It has been a long –held dream of mine to visit St. Petersburg, home of the Tsars, of one of the worlds greatest museums, of caviar, vodka and the famed palaces of the boyars of old. Appropriately, it was Russian opera that inspired me – hearing that Anna Netrebko was to sing the leading role in Tchaikovsky’s opera “Iolanthe” at the Mariinsky, conducted by Valery Gergiev – well a night at the opera doesn’t really get much better. Accordingly tickets were booked online paid for, and all I had to do was a get a Russian visa. Now the palava with that is another story – I find it hard to be in one place at one time long enough to stay the week or so needed to process a visa, but this time it was complicated as I needed to apply for work visas for China and India too. In one of those horrid quirks of life, all my major visa applications had to be completed all at the same time. And with time running out, I made the final, Russia visa with just 48 hours to spare when Anna Netrebko was due to walk the boards at the Mariinsky.

But as you know from my previous article, that deadline was met, with more than satisfying results. However, what of the rest of St. Petersburg?  Quite simply, it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Curiously reminiscent of Venice, Peter the Great built it to rival the canals of that wonderful city. He also visited Manchester, in England, another canal-riven European city whose regrettable treatment of their waterbound legacy means much of it is now buried amid industrially inspired wasteland. But Peter succeeded, and St. Petersburg is grand indeed. Canal trips can be taken along the Neva as it wanders through the city, stuffed full of architectural wonders. Palaces exist on every corner, and it was one, the Taleon Imperial Hotel , where we decamped. Built for a sister of Catherine the Great, it stands, proud as ever, on the canal. Evenings were spent at the Hotel Grand Europe, where I would sit in a corner of the bar, enjoying an excellent Bossner Baron cigar and splendid Armenian brandy. The cigar – and I have searched assidously to find a supplier to no avail – are apparently the work of a Russian from Siberia, (of I presume German extraction) whose business prospered, and now wealthy, wanted to find a cigar to his own tastes. In doing so, he travelled to Nicaragua, where the Bossner brand is made. The Baron, which is a thick, dark torpedo served in its own sandalwood box, is an excellent smoke, in fact one of the best I’ve had. But apparently only available at the Grand Hotel Europe. However, I shall keep an eye out for its availability elsewhere, and if you like full bodied cigars and see one, purchase immediately.

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While St. Petersburg is the female of the pairing, Moscow is very much the male equivalent. I had expected a somewhat grim, Soviet inspired city. What I saw was something quite different – Moscow is sheer grandeur. While Stalin’s modelling of the city has left massive buildings dedicated to the rise of the proletariat, the so called “wedding cake” style of architecture, his vast avenues and colossal structures provide a certain majesty to the city I had not expected. When added to that is the Tsarist legacy of the Kremlin, and the many other palaces, churches, museums and opera houses that appear in every space in Moscow, it is apparent that the city is at the apex of European majesty. The yang  to St. Petersburg’s yin.

The other surprising thing was the sheer volume of local culture, in particular theatre, that was on offer. A thriving society enjoys an array of cultural choices, and Moscow has one of the most vibrant cultural scenes I have experienced. In seven nights in Moscow we attended five operas and the Bolshoi. That range of program is difficult to attain even in New York. For the record, we saw Rubenstein’s “The Demon”, an evening of Viennese arias, Rimsky-Korsakov’s  “Maid of Pskov”, Mussorgsky’s “The Fair at Sorochyntsi”, and  Khachaturian’s magnificent ballet “Spartacus” .  Of these, Rubenstein’s “Demon” was probably my favourite, an opera well overdue reappraisal in the West. Examples of the Demon’s arias – in which he professes his love for the doomed Tamara – can be found on Dmitri Hvorotovsky’s recent CD “Heroes & Villains”

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I’ve always wanted to visit St. Petersburg, and due to a combination of factors have finally arrived. At some points in your life you just have to go do things without any thoughts of how to carrying them out. Such it was when Meggie told me, when I’d just arrived back to Beijing from my sailing in Thailand, that Anna Netrebko was singing lead soprano in Tchaikovsky’s opera Iolanta, with Valery Gergievconducting, at the Mariinsky Theatre.

For those of you unfamiliar with the world of Opera or Classical Music, Valery Gergiev is currently one of the worlds greatest conductors. He is the Principal at St. Petersburg’s legendary, Tsarist opera house the Mariinsky Theatre, itself one of the great opera houses in the world. Gergiev is also the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra amongst several others. Anna Netrebko is now considered almost certainly one of the greatest soprano’s at present, matched possibly only to Katherine Jenkins in popularity. (Americans tend to prefer Jenkins, Europeans Netrebko). Tchaikovsky needs little introduction, expect to say that his opera Iolanthe was his last, is definitely not related to the Gilbert & Sullivan piece of the same name, and is one of his prettiest works.

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I’m not a big fan of Dan Brown’s works, both his “Da Vinci Code” and “Angels & Demons” (now both films), I find heretical and full of mumbo jumbo. While I enjoy a decent yarn alone with everyone else, his passing off as ‘faction’ much of his work to the gullible seems pseudoism to a degree that while may earn him millions in book sales, is rather disheartening to those of us who recognize a snake oil salesman when we see one. And in any event there are far better works than Browns turgid misrepresentations of history out there if one cares to search for them. One of these is “The Fiery Angel”, a 1908 novel written by the Russian Valery Bryusov. In it, he relates the apparently true tale of demonic possession in 16th century Cologne. It depicts a love-triangle between Renata, a passionate young woman, Ruprecht, a knight and Madriel, the Fiery Angel. The novel tells the story of Ruprecht’s attempts to win the love of Renata whose spiritual integrity is seriously undermined by her participation in occult practices. The novel is a meticulous account of sixteenth century Germany, notably Cologne and the world of the occult. Characters such as Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and Faust appear alongside a description of a Black Mass. Indeed, Faust appears at a tavern with Mephistopheles, the latter of whom, annoyed with the slow service, eats the waiter alive. It’s not exactly box-office friendly, more Quadruple X in content.

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I’ve just spent the weekend being seduced by Salome – a statement that would cause not just tantrums in the girlfriend department but also concerns over my personal safety. Watching Richard Strauss’s opera of the same name – and then Carlos Saura’s wonderful Flamenco ballet about the lady, it has been quite an experience. But first, for those of you unfamiliar with the tale of exotic seduction, striptease and subsequent murders than accompany Salome’s bewitching, yet ultimately sordid tale, let’s have a quick look at who she was. The enchantress – for she surely was – crops up in the Bible of all places, in the Gospel of Matthew, almost immediately before Jesus does the miracle thing with 5 loaves and 2 fishes, and as an encore, walks on the surface of Lake Galilee in a storm. Matthew tells of the demise of John the Baptist, who has been imprisoned by King Herod for saying nasty things about his wife. Not any old nasty, like her hair looks straggly and she eats too much garlic, but really nasty, about, her incestuous love affair with her brother and how she killed her previous husband to get her hands on Herod. The latter was not amused, and John languishes, defiantly, having been thrown down a well, yet still spouting off about how the son of God will come and demand retribution for all their sins. Herod is spooked, and keeps him alive while not wanting to merely execute him.

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I was lucky enough this past weekend to attend a rare evening at Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts (known locally as the Egg) just behind the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen. I’ve been several times to different events; however this was my first occasion to view the National Ballet Company. On offer was a danced version of “Eugene Onegin” – Pushkin’s poem of tragic love and jealousy gone wrong. Backed up by the National Ballet’s own symphony orchestra (I don’t know of any other ballet company to have their own dedicated orchestra!) the music on offer was Tchaikovsky – but not from his score to the opera of the same name. Instead, the orchestra played Kurt-Heinz Stolze’s orchestration of Tchaikovsky’s “Seasons” and themes from Rimini.

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The Ganges River flows into and across India from sources high up in the Himalaya, with its source tributaries being in Tibet. As I noted on my 2point6billion China/India commentary, both China and India have recently embarked on studies into Himalayan glaciers to determine the rate of melt. During the Monsoon however, the river crashes down the Indian Himalay, thunders through Rishikesh and then makes its way right across the country.

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One of the interesting facets of opera is how it came to spread around Europe and develop as such a refined art form. Of all the operatic styles, I prefer Russian opera. Based usually on folk tales or the works of poets such as Pushkin, the works tend to be more choral, and the singing is at Baritone and Mezzosoprano levels, a register lower than Italians Tenor and Soprano. That interests me as while at university I spend some spare time with local operatic societies – in performances of Strausses “Die Fledermaus” and part of Wagners “The Ring”.  

However, in researching the subject of Russian opera – and I know many works by the likes of Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Glinka and Prokofiev amongst others, it became apparent that these are what are now regarded as “the Russian operas” – composed by Russians and usually featuring traditional Russian songs and dances to support them. However, it was not always thus, and it’s the pre-Russian operas that I’m interested in.

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My China Briefing publication celebrates its tenth birthday this month – which makes it I think one of the longest established business publications in China. Printing some 50,000 copies monthly, and with close to 200,000 online subscribers around the world, it is also available in six languages and has a very well read Daily News service too. Not bad for something I began back in July 1999 with an initial print run of 750 off my photocopier! The Beijing tenth anniversary party took place at the Capital Club, with over 250 people showing up. Free wines, food, and a raft of great lucky draw prizes – including flights from China to India, hotel stays, fine wines and spa treatments ensured everyone left around midnight very happy. Many thanks to our sponsors and to everyone who came. Our Shanghai event is on Wednesday.

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Well after four days of sitting lengthy afternoon exam papers, I finally completed them all – including a tricky navigation paper which was harder in the classroom than it was out at sea (where at least you can see and measure bearings and transit points for real. It’s not the same on a chart) – I’ve qualified. Passed all exams with an average of 80 percent which is either "good" or "very good" depending on which paper you look at. The exams included Ocean Skipper, Navigation, Bare Boat Charter and so on…all accredited by the American Sailing Association  courses. Pictured is me with my newly stamped and signed log book. I can now, should I want to, sail and skipper ocean going yachts (thats the big ones) from Shanghai to San Francisco, from Mumbai to Melbourne, or from Hong Kong to Honolulu. All of which sound like great ideas actually. I also get to be the Capital Club Beijing’s new Commodore, having been invited into the role by the Club GM – if I passed. Hopefully I can now get the club to invest in a decent Jeanneau to save me from having to buy one now I’m about to step into that role.

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