March 01, 2008 Preserving 1000 Years of Russian Art This revered museum is the world’s largest repository of Russian art. Often overshadowed by the Hermitage, this 110-year-old institution may be one of St. Petersburg’s best kept secrets. But it is not to be missed. In fact, if you visit St. Petersburg and miss the Russian Museum, it is like going to Moscow and skipping Red Square.
March 01, 2008 Between Glinka & Silvestrov A prolific composer and masterful performer, Sergei Rachmaninov bridged musical eras and national cultures. Indeed, his name is synonymous with 20th century classical music in the U.S., Russia and?Europe. Yet the irony is that Rachmaninov might have felt more at home in the 19th century –?as long as there were cars.
March 01, 2008 Storks, Pravda, Bolsheviks and Stalin's Children A quick review of several worthy books, including a reissue of an Akhmatova classic, a massive tome on childhood under the Soviets, a modern fiction masterpiece, and Laura Williams' new memoir.
March 01, 2008 The Unseemly Holiday Where did this holiday come from? Why does Russia still celebrate it? How did it survive the Soviet collapse?
March 01, 2008 Rural Medicine: Remedies and Realities Columnist Laura Williams recounts in run-ins with the Russian health care system, village-style.
March 01, 2008 The Aspirations of Youth Tsar Alexander's speech to the Polish Sejm in 1818 set off a century of turmoil. Poland was given freedoms which Russia somehow was not deserving of. It helped spur the Decembrist revolt and all that followed.
March 01, 2008 Nostalgia in the Internet Age Online social networking is booming in Russia today. Former classmates, army buddies and summer flames are seeking each other out, reconnecting after years apart. These are a few of their stories.
March 01, 2008 Ryazan: Gateway to the Russian Heartland If you want to understand Russia, you have to leave Moscow and St. Petersburg behind and visit the towns and villages of the heartland. And it would be hard to find a better place to start than Ryazan. An added plus: it is just 200 km from Moscow.
March 01, 2008 Optina Pustyn: The Forest Retreat It began as a simple monastic retreat in the forests of Kaluga region. By the mid-19th century, Optina Pustyn had become one of the most important religious sites in all of Russia. Today, the monastery and hermitage are struggling to rebuild after decades of neglect.
March 01, 2008 Remembrance of Breads Past A rediscovery and a remake of the most Russian of Russian breads: Borodinsky.
