a meet-up spot for its best fishermen

and aspius. Links for fishing and recreation in the Dniester delta area: deltadnestra.narod.ru laguna.od.ua mayami-club.com CARP FISHING IN ODESSA Odessa is home to many aficionados of carp fishing. The Baraboi reservoir is one of the most popular reservoirs for competitive carp fishing to be found in all of Ukraine. The grass carp, crucian, pike, and zander can also be caught there in abundance. baraboy.com.ua.

Another popular local fishery is “Three Crucians”(Три Карася), where both competitive and amateur fishermen can count on a trophy-quality catch. 3karasya.com.ua

FISHING IN SPRING March and April are the months when all of nature awakens from its winter slumber, and fish are no exception. Many fish begin preparing for the spawning season, and as a result, eat ravenously. The bullhead is an especially easy catch during these months. As for river fishing, the spring is the best time for catching roach and bream, which rush from the rivers to the estuaries to deposit their eggs. April is the optimal time for catching crucian

– well, that’s how they would describe themselves! The biggest fishing supply store in Odessa, conveniently located in the center of the city, is “Fisherman’s Paradise”(“Рыбацкий рай”) located at 89, Bolshaya Arnautskaya. As the local fishermen say – “Neither tail nor scales!” – when wishing someone a fun and successful catch. - News, tips, a list of fishing locations and a lot of other useful information can be found at one of Odessa’s most popular fishing forums, Odessa Fishermen’s Club (OFC): fishingclub.od.ua/forums

Benedikt Opening Party

Odessa Society

Dizyngoff Opening Party

Odessa Society

Libro Dry Bar - Opening Party

Odessa Society

Prosecco Bar - Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day

Odessa Society

Roustery - Merci

Odessa Society

Fancy Room

Odessa Society

Olimpia White Moustage

Bourbon

Odessa Society

Central Bar

Odessa Listings

YOU CAN FIND THE ODESSA REVIEW IN THESE FINE ESTABLISHMENTS SPORT CLUBS / FITNESS CENTERS / YOGA Ark SPA Palace 1A, Henuez`ka str. +38 (048) 232-83-28 www.ark-spa.com Fitness stadium 1, Marazliivska str. (Chernomorets stadium) +38 (048) 701-72-72 www.fstadium.club Maristella 2A, Chervonykh Zor’ str. +38 (048) 772-32-02 www.maristella.com.ua Nemo Fit&SPA 25, Lanzheron beach +38 (048) 720-70-77 www.odessa.nemofit.com Yoga Maharadj 12, Bunina str. +38 (048) 709-20-00 www.yoga-maharadj.com Wellness SPA Formula 12, Tchaikovsky ln. +38 (048) 728-99-21 www.formula-wellness.com

Kadorr Hotel Resort&SPA 5* 66/3, Frantsuz`ky blvd +38 (048) 705-99-04 kadorrhotels.com

Oxford 33, Zhukovs’koho str. +3 (048) 725-55-00 www.Oxfors-med.com.ua

P1 Prosecco&Crudo Bar 1, Lidersivs`kyi blvd. +38 (048) 705-88-70 www.m1clubhotel.com

Jardin French Restaurant $$$ City Garden +38 (048) 700-14-71 www.jardin.od.ua

Traveler’s Coffee $$ 14, Derybasivs`ka str. +38 (094) 917-54-07 www.travelerscoffee.ru

London Hotel 4* 95, Uspens`ka str. +38 (048) 784-08-98 www.london-hotel.com.ua

Virtus 10, Bunina str. +38 (0482) 35-61-68 1, Sudostroitel’na str. +38 (048) 746-55-44 www.Virtus.ua

The Roastery by Odessa $$ Henuez’ka str. (Arcadia) +38 (093) 787-87-85

Kadorr Restaurants $$$ 66/3, Frantsuz`ky blvd +38 (048) 705-99-01 kadorrrestaurants.com

Tulka $ 46, Koblevs’ka str. +38 (048) 233-32-31 www.tulka.od.ua

Larec $ 1/1, Viry Kholodnoi Square +38 (048) 726-04-09

DRY CLEANER

Londoska Hotel 4* 11, Prymors’ky blvd +38 (048) 705-87-77 www.londonskaya-hotel. com.ua Maristella 4* 2A, Chervonykh Zor` str. +38 (048) 772-32-02 www.maristella.com.ua M1 Club Hotel 5* 1, Lidersivs`ky blvd. +38 (048) 705-88-77 www.m1clubhotel.com Mozart Hotel 4* 13, Lanzheronivs’ka str. +38 (048) 237-77-77 www.mozart-hotel.com

HOTELS

NEMO Hotel 5* Lanzheron beach +38 (048) 720-70-80 www.odessa.nemohotels.com

Alexandrovskiy Hotel 4* 12, Oleksandrivs’kiy ave +38 (098) 581-49-19 www.alexandrovskiy.com.ua

Otrada Hotel 5* 11, Zatyshna str. +38 (048) 233-06-98 hotel-otrada.com

Ark Palace Hotel&SPA 4* 1B, Henuez`ka str. +38 (048) 773-70-70 www.arkpalacehotel.com

Palace Del Mar 5* 1, Kryshtalevyi ln +38 (048) 230-19-00 www.pdm.com.ua

Arkadia Plaza 4* 1, Posmitnoho str. +38 (048) 230-71-01 www.arcadia-plaza.od.ua

Palais Royal Boutique-Hotel 3,5* 10, Lanzheronivs’ka str. +38 (048) 737-88-81 www.hotel-royal.com.ua

Ayvazovskiy Hotel 5* 19, Bunina str. +38 (048) 242-90-22 ayvazovsky.com.ua Black Sea Hotel 4* (chain of hotels) www.bs-hotel.com.ua Bristol Hotel 5* 15, Pushkins`ka str. +38 (048) 796-55-00 www.bristol-hotel.com.ua Continental Hotel 4* 5, Derybasivs`ka str. +38 (048) 786-05-50 www.continental-hotel.com.ua Design-hotel Skopeli 3,5* 65, Lanzheron beach +38 (048) 705-39-39 www.skopeli.com

Panorama De Lux 5* 6/8, Mukachivs’kyi ln +38 (048) 705-70-55 www.panoramadeluxe.com Poet Art Hotel 4* 28, Zhukovskoho str. +38 (048)771-17-06 www.poet-hotel.com Stella Fit&Spa City Residence 5* 3, Vannyi ln +38 (048) 785-50-00 www.stellahotelspa.com.ua Villa le Premier 5* 3, Vannyi ln +38 (048) 705-74-74 www.lepremier.com.ua

RENTAL CARS Avis Rent a Car&Leasing 25, Tsentralnyi Aeroport str. +38 (067) 218-21-41 www.avis.com.ua AlexCars 29, Velyka Arnauts’ka str. +38 (048) 799-07-57 www.cars.od.ua VipAuto 64, Panteleimonivs’ka str. +38 (067) 484-35-44 www.vipauto.od.ua AUTOBOND 131, Atamana Holovatoho str. +38 (048) 700-39-99 autobond@te.net.ua VRC 16B, Bunina str. +38 (048) 734-57-77 www.vrc.com.ua Just-Avto 66, Nizhyns’ka str. +38 (048) 743-40-25 www.justavto.com.ua Master Car 7, Osypova str. +38 (048) 775-22-99 www.mastercar-odessa.com Royal Rent 60, Rishel’jevs’ka str. +38 (048) 799-70-99 www.royalrent.com.ua NIGHT CLUBS Bourbon Rock Bar $$ 8/10, Katerynens`ka str. +38 (048) 796-10-07 www.bourbon.od.ua Central bar $$$ 3, Katerynyns`ka area +38 (048) 725-58-58 Kama Bar $$ 19, Bunina str. +38 (048) 735-52-50 kamasutra.od.ua

RESTAURANTS/CAFES/ PUBS Aleksandrovskiy Restaurant $$ 13, Belins’koho str. +38 (048) 725-11-11 www.aleksandrovskiy.com.ua Benedikt. Worldofbreakfasts. Gastronomical Restaurant 19, Sadova str +38 (048) 759 99 95 Bernardazzi 15, Bunina str. +38 (048) 785 55 85 www.bernardazzi.com Bize 26, Lanzheronivs`ka str. +38 (048) 784-02-68 www.kafebize.od.ua Bratia Gril Deli $$ 17, Derybasivs`ka str./Arkadia +38 (067) 599-33-99 www.bratiagril.com Bodega 2K 32, Hrets’ka str. +38 (096) 524-16-01 Buffalo 99 $$ 7,Rishel’jevs’ka str. +38 (048) 234-83-99 www.buffalo99.com.ua Corvin Pub $$ 17, Lanzheronivs’ka str. +38 (048) 233-88-00 www.corvin.ua City Garden Restraunt&Lounge $$ 10/12, Havanna str. +38 (048) 702-88-11 www.citygarden.com.ua Dacha $$ 85, Frantsuz`ky blvd +38 (048) 770-31-19 www.dacha.com.ua Dizyngoff 5, Katerynyns’ka Square +3 80 (050) 542-42-16 Eleven Dogs $$ 11, Havanna str. +38 (048) 788-66-88

MEDICAL CENTERS

Ministerium Dogma Club $$$ 12, Hoholya str. +38 (048) 777-12-77 www.ministerium.com.ua

Irish Pub Mick O’Neills $$ 13, Derybasivs`ka str. +38 (048) 721-53-33 www.ipub.com.ua

Duke Hotel 5* 10, Chaikovs’koho ln +38 (048) 705-36-36 www.hotel-duke.com

Dr. Mozart 18, Pol’ska str. +38 (048) 777-15-10 www.mozart-clinic.com

Morgan Club $$ 30, Zhukovs’koho str. +38 (048) 728-84-82 www.morgan-club.com.ua

Forty Five Booze&Bakery 1, Katerynyns`ka Square +38 (095) 045-45-45

Frederic Koklen boutique Hotel 4* 7, Nekrasova ln +38 (048)737-55-53 www.koklenhotel.com

Into-Sana 2, Varnens’ka str. +38 (0482) 30-75-00 www.Into-sana.com

Park Residence 85, Frantsuz`ky blvd +38 (048) 780-03-00 www.park.od.ua

Odrex 69/71, Raskidaylovska str. +38 (048) 730-00-30 www.Odrex-med.com

Le Grand Café Bristol 15, Pushkins`ka str. +38 (048) 796-59-00 www.bristol-hotel.com.ua Klara-Bara City Garden +38 (048) 237-51-08 www.klarabara.com Kompot 20, Derybasivs`ka str. +38 (048) 728-77-75 70, Panteleimonivs`ka str. +38 (048) 234-51-45 1, Admiral’s’kyi ave +38 (048) 784-9310 2, Marshala Zhukova ave +38 (048) 705-87-35 http://www.kompot.ua/ Legend Scandinavian restaurant $$ 42, Bunina str. +38 (048) 726-37-26 www.restaurant-legend.com Maman $$ 18, Lanzheronivs’ka str. +38 (048) 711-70-35 Maristella Restaurant $$$ 2A, Chervonykh Zor` str. +38 (048) 771-27-91 www.maristella.com.ua Palace Del Mar Restaurant $$$ 1, Kryshtalevyi ln +38 (048) 230-19-00 www.pdm.com.ua Pivnoy Sad $$ 6, Havanna str. +38 (048) 777-88-88 www.pivnoysad.od.ua Prichal №1 $$ 3, Otrada beach +38 (048) 722-33-11 www.prichal1.com Salieri $$ 14, Lanzheronivs’ka str. +38 (048) 725-00-00 Silence espresso-bar 1A, Hrets’ka str. +38 (048) 737-68-68 Steakhouse meat and wine $$$ 20, Derybasivs`ka str. +38 (048) 234-87-82 www.steak.od.ua

Frebule 21A, Frantsuz`ky blvd +38 (048) 788-16-68

Tavernetta $$ 45, Katerynyns`ka str. +38 (048) 234-46-21 www.tavernetta.ua

Grand Prix $$ 24, Bunina str. +38 (048) 785-07-01 www.grandprix.ua

Tokyo House 11, Rishel’jevs’ka str. +38 (048) 785-09-09 www.tokio-house.com.ua

Kims 55, Kanatna str. +38 (048) 777-06-06 5, Henuez`ka str. +38 (093) 394-71-00 kims.com.ua Aqua Tech 14B, Frantsuz`ky blvd +38 (048) 233-23-54 25, Zhukovs’koho str. +38 (048) 704-73-08 15, Italiis’kyi blvd 24, Serednya str. +38 (048) 237-22-33 www.aquatech.com.ua BEAUTY SALONS Fusion 22, Oleksandrivs’kyi ln. +38 (050) 708-83-24 www.fusionsalon.com.ua Expert 22, Chervonyi ln. +38 (048) 237-71-11 Maramax Head SPA 12, Chaikovs’koho ln. +38 (048) 728-25-55 M-Street 27, Deribasivs’ka str. +38 (048) 777-55-54 L’image 51, Katerynyns’ka str. +38 (048) 233-55-98 Chop-Chop 2, Vitse-Admirala Zhukova ln +38 (097) 322-22-12 The Brow Bar 21, Lanzheroniv’ska str. +38 (067) 443-75-05 Dry Bar 4, Vitse-Admirala Zhukova ln +38 (066) 834-55-00 Preobrazhen’ska Tsuryulnya 34, Preobrazhens’ka str. +38 (048) 759-29-59 Otrada 9, Zatyshna str. +38 (048) 233-13-00 Mozart 13, Lanzheronivs’ka str. Hotel Mozart +38 (048) 232-22-22 Libro Dry Bar 18, Niny Onilovoi ln +38 (093) 068-11-26

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