Artistic and Cultural Life in Britain

Artistic and cultural life in Britain is rather rich. It passed several main s ages in its development.

The Saxon King Alfred encouraged the art and culture. The chief debt owed to him by English literature is for his translations of and commentaries on Latin works.

Art, culture and literature flowed during the Elizabethan age, the reign of Elizabeth I; it was the period of English domination of the oceans. It was at this time that William Shakespeare lived.

The empire, which was very powerful under Queen Victoria, saw another cultural and artistic hey-day as a result of industrialization and the expansion of international trade.

But German air raids caused much damage in the First World War and then during the Second World War. The madness of the wars briefly interrupted the development of culture.

Immigrants who have arrived from all parts of the Commonwealth since 1945 have not only created a mixture of nations, but have also brought their cultures and habits with them.

Monuments and traces of past greatness are everywhere. There are buildings of all styles and periods. A great number of museums and galleries display precious and interesting finds from all parts of the world and from all stages in the development of nature, man and art.

London is one of the leading world centres for music, drama, opera and dance. Festivals held in towns and cities throughout the country attract much interest. Many British playwrights, composers, sculptors, painters, writers, actors, singers and dancers are internationally famous.

The British Council promotes knowledge of British culture and literature overseas, organising British participation in international exhibitions and encouraging professional interchange in all cultural fields between Britain and other countries.

Cinemas in London

London is full of cinemas and cinema clubs, some of them showing large number of continental films. Cinema-going is a regular habit for a considerable number of people in London; the number of cinema-goers is much larger than that of theatre-goers. Unfortunately, the cinema in Britain is looked upon as rather an entertainment than '’the art’’. As a result comparatively few films of international standard of quality are shot in Britain, and if they are, they are often a commercial failure.

If you want to know which films are on, there are many publications to help you. Any daily newspaper will have a short list of films and shows; some newspapers on sale in the middle of the day give the full list of films supplied with the hour when they begin.

Some cinemas show films in the afternoon, early evening and late evening; others have continuous programmes from about two o'clock in the afternoon till late at night.

Theatres in Britain

Theatres are much the same in London as anywhere else; the chief theatres, music-halls and cinemas are in the West End.

If you're staying in London for a few days, you'll have no difficulty whatever in finding somewhere to spend an enjoyable evening. You'll find opera, ballet, comedy, drama, review, musical comedy and variety. The best seats, at the theatres are those in. the stalls, the circle and the upper circle. Then comes the pit, and last of all the gallery, where the seats are cheapest. Boxes, of course are the most expensive. Most theatres and music-halls have good orchestras with popular conductors. You ought to make a point of going to Ihe opera. at least once during the season, if you can. There you can get the best of everything - an excellent orchestra, famous conductors, celebrated singers and a well-dressed audience. But, of course, if you're not fond of music and singing opera won't interest you. At the West End theatres you can see most of the famous English actors and actresses. As a rule, the plays are magnificently staged - costumes, dresses, scenery, everything being done on the most lavish scale. Choose a good play, and you'll enjoy yourself thoroughly from the moment the curtain goes up to the end of the last act. Get your seat beforehand, either at the box office of the theatre itself or at one of the agencies.

Concerts in London

Though classical music is a minority interest in Great Britain, London is said to be a very musical capital. Every evening you can see or hear opera, or classical music, ballet or rock music. The Royal Opera House, also known, from its location, as Govern Garden, is internationally known for its opera and ballet productions, as well for its dancers and singers. During the performances the house is always full though seat prices are comparatively high. There are three concert halls near the National Theatre in the South Bank are of London: the Queen Elizabeth Hall, used chiefly for performances of classical music. Royal Festival Hall and the smaller Purcell Room, used mainly for performances of chamber music. In the summer, there are sometimes one or two free open-air rock concerts in Hyde Park where an audience of a quarter of a million people is a usual thing. Every summer, from July to September, concerts are held in the Royal Albert Hall, including the famous Promenade concerts where serious music-lovers stand in the arena or the top gallery. In fact, you don't have to stand because there are plenty of seats but this is a kind of tradition dating back to the first concerts held in 1895.

The largest provincial centres also have orchestras giving regular concerts in their home cities and sometimes visiting other places.

Sports in Great Britain

The British are known to be great sport lovers, so when they are neither playing, nor watching games, they like to talk about them. Many of the games we play now have come from Britain.

One of the most British games is cricket. It is often played in schools, colleges, universities and by club teams all over the country. Summer isn't summer without cricket. To many Englishmen cricket is both a game and a standard of behaviour. When they consider anything unfair, they sometimes say " That isn't cricket".

But as almost everywhere else in the world, the game which attracts the greatest attention is Association Football, or soccer. Every Saturday from late August till the beginning of May, large crowds of people support their favourite sides in football grounds. True fans will travel from one end of the country to the other to see their team play. There are plenty of professional and amateur soccer clubs all over Britain. International football matches and the Cup Finals take place at Wembley,

Rugby football is also very popular.

Next to football, the chief spectator sport in British life is horse racing. A lot of people are interested in the races and risk money on the horse which they think will win. The Derby is perhaps the most famous single sporting event in the whole world.

Britain is also famous for motorcar racing and dog racing. The boat race between the teams of Oxford and Cambridge attracts large crowds of people,

A great number of people play and watch tennis. Tennis tournaments at Wimbledon are known all over the world. The innumerable tennis courts of Britain are occupied by people between the ages of 16 and 60 who show every degree of skill - from practically helpless to the extremely able.

The British also like to play golf and grass hockey. Various forms of athletics, such as running, jumping, swimming and boxing are also popular. You can sometimes hear that there are no winter sports in England, Of course the English weather is not always cold enough to ski, skate or toboggan, but winter is a good season for hunting and fishing.

Indeed, sport in one form or another is an essential part of daily life in Britain.

Task:

I. Choose one topic for your report about cultural life in Britain.

II. Represent your report in the class.

III. Retell the text.

ENTERTAINMENT IN LONDON

Life in London is fascinating not only for what you can see, but also for what you can do during your free time.

In London you can find a great number of theatres and cinemas, leisure centres, restaurants, pubs, art laboratories where you can spend your time watching or listening to anything you like. Have you ever heard of a famous showbusiness personality who has not done at least one performance in London?

" When one is tired of London, one is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford." Doctor Johnson's words are very appropriate to the tremendous variety of entertainment available in the capital of Great Britain.

In all parts of London there are theatres, cinemas and discotheques. Yon can find music concerts on the South Bank, at the Wigmore Hall, the Royal Albert Hall or in the summer months, by the lake in the open-air at Kenwood.

For sporting enthusiasts there is a choice of football, tennis, ice-skating, fishing, boating, sailing, swimming, bowling (indoor and outdoor), skiing on artificial slopes, greyhound racing, riding and lots more.

There are many reviews and publications which give weekly information on so many events that often the real problem is how to decide what to see and where to go.

Every age has its own place to spend leisure time, so you can choose among classical theatre and opera, or funfairs and pop-group performances, folk music and traditional plays or music.

But there are also places where one can dance or learn to be an actor.

London offers an extraordinary range of theatrical entertainment. It is one of the world's greatest stages, and at its best, standards are extremely high.

Some London Theatres put on plays also for very young people. ^!

The Molecule Theatre, for example, which help to explain simple scientific principles in a fun way; and The Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, which run backstage trips to see rehearsal rooms, scenery workshops and backstage equipment. The majority of the places of entertainment in London are in the West End. That's to say that starting from Piccadilly you can find theatres, cinemas, concert halls, discos, pubs with music and art laboratories for all tastes.

St. Martins Theatre is shown in the poster where for more than 42 years the same Agatha Christie play " The Mousetrap" has been running. This play is the world's longest running show. It's a thriller. There have been more than 15, 000 performances. When the show starts, the actors make you promise that you will not tell anyone who the murderer is.

A little bit farther away from the West End, on the opposite side of Hyde Park, you can find the Royal Albert Hall, an enormous building which can contain more than 6, 000 people and is used for concerts, boxing contests, exhibitions and meetings. It was opened in 1871 as a memorial to the Prince Consort. Its organ, with 9, 000 pipes, is one of the largest in the world. It is home for the popular annual Promenade concerts also called The Proms, that last seven weeks.

London is home to five world-class orchestras and a veritable host to smaller music companies and contemporary music ensembles. It also houses three permanent opera companies and numerous smaller opera groups and leads the world with its period orchestras.

The inner London boroughs of Greenwich, Lewisham, Lambeth, and Wandsworth occupy the south bank of the Thames as far as six miles (9.5 km) inland, but the term South Bank refers above all to the music and arts complex begun in 1951 for the Festival of Britain. It begins just downstream from London County Hall. The first permanent building on the South Bank site was the 3, 000-seat Royal Festival Hall, which hosts the world's great orchestras and ballet troupes in about 450 performances a year.

The National Film Theatre shows classic films from all nations. The National Theatre, which was lodged for years at the Old Vie Theatre (built in 1816), behind Waterloo Station, moved into its new home just east of Waterloo Bridge on the South Bank in 1975. Next to it, on space originally designated for residential use, are the studios and offices of an independent television station. Bankside, as the riverfront between Blackfriars and London bridges is called, is where Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and its rivals stood.

‘’If you are a music fan, Britain is the right country for you". Every night, there are pop, rock, jazz and folk concerts in all kinds of venues from small clubs to huge stadiums like Wembley, in London.

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PUBS IN GREAT BRITAIN

Do you know what a pub is? The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines it as a public house or building where people go to drink and to meet their friends. English men like to get together in the pub in the evening. The usual opening hours for pubs are on weekends from 11 a m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10.30 p m On Sundays pubs may remain open for not more than 5 and a half hours

Pubs usually have two drinking rooms, called bars - the public and the saloon bar, which is more comfortable but more expensive. " Bar" also means the counter at which drinks are served.

Pubs serve alcoholic and other drinks and often light meals. The main drink served in pubs, is, of course, beer. light or dark Light beer is usually called bitter. As for other kinds of alcohol. most pubs serve whisky, gin and wine. Beer is always sold in pint or half-pint glasses A pint is equivalent to 0 57 liter No alcoholic drinks may be served to young people under eighteen under British law.

In Great Britain today there are some 80, 000 pubs situated in different cities, country towns, villages, and so on. Of London's 5, 000 pubs some of the most interesting are right by the River Thames, downstream as well as up. Every English pub has its own sign and name. Some people refer to pub signs as a great open-air portrait gallery which covers the whole country. But actually this gallery includes far more than portraits

Some pub signs present different types of transport such as coaches, trams, ships, aeroplanes and even flying boards. There are signboards depicting animals, birds, fish as well as kings and queens, dukes and lords, sailors, soldiers, fat men and giants A first class example of an heraldic pub sign is found near Leeds in Yorkshire at Burley The Butcher's Arms can be seen in Gloucestershire on a small typical English country pub near Sheepscombe. At Cheltenham also in the same county you will see a sign showing the head of a horse, the name of the pub being Nags Head. At the village of Slad, also in Gloucestershire you can have a pint of lager in Woolpack and this pub sign shows a horse with two heavy packs of wool slung over it. In Wales the most attractive sign in a number of pubs share the name of Market Tavern because all of them are on the pubs adjoining the market place. In London the famous Sherlock Holmes pub with the big portrait of the famous detective smoking his favourite pipe attracts thousands of visitors to Northumberland Avenue History, geography, fairytales are kept alive by the name or sign of the " local" (the neighbourhood pub) As history is being made, so the owners of the pubs - usually the brewery companies - and individual publicans are quick to record it by new signs. Typical example is the " Sir Francis Chichester" named after the first man to sail alone around the world.

Not all British pubs have individual signboards, but a considerable effort is being made now to retain old signs. Jerome K. Jerome, the creator of the internationally known book " Three Men in a Boat" over a hundred years ago revealed himself at probably his most authoritative in the matter of pubs. He clearly was a pub man and you can consider his famous book not only a guidebook to the Thames but as the first of those now familiar surveys of recommended places where to sleep, eat and enjoy beer. But in many pubs one can also enjoy some traditional pub games. There are darts, cards, skittles, coin games and various table games, of which playing darts is the oldest one.

Some of these games are difficult to find, as pubs have updated their amenities by offering TV and video games, such as two-men tennis, fruit machines, pinball machines, and so on. There are also other pub entertainments, such as piano playing, folk-singing, jazz performances and even theatres. However, if such table games as billiards or table football which are played with two, or four players as well as cards, dominoes and coin games are known in this country, skittles and darts are less familiar.

Skittles is one of the oldest pub games and dates back to medieval England, the object of the game being to knock down as many skittles as possible with a wooden ball. This pub game has lots of variations all over Britain. Darts is also an old game, which was played by the Pilgrims in 1620 when they sailed from England to the New World. That is why it is well known in the USA, too. To play I this game one must first of all I have a standard dartboard with numbers marked on it to indicate score. The outer ring counts double, the middle one treble while at the very centre is the bull (50) with its own outer circle (25). Dart players should stand at least eight feet away from the board. The aim of the game is to score as quickly as possible with the least number of throws. The actual score a player must get depends on the variety of game he is playing. Many pubs in Great Britain have their own darts teams. So, if you come to Britain drop in a pub, enjoy a pint of bitter and a " tongue sandwich which speaks for itself. It sounds funny to foreigners but when it is closing time, the pub barman calls " Time! " or " Time, gentlemen, please! " So now it is my turn to say " Time" to you.

TASK:

I. Answer the questions:

1. What is a pub? Give s definition.

2. What do pubs serve?

3. What is the main drink in pubs?

4. How many pubs are there in Great Britain? In London?

5. What interesting pub signs do you know?

6. What traditional pub games can you play in Great Britain?

7. What other pub entertainments do you know?

8. Can you tell anything about one of the oldest pub games- skittles?

II. Retell the text.

X. Russian Culture

Ballet

Russia has always been in the avant-guard of the world classical ballet.

“Classical ballet is a fortress of beauty”, - wrote Joseph Brodsky. To see what he was getting at, go to the Bolshoi and watch its performances.

In Russia the first regular ballet performances started to be staged from the middle of the 1730-s.

A famous ballet master Petipa staged,, Sleeping Beauty’’ by P.I.Tchaikovsky in 1890, and,, Raimonda’’ by Glazunov in 1898. In cooperation with another famous ballet master L.I.Ivanov two more ballets by Tchaikovsky were staged: ,, The Nutcracker’’ in 1892 and,, Swan Lake’’ in 1895.These glorious ballets became classical in the history of Ballet.

In the 20-th century Michael Fokin made some reforms in Russian Ballet, led new theatre directing experiments. His experiments reflected ideas and images of that time, characteristic for Art of the beginning of the century, deeply connected with modern poetry, aesthetic principles of,, Mir Iskusstva’’ (,, The World of Art’’) - an art movement, organised by artists, by friends of Fokin.

Such ballets as,, Armida’s Pavilion’’ (1907) by Cherepnin, ,, Chopeniana’’ (1908), ,, Carnival’’ (1910) to Schuman, “Tsar-Ptitsa” (1910), ,, Petrushka’’(1911) to Stravinsky were staged.

So, new choreography came with Fokin, who used dynamic dance pantomyme. In his experiments T.Karsavina and V.Nizhinsky took an active part. Nizhinsky even tried to stage himself, using motifs of expressionism -,, Vesna Svyatczhennaya’’ by Stravinsky (1913).

But at the same period academic ballet was presented by M.Kshesinskaya, O.Preobrazhenskaya, E.V.Geltser and of course, A.Pavlova, a classical ballerina.

It was due to Russian Ballet, that in the 20-th century Ballet became so popular in other countries.

From 1909 a glorious ballet company, called,, Russian Seasons’’ toured in Paris and London. A very enthusiastic person S.P.Dyagilev directed this ballet group.

The Revolution of 1917 broke many traditions and raised the new ones. Many talented ballet dancers, frightened by 1917, left Russia. For example, M.Kshesinskaya went to Paris and danced there, and later organised the Ballet School, and taught many talented ballerinas.

And in Russia there was so-called Soviet repertoire. In 1918 the ballet, ,, Stenka Razin’’ by A.K.Glazunov was staged, in 1927,, Red Poppy’’ by Glier, in 1933 -,, Paris Fire’’ by B.V.Asafiev. Before the Revolution there were only two Ballet schools and after it - 16 Ballet Colleges.

Russia has always been famous for its ballerinas and ballet-dancers.

Galina Ulanova came into the history of the world ballet. She is considered to be the best ballerina of our century and as the finest classical dancer with her special individual style. Her Juliet in the ballet,, Romeo and Juliet’’ by S.Prokofiev is really unforgettable. She was also a great, splendid teacher. When we see films, showing Ulanova’s class, we notice, that any rehearsal with Ulanova is a great university of artistic language of dance. She truly tried to develop traditions of Russian classical ballet.

She had her special ability to inspire young dancers to find their own means of depicting of the image, they were to create. She explained the method of working on artistic expression. She was really happy when her students were able to find right means to express the character they were performing. Galina Ulanova’s whole life had been connected with the Bolshoi and she had trained many talented dancers for it.

Another great ballerina of Russia is Maya Plisetskaya, who had celebrated her 75-th anniversary on the 20-th of November, 2000. Once, at the Nervy International Ballet Festival, dedicated to the 100-th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, Maya Plisetskaya took part in the concerts given in the open air. Once she was dancing,, The Dying Swan’’ to the music by Saint-Saens when it suddenly began to rain. She continued to dance in the rain and the audience started to applaud covering the stage with flowers. Today she continues to work with her pupils in Russia, but mainly abroad.

She organised an annual Ballet Festival in Russia. And even if there are many ballet competitions in the world today, ours- is very prestigious. Moscow Ballet Festivals always attract many talented ballet dancers from all over the world. Russian contestants demonstrate brilliant Russian ballet school following the traditions of Russian classical ballet.

Russian ballet dancers are applauded everywhere in the world. In the 1950-s – K.Sergeev, N.Dudinskaya, O.Lepeshinskaya, in the1960-s V.Vasilyev, N.Bessmertnova, Makarova, Lavrovsky, M.Liepa. Famous ballet masters L.Jackobson, I.Belsky, V.Grigorovich worked in the Bolshoi Theatre.

The performances of the Bolshoi Ballet Company as usual attract the largest audiences.,, Swan Lake’’, ,, Sleeping Beauty’’, and other classical ballets are still danced there. And many people call the Bolshoi’s productions,, museum pieces’’.

In 2000,, La Fille du Pharaon’’ is called the best ballet premiere of the season. A meticulous piece of archeological reconstruction of Petipa’s first experiment in choreography. Cesare Pugni’s 1862 classic piece of Egyptian exoticism. The original 19-th century costumes and sets were reconstructed. A similar archeological job was performed by the musical editor and conductor of the project, Pavel Sotnikov. The Russian maestro spent long hours composing a full orchestral piece from a few extracts of the piano score and an incomplete score for the first violin.

Today when classical ballet has fallen on hard times and delicacy and grace have been stomped all over by athleticism and gymnastics, the Bolshoi is almost alone in defending its treasures and goodness; it’s a job that needs to be done.

TASK:

I. Answer the questions:

1. Do you agree with J.Brodsky, who said “Classical ballet is a fortress of beauty”?

2. When were the first regular ballet performances started to be staged?

3. Who was the famous Russian ballet reformer?

4. What do you know about a famous ballet company, called «Russian Seasons»?

5. What is Galina Ulanova famous for?

6. What do you know about annual Ballet Festivals in Russia?

7. Can you give some information about the Bolshoi theatre?

II. Find in the text the English equivalents of the following expressions:

- балетные спектакли

- известный балетмейстер

- эстетические принципы

- новая хореография

- академический балет

- по-настоящему незабываемый

- великий педагог

- развивать традиции

- вдохновлять молодых танцовщиков

- лучшая премьера сезона

III. Match the adjectives and nouns.

classical expression

regular style

glorious principles

modern performances

aesthetic festival

active premiere

individual part

artistic poetry

annual ballet

ballet ballets

IV. Choose the topic for discussion and get ready to talk about it.

1. Great art – teachers.

2. Teachers and students of art.

3. Galina Ulanova.

4. A great ballet – dancer.

5. A glorious ballet company “Russian Seasons”.

2. THEATRE

Russia has always been famous for its great theatre traditions, and distinguished actors and actresses.

In 1898 Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko decided to found a new theatre in Russia. The first performance “Tsar Feodor Ioanovitch” by Alexey Tolstoy, where the unknown but promising actor Ivan Mokvin performed the part of tsar Feodor, the young actress Olga Knipper played the role of the Tsar’s wife Irina, and Stanislavsky played the role of Shuisky, made a great impression on the Moscow public, which liked the acting, the sets and authentic atmosphere of the performance. The name of the new unique theatre was the Moscow Art Theatre.

(1863-1938) Stanislavsky created the most complete drama theory. He had his own working methods and his achievements brought him general acclaim. His influence on the world theatre and his appeal doesn’t lessen with time. As an outstanding Russian actor, stage-director and theorist he looked for new ways of scenic expressiveness, he strove to sum up the experience of the best stage masters of the Russian and the world theatre.

Under Shchepkin’s and Chekhov’s influence Stanislavsky strove to create an authentic atmosphere in the theatre.

His system fought against overacting, cliches and mannerism. He developed a technique which helped actors to build the inner world of the person portrayed on the stage. Stanislavsky’s “art of adaptation” concerned everything from the actor’s make-up to the inner identification with the character.

The Stanislavsky System has played an outstanding role in the development of the 20^th century theatre/ With the System’s terminology – super-objective logic of actions, subtext, temporhythm, method of physical actions and so on – a common theatrical language has been created. All over the world actors, directors and teachers of acting follow his method.

Stanislavsky had many talented pupils, E.Vakhtangov was one of them and he left his own mark on all his creations. He was the leading actor and director of the Art Theatre Studio.

So on the one hand, the art of Realism has given the world such outstanding innovators and stage reformers as Stanislavsky and Vakhtangov, on the other – Meyerhold.

Vsevolod Meyerhold (1874-1940) was the famous innovator, whose productions around heated and contradictory discussions. He left the Moscow Art theatre to fight a revolution of his own. His ambition was to find sensational new stage laws. He never stopped experimenting. In contrast to Stanislavsky, who wanted the spectators to lose themselves in the atmosphere of the play, Meyerhold wanted the spectators to remember that they were in the theatre, to make them think. In fact, Meyerhold strove for the same purpose, as Stanislavsky-fighting against everything trivial.Vakhtangov appreciated Meyerhold’s imaginstion and sense of form, but on the other hand he thought that Meyerhold often acted purely from a desire to reject the old and used a form which had little connection with the essence of the play. Meyerhold used opendirectorial devices, demonstrative emphasis of his own point of view. He wanted to maintain a new theatre tradition. In collaboration with Mayakovsky Meyerhold cultivated the metaphor and strove to emphasize the social message.

Another theatre, which has added glory to the Russian theatre is Moscow Maly theatre, founded by M.S. Tczhepkin, the oldest Russian Drama theatre in Moscow. Famous plays by A.S. Griboedov and Gogol, Shakespeare and Shiller are staged there. Since 1853 the theatre had stayed plays by A. N. Ostrovsky 47 of his dramas and comedies were stayed in the Maly theatre. Such outstanding actors as P.Sadovsky, I.Samarin, M.Ermoleva, G. Fedotova, A. Lensky and other worked there. The chief directors of the theatre were A. Yuzhin (1923-1927), I. Sudakov (1937-43), P.Sadovsky (1944-47), K. Zubov, M. Tsaryov (1957-62), E. Simonov (1963-70).

The famous Theatre college in the name of M.S. Shchepkin was founded in 1938.

Today the Maly Theatre, with its leader and head director keeps glorious traditions of the theatre.

The theatre’s partiality to classics is proof that, to paraphrase the old maxim, the long-forgotten old is an in exhaustible source for refreshing the heart and the mind. Its performances are may be delightfully old-fashioned in a way that frequently turns out to be more to the point and more important than any newfangled tricks devoid of style and clarity. And it is style and clarity that allow both the actors and the public to relish the simple and timeless story of a person.

This is a classic, that has yet again confirmed its evergreen relevance.

A.Y.Tairov (1885-1950) founded the famous Chamber theatre in 1914 with A.Koonen and a group of young actors. The highlight of his creative career became “The Optimistic tragedy” by Vishnevsky (1933) with A. Koonen in the role of Komissar. Among the best performances there were “Madam Bovari” (1940) by Flober, and “An Old man” by Gorky (1946). Y.P. Lubimov is another famous director. Having staged a play “A nice person from Sezuan” by Brecht in 1963 with his students at the theatre College in the name of Shchukin, he decided to found the Moscow Drama and Comedy theatre on Taganka”, “Hamlet” (1972), “Mothev” (1969).

Taganka with its progressive ideas, its new style of acting and directing had on electrifying effect. Lubimov has always been full of ideas for stage reform. Lubimov’s in novations concerned everything – acting technique, the decor and a new attitude towards the audience. Unlike the traditional drama Taganka theatre makes the spectators active. He strives for staginess and breaks the theatrical illusion.

Songs are often used in order to break the continuity of action, moving sets, gestural acting and so on. All these innovations demanded that the audience should not remain indifferent. These innovations helped Lubimov to widen the expressive possibilities of the common conception of theatre. The actor often addressed the spectators directly. The actor demonstrated the role rather than identified himself with it. Lubimov gave his actors freedom of creative effort, of improvisation. He tried to certain artificiality of atmosphere in contrast to reality.

Russia has always had brilliant actors, and actresses, who have qualities that widen our vision, and add to our understanding of the world. These qualities are thorough knowledge of the play in which they are performing, artistic imagination, physical, intellectual and spiritual strength, a sense of display and an ability to identify with a role to take on the core of a character.

Smoktunovsky, Evstigneev, Leonov, Efremov, Tabakov and many others. They created many unforgettable characters. Russian actors were able to display the entire range of human passions and emotions, avoiding anything trivial that might have weakened the image.

TASK:

3. PAINTING

The best and the brightest period in the development of Russian art is closely connected with the name of Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy. He was not only a talented artist but an outstanding art critic and a public figure as well. He became an organiser and inspirer of the Association of Mobile Art Exhibitions (Peredvizhniki). He left behind many great paintings which are an important part of Russian art. His excellent canvases such as ‘’The Stranger’’, ‘’Christ in the Desert’’, ‘’Rusalki’’ are among the best treasures of Russian culture.

Kramskoy is also estimated for his having painted the portraits of his famous contemporaries: writers, poets, painters, actors. As a portrait- painter Kramskoy displays the great ability of understanding and revealing the inner world of his sitter. Most of his portraits are the best examples of realistic and psychological portraits. He died in 1887 while working at his easel.

The importance of Kramskoy as the leader of the ‘’Perdvizhniki’’ group and art critic cannot be overestimated. Among the brilliant artists of the ‘’Peredvizhniki’’ group are I.E. Repin, V.I.Surikov, V.G.Perov, V.E.Makovsky, V.D.Polenov, A.R.Savrasov, I.I.Shishkin, V.M.Vasnetsov, A.I.Kuindzhi, I.I.Levitan and others.

In 1923-24 some of the artists entered the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia, which developed the traditions of the ‘’Peredvizhniki’’. I.I.Brodsky, A.M.Gerasimov, M.B.Grekov, B.V.Ioganson, E.A.Katsman and others tried to portray Soviet life in realistic manner.

At the end of the 19^th century, in 1898, in Petersburg, another art movement- ‘’Mir Iskusstva’’- was born. ‘’The World of Art’’-1898- 1924. It was organised by A.N.Benua and S.P.Dyagilev. They rejected academism and the ‘’Peredvizhniki’’ tendencies as well and accepted poetics of symbolism. Paintings and drawings by L.S.Bakst, M.V.Dobuzhinsky, E.E.Lancere, K.A.Somov and others were characterized by refined decorativeness, stylization and elegant ornamentation.

M.A.Vrubel (1856-1910) was one of the best colourists and artists of his time. His masterpieces ‘’Tsarevna-Swan’’1900, ‘’Lilac’’1900, ‘’Demon’’1902, ‘’Pearl 1904 attract people’s attention. Vrubel is called ‘’the greatest revolutioneer of Russian painting’’. He introduced symbolism in painting in the 1880-s, long before, than this style was developed by Russian poets. That is why the poets- symbolists Blok, Bryusov, Bely considered Vrubel to be the founder of Russian symbolism.

With Vrubel in Russian Art a new type of universal came into being. He painted pictures and big panels, painted churches’ walls, illustrated books, designed scene-paintings, worked in sculpture and architecture. He tried to incarnate Beauty all his life.

The beginning of the 20^th century is characteristic with an explosion in Art.

AVANT-gardism is the main trend in Art of the 20^th century. It breaks traditions and standards in Arts. Avant-gardism principles are accepted by such trends of Art as expressionism, cubism, futurism, dadaism, surrealism.

K.S.Malevich (1878-1935) is the founder of so-called ‘’Suprematism’’ ( a trend of abstract art, introduced in 1913)- combination of coloured simple geometrical figures-squares, circles, triangles; and ‘’architectones’’- three-dimensional forms, depicted on flatness. The most famous pictures by Malevich are ‘’Spring- an orchard in blossom’’1904; ‘’Shroud of Christ’’ 1908; ‘’ The Black Suprematist square’’ 1914-1915; ‘’A Girl with a red staff’’ 1932-33 etc.

V.V.Kandinsky (1866-1944), one of the founders of abstract art, who took part in the organisation of ‘’Blue-horse-rider’’ in Munich in 1911-14 and The Institute of Art Culture- Inhuk in 1920.Since 1921 he had lived abroad.

Very many talented artists added to the glory of Russian and World art. D.P.Shterenberg, V.E.Tatlin, A.Lentulov, A.V.Shevchenko, A.M.Rodchenko, A.G.Tyshler, R.Falk and many others.

Task:

I. Answer the questions:

1. What genres of Painting do you know? Give a brief definition of each genre.

2. How do you understand the words ‘’a study of human nature’’?. Give examples of famous portraits which can be said to be ‘’a study of human nature’’.

3. Using a reproduction (or a slide) of a portrait give a talk on it showing that it is a study of human nature. Through what technical devices does the painter expose the sitter’s inner qualities?

II. Give a talk on a reproduction of a landscape. What are the implications of a really good landscape? Is it just a view or is there a deeper meaning in it?

III. Find a good reproduction (or a slide) of: a) a still-life,

b) a landscape,

c) a portrait.

Give a talk on each of the reproductions describing their technical aspect. Use the words and cliches which may prove useful:

- the theme of the picture,

- the subject of the picture,

- good (weak) line,

- colouring,

- light and shade effects

- the picture is saturated with light

- the background in his pictures is always furnished

- it is very well painted

- to create beauty

- pure (vivid, brilliant, intense, luminous, shrill, soft, delicate, muddy) colours

- cold and warm tones

- the texture of the picture

- the brushstrokes are visible

- the effect is accentuated by…

IV. Give a talk on your favourite genre of painting offering good reasons for your preference.

V. Imagine, that you are in a picture gallery and comment on paintings of old masters.

VI. Share impressions of a recent exhibition of young Russian painters.

VII. Choose the topic for discussions and reports:

1. The Russian painter you like.

2. The Russian painters you know.

3. Your favourite painter.

4. Your favourite genre of painting.

5. The painting you like.

6. Your favourite picture.

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1. Add the prepositions: ‘on’, ‘at’, ‘n’, ‘until’, ‘from’, ‘to’

1. He came to London …13^th June and left again…September.

2. They went out…half past one; they’ll be back…ten minutes.

3. He plays cricket…summer and football… winter.

4. He always leaves early… the morning and comes back late…night.

5. He rests… the weekends but works hard… Monday…Friday.

6. He was born…the nineteenth century.

7. I am working…six o’clock…Friday evening.

8. He’s busy…present. He’ll see you…30 minutes’ time.

2. Combine the sentences.

Example: The doorbell rang. He left the house.

The doorbell rang just as he was leaving the house.

1. He had an accident. He drove too fast.

2. He went out. I came in.

3. He got wet. It rained.

4. It started to rain. I set off.

5. He didn’t see the bus. He looked at the map.

6. John called. I went to bed.

7. I didn’t hear you. I listened to the radio.

7. Read and translate the text.

8. Answer the questions:

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MUSIC

As the 20-th century is coming to its close, we look back at the outstanding people it has introduced.

The composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was one of the most talented among Russian composers. The highlights of his music career such as,, The Fire Bird’’, ,, Petrushka’’(1910), ,, Oedipus Rex’’(1926) and,, Rake’s Progress’’(1951) were epoch-making for their invaluable contribution. His versatile interests were reflected in his close friendship with Debussy and Ravel, in his intellectual contacts with Picasso and Cocteau, and in his cooperation with Matisse, Bakst and Nijinsky. Taking music lessons from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, he presented his great musical talent very early in his life. From 1908 on, Stravinsky lived mostly abroad and seldom visited Russia. He took an active part in Diagilev’s,, Saisons Russes’’ and became almost a permanent resident of Paris. During World War 1 he lived in Switzerland, then moved back to France and later to the USA. However his spiritual contacts with Russia were never broken.

His compositions always aroused heated arguments. Seeming disharmony of his operas and ballets reflected the features of a time of Einstein’s discovery, Picasso’s cubist paintings, breaking down of classical poetry. Trying to understand the very essence of things was how the 20-th century men of genius looked for universal harmony.

His experiments in different genres and styles showed versatility of his interests.

At one time he studied Japanese philosophy and poetry, tried to express perspective and volume in his music. At another time he gave a musical treatment of Russian folk tales. Once he became interested in Latin and Greek poetry, which resulted in,, Oedipus Rex’’ and,, Symphony of Psalms’’. And later he produced his witty,, The Rake’s Progress’’ under the influence of William Hogarth’s engravings.

When analysing Stravinsky’s contribution to world music we should remember the multi-national influence and complex,, geography’’ of his background.

We can see the influence of the French music tradition in the, Fire-Bird’’ and,, Nightingale’’.We can find the influence of the American jazz in his,, Black Concert’’ and,, Game of Cards’’ as well as elements of American show in his opera,, The Rake’s Progress’’.

However Russian national colouring can be felt in most of his compositions.

During his long music career Stravinsky wrote about 100 music compositions. His best works have stood the test of time and are performed today all over the world. Igor Stravinsky was the maker of the 20-th century musical history. His death closed a whole epoch in contemporary music.

Realistic tendencies in Russian music were revealed in compositions of,, Moguchaya Kuchka’’ composers’ union with M.Balakirev, A.Borodin, M.Musorgsky, N.Rimsky-Korsakov and P.Tchaikovsky. At the beginning of the 20-th century these tendencies were developed by S.Taneev, A.Glazunov, A.Lyadov, S.Rachmaninov. At the same time the style of symbolism was produced in music by A.Skryabin.

Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)

Prokofiev composed his first piece of music when he was five. He entered the St.Petersburg Conservatoire at the age of 13, appearing at the entrance exam with manuscripts of four operas, a symphony and a number of piano pieces.

At the age of 19 he made his first public appearance. After the Revolution (1917) he emigrated to America, then he lived in Paris.

Acclaimed as a virtuoso pianist and an outstanding composer, a mature artist Prokofiev felt homesick and lonely, living far from his native land. He wrote: ,, I have to live in the atmosphere of my homeland. I have to see Russian winter and its changeable spring. I have to hear the Russian language and talk to people, who are my people…’’ In 1932 he returned to the Soviet Union and became one of the leading composers.

His invaluable heritage includes eight operas, 7 cantatas, 7 ballets, 7 symphonies as well as numerous piano pieces. Among them there are such master-pieces as the opera,, War and Peace’’, the ballet,, Romeo and Juliet’’, and the cantata,, Alexander Nevsky’’.

Prokofiev has enriched both Russian and world music. The influence of Prokofiev’s music can still be traced in the works of contemporary musicians.

Apart from Stravinsky and Prokofiev, other famous composers such as N.Miaskovsky, D.Kabalevsky, D.Shostakovich, T.Khrennikov, G.Sviridov, R. Shchedrin and others.

One of Shostakovich’s most striking compositions is the Seventh Symphony, which he wrote in the besieged Leningrad during the 2-nd World War. This symphony glorified Russian people, condemned the enemy, expressing unshakeable confidence in victory. The patriotic 7^th Symphony is Shostakovich’s veritable heroic exploit in art.

Russia is also famous for its talented composers, who wrote songs- A.Alexandrov, A.Novikov, I.Dunaevsky, M.Blanter, V.Soloviev- Sedoy, A.Pachmutova, A.Petrov.

Russia is proud of its great musicians. There are too many to name and all of them are different. M.Rostropovich, D.Oistrach, L.Kogan, S.Rikhter and others. We cannot measure exactly the differences between phenomena in the spiritual world. For art is understood not only intellectually but is also felt emotionally. The emotional approach to art is not a debatable subject because of the famous maxim that “tastes differ”.

Many people’s first choice goes to Svyatoslav Rikhter. A combination of powerful spirit with depth, purity of soul, and admirable skill is indeed a unique phenomenon. His popularity with different audiences and their admiration for him are well known to everybody. This is explained by his creative power, by the striking, harmonious combination of intellect, soul and heart and by his gigantic virtuoso talent. His own musical world is like the world of the great composers he plays. He conveyed the features of each composer, but the features of their epoch in general as well.

.Michail Pletnev, another talented musician, the pianist, who won the first prise at the V1-th International Tchaikovsky Contest, being a student. Leading Western newspapers called him a “Supermusician”, or “ Musical Phenomenon from Russia”. There is probably no other concert musician who performs so often and renews his repertoire within such a short time as Pletnyov does. His way of playing is far from being stereotyped.

Pletnyov seeks perfection in everything (1983) he does. He had a dream of conducting Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” and it came true

We should mention such glorious singers as N.Obuchova, A.Nezhdanova, I.Kozlovsky, S.Lemeshev, L.Sobinov.

Leading soloists from the Bolshoi theatre are often invited to perform title roles in the Vienna Opera. One of them is the basso Yevgeny Nesterenko.

The critics highly appreciate the rare beauty of his voice, his vocal and dramatic way of singing. Nesterenko unquestionably followed the great traditions founded by Fyodor Chaliapin.

Russia has very experienced conservatoires, schools and colleges. The Moscow Conservatoire as founded by Rubinshtein. In 1912 the Rubinshtein Museum of the Moscow Conservatoire was officially opened. In 1919 the state Collection of unique musical instruments was built up. In 1934 the Museum was renamed the State Central Museum of Musical Culture.

In 1954, when the country’s music world celebrated the 150^th anniversary of M.I.Glinka’s birth, the museum was named after that great Russian composer.

The museum has an interesting and varied exposition of Tchaikovsky’s heritage, which includes manuscripts of most of his operas, symphonic and chamber compositions and many letters and autographs.

The museum has on display many letters by Russian classical composers, their numerous photographs, books and sheet music from their personal libraries, sketches of scenery and costumes for the productions of their operas.

Many exhibits are associated with the members of the “Mighty Handful”—M.A.Balakirev, A.P.Borodin, N.A.Rimsky-Korsakov, M.P.Mussorgsky, C.A.Cui, A.S.Dargomuzhsky, A.N.Serov, A.K.Glazunov, S.I.Taneev, A.N.Skriabin and S.U.Rakhmaninov.

It has more than a thousand records of Russian songs and romances performed by Russian and foreign singers.

Some world famous Art Festivals are annually held in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and other cities. The Festivals and concert programmes are always marked by wealth and variety of repertoire, by an impressive array of artistic talent.

TASK:

I. Answer the questions:

1. What were the highlights of Stravinsky’s music career?

2. How can you illustrate Stravinsky’s versatility?

3. How did Prokofiev’s musical career begin?

4. How did Prokofiev feel after emigration?

5. Why did he decide to return to Russia?

6. Do you often go to the concerts?

7. What kind of concerts do you prefer and why ( symphony, organ music, chamber music, folk music, vocal, ballet, recitals)?

8. Have you ever been to a concert or a performance that you will remember all your life? Where and when was it?

II. Tell about:

1. Great singers.

2. Great pianists.

3. Great conductors.

4. A versatile artist. (Versatility in Art)

5. A concert or recital you have visited.

XI. Management

Tourism defined

In 1937 the League of Nations recommended a definition be adopted of a “tourist” as one who travels for a period of 24 hours or more in a country other than that in which he usually resides. This was held to incude persons travelling for pleasure, domestic reason or health, persons traveling to meetings or on a cruise vessel (even if for less than 24 hours). The principal weakness here is that it ignores the movement of domestic tourists. Later the United Nations Conference on International Travel and Tourism, held in Rome in 1963, considered recommendations put forward by the IUOTO ( now the World Tourism Organisation) and agreed to the term “visitors” to describe “any person visiting a country other than that in which he has his usual place of residence, for any reason other than following an occupation, remunerated from within the country visited.”

This definition was to cover two classes of visitors:

(a) Tourists, who were classed as temporary visitors staying at least 24 hours, whose purpose could be classified as leisure (whether for recreation, health, sport, holiday, study or religion), or business, family mission or meeting;

(б) Excursionists, who were classed as temporary visitors staying less than then 24 hours, including cruise travelers but excluding travelers in transit.

Once again the definition becomes overly restrictive in failing to take domestic tourism into account. The inclusion of “study” in this definition is an interesting one since it is often excluded in later definitions, as are courses of education.

A working party for the proposed Institute of Tourism in Britain (now the Tourism Society) attempted to clarify the concept, and reported in 1976: “Tourism is the temporary short-term movement of people to destinations outside the places where they normally live and work, and activities during their stay at these destinations; it includes movement for all purposes, as well as day visits or excursions.”

This broader definition was reformulated slightly without losing any of its simplicity at the International Conference on Leisure-Recreation-Tourism, held by the AIEST and the Tourism Society in Cardiff in 1981: “Tourism may be defined in terms of particular activities selected by choice and undertaken outside the home environment. Tourism may or may not involve overnight stays away from home.”

The above definitions have been quoted at length because they reveal how broadly the concept of tourism must be defined in order to embrace all forms of the phenomenon. Indeed, the final definition could be criticized on the grounds that, to burglary or any of a hundred other activities! Here, no guidance on the particular activities is offered, nor does it get up any nearer the solution as to how far away a tourist must travel from his home base before he can be termed as such.

Conceptually, then, to define tourism precisely is a difficult not impossible task. To produce a technical definition for statistical purposes is less problematic. As long as it is clear what the data comprises, and one compared like with like whether inter-regionally or internationally, we can leave the conceptual discussion to academics. With the advent of twentieth century mass tourism, perhaps the most accurate definition of tourist is “someone who travels to see something different, and then complains when he finds things are not the same”!

What is tourism?

In the late eighteenth century, sea water gained a reputation for its medicinal properties and as a result many British coastal fishing villages were transformed into fashionable resorts. Bringhton and Weymouth both became popular with genteel holidaymakers after George III paid them a visit to try and cure the fits of madness from which he suffered. The earliest organization of anything that we would recognize today as tourism started in the mid-nineteenth century. Thomas Cook is historically credited with organizing the first ever tourist excursion in 1841 when he sold tickets for a train ride from Leicester to Loughborogh as a means of promoting the Temperance cause. Methodist missionary Henry Lunn pioneered the skiing holiday just a few years later.

It was the Industrial Revolution that really began to open up tourism to the working classes. As a result of the widespread social and technological reforms a new middle class grew up whose increased prosperity meant that they could afford to travel. The Bank Holiday Act of Parliament in 1871, creating four annual public holidays and the Factory Act of 1901, which gave the first ever paid annual holiday allowance of six days, provided the necessary legislation to give the working British public leisure time at no financial loss.

The new railways provided cheap travel to seaside resorts such as Scarborough and Blackpool. Public holidays would see a mass exodus from the large cities of Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds to the coast, for people to be entertained at funfairs and shows catering to the tastes of the working man.

People were also becoming aware of a world outside their own direct experience. Soldiers traveling to foreign countries saw opportunities and wanted to return in peacetime. The colonial era brought India, Australia, Africa and other parts of the world into the spotlight of the European colonial powers. The advent of photography provided visual evidence of the existence of the exotic and began to stir interest among the more adventurous to see sights fir themselves. The Taj Mahal, the Pyramids and the Sphinx and the Statue of Liberty are all examples of famous tourist attractions which we travel to see in real life because we’ve seen pictures of them.

XII. General EXAM Topics

1. Family and friends

Learn the following:

Relatives (= members of the family).

These are the most important relatives (also called relations ):

	male	female
Your parents’ parents	grandfather	Grandmother
Your parents’ brother and sister	Uncle (s)	Aunt (s)
Your aunt’s/ uncle’s children	Cousin (s)	Cousin (s)
The father and mother of he person you marry	Father-in-law	Mother-in law
The brother and sister of the person you marry	Brother-in-law	Sister-in-law
Your brother’s/ sister’s children	Nephew (s)	Niece(s)
The person you marry dies, so you are a…	widower	Widow
Your mother and father remarries, so you have a…	Step-father	Step-mother

I. Family background (= family history)

My grandfather was a market gardener in Ireland. He grew flowers, fruit and vegetables, and sold them in the market every day. He worked hard all his life, and when he died, his son (now my uncle) and daughter (my mother) inherited a large house and garden (= received this house and garden from my grandfather when he died). They carried on the business together until my mother met my father. They got married, moved to England, and I was born two years later. They didn't have any more children, so I am an only child.

II. Family names

When you are born, your family gives you a first name, e. g. James, Kate, Sarah and Alex are common first names in Britain. Your family name (also called your surname) is the one that all the family share e. g. Smith, Brown, Jones, and O'Neill are common surnames in Britain. Some parents give their children a middle name (like a first name), but you do not usually say this name. Your full name is all the names you have, e. g. Sarah Jane Smith.

III. Changing times

Society changes and so do families. In some places, people may decide to live together but do not get married. They are not husband and wife, but call each other their partner. There are also many families in some parts of the world where the child or children live (s) with just their mother or father; these are sometimes called single-parent families.

IV. Friends

We can use a number of adjectives before friend:

an old friend (= someone you have known for a long time) a close friend (= a good friend; someone you like and trust) your best friend (= the one friend you feel closest to)

We use the word colleagues to describe the people we work with.

V. Ex-

We use this for a husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend we had in the past but do not have now:

The children stay with my ex-husband at the weekend.

I saw an ex-girlfriend of mine at the disco last night.

Exercises

.Albert and Mary Dodds

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