|Adventures in Russia The Kremlin's Great Hall By Christopher Rutty The Kremlin is a very large area surrounded by a very large wall. Inside the walls are many buildings and magnificent churches. It is ironic, following the Bolshevik revolution and the Stalin years; they were never touched when many churches were destroyed. They kept the best to themselves.
The Russian National Orchestra have become wandering minstrels for hire. They agreed to be the backup musicians for Ray Charles when he performed at the Great Hall inside the Kremlin. They would get no payment and sign no contract. The whole thing was a typical example of the 'new' business mentality that is sweeping Russia since Putin's regressive ideology took control.
The concert was a farce, but what saved it for me was going into the building -sitting for several hours where the former Soviet government held its general meetings. Over the years we have seen the interior of the building, with the different Presidents from Kruschev, Breshnev, and opponents like Andrei Sakharov, speak. It is enormous inside, seating 6000 -with intercom, and headphones in the rear of each comfortable seat-- the podium has been converted to a stage for performances. The image we are familiar with is one with a large hammer and sickle insignia on the rear wall; along with the ribbed, timber walls. It always reminded me of the interior of the United Nations Assembly. --Although, these things are never so large as they appear due to the wide angle lens used to capture the image in the first place. The concert was very tame, it seems Ray Charles is past his 'use by date'. He performed with his own band, and The Raylettes, but even they were very strange, performing one song (Hit the road Jack) and 'Shoo-Wops' on another, then left the stage. The concert was about an hour in length, although it started 45 minutes late. We sat though four dubiously talented Russians who accompanied Ray Charles. Russian performers are still living in the 70's, having just discovered glitter and leather pants. Most are still learning to sing as well. The television and radio play a mixture of English pop music and Russian.
The Russian music is so bad; it makes the English pop rubbish sound good. [1] Even the lead-up to the concert was a farce; Sponsored by a large cigarette brand. The absurdity of it all (the most common noun in Patricia's vocabulary) was the orchestra performed in return for poster advertising. The concert organizer is Russia's premier 'mob' -ster. The enormous poster, similar in size to the ugly eyesores plastered illegally around Sydney, had the word Davidoff taking up most of the width and height of the poster. In small print, at the edges, was Ray Charles and a mass of other text.
Lies and distortions are the food of the Russian worker. They did it for so long when it was a matter of life and death, and it still permeates the culture. Patricia often says that Russians lie even when there is no need to. To sidetrack, with (dis)-respect to cigarettes. There must be a hundred brands on sale. Some as cheap as 2.5 Roubles for 12. The western brands sell for around 30 Rubles, i.e. a little over one US dollar.
Twenty-eight Roubles=US$1 . The western brands and some Russian brands, give away cigarettes at the entrance to Metro stations. Tall, slim, apparently good-looking? young girls dressed in the uniform of the brand, will accost you as you leave or enter. They operate in-groups of four. They do this at the Metro because all Russians use it. You don't see them at the tourist spots like Red Square, the Arbat, or Tyerskaya St, probably because the companies realize there is an anti-smoking attitude in Western countries.
As the crowd was entering the Kremlin Hall, Davidoff had its women toting their brand. It was just an amazing sight. Maybe 10 or 12 thin women dressed in black holding an open packet, with a black evening bag on their arm full of supplies. The real "seeing believes," was that they all looked exactly alike! They had gathered this group of women all over 6 feet 1 inch, and put them in high heels. They were laughable, at about 6' 4", including the long straight dark hair down to their waste, and thin like an underfed catwalk model.
The lights came on to mediocre applause and the curtain closed. There was no final crescendo with the music or great burst of affectionate applause. It was a bizarre experience, and this was Russia's premier concert promoter. It was the worst organized concert I have ever attended. This is just one small example of the unprofessional, and incompetent nature that pervades the 'New Russia'. Patricia says the concert was "Normalna", meaning normal, or 'everything is ok', that is how everything works. The orchestra played well, as always. A good musician will always be a good musician. The whole episode is a small microcosm of Russia: from the failure to sign a contract with the promoter; the failure to get the advertising correct, the lies, which meant the sponsors didn't get what they paid for. The concert started 45 minutes late, then 'something' crashed halting the show, and then it closed.
After the concert, Patricia was invited to the American Ambassador's Residence for a private reception for Ray Charles. Patti's friend, the Cultural Attaché John Brown, had organized the reception for about 100 people; including a top Moscow Jazz quartet for entertainment.
It was an evening that typified the new Russia; exhilaration and despair.|
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