PETERSBURG (2)

We spent over 5 hours in the Hermitage, including a lunch break. The collection, originally the private collection of Catherine II (The Great) is housed principally in her Winter Palace, in a magnificent setting - see the film "The Russian Ark" if you haven't already!
It has also spread to the neighbouring buildings. Enlarged by 19th century tsars, its already huge size reputedly tripled after the Revolution with objects seized from the aristocracy and other wealthy collectors (including the Yusupovs). We saw mainly Russian and Italian works, and the French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists (more than 20 Picassos, if that's what you like!) Outside, the band was testing sound for a Rolling Stones concert in the evening, making for a unique mix of "cultural experiences". But perhaps what will remain with us more than any individual work are the state rooms of the palace itself, of course beautifully maintained and/or restored. Catherine's dazzling throne room; Peter's more simple throne (installed here for visitors to see although the palace was built after his death); the grand staircase; and the "1812 room" with portraits of tsar Alexander I and representative commanders and princes, of both Russia and her allies, in the defeat of Napoleon. Wellington merits a full-length portrait, as does the king of Prussia...

The other major museum which we visited was the Russian Museum - founded by a bequest of Alexander III and exclusively devoted (not surprisingly) to the work of Russian artists. Here we saw the original of Repin's 'Barge-haulers on the Volga' (See our stay in the Volga Valley). It is housed in the Mikhailovsky Palace, said to have been built for Grand Prince Mikhail, younger brother of Alexander I and Nikolai I, as consolation for not having a chance to be tsar...

One of the highlights was a visit to the Mariinsky theatre (1859) for a performance of "Carmen" - in French, with Russian sub-titles. The theatre is beautifully maintained - we sat over the Imperial Box with a huge imperial crown of gilded wood just to our right! The performance was excellent, our only criticism was that in two and a half hours of music we had three intervals of half an hour each, certainly not justified by the scene changes! No doubt bar sales are an important part of theatre revenues...

Another interesting visit was to the cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky monastery (at the end of Nevsky Prospekt) where there is a special graveyard for artists and other distinguished persons - it was opened around 1800 and maintained throughout the soviet period, although no doubt the qualification criteria changed somewhat. Apart from Dostoievsky we found Tchaikovsky, Glinka (next to his wife, who survived him for more than 50 years), Borodin, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov.
Our other Dostoievsky moment was dinner in a vegetarian restaurant called "The Idiot" - in no other city in the world could a restaurant get away with such a name! It is in a cellar on the Moika canal, no more than 500 metres from the Yusupov palace. I should add that the dinner was excellent.

We also went to a concert by the male choir of Petersburg - THE choir of the Orthodox church, formed in 1993 to recover the church's choral music (and technique), which have a history going back to the 14th century. SPECTACULAR. 15 voices: 7 tenors (1 and 2) and 8 basses (3 or 4 baritones and the rest bassi profundi - what basses!!!!!!!! ) Mainly liturgical music and arrangements of folk songs.

The concert was in the notorious Peter and Paul Fortress, built by Peter I on an island across the Neva from where Catherine would build her Winter Palace.
The fortress has a cathedral with one of the three gilded needle spires which grace the Petersburg skyline.
Here political and other prisoners were incarcerated over a period of some 200 years, many to die there and many more destined for the scaffold or Siberia. Peter the Great is said to have supervised the torture of his son Alexei (the pathetic history of this young man is too long to tell here. Look it up in wikipedia - we saw the original painting in the Russian Museum!) and our old friends the Decembrists were held here after being interrogated in the Winter Palace by Nikolai I.

It is still a "forbidding" place!!!
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Pasamos mas de 5 horas en el Hermitage, con pausa para almorzar. La coleccion, originalmente la coleccion privada de Catalina II (la Grande) se encuentra en su mayoria en el Palacio de Invierno de esta, en un ambiente magnifico - si no han visto la pelicula "El Arco Ruso", veanlo! Se extiende tambien a los edificios vecinos. Aumentada por los tsares del siglo 19, la coleccion ya imponente fue supuestamente triplicada despues de la Revolucion con los objetos confiscados de la aristocracia y otros coleccionistas adinerados (entre elloslos Yusupov). Miramos principalmente obras Rusas e Italianas, mas los Impresionistas y Pos-Impresionistas franceses (mas de 20 Picasso, si es de tu gusto...) Afuera, una banda estaba probando sonido para un concierto de los Rolling Stones en la noche, lo que producia una mezcla unica de "experiencias culturales". Sin embargo, quizas lo que vamos a recordar mas que cualquier obra en especial son las salas formales del mismo palacio, por supuesto en perfecto estado. La sala de trono deslumbrante de Catalina; el trono mas sencillo de Pedro, instalado aqui aunque el palacio fue construido despues de su muerte; la gran escalera; y la "Sala de 1812" que contiene retratos del tsar Alejandro I y de generales y principes representantes tanto de Rusia como de sus aliados en la derrota de Napoleon. El Duque de Wellington merece un retrato, como tamien el rey de Prusia...

El otro museo importante que conocimos era el Museo Ruso - fundado postumamente por Alejandro III y dedicado exclusivamente a las obras de artistas Rusos. El museo esta en el Palacio Mikhailovsky, supuestamente construido para el Gran Principe Mikhail, hermano menor de Alejandro I y Nikolai I, como consuelo por no tener la posibilidad de ser tsar...

Un espectaculo inolvidable era de ir al teatro Mariinsky (1859) para una presentacion de "Carmen" - en frances, con sub-titulos en ruso. El teatro es hermosisimo - teniamos asientos encima del palco imperial, y a nuestro derecho habia una enorme corona imperial de madera dorada! La presentacion era excelente, lo unico que no nos gusto era de tener tres entremedios de media hora cada uno en una opera de 2 horas y media...

Otra visita interesante era al monasterio 'Alexander Nevsky' (al final del Nevsky Prospekt) donde existe un cementerio especial para artistas y otras personas destacadas - se abrio alrededor de 1800 y se mantuvo durante la epoca sovietica, seguramente los criterios para la seleccion habran sido distintas. Aparte Dostoievsky, encontramos a Tchaikovsky, Glinka (al lado de la esposa, quien le sobrevivio por mas de 50 anos), Borodin, Mussorgsky y Rimsky-Korsakov.

Nuestro otro 'momento Dostoievskano' era de comer en un restorante nombrado "El Idiota" - no puede existir un restoran con tal nombre en ninguna otra ciudad del mundo! Esta en un sotano al lado del canal Moika, a menos de 500 metros del Palacio Yusupov. Deberia agregar que la comida (vegetariana) era excelente.

Tambien fuimos a un concierto del coro de hombres de St Petersburg - 'El' coro de la iglesia ortodoja, formado en 1993 para rescatar toda la musica (y tecnica) coral de la iglesia - que tiene historia desde el siglo 14. ESPECTACULAR. 15 voces, 7 tenores (1 y 2); mas 8 bajos, 3 o 4 baritonos y los demas bassi profundi - que bassi!!!!!!!!

El concierto se hizo en la famosa Fuerte de Pedro y Pablo, construida por Pedro el Grande en una isla al lado opuestos del Neva del sitio donde Catalina haria su Palacio de Invierno. Aqui se encarcelarian prisioneros - politicos y otros - durante un periodo de unos 200 anos; muchos moririan adentro, muchos mas destinados a la ejecucion o al exilio en Siberia. Se dice que Pedro superviso la tortura de su hijo Alexei (esta historia patetica es muy larga para que la cuente aqui. Mira en wikipedia - vimos el cuadro original en el Museo Ruso!) y nuestros amigos los Decembristas fueron encarcelados aqui despues de su interrogacion por Nikolai I en el Palacio de Invierno. La fuerte posee una catedral con una de las tres agujas doradas que destacan el perfil de Petersburgo.s still a "forbidding" place!