A whirlwind trip to the Big City:Part II. The Bolshoi Theatre



The metro station 'teatralnaya' just two stops from the hotel where we stayed



 Im gonna cheat a bit here and post lots of photos and the article that my daughter Elsa wrote for our local paper, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise. This post isn't directly related to the work Im here to do, but it is really important from the perspective of our experiences as visitors to Russia and especially Moscow. In about 2003 I was lucky enough to see the Russian National Ballet perform in that incredible theatre. I remember there was something special about that night because a Ballerina who was a favorite of the people was dancing, and there had been talk of her being 'too big' and the company not being happy with it or something.  I think that night people were out to show their appreciation and love.  I dont even remember what ballet it was, but it was my first time in Russia and I was with some amazing Adirondackers.  We were on our way to Irkutsk, with Dan Plumley as our leader.  I think it was the most 'romantic evening' I have ever spent.  In the most grand sense it was 'romantic'.  The balconies and seats all plush red with gold trim on everything.  The ceiling was painted with angelic figures.   The lights on the sides of the Theatre were so ornate and a huge chandelier was  hanging in the middle. 

The newly renovated Bolshoi theatre, Moscow

We were up high but directly in the center, and I don't care if the seats are considered less valuable, it was amazing getting that perspective on the whole affair and a great view of the orchestra pit.  I remember distinctly being shocked when the audience broke out in applause in the middle of some parts of the performance.  Lots of emotion, not the stayed silence we have come to know in the middle of these types of things in the States..

 Anyway, a little trot down memory lane! But I remember wishing my girls could see it. And so, it was first on our list of things we had to do if there was a performance to see when we were in Moscow.  The Theatre is just very recently renovated.. but more on that from Elsas article in a minute.

We saw La Traviatta. Thank goodness for two lovely Irishwomen sitting next to us who knew something about opera, and gave us the general story line. At the intermission, there was champagne and gorgeous food and snacks to be purchased in a lovely cafe. Just not much time to eat if you are at the end of the line, but we got some drinks and strawberries, just to say we did. 

The whole inside of the building outside of the main theatre, stairs and walls etc. is some kind of light colored marble.. I think.. Its just stunning. And another sophisticated thing is that in Russia in many places you dont have to take your coat, you leave it in the gardarobe, at no cost, and get a ticket so there are no coats over the backs of seats (even in the Universities, you cant bring coats into classes)


      The opera was in Italian and the sub-titles were in Russian. I was so fixated on trying to read a word or two of the subtitles, I didnt delve into the opera emotionally too deeply, but it didnt matter to me. The two leads were great, there were beautiful arias, some fun dance numbers. At the end, Willa was pretty sleepy (to be expected, it was late) and Elsa had tears running down her cheeks. Pretty cool.

Elsas article is below and really says it all.  Enjoy!

 

From Russia with: A Grand Performance.

 

 

            During my recent five day-long vacation in Moscow, I was privileged enough to witness something most people may only dream of.  I am very proud to inform anyone who may be reading, that I saw an Italian opera in the Bolshoi Theater!

            Walking in was like stepping back into the 1800's because that is the style of the building and the furniture and... In fact the only thing that was not styled in 1800's fashion were the people who, though dressed in fancy attire, were not wearing ball gowns. 

          Just a few facts about Bolshoi: First, six months ago it was refurbished. Thankfully the design and color were kept the same, a rich red with gold-leaf accents.  The refurbishing took 6 years! Second, this theater is pretty old. There has been a theater across from Red Square since 1776 (until 1812, when it burned down, a theater called the Petrovka Theater stood were the Bolshoi stands now).  In 1825 the new Bolshoi Theater held its grand opening.  And, on Friday October 12^th 2012, I went and saw La Traviatta, an Italian opera.

            We were in the fourth balcony (the cheap seats) so we had a nice view of the grand chandelier as well as the performance. We also got a pretty nice view of the ceiling. It was, like any other ceiling you may expect to find in an old important Russian building, painted with Angels and such things. The opera was a tragic romance (go figure) about a woman – of the wrong sort -  with T.B. who could not marry the Gentleman she loved.  From what I've heard of operas this is to be expected.  Despite the sadness, her death in the finale and the other depressing parts, it was still very beautiful and certainly made an impression.

            October 12^th 2012 was not all together a pleasant day.  It was drizzly and gray but for some reason the dreary effect such days often have on me, did not come. No, that day i spent traipsing around Moscow city with a rainbow umbrella (which I lost by the end of our expedition) and two Moscow State University students who were kind enough to show us their home “town.”  It really is a beautiful city.  They say that the ones who come to Moscow, always come back.  I totally and completely 100% believe it.   New York City is big, 319 square miles to be exact.  Think of all the things to see in that city... billions. Now double that and that’s the size of Moscow.  Just think about the history that has taken place in Moscow! There are buildings that have been around since the 1500s! I'm generally not a fan of cities but this one’s amazing!  So to wrap up the rambling, I agree, that one time in Moscow and you're guaranteed another trip.

 

 

 

A whirlwind trip to the Big City: Part 1: The Moscow Science Fesitval

Moscow Science Festival 2012

Close to the time we were to leave for Russia and Gorno, I got a note asking if I would come to Moscow in October for the Fulbright in-Country orientation, and also if I would be so kind as to present at the Moscow Science Festival that same weekend.  My girls would be taken care of, we would stay some extra days, and Oksana (the wonder woman) would arrange our hotel and travel.  Ummmmm, let me think..... ? YES!!!!!

So our long weekend in Moscow began on Thursday October 11th  and lasted until Monday night, October 15, with a nasty bit of

 travel on each end, but who's counting:-).  The building below is one of the loveliest college campus buildings in the world, Im sure.  In Moscow there are 7 Stalin houses.  This is one of them. Stalin had them built on the 7 hills of Moscow, as I understand it and I'm not really sure of their original purpose, but I do believe they were for living in.  Long story short, this one became one of the main buildings of the Moscow State University.  The young woman with me in the picture in front of the building is Natalia (one of the many I now know) a Moscow State University language student assigned to me during our stay. Sweet, smart, and extremely diligent! Camilla, not pictured, was the other amazing student who took care of my girls while I was in meetings (thank you girls and Olga for making it happen!)

 

We were lucky to get to go to the very top of this building for a tour of the Natural History Museum of the University (floors 24 through 28) and then up a couple more floors to that round part you see on the very top.  Going into one of these buildings just happened to be one of the things on my daughters wish lists when I made them research moscow before we went ( I am their teacher this semester you know). Little did we know at that time that we were destined for one already!

 The round room with the columns is the top of this building.  It has great accoustics we were told by the Museum Director, and lectures and music events were held there often.  Around the walls were tributes to all the University Presidents from the very initiation (an apparently late starting self taught man who was hungry for knowledge and just about a genius in many fields) to the current president who was loath to have his tribute added, but his adoring faculty insisted. 

 The room actually extends up two floors and there is a balcony, which we went up to, and above that this incredible, specially made glass star (there was a cool story about the chemical composition of the glass that gave it the color... one of the presidents invented..... but I cant remember!)

Below is the view from as high up as you can go.. It was awsome.  Moscow is twice the size of New York City they say. It was cold and windy up there, but that didnt bother me.  It was one of those surreal experiences for me.

 I was invited to pose with the bust of Lenin.  Lenin is everywhere in Russia including all siberian towns I have been in.  I thought at first it might be some sort of dessicration but was assured it was not and so I kissed the man on his forehead.... I didnt include that image, just in case:-)

 At 1:30 I was scheduled to give a talk on the "Importance of Research in Undergraduate Education: Paul Smiths College, College of the Adirondacks" .  The audience were high school students from all over the City, and their parents, teachers, and some univeristy students interested in international science opportunities.

 I had a translator and so things took longer than they would otherwise, but the talk was scheduled for 45 minutes and by breezing over a couple things, I was able to make it. 

Olga (another Russian wonder woman) the festival organizer and the one who invited me to speak, presented me with her own amazing book on the architecture of Moscow that was influenced by Stalin... Its gorgeous and all in Russian, of course, so no excuse now not to keep learning the language (which I am more and more fascinated by).  She also made sure that I had the opportunity to meet with a Dean in the Biology Department and that we could all discuss our mutual interests in international exchange (Ochen Preetna, Andrey!).  Exciting stuff.

 Olga also found out that I was a singer songwriter and had visited my web site and liked it very much. Since much of my stuff is inspired by the Adirondacks she asked me If I would perform at the end of my talk and at the closing ceremony of the festival on Sunday Eve.. Bonus. Im just saying

After my talk I had an hour break and then was honored to be on a panel of academics talking about the role of scientist and academics in the information age.  Natalia and I showed up at the room, sat down and little did she know ahead of time that she would be asked to help me understand the discussion.  She did an amazing job for someone not trained as a translator.  We sat there with her small computer open and her english russian dictionary up on the screen.. She listened , madly wrote notes and then tried to explain the conversation.. At some point I was asked to stand and make my comments.. which I did, only because Natalia had done a great job of summarizing the things the other folks had shared.  I think it went well.  Who knows who understood me, though I spoke plainly and not so fast (ne tak boeestra)


 I was one of many acts at the closing ceremony, including barbershop quartet, opera singing, ballet dancing, Russian traditional songs.... .....I got some really nice feedback from young and older people. Im pretty sure that this was the first and probably the last time I will perform and be projected onto a big screen!  All of these performances were punctuated by the real reason we were there.. Student received awards for their work in science and related fields and were brought out on the stage and interviewed and given prizes.  It was an amazing festival. I was honored to be a part of it. Thanks for letting me relive it a bit here and make it a bit less surreal for the reflection.



A trip to the mountains: Seminsky Pass and Forest Composition

At 8:15 on Saturday morning October 6th, we met at the front gate of Gorno-Altaisk State University to wait for the bus that would take us on an overnight trip to Seminsky Pass - (elevation close to 1894 m - about 300 meters higher than Mt. Marcy) . Seminsky is about 190 km from Gorno and is the  highest pass on the chuy highway as you drive south from Gorno into the golden mountains. Eight of my students, my two daughters, the driver and myself headed out of town with the goal of stopping 3 times on the way at different elevations.  I brought along some information to share from research I had done about some of the species we would see, the changes in abiotic conditions as you climb up in elevation, and the changes that climate change has already wrought in the siberian mountains with respect to forest composition and distribution.

Lida and Vicka keep us smiling!

Our first stop along the highway to talk about forest composition.

It won't come as any surprise to students of forestry or ecology that the lower elevations, like in our subboreal areas, are inhabited by birches and poplar, willows in the lowlands and some spruce and fir. 

Interestingly, like in the Adirondacks (my back yard for instance) there is an abundance of scots pine, but here they grow straight, unlike many of the planted stands we see that have double leaders and crooked stems.  Around the city in the low hills there are forests dominated by these that look like the plantations but this is within the broad range of their natural habitat and so they are likely natural forests (common in the zone called 'light needled mountain tiaga' - see below).
The birch that you can see in the background of the picture of us above is Betula pendula.  At this time of year with branches pedulous, the leaves yellow-gold and thinning, they look to me like the left over sparkles of those big gold-edged fireworks that disperse and then the edges hang in the sky for a while.

The vegetation structure as you travel up the mountains is really much more complicated than I shared with my students, as you can see just looking out at the landscape in the image below.
These are determined by the combination of temperature and precipitation which in-turn are influenced by aspect and elevation. The picture that I took below gives a pretty good visual of these zones if you use your imagination:-)

Eight primary vegetation belts are described by researchers for the mountains of southern Siberia,

Beginning at the highest elevation belt :

(from N. M. Tchebakova, R. A. Monserud, E. I. Parfenova. 2001.  Phytomass change in the mountain forests of southern Siberia under climate warming  - on-line paper, a collaboration of researchers from Krasnayarsk and Rocky Mountain Research Station in Colorado)

 

Mountain tundra (lichens, mosses,

Rhododendron, Betula rotundifolia) with temperature sums (growing degree days ) <700C and no value in the dryness index.

Subalpine mountain taiga (cold and wet)

Pinus sibirica and Abies sibirica, including wet subalpine meadows)

Subgolets sparse mountain taiga (cold and dry; both dark- and light-needled open taiga)

Dark-needled mountain taiga (dominated by
Pinus sibirica and Abies sibirica)

 

Light-needled mountain taiga (dominated by

Larix sibirica and Pinus sylvestris)

Dark-needled chern taiga (floristically rich and productive warm taiga mixed with

Populus tremula),

Subtaiga/forest-steppe

(Pinus sylvestris, Larix sibirica and Betula pendula)

Steppe and dry steppe

(Caragana, Spirea, Cotoneaster, Stipa, Fescuta, Koellria)

 

The place we stayed was right on the pass is an old olympic training center for nordic skiing with a complex of dorm type buildings and different size cottages for people to stay. Our first stop, and where we spent the night was at Seminsky Pass which is clearly in the zone of Dark needled mountain tiaga. The area was Dominated by Pinus sibiricus heavily draped in 'old mans beard' lichen (Usnea).  The air was incredible and it was our first snow experience in our trip.  The only place the snow fell that day and night was on the pass.

The coolest thing about Pinus sibirica (which the locals call siberian cedar - underscoring the value of the latin names!!!) is that while it is a 5 needled pine like our own in the Adirondacks, it has large seeds (pine nuts just like the ones we buy from Pinyon pine at home) that are collected and snacked on right out of the cone.  In the Altai they are sold all over the place and are prized as snacks. We picked our own out from under the layer of fresh falling snow...



There is a Stolovaya where you eat excellent Russian food in a nice warm feeling, carved wood panel sided cafeteria. Several families with young nordic skiers were there for early season training. You cant just rollerski on the streets of Gorno, like you can outside of Lake Placid... No sir! I dont imagine you can do that anywhere on normal Russian roads, it is such a big place to take care of!! And so this facility had specially paved paths that were for the purpose.

 

 

 There was a biathalon shooting range where we picked up a few spend shells for our young nordic skier friends:-) 


After a lot of walking, talking and great eating and a gathering in the Devchata's (Girls - young women) room we got some sleep and the next morning headed a bit further into the mountains to one of the most beautiful passes (though not as high) in the northern Altai mountains: Cheke-toman pass

The view from the pass is really stunning.  My favorite part was/is  the larches (Larix sibirica, 'leestveneetsa' is the Russian transliteration) burning on the hills.  In the Adirondacks larches are associated with wetlands and low areas, going gold with a backdrop of Abies balsamea.  Here they are an incedibly cold and wind tolerant species that are distributed in several of the forest communities, but are the last remaining tree in the higher elevations.  At the tops of some of the lower peaks they are all that remain on the ridgeline where the rocky steeps slope drop away and leave no soil for tree establishment.  I'm adding a few pictures so you can see some of the beauty of Altai in the fall (no reds, we miss those, but a golden beauty that glows)

On the way to the pass - out of the snow

Larches on fire on the hills

Cheke-tomon pass is 1460 meters and has one of the most beautiful views in these mountains

 

This is the valley you look into from the Cheke-tomon pass.

 Tolono takes Willa and Elsa up to the sacred place on the pass (all passes have sacred places where you pay tribute to the spirits in the native Altai culture) and explains the proper way and the significance. The prayer flags on the hill on the up-side of the pass are plentiful.

Devchata! (young women - girls)

Finally, some of the materials that I used to share with my students are summarized below for the interest of any ecologists.  I find it so fascinating to study this ecosystem and see the similarities to our own in terms of composition, and effects of climate change.

A bullet summary of the paper:

Spatial distribution and temporal
dynamics of high-elevation forest stands
in southern Siberia
Global Ecology and Biogeography,  (2010) 19, 822–830
Vyacheslav I. Kharuk*, Kenneth J. Ranson, Sergey T. Im and
Alexander S. Vdovin

•With elevation increase (and thus a harsher environment) forests shifted to steep wind-protected slopes.
•A considerable increase in the stand area and increased elevation of the upper forest line was observed (global warming)•Warming promotes migration of trees to areas that are less protected from winter desiccation and snow abrasion (i.e. areas with lower values of slope steepness). Climate-induced
•forest response has significantly modified the spatial patterns of high-elevation
•forests in southern Siberia during the last four decades, as well as tree morphology has shifted as a result of climate change.


The figure below shows that changes in precipitation and temperature in summer and winter in Siberia have been similar to those in the Adirondacks. Significant increases in winter temperatures in the last 100 years.

 

Both the Adirondack and the Altai are on the edges of biomes and thus are more prone to fast ecological changes due to climate change. (I try to show with below)

The more things change the more they stay the same!!  stay tuned
Celia

Dima and Tatiana build their new home

Just about two blocks off of the two main streets in Gorno-Altaisk, busy with traffic and lined by shops (Magazines) and apartment buildings where people own 1 to 4 room flats (like the one we are living in), you find you are in the small hills that line this valley town and you are also into homes (Doma's).  All are complete with a kitchen garden, often with a hoop house or greenhouse to extend the growing season, and often with a Banya (traditional Russian bathing house - not to be missed whenever there is an opportunity!!!).  It feels like a different world to me out here. 
The houses range from the traditional small, square wooden log house with rough but ornately carved wood trim and colorful paint around the windows, to larger, sometimes brick, sometimes cinder block, and sometimes vinyl sided.. sometimes interesting combinations of these materials. Almost inevitably, the garden  this time of year has the last of the capusta (cabbage) and maybe some squash, and certainly beautiful flowers around the edge or all over mixed in.  We haven't had frost yet in the City and the flowers are still in bloom.  Many are familiar: cosmos, asters, snap dragons, big dalias.  I love walking here in the morning and peering over the makeshift fences that seperate these goreous little pieces of someones carefully cared for paradise.



I followed Tatiana (Tanya) into the house throught the door in
the basement

The roads are mostly unpaved once you get off the main drag and no one plows them in the winter. Well, at least it is no ones specific job!! Tatiana told me this when I asked as we wound our way up the narrow and bumpy dirt road to the building site of their new home, not far from the apartment which has grown too small for them and their 3 growing children. Tatiana is a colleague at the University and a new friend. Her husband Dima (short for Dimetrie) is a technical wizz and a bit old fashioned in the choices he has made for building their home. We were on our way to run other errands and I noticed the back seat was full of bags of dried leaves. I asked about their use and Tatiana said that Dima was using them for insulation in the new house... I had to see at that point! They did me the honor of taking me there so I could see.

On the bottom floor is the stove that burns both wood and coal and it will be the back up heat when its needed in the winter. I was reminded of so many Adirondack basements, where, while we use mostly propane and oil or kerosene, the auxillary heating units live to keep pipes from freezing or maintain a minimum temperature while the owners are away for a while. It looks durable and functional!

I follow Tatiana up the winding staircase to the main floor of the house which has most of the drywall in place. I want to say a word about the drywall.  Remember I mentioned that Dima is a bit old fashioned?  He has chosen to include in the insulation of the house a layer of traditional sand and clay.  Under all the drywall is a lattice like this one below. 

 

Packed into the diamond shapes on top of the log exterior is the old style sand and clay mixture you can see on the right hand side.  

 

The first thing you see as you come to the top of the stairs is a gorgeous wood stove - designed after a Russian Peech (sp?) but is not, because they have two floors and the peech is designed for one story structures. This stove/fireplace will heat a good bit of this floor,because Dima built it so the bricks would hold and re-radiate heat.

 

 

 

The traditional Russian stove sits in the middle of a one story structure and is built of some sort of heat holding cement material. In the kitchen it serves as the stove but the other 3 walls are part of the adjacent rooms and they radiate incredibly and warm the whole house. I will never forget my fascination when I stayed in my first house with a peech in a village somewhere north of Ulan Ude near Lake Baikal in the early 2000's when I was lucky enough to be included in my first trip to Siberia lead by Dan Plumley (thanks again and again Dan!). Later in the season this fall we will be staying in a village in a house with a peech, so I can show the girls and load some photos.  It seems just so perfect and efficient to me to have this central structure for heat on a cold night. Im sure at this point in my life I will never build a home (or be part of building one) but if I were, I would fight to have a peech for the practical romance of it..
 

 

These are the leaves that were in the back of the car; well some of them.  Each time Dima comes to work on the house (he builds it himself with the help of one other man and so it takes time), he brings more leaves and is using them for insulation on the layer of house between the basement and first floor.  He will use other insulation as well, but this is the touch of the practical old fashioned.  Why not use the old ways if they are good!!??

 

 

Dima has purchased a new tool that will make it much easier for him to put the aluminum framing for the walls together.  He demonstates its use to us and smiles at the way it will make the job so much faster.

This arched doorway is also typically Russian and they have only one in the house.  You can see how thick the structural walls of the house are.

 

Tatiana told me that Dima thought it so necessary to have a abnya at their new home, he began building that first.  Ya caglassna (I agree!).  Below are three pictures of the banya.  The first is the outside, the second is the first inside room (a wall is still to be built to seperate) and the third is the actual hot room. Banya was, and still is in many villages without running water, the way families bathed.  I understand that the order was generational, often ending with the children when there was less heat than at the beginning of banya after the fire was built..  Even laundry was/is done with the warm water left over from the baths.

 

  The way banya differs from sauna, is that its wet! Not only in the hot room, where stoves are designed with rocks around them for pouring water on to make steam (as in some saunas) but there is an extra room just outside the hot room that often has water piped in and even in many cases a pipe that runs through the stove to provide a hot water tap. Buckets and dippers line the wooden plank seats and when you have had plenty of heat, you come out into the room next door and choose a bucket, mix your water from the hot and cold sources and bathe. Lots of sloshing and washing.. then back into the warmth if you like and rinse off at the end. Nothing allows one to sleep better, as far as I am concerned. Another great feature of banya is 'venicky'. These are bundles of dried young birch (Betula pendula, I think) twigs with leaves on them that are used to swack each other with as you recline on the benches in the hot room. The idea is to bring circulation to the skin, not to hurt each other:-). Its a pretty remarkable combination.

 

The view also differs from an apartment view.  the fall here is full of yellows, with reds only in some understory bushes like sumac and red osier dogwood (or close relative) along the river.  But it is beautiful none-the-less.  this is the view from the top story window of the house.  I must say I prefer it over the views just a few blocks away in the city center.

..... but if they every miss the old view, they can look out at another angle and see the city in all its busy glory right down the valley..

 I think they have the best of both worlds! Good luck Tatiana and Dima, it's a beautiful house. Thank you for sharing it with me and letting me share it with my like minded American friends!