Sea Buckthorn

I was reading a magazine when I came across an interesting article about the wonders of Sea Buckthorn. With a little bit of extra research I now know that Sea Buckthorn originates in northwest Europe and central Asia. The Russians introduced the berries to North America in the beginning of the 20^th century. Sea Buckthorn berries have amazing medicinal purposes. The oil is anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, analgesic, and regenerative. To find out more about Sea Buckthorn berries health benefits click here
http://www.wwfpak.org/nap/dnap_medicinalplants_seabuckthorn.ph

Clinical tests on Sea Buckthorn medicinal uses started in Russia during the 1950s. The first Russian factory for Sea Buckthorn product development was located in Bisk. The Sea Buckthorn industry has been thriving since then. The berries are sold throughout the world as juice, oil, crème, tea, sorbet and jelly. Because of their anti-aging properties many Russian and European cosmetic companies are adding the oils to there products. For more information visit

http://www.itmonline.org/arts/seabuckthorn.htm

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ncnu02/v5-393.html

http://www.agroatlas.ru/cultural/Hippophae_rhamnoides_K_en.htm

Russian Folk Instrument of the week: Russian Wooden Spoons

See those babies? I now not only own a pair of them, I know how to play them. While dancing.

The Russian Wooden Spoons are pretty much a staple of traditional Russian folk music. I learned this when I joined the brave Russian choir during my summer at Middlebury College.

How do you play three spoons, you ask?

The convex surfaces of the bowls are struck together in different ways. For example, two spoons are held by their handles in the left hand, and the third, held in the right hand, is used to hit the two spoons in the left hand. The hit, in a sliding motion, produces a typical sound. You can also hold three spoons in the left hand and put a fourth into the bot or the pocket. (I wouldn't try this at home though) A fifth spoon is then held in the right hand and used to hit the other four. Finally, if you're really nervous about it, you can hold the bowl of a single spoon in the left hand and hit it with another spoon. In this style, different sounds can be emitted by holding the bowl more or less tightly.

Look forward to next week's installment of fun with Russian Folk Instruments when we cover the Balalaika!

Poetry

I've always been interested in Russian poetry, especially that of Anna Akhmatova. On the website RussiaToday you can get samples from all types of Russian literature from various authors. This is one of my favorites (and depressing!) by Akhmatova =)

The Last Toast

I raise my glass
To ravaged home,
My bitter life,
And lonely days with you.
I drink to you,
To lying lips' betrayal,
To deathly frigid eyes;
To that the world is cruel and crude,
To that we weren't saved by God.

Another of my favorites is My Way, which she wrote in 1940:

One goes in straightforward ways,
One in a circle roams:
Waits for a girl of his gone days,
Or for returning home.

But I do go —and woe is there—
By a way nor straight, nor broad,
But into never and nowhere,
Like trains —off the railroad.

I chuckled...

I call this first addition "My Russian Failventure: Prologue"

More to come =)

Sergei Prokofiev and Alexander Nevsky

In 1938 Sergei Prokofiev (Сергей Сергеевич Прокофьев) collaborated with film director Sergei Eisenstein(Цергей Михайлович Зйзенштейч) to write music for the film Alexander Nevsky, depicting the historic battle(s) between the Russians and the Teutonic Knights. The film was much a success along with the music. Later after the film was released Sergei Prokofiev made the score into a cantata, basically a vocal piece with instrumental accompaniment in this case orchestra. The soundtrack recently was re-recorded and the film was given a face lift also. I include what I feel are two of the most powerful movements of the cantata. They are shown with the orignial scenes of the movie.


The historic "Battle on the Ice," also known as the "Battle on Peipus."
To me in the beginning it sounds like a train! The music gives a mood of an impending clash of forces, and once the choir enters the music is almost pure energy. A side note, some of the words in the cantata are written in what is belived to be a "fake latin," some believe this is a personal jab Prokofiev is making at Igor Stravinsky (fellow Russian composer of The Rite of Spring and The Firebird), for leaving Russia and essentially not coming back.






This is perhaps the most touching movement in the entire cantata. To me it was explained as a mother or woman searching for her loved one among the dead. The lyrics are:

I shall go across the show-clad field,
I shall fly above the field of death.
I shall search for valiant warriors,
my betrothed, my stalwart youths.
Here lies one felled by a wild saber;
there lies one impaled by an arrow.
From their wounds blood fell like rain
on our native soil, on our Russian fields.

The choir in this instances is all male and begins with almost a shimmer of sound, before taking on the tone of anguish, which then leads into the alto solo.

Thanks for reading if you did! Stephan A. Fillare

Democracy and Russian Culture

Before anything else is said I would like to point out that this is simply an OPINION nothing more.

These two men are Dimitri Medvedev and Vladamir Putin: the leaders of the Russian Republic and it is clear from the actions of these two men that Russia will never become a Western captalist Republic so many Western leaders hope it will become and the Russian people are fully aware and accept this. Although, Medvedev took over the job of Putin in 2008 in a "fair" election (taking over 70% of the vote) the incumbent hand picked Medvedev and will still be a force to be reckoned with in Russian politics as Russia's prime minister. As president of Russia Putin took every step to squeltch political opposition and any potential outside threats to his power as well. This is evident in the alleged poisoning of the now elected Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchentko, Russian beligerance in Georgia, and the alleged assasinations of several exiled powerful Russian bussinessmen. All of these actions were accepted and even applauded by the Russian people. Although Russia has the trappings of democracy it is not and never will be.
There are two reasons why Russia will never be a democracy. First there is a short term reason: the nature of Russain capitalism. Even a cursory glance at the nature of business dealings in Russia will draw comparisons to the American Wild West. Many people have gone as far to say that Russia is not ruled by government but rather by controlling business intrests. Putin has gone after these so called oligarchs with a vengence, imprisoning some, forcing legislation that caps their intrests, and even going as far as killing some of them off (although he most likely denies this). Putin and his successor act like authoritarian dictators because they have to be. As long as Russian capitalism exists the Russian government will never embrace true democracy according to the Western ideals.
The second reason why Russia will never become a Western democracy is due to the multi ethnic nature of Russia. Because it is so huge the Russian Republic has swallowed up large numbers of non Russian people. Even after the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991 non Russian people make up 20% of Russia's population of 140 million people. True Western democracy reflects the will of the people and in several parts of Russia the will of the people is to seperate from the Russian motherland. This desire to break off from the government in Moscow is best shown in the long drawn out conflict in Chechnya. The Chechins do not want to be part of Russia and want to form their own state. Moscow reacted in a very non-democratic manner and occupied Chechnya. Not only does the Russian government have to contend with problems within its borders but it also must keep the countries it considers to be within its "sphere of influence" (Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia etc.) in line. Although democracy is a good form of government it is uneffective and incapable of swiftly reacting to many of the problems Russia faces today. If Russia were to become more democratic along Western lines it would be a much smaller nation, somthing no ethnic Russian would want to see.

Clever Russian Commercial

I'm not exactly sure how I came across this little commerical, but it amused me. I have no idea what is being said (although hopefully I will soon!), but understanding Russian isn't really necessary to understand the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np5r-gYso5w

However, I would like to point out that the company in the video is called "Vigvam Insurance", most obviously an English name. I wonder if that is very important; is the service bad because it is an American/English company? Maybe one of the points of the commericial is "Use a decent, welcoming, Russian insurance agency".

Tchaikovsky Uncensored

Many people know of the famous Romantic era Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский) who lived from May 7th 1840 to November 6th 1893. His most widely known compositions include such famous ballets as “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker”. No patriotic American could forget his 1812 Overture, played at every 4th of July extravaganza (its original intended purpose to celebrate Moscow's successful defense against Napoleon's advancing troops at the Battle of Borodino in 1812). His western oriented training at the St. Petersburg Conservatory set him apart from the contemporary nationalistic music written during his time, earning him wide acclaim and success. Many people are unaware, however, of Tchaikovsky's severe personal struggles and the argued circumstances of his death. It is largely believed that the composer was a homosexual (as researched most extensively by author Alexander Poznansky). In fact there are letters available today, previously censored by the Soviets, in which Tchaikovsky himself openly discusses his sexual preferences. Nevertheless, in 1877 he entered into a disastrous marriage with Antonia Miliukova that ended unofficially in 6 weeks (although divorce was never filed and Tchaikovsky died a married man). As he rose to the top of the composing scene between 1877-1890, Tchaikovsky corresponded with another woman, Nadezhda Von Meck, who supported his composition monetarily under the stipulation that they never meet in person. The letters between them deeply affected the composer and he professes in one particular excerpt that her contact seemed to him “the hand of fate itself, watching over me and protecting me”. This relationship too, proved devastating when in 1890 her correspondence abruptly ended, allegedly due to her filing for bankruptcy (a few music historians postulate that the cut was made in her discovery of his homosexuality). The real mystery lies in how the composer died. Despite that a true diagnosis may never be possible due to unreliable accounts at the time of his death and the lack of knowledge of effects of certain lifestyle habits such as drinking, there has been much research as too what may have caused his unexpected (and relatively young) death. Most musicologists attribute his demise to cholera by contaminated water. The question that is debated is whether or not the contamination was purposely executed by Tchaikovsky in suicide. There have been rumors that his former classmates urged him to commit the act to avoid being exposed as the lover of a nephew of a member of the Russian aristocracy. Others claim that the poisoning may have been the result of his bitterness over the loss of his contact with Von Meck. Regardless his passing occurred just nine days after the premier of his now famous and emotionally charged Symphony Pathetique (No. 6). He was interred in the Tikhvin Cemetery next to fellow composers Borodin, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korakov, Glinka, and Balakirev (a.k.a. The Five). -Posted by Courtney E. Van Cleef

This is my first profound yet useless post. Might I also add it is in no way official or linked to my portfolio, unless, of course, its connectedness, so to speak, is beneficial to my portfolio grade. Over and out.
-azup

today's episode is sponsored by the letter Ё...

Since I love all things profane... the letter Ё is my favorite letter. Find out why...

The newest letter of the Russian alphabet is ё. Although it was first used in print in the 18th century, it didn't become an official letter until the middle of the 20th century.

I love the Russian Word of the Day blog!