SOURCE: The St. Petersburg Times
DATE: Issue #871 (39), Thursday, May 29, 2003
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TITLE: Vivat St. Petersburg!
TEXT: Photo page
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TITLE: Finally, City's 300th Birthday Arrives
AUTHOR: By Natalia Yefimova
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: The festivities marking St. Petersburg's tricentennial centered on the city itself on Tuesday, officially commemorating the day in 1703 when Peter the Great laid the cornerstone of the Peter and Paul Fortress, the event that started it all.
The day began somberly with church services at the St. Isaac's and Kazan cathedrals and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Bronze Horseman - the statue of Peter on Ploshchad Dekabristov. Other official events, attended by Governor Vladimir Yakovlev, included a parade of military cadets, the opening of a new entrance to the State Hermitage Museum and an evening concert to inaugurate one of the few functional gifts to the city from other cities, regions and countries to mark the occasion: A Steinway piano, presented to the St. Petersburg Philharmonic by the sister city of Hamburg.
Another practical gift was 100,000 euros' worth of medical equipment to City Children's Hospitals No. 1 and No. 19, given by the Austrian city of Graz.
Most gifts, however, were aimed to please the senses, with trees, monuments and a mountain peak being the most prominent.
The favorite was trees. The Siberian republic of Altai sent 300 of its famed cedars, Helsinki matched that with 300 apple trees, but Japan outdid them both with 1,000 of its celebrated cherry trees.
"The sakuras are now in the botanical garden, getting used to the climate," said Vyacheslav Burtsev, spokesperson for the city's foreign relations committee. "But, with time, they will be flowering in parks across the city."
Next in line in terms of popularity were sculptures. The city of Milan, with help from the Italian Embassy, adorned St. Petersburg's Manezhnaya Ploshchad with monuments to four great architects who left an indelible mark on the so-called Venice of the North: Quarengi, Rastrelli, Rossi and Rinaldi. The Greeks and Canadians have also set up monuments to their famous sons, while the mostly Muslim republic of Tatarstan erected a bronze bust of Tatar poet Gabdulla Tukai in front of the city's newly renovated main mosque, whose turquoise domes twinkle not far from the fortress.
Tatarstan made at least one more contribution to beautifying the city by painting buildings along Kazanskaya Ulitsa, named after the country's capital.
But not all the birthday presents received an equally warm reception.
Culture Minister Mikhail Shvydkoi complained that the metal-and-glass Mayak Mira, or Peace Lighthouse, a gift from France unveiled Tuesday on Sennaya Ploshchad, clashed with the city's aesthetic image.
"We don't need this glass monument on Sennaya Ploshchad," Agence France Presse quoted him as saying. "Sennaya Ploshchad is a homogeneous space protected as a UNESCO heritage site, and constructing this monument will breach its integrity."
Shvydkoi added that nothing new should be built in the historic center of St. Petersburg "other than badly needed public utilities."
Thus far, the two most extravagant - and certainly the highest - gifts have been a mountain peak and an asteroid. Mountain-climbers from St. Petersburg and North Ossetia scaled a 3,500-meter peak in the Caucasus range last week and affixed a plaque there, naming the mountain in honor of the city's tricentennial, Interfax reported. The certificate for the asteroid, part of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, was presented to Governor Yakovlev by Nobel laureate Zhores Alfyorov, the Vesti.ru Web site said.
Other gifts included a small city square built with support from the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad. The square resembles the crisscross pattern of the St. Andrew flag, since the regions share a rich maritime history. A number of religious gifts were also presented, among them a copy of a 19th-century cross made from coins paid by soldiers for prayers as they went off to the Crimean War in 1854.
With most of the ceremonial niceties out of the way, the city's attention turned in the evening to less somber events, including fireworks and a laser show.
At 10 p.m., a replica of the Shtandart - the boat built on Peter the Great's orders to become the first in the Russian Navy - led a parade of other vessels past the State Hermitage, in a replay of a similar procession that was a highlight of the city's anniversary celebrations 100 years ago.
The water parade was followed by another tradition for the city's birthday - a fireworks display.
But the main attraction, a laser show by Japanese artist Hiro Yamagato, didn't quite live up to its billing. Many of the estimated 1.5 million people who thronged to the banks of the Neva expected to see huge hologram-like figures projected onto a screen of smoke above the water. Alas, the wind sweeping the river blew away much of the artificial haze, leaving a few lonely green beams flashing in the night sky.
TITLE: 1703+300 = 2003
TEXT: May 29
10 a.m. to 11 p.m. "When the Bands Go Marching," an international festival of military brass bands Yubileiny Sports and Music Complex
11 a.m. Grand reopening (after restoration) of the new premises at Pushkinsky Dom of the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Russian Literature, 4 Naberezhnaya Makarova
11 a.m. International conference on social studies, anthropology and cultural studies European University, 3 Gagarinskaya Ulitsa
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The 300th-Anniversary International Demidov Assembly St Petersburg House of Science
5 p.m. 300th-anniversary festival of St Petersburg theaters and arts colleges Various St Petersburg theaters
6 p.m. "Children of the Stray Dog at Arts Square," a gala show of premieres from Russia's top choreographers Ploshchad Isskustv
7 p.m. Metropolitan Opera Symphony Orchestra performance, conducted by James Levine Mariinsky Theater
7 p.m. Theater fest, featuring St Petersburg and Moscow actors Various St Petersburg theaters
7 p.m. Parade of Premieres, a show of prize-winning theater performances from the Best 300th-Anniversary Show competition Various St Petersburg theaters
7 p.m. Solo concert by Alla Pugachyova Oktyabrsky Concert Hall
May 30
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jubilee exhibition series continues in the Golden Triangle (Anichkov Palace, Mikhailovsky Manege, Shuvalov Palace) Lenexpo, the State Hermitage Museum, the State Russian Museum, the Artillery Museum, the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Railway Museum
11 a.m. Opening of the Museum of Gavriil Derzhavin and Contemporary Russian Letters Pushkin Apartment Museum
1 p.m. Grand opening of the Mikhailovsky Castle Museum, featuring the exhibits, "History of the Castle and its Inhabitants," "St Petersburg in Children's Art," "Hellenic Motifs in Russian Art," "The Renaissance Era" and "The Works of Russian Artists" Mikhailovsky Castle
2 p.m. Award ceremony for the Student of the Year 2002 and Teacher of the Year 2002 competitions Youth Palace
4 p.m. Grand opening of an exhibition celebrating the 225th anniversary of the town of Pavlovsk and the 85th anniversary of the Pavlovsk National Museum and Preserve Pavlovsk NMP
4 p.m. Grand reopening of the Museum of the History of Religion in a new building Museum of the History of Religion
6 p.m. Closing of the fourth international Rainbow festival for children and teens Young Audiences Theater
7 p.m. "Peter the First," an opera by Stanislav Gaudasinsky and Andrei Petrov, dedicated to the city's 300th anniversary Ice Palace
6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Opening of the international festival of outdoor theaters as part of the Forts Festival, dedicated to St Petersburg's 300th anniversary Summer Garden, Kronstadt
7 p.m. 300th-Anniversary Gala Concert at the Mariinsky Theater (broadcast worldwide live by the BBC) Soloists include Renee Fleming (soprano, US), Dmitry Khvorostovsky (baritone) and Olga Borodina (mezzo-soprano) Valery Gergiev conducts a gala opera and ballet concert in honor of the city's 300th birthday Mariinsky Theater
7 p.m. 300th-anniversary solo concert by Alla Pugachyova Oktyabrsky Grand Concert Hall
8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Concert by Zemfira as part of the Forts Festival, dedicated to St Petersburg's 300th anniversary Peter's Dock, Kronstadt
9 p.m. Fort Schanz, a 50-hour outdoor dance marathon featuring top European and Russian DJs, performing as part of the Forts Festival Fort Schanz, Kronstadt
May 31
10 a.m. to 11 p.m. 300th Anniversary of St Petersburg Rock Festival Kirov Stadium
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Opening of a military brass-band jamboree as part of the Forts Festival Summer Garden, Yakornaya Ploshchad, Petrovsky Park, Kronshtadt
2 p.m. "Colors of St Petersburg," a children's festival Ploshchad Ostrovskogo
2 p.m. "Kronshtadt Cockpit," a culinary-arts show and contest Kronstadt
3 p.m. Parade of military brass bands and partner city processions celebrating St Petersburg's 300th anniversary Nevsky Prospect
3 p.m. Presentation of the exhibition "In Honor of the City's Founder" State Hermitage Museum
4 p.m. Tour of the restored Amber Room by participants of the Konstantinovsky Palace International Summit Catherine Palace, Pushkin
4 p.m. Unveiling ceremony for monuments commemorating the city's Italian architects Manege Square
5 p.m. Gala opening of the European Route Various locations in the city center
5 p.m. Gala opening of phase one of the Tercentenary Park Tercentenary Park
5 p.m. Gala opening of the Voltaire Library, a European Enlightenment center Russian National Library
6 p.m. Gala ceremony on the Neva River Neva River, between Troitsky and Palace bridges
6 p.m. Opening of the Tower of Peace Sennaya Ploshchad
6 p.m. to 9 p.m. 300th Anniversary concert by Yury Antonov as part of the Forts Festival Yakornaya Ploshchad, Kronstadt
10 p.m. Opening of "Fort Alexander," a music carnival Fort Alexander, Kronstadt
10 p.m. Hiro Yamagato laser show Neva River
June 1
10:30 a.m. "Art Cruise 2003," a televised open arts festival for children Theater for Young Audiences
11 a.m. "St Petersburg the Ship," an anniversary festival for children Palace Square
Noon Green Bunnyland children's festival Pribaltiyskaya Hotel plaza
Noon Mikhailovsky Garden Carnival, a festival for disabled children Mikhailovsky Garden
Noon Gala opening of the Grand Cascade fountains and the five reconstructed domes on the church of the Peterhof Palace Peterhof Museum, Petrodvorets
12:30 p.m. Stars of the White Nights Festival: Romeo and Juliet Prokofiev's adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy about feuding families and young love Choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky Mariinsky Theater
2 p.m. White Nights Chess Festival Chigorin Chess Club
3 p.m. "Smiles of Northern Venice," a festival of children's music and dance companies Oktyabrsky Concert Hall
3 p.m. Grand reopening of Sennaya Square (following renovations) Sennaya Square
4 p.m. Italy on Italyanskaya Ulitsa, an international festival dedicated to St Petersburg's 300th anniversary Center for International Cooperation
6 p.m. "Vasilievsky Island to Vasilievsky Downs," an anniversary rock festival Yubileiny Sports Palace, Pr Dobrolyubova
8 p.m. Stars of the White Nights Festival: Mariinsky Theater Orchestra and Chorus Valery Gergiev conducts a program of Tchaikovsky's fantasy overture to "Romeo and Juliet" and excerpts from Berlioz' "Romeo and Juliet" 8 p.m. Mariinsky Theater
TITLE: Hermitage Comes Alive for Night Crowds
AUTHOR: By Irina Titova
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: Thousands of art lovers enjoyed the State Hermitage Museum's 300th-birthday present to St. Petersburg, taking advantage of the museum being open 24 hours and letting visitors in for free on Wednesday.
According to the Hermitage's press service, some 22,000 people visited the museum during the night alone.
"I've never seen so many people in the Hermitage before," said Antonina Gerasimova, who has worked at the Hermitage for seven years.
"I think people were looking for a fresh and unusual experience," she said.
Pensioner Tatyana Yaposhekhontseva, 64, said that, although she is a regular Hermitage visitor, she has never previously seen it at night.
"I came here to dedicate this night of my life to the Hermitage, and I feel enormous joy for my soul," she said.
Many said that they had come out of curiousity, to see if the Hermitage creates a different impression at night.
"It seems like something unreal," said Yulia Plotkina, a 35-year-old geologist, who came with her 10-year-old daughter, Katya.
Beautician Miya Mitushina, 35, said Wednesday night's visit was her best ever to the Hermitage, as she is by nature nocturnal.
"I finally felt a sense of place, and was able to concentrate and enjoy the Hermitage's art while being fully mentally alert," she said.
Some went as far as saying that, by morning, they felt "spiritual euphoria" and "nirvana," even saying that the lack of sleep enhanced their perceptions of the museum's treasures.
For many, though, the experience was also a relief from the often chaotic scenes and piles of litter on Palace Square and around the city center from the massive crowds out celebrating city day, many of whom were unable to get home as the bridges across the Neva River were raised.
"I was really upset to see how badly the jubilee night was organized," said Alyona Miroshnichenko, a 22-year-old student.
"I heard that local authorities had promised that the metro would be running all night on the busiest nights, but it didn't happen," she said. "So huge flows of people were trapped in the city center, doing nothing until 5 a.m., when the bridges opened [to traffic] and they could get home."
Interfax quoted Interior Ministry sources as saying that some 1.5 million people gathered to watch the laser show staged by Japan's Hiro Yamagata from the spit of Vasilievsky Island at 12:30 a.m.
"I was appalled by the behavior of some of the crowd, who seemed to think they could do anything they wanted," Miroshnichenko said. "There was litter all over the place, and some people were being aggressive."
Miroshnichenko eventually made it to the Hermitage, joining the crowds who thronged the museum's halls throughout the night. Various halls hosted all-night entertainment for the occasion, including ensembles playing classical music and jazz, actor Leonid Mozgovoi reciting poetry by Pushkin, and actors dressed in 18th-century costumes walking around the museum.
Some of the characters on parade were featured in director Alexander Sokurov's film "Russky Kovcheg" ("Russian Ark"), which played throughout the night in the Hermitage Theater. The technically ambitious film was shot in a single take in the Hermitage in December 1999, and features figures from its history, from Catherine the Great to its current director, Mikhail Piotrovsky.
Vanda Starodubtseva, dressed as a member of the imperial court from the 18th century, said that "the situation had something mystical about it."
"At some moments, I really start believing that not only the costume belongs to that epoch, but that I am living in that century as well," she said.
The Hermitage is also steeped in myths and legends. Some workers, for example, claim to have seen shadowy figures walking around the museum when it is empty, and suggest that the figures are the ghosts of the palace's many former royal inhabitants.
Hermitage employee Gerasimova is not one of them, although she said that the museum feels different at night.
"It can be really scary to walk through the museum at night, with the lights off," she said. "It seems like the eyes of the people in the portraits are watching you, and it's especially creepy walking through the Egyptian room, where all those ancient mummies are laid out."
By morning, with the metro not running and the bridges up to let boats pass, many visitors could be seen dozing on chairs under some of the art world's most recognizable masterpieces.
Outside, dozens of garbage trucks worked furiously to clear up the tons of litter dropped during the night. When the bridges finally came down, huge crowds swarmed across them to get home.
Some visitors suggested that the Hermitage should be open at night more often.
Museum director Piotrovsky said at a press conference Monday that Wednesday's unprecedented 24-hour opening would be a "trial" and that, if demand was high enough, the museum would consider repeating the experiment on a more regular basis.
TITLE: Parents Get Benefits of Birthday
AUTHOR: By Vladimir Kovalev
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: Amid a little bit of confusion over who the second lucky baby was, three children born in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, will receive free apartments from the city as part of a promise made by Governor Vladimir Yakovlev earlier this year, City Hall officials said on Wednesday.
Yakovlev came up with the idea as an answer to a question from a St. Petersburg teacher at a press conference last August. The teacher, who only gave her name as Anna Petrovna, asked Yakovlev what he could do to try to help improve the demographic situation in the city. Giving an apartment to the first, 27th and 300th children born in the city on the May 27th anniversary was the governor's answer.
The first child, a 3.3-kilogram girl named Viktoria, was born at three minutes after midnight in the Frunzensky District to parents Svetlana Yefimova and Andrei Bubnov, both of whom are students at the St. Petersburg Drama Academy. Svetlana Vlasova and Sergei Golubev became the parents of the 300th child, as yet unnamed, a 2.7-kilogram boy, in Kolpino district.
"People have suggested to them that they should name their boy Pyotr, given the day on which he was born," Vladimir Anikeyev, the spokesperson for the City Hall Administrative Committee, said in a telephone interview on Wednesday."There was also the idea of introducing Viktoria and Peter at some point so that there would be the chance that they would become a couple. That would be nice."
Anikeyev said that City Hall was still not sure on Wednesday about the identity of the 27th child, but said that he believed that it had also been a boy, Kirill, born in Krasnoselsky District to a woman named Anna Ivanova.
Anikeyev said that, although there may be some difficulties in working the situation out, each of the children's parents will definitely receive a new apartment.
"It's going to be tricky to register these apartments because none of the parents are officially married," he said, adding that the gifts will be welcome. "Especially for the couple in the Frunzensky district, who are both 21 years old and have just rented a room in the past."
TITLE: Governor Looking to Future of St. Petersburg
TEXT: The structure of power in St. Petersburg appears to be changing, as Governor Vladimir Yakovlev has suffered a string of political defeats in recent months. The majority of the deputies in the Legislative Assembly are in opposition to Yakovlev, ruling out the chance of a change to the City Charter that would allow him to run for a third term in office. On top of that, a serious political opponent has movied onto the political scene, in the shape of Presidential Representative Valentina Matvienko, who is believed by many to be the early frontrunner in the next gubrnatorial elections. Not long after Yakovlev's April announcement that he was abandoning attempts to try to run for a third term, deputies in the Legislative Assembly proposed that the elections for the State Duma and the St. Petersburg governor be combined, a move that would shave almost six months off of Yakovlev's mandate. And the governor's seat could open up even sooner, as a number of senior political figures in the city, including Legislative Assembly Speaker Vladimir Tyulpanov, have suggested that Yakovlev may resign earlier. All of this discussion, of course, has come against the backdrop of the city's 300th-anniversary celebrations. In an interview with Vedomosti St. Petersburg bureau chief Anna Shcherbakova, Yakovlev said that a decision regarding his retirement has not been made and that he will only begin thinking about his prospects after the anniversary celebrations.
Q: Legislative Assembly deputies are discussing a law that would move the date of the gubernatorial elections forward to December. Do you think the law will pass?
A: They will probably adopt it because they have to finish what they've started in some way. The Charter Court has already ruled in favor. It demonstrates, once again, that the law can be altered in any direction in our country. The legislative field is unfluenced by the political situation and the moods of certain people. The president tells us to observe the law strictly but there are people who aren't in the habit of doing this. They probably believe that it's always been this way in Russia and that maybe it is still that way now. They repeat the same mistakes over and over.
Back in 1996 and 1999, I said that it would be good if we could hold the elections at the same time so that the country could work, at least for some period, rather than being occupied by election campaigns. In 1999, I simply repeated: Let's hold the [gubernatorial] elections half a year earlier, combining them with the elections for the State Duma. Back then, everyone convinced me that, according to the law, it couldn't be done. Today, it's the other way round.
I've already commented on this. ... True, there is a caveat there, which says that you actually can [stand for a third term] in certain circumstances. I think that, if you're working full out - as you should be - for two terms, this is more than enough time to make a good showing and to achieve the tasks that you have set for yourself.
I think that I have, in fact, completed a lot of these tasks. Obviously, you can't do everything. But the work that we've done provides a serious foundation for the person who will be the next governor. We have increased industrial production and seen growth in the construction sector - you can see that by the number of construction sites in the city. In terms of city improvement and the roads, I think that we've surpassed all plans and expectations. The main thing is that we've started the construction of the ring road, which people have been dreaming about for three decades.
Q: Do you think that the Legislative Assembly's decision is vulnerable to appeal? Will you challenge it in court?
A: I don't know if I'll contest it. Probably not. I believe that the decision is debatable, particularly in a moral sense. A lot of people are probably already wondering why they elected deputies if all [those deputies] are going to do is decide the fate of the governor, particularly on the eve of the jubilee. The deputies have found themselves almost entirely on the sidelines of the celebratory events. I think that the city's residents will get a full understanding of who they've elected.
Q: You have been criticized frequently by federal authorities during the preparations for the anniversary, by the Audit Chamber, for example, for misuse of funds and for not meeting deadlines. What do you think is behind these complaints?
A: I think that there are simply too many people who envy the city and the fact that things are working out for us.
Q: Are you afraid that, after the anniversary, there will be further investigations?
A: Anything can happen. There is always a search for people to blame for mistakes. There are a lot of people who want to celebrate successes but run off into the bushes if something doesn't work out, so I'm not surprised by anything. I think that everything that has been done has been done properly and for the good of our city.
Q: Will you offer your public support to any candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial elections?
A: I haven't even signed a resignation declaration yet.
Q: What do you think of the idea of a woman as governor?
A: Just go back over the history of the Russian state and remember what famous Russian authors have written about the possibility of a woman representing St. Petersburg. It would make a lot of sense.
I'm not talking about today. Opinions differ. Why can't a woman be a leader? There wasn't a female member of the city government for many years but, in recent years, they've been called on to chair a series of committees, head the administrations of several regions, and there have been two female deputy governors.
Q: Does Valentina Matviyenko have a good chance of being the next governor?
A: Valentina Ivanovna hasn't made any statements that she will run yet. I'm not a psychologist, a sociologist or an astrologer. When I make my next move, the real candidates will appear. Then you can ask me questions and I'll tell you my opinion.
Q: A number of politicians have suggested recently that you might resign prior to the gubernatorial elections, immediately following the conclusion of the anniversary celebrations. Are you considering this option?
A: The question itself includes a mistake and, from here, people just start making things up - we won't be holding the elections in December, but in September. Why not, then, in the middle of June?
Q: But in order to hold the elections in September, you would have to leave office in June. Isn't this the case?
A: From the moment that I tell the citizens that I'm leaving, only then will it be possible [to move the elections]. But where is all this hurry coming from? People have been saying that a power vacuum developed after I said that I had no intention to run for a third term. But governors are elected for four years. The job is temporary. I knew that I wasn't being elected for life.
Q: Have you already decided what you will do after you leave office? Will you continue in politics or work in the private sector?
A: Not every governor gets to mark a city's jubilee, not to mention such an important one - the 300th anniversary. I was also in office to usher in a new century. I think that that's a lot for one person ... maybe I'll write my memoirs. Perhaps I'll go into business, and perhaps stay in public service. There are a lot of questions and offers. I'm just not thinking about them until the celebration events are over. I have a lot of responsibilities related to the celebratory events and I'm simply not thinking about anything else. I'm just waiting for the day when all of these events are behind us, and I can think calmly about my future work.
Q: Are you under any political pressure to resign?
A: It's purely my own, personal decision. You decide whatever you want but I can tell you that, in my city, I've done everything necessary to ensure that I don't feel any shame when I look citizens in the eye and have always made well thought out decisions. I'll decide when to leave myself.
The people who are making comments [about my resignation] aren't mature enough to work in management, which is hard for me to respect. [Legislative Assembly Speaker Vadim] Tyulpanov says that the governor isn't able to do certain things. But, in order to make these types of statements, you have to be able to do something yourself. In becoming speaker, he had the support of the presidential representative - a lot has been written about that. He's talked about it himself. I'm talking about people who have absolutely no experience and have only managed [to attain their posts] through backroom intrigues.
Q: But you became governor in a fairly miraculous manner in 1996, when you were supported by powers in Moscow.
A: I got into office in an absolutely normal manner. Before that, I'd worked for almost my entire life in city management and had studied a lot of issues. In order to lead the city, you need knowledge in that sphere. Nothing happens just like that.
Q: So, you're saying that people that haven't worked in civic administration don't have a chance?
A: Everyone has a chance, as we've seen. But in order to manage the city, you need a base of knowledge.
TITLE: City Trying To Clean Up Its Act With New Toilets
AUTHOR: By Claire Bigg
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: The lineups at public toilets on Tuesday evening appeared to be just as long as they always are for big events in the city center and, once again, the sight of people stealing out of plain view in order to relieve themselves was a common occurence, but city authorities say that it's not for a lack of effort on their part.
Providing public restroom facilities has always been a problem in Russia in general, cited often by Russians and visitors alike as one of the biggest local drawbacks.
Ahead of the city's 300th-anniversary festivites, Vodokanal, the local water and sewage utility, took a number of steps to try to ease the situation. For the festivities, Vodokanal has opened up 61 new, small public toilets, an additional 15 modular toilets, and seven "mobile sanitary-hygiene complexes" - basically toilets installed in buses. Each of the complexes consists of two buses - one for women and one for men - each of which houses eight water closets and three washbasins.
"Mobile toilets will meet strict hygiene standards and a group of cleaners will regularly check them for cleanness and orderliness," Vodokanal said in a statement ahead of the celebrations.
The new additions, part of a larger project to upgrade the city's public-facilities that runs until 2009, is being paid for out of the the city budget, with additional funding coming from Vodokanal itself.
While the modular toilets and the buses are innovations, the traditional small buildings that were built to house public restrooms in Soviet times are gradually being renovated by Vodokanal to meet modern hygiene standards.
"Because of the high concentration of buildings in the historical center of the city, it is impossible to find free space to build new toilets," said Mikhail Livshits, the director of Vodokanal's sewage department. This is why the modular and mobile toilets have been installed in the Central, Admiralty, on Vasilievsky Island and the Petrograd Side."
The modular toilets are connected to electricity and water-supply sources, as well as to the city's sewage system, and can easily be transported.
TITLE: Swiss Get Celebration Snub
PUBLISHER: The St. Petersburg Times
TEXT: Despite giving St. Petersburg a 300th-birthday present, Swiss authorities were overlooked when it came to handing out invitations to the party.
Instead, an official delegation from Switzerland will arrive in St. Petersburg a month after the official celebrations have finished.
Franz Schneider, a consul at the Swiss Consulate, said in a telephone interview on Wednesday that Switzerland had not been invited as it is not a member of the European Union, but City Hall officials said that this was not the case.
"Norway isn't a member of the EU, but it was invited," said Grigory Psaryov, head of the department of the City Hall External Affairs Committee's that handles relations with EU members, in a telephone interview on Wednesday.
"Anyway, [City Hall] has nothing to do with the invitations, and is only dealing with the part of the celebrations that involve the governor [Vladimir Yakovlev]," Psaryov said. "As far as the summit is concerned, that's the business of the presidential committee that is organizing the event."
The presidential administration could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Switzerland gave its official gift to St. Petersburg on May 16. The present took the form of a flower clock, which includes a special device to sow seeds so that flowers of certain colors will bloom depending on the season. The clock was installed in Alexandrovsky Garden.
Switzerland has also published a book called "People From Switzerland in St. Petersburg," compiled by 30 Swiss and 50 Russian scientists.
Next month's official delegation will bring another present for St. Petersburg, this one of 100 station clocks, the Fontanka.ru Web site reported Monday.
TITLE: Transatlantic Tensions
AUTHOR: By Anders Aslund
TEXT: LAST month Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain traveled to Moscow to discuss postwar Iraq with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Although the war was effectively over, Putin remained skeptical of its aims. "Where is Hussein?" Putin asked at a press conference after the meeting. Where, he continued, were the weapons of mass destruction, "if they really existed?"
This weekend, U.S. President George W. Bush is scheduled to meet with Putin in St. Petersburg. He might face a similarly rude awakening.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Putin was among the first foreign leaders to phone President Bush. During the war against Afghanistan, he allowed U.S. military planes to fly over Russian territory, accepted American bases in Central Asia and shared intelligence, in spite of strong opposition from the former Soviet security establishment.
The Bush administration responded by accepting that the Chechen resistance was linked to international terrorism - but that was it. President Bush promised to work to persuade Congress to revoke the obsolete Jackson-Vanik legislation, which threatens economic sanctions against Russia because of emigration policies not followed since the Soviet era, but so far he has failed. In the year following the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration abandoned the ABM treaty with Russia, and then supported the enlargement of NATO.
Putin accepted these decisions graciously, but he received nothing in return. In the Russian debate, he was increasingly compared with the hapless Mikhail Gorbachev, who was said always to have given in to the Americans without getting anything.
As the war in Iraq approached, Russia initially took a back seat. While not supporting Saddam Hussein, it wanted to secure some commercial interests in Iraq, like oil concessions, financial claims and trade contracts. But Russia enjoyed too little attention from the United States. In the first quarter of this year, no government official more senior than an under secretary of state visited Moscow.
Meanwhile, public opinion in Russia, as in Germany and France, evolved against the war. The Communist Party benefited - a fact that Putin, an avid reader of opinion polls, could not ignore in an election year. With no results to show from his pro-American policy, he joined the French-German position against the war. (Besides, Germany is twice as large an export market for Russia as the United States.)
So where does this leave American-Russian relations on the eve of the summit meeting? The scales of influence, if not the balance of power, have shifted.
The United States has relatively little to offer Putin. After years of discussion about American-Russian energy development, the Russian oil sector is doing well on its own. Russia's attempt to enter the World Trade Organization has, unfortunately, encountered domestic resistance and no longer tops the meeting's agenda. And, after four years of annual economic growth averaging about 6 percent, the Russian economy requires no financial aid.
Russia, in contrast, has gained some leverage. As one of Iraq's main creditors, Russia belongs to the so-called Paris Club, which renegotiates government debt of countries in default. For Iraq to recover quickly, its debt of about $380 billion must be reduced by about three-quarters. But Russia, which never got any debt forgiven itself, is reluctant to grant such relief and could complicate international financing of Iraq's recovery.
Russia's export of nuclear technology to Iran could also prove challenging for the United States. The United States has long tried to persuade Russia to stop the practice. Russia has refused, partly because it would hurt its nuclear industry and partly because it sees Iran as the most predictable and reasonable country in the region.
Still, Putin has no interest in a bad relationship. In his state-of-the-nation address on May 16, he emphasized Russia's opposition to terrorism and to weapons of mass destruction as two key principles of Russian foreign policy. Clearly, there are issues on which Russia and the United States can cooperate - North Korea, for example. And both the U.S. Senate and the State Duma have ratified the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, which requires both countries to reduce their nuclear weapons.
Economically, Russia also has much to offer. A scramble is under way for Russia's large undervalued private oil companies, and American oil companies may want to participate in a major venture. Increasing its imports of Russian oil will also benefit United States foreign policy.
For much of the last decade, the United States was able to dictate the terms of its relations with Russia. The war against Iraq showed that Russia can resist America's demands - and that it can be strengthened in the process. It is this strength that Bush will meet in St. Petersburg.
Anders Aslund, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, is author of "Building Capitalism: The Transformation of the Former Soviet Bloc." He submitted this comment to the New York Times.
TITLE: Anniversary Shows Mix of New and Old
TEXT: WHILE the arrival of President Vladimir Putin's official guests and the summits with EU and CIS state leaders still lies ahead, the most important events - those held for residents of St. Petersburg - took place on Tuesday.
The morning saw a number of official ceremonies, including a traditional laying of wreaths at the statue of the Bronze Horseman on Ploshchad Dekabristov and a religious service at St. Isaac's Cathedral. More popular with residents of and visitors to the city were the parade of ships, fireworks and water and laser shows held on the Neva River near the State Hermitage Museum.
Discussions on Wednesday focused on how the event had been organized and run. With regard to garbage and restrooms, despite some effort on the part of city authorities, the result was pretty much what we've come to expect. Palace Square was a sea of trash and lineups for public toilets there were longer than those to get into the Hermitage. There was the standard number of first-aid crises - city emergency services reported that 200 people were treated for head injuries.
Its hard to give the city improved marks for these questions.
The work of security and law-enforcement agencies deserves a little more positive treatment. First of all, the city's police - turned out in their parade uniforms during most of the events - simply looked better than usual.
The change in appearance seemed to engender a change in behavior as well. Moving about in groups of four or five, they seemed to carry themselves in a more professional manner and generally stayed out of peoples' way, no small order for a group not known for this type of behavior.
Most interestingly, they managed to start explanations that they weren't sure of what was open or where people were allowed to go with phrases such as "excuse me" and "I'm sorry." These aren't standard words in St. Petersburg police vocabulary and hearing them was nice for a change.
The other reason that these answers were interesting was that the officers obviously had no idea what the situation or plans were in relation to the events taking place around them. They weren't sure when the bridges on the Neva would open, where people were allowed to go or the answers to other such questions of interest to the celebrants.
It was a strange situation. Most of the police officers seem to have got in the spirit and behaved in a manner in keeping with the occasion. The police administration, however, doesn't appear to have given them the information they needed to do even better.
Let's hope that the behavior on the street is a new direction. Let's also hope that the lack of direction from above is something police authorities will work on.
TITLE: Some Things In Russia Just Don't Change
AUTHOR: By Vladimir Kovalyev
TEXT: THERE are 1,500 foreign and Russian journalists who have come from out of town to cover the 300th-anniversary events and, sometimes, it feels like half of them have called our office looking for a local angle.
My colleagues, from Britain, Holland, Slovenia, the United States and Japan, ask me to tell them about corruption, about the situation with regard to civil rights, about the way that people are reacting to the celebrations.
I tell them about the dirty courtyards that lie so close to official events in newly renovated buildings and squares, about the new green fences built to hide poor villages, garbage dumps and cemeteries.
I also tell them about the many people who have simply left the city to avoid the hassles they feel are likely.
What else do you expect them to do after a police officer shows up at their apartment to recommend that they be careful in moving around their apartments and in the courtyards of residential buildings located on Moskovsky Prospect while foreign delegations are driving through the area?
Presidential adviser Sergei Yasterzhembsky, at a press conference last week, dismissed all of these examples as strictly "rumors." I suggest that he spend the weekend in disguise moving - carefully, of course - around these very buildings. On Monday, he can don a suit and tie again and hold a press conference to tell us, again, what he thinks.
I understand that state officials don't want foreign journalists to see the poorer, darker, dirtier side of St. Petersburg. The city has to shine if world leaders are going to form a new image of Russia as a country of good roads, clean cars and happy people.
"We will show our northern capital from a better angle. The presidents will go away, but investors will take their places, and this is very important," says Valentina Matviyenko, the presidential representative to the Northwest Region.
So, by telling foreign journalists about the other side of things, I guess that I'm a traitor of sorts.
When I was fired by Nevskoye Vremya in 1996 - for publicly stating that the paper was buckling to censorship pressures - I was told that I had "aired the paper's garbage for everyone to see."
I guess that the same charge could be made today.
The point now, as it was then, is that you have to get the garbage out in the open if you want to burn it.
I really wonder how Kremlin officials can think that world leaders are gullible enough to buy all of this?
In Russian it's called "To cover somebody's eyes with dust" - the equivalent of the English "To pull the wool over somebody's eyes."
In both cases, the result is the same, with little being achieved.
There has been a change in St. Petersburg in relation to the anniversary celebrations. What, a few years ago, was often referred to as Russia's "criminal capital" has been transformed into what many are calling a "Potyomkin Village."
Who is more responsible for the name, those writing about the situation or those who built the jubilee village in the first place?
TITLE: berlin still has a russian zone
AUTHOR: by Sergei Chernov
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: Twice a month, a motley collection of hundreds of young people gather to spend the night in a little-known club in what used to be East Berlin. The club goers - native Germans, Russian emigres and a handful of tourists from the United States and Europe - go with a common purpose in mind: to listen and dance to recordings of alternative music from the former Soviet Union.
The music runs the gamut of alternative genres, from urban folk to ska punk, but it all comes under the heading Russendisko, or Russian Disco. The disco's all-night parties are held at an art club called Kaffee Burger and organized by emigre DJs Yury Gurdzhi and Vladimir Kaminer. Both Gurdzhi (a sound engineer who several years ago moved to Berlin from Kharkov, Ukraine) and the Moscow-born Kaminer describe themselves as passionate collectors of music.
In addition to being a music-lover and a DJ, Kaminer is a best-selling author in Germany as well. In total, he has penned five German-language books, including "Russendisko," a collection of stories about Russian immigrants in Berlin that sold more than 50,000 copies.
"We've been lucky because we have been the subject of a great deal of publicity because of his [Kaminer's] unique position [as a well-known author]," Gurdzhi said in a telephone interview from his parents' home in Leipzig.
"Kaminer's on television and in the papers all the time, so people come [to the disco] to take a look at him. It's rather an extraordinary combination: He's both an author and a DJ."
The first Russendisko was held in October 1999 at the Kaffee Burger, a historic cafe in the Berlin neighborhood of Mitte, which during the Cold War had a reputation within the East German secret police as a hangout for dissidents.
Despite its name, the disco is not limited to Russian music, including songs by bands from all over the former Soviet Union, including Moldova's Zdob Si Zdub and Ukraine's Vopli Vidoplyasova.
"It's living music, and the main criteria for [the disco] is that we like it," Gurdzhi said. "We've developed a format: We play non-pop music, and we don't play anything we consider bland pop."
"We don't play electronic music either, not because we don't like it, but because it's not our specialty," he said.
According to Gurdzhi, 70 to 80 percent of Russendisko's audience are Germans, with the remainder Americans and a few other Berlin tourists. Although the city boasts a very large Russian community, he said the number of Russians at the gigs is relatively small.
"The thing is, the Russian community has discos of its own," Gurdzhi said. "The emigre population often requires trendier clubs with a lot of gold. ... We don't conform to Russian tastes."
Indeed, what Russendisko offers is something entirely dissimilar to the flashy clubs Gurdzhi mentioned.
"We have a small room that's filled with smoke and usually jam-packed," Gurdzhi said. "Even if you're sweating, there's more drive than at other places."
The Russendisko DJs use downtime between Kaffee Burger events to bring Russian music to other cities, and have toured most of Germany, as well as Austria, Switzerland, Italy and, most recently, the United States.
The "Russendisko Hits" album was released in January on the independent German label Trikont, founded in Munich in 1971 and run by philosophy and political-science graduate Achim Bergmann. What makes a Trikont disc, Bergmann has been quoted as saying, "is intensity and a connection with real life. This is what's left of our political stance. For us music is not just music"
The album includes 16 tracks from Nogu Svelo, Markscheider Kunst, Spitfire, Leningrad, Sveta Kolibaba, Vopli Vidoplyasova, St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review and others. St. Petersburg gets more attention than any other city, as seven of the 16 tracks are by local bands.
"It's a compliment to your city as far as music is concerned," said Gurdzhi. "In reality, compared to St. Petersburg, there's not much happening in the rest of [the former U.S.S.R.]."
Though Kaffee Burger can hold no more than 300 patrons, Gurdzhi said that people come and go on Russendisko nights and that there is always a line outside waiting to be admitted. He estimated that between 800 and 1,000 people attend the disco on a single night.
"They dance, dance, dance and drink booze until six in the morning," he said.
What is it about Russian alternative music that Germans find so appealing?
"I think it's the mood we create at the parties," Gurdzhi said. "What you see on the music channels or hear on the radio is so uniform, it's just not living music. You can't find energy like ours anywhere else. Here, things are different."
Links: www.russendisko.de
TITLE: managerial messes marr festival
AUTHOR: by Galina Stolyarova
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: The first three weeks of this year's three-month running of the Mariinsky Theater's annual Stars of the White Nights festival is proving wrong the skeptics who thought that the theater had overreached itself, although not everything has gone smoothly.
By most standards, two lapses in such an ambitious program is not a disaster. However, the problems in question - both managerial rather than artistic in origin - were highly confusing, if not outright embarrassing for the Mariinsky.
On May 14, only about 150 people turned out for a concert by the Sinfonietta Cracowia, with world-renowned pianist Christoph Eschenbach as soloist, in the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory Grand Hall - a venue with a capacity of 1,780. Before the concert, conservatory staff even resorted to offering free tickets to passers-by on the street. Finally, it was decided to leave some of the hall's lights off to make the confusion less visible.
The blame for the situation can be laid at the door of the conservatory. Even on the day of the performance, not a single poster or any other announcement of the event could be found in the building. Although the institution's administration was aware of the poor ticket sales, it refrained from doing what the Shostakovich Philharmonic, for example, does in similar situations, namely, calling local musical schools or charitable organizations and offering free tickets.
Even more embarrassing was the farce surrounding the planned visit of New York's Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and its conductor James Levine, whose two concerts - scheduled for Thursday at the Shostakovich Philharmonic and Saturday at the Mariinsky - were cancelled with under two weeks notice. Although the cancellation has yet to be officially announced, sources at both venues tell equally confusing stories.
"It's an open secret that relations between [Shostakovich Philharmonic Artistic Director] Yury Temirkanov and [Mariinsky Theater Artistic Director] Valery Gergiev have been tense for a long time," a Shostakovich Philharmonic official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "This season, the Philharmonic is not hosting a single concert of the Stars of the White Nights festival, even though it's three months long."
Mariinsky sources, meanwhile, say that a festival schedule - including the May 29 concert - was sent last fall to the Philharmonic, where it was received without protest and the concert confirmed. In late spring, however, Temirkanov raised objections, unwilling to have the Philharmonic used for a Mariinsky showcase event. By the time the two conductors finally made peace and agreed on alternative arrangements, the Met had cancelled its tour.
Management shenanigans aside, the festival has provided many musical highlights. On May 8, the World Orchestra for Peace, conducted by Gergiev, was given a deserved standing ovation after a powerful performance at the Mariinsky. Critics were skeptical of Gergiev's ability to create a rapport with the musicians - drawn from nearly 50 countries - in just a few rehearsals, especially as the orchestra members had never previously performed together. However, the orchestra gave an inspired, smooth and masterful performance of Stravinsky's "Petrushka," Prokofiev's' "Ode to the End of War," Richard Strauss "Don Juan" and Mendelssohn's overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
The World Orchestra for Peace was founded in 1995 by legendary Hungarian-born conductor Georg Solti, although Solti conducted it only once, at a concert for the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in Geneva that year. After Solti died in 1997, Gergiev took up the reigns with permission from Solti's wife, Valerie, who was present at the May 8 concert.
"I will be grateful to Mr. Gergiev until the end of my life for continuing the work of my husband, who felt it was his duty to transmit the message [of peace and reconciliation] to the people," Valerie Solti said before the concert.
On May 24, Belgian early-music guru Philippe Herreweghe, perhaps the most surprising of Gergiev's guests, conducted Collegium Vocale Gent - which he founded in 1970 while still a student - in a tremendous performance of Bach's Mass in B Minor at Smolny Cathedral. The cathedral's echo-laden acoustics provided a perfect setting for the concert, although they marred Herreweghe's other concert, a performance of Beethoven's Symphonies No. 5 and No. 7 with the Orchestre des Champs Elysees, which the Belgian also founded. On that occasion, the principal victims were the violins, which could barely be heard at times.
Next month includes the Russian premiere of Lev Dodin's staging of Anton Rubinshtein's opera "The Demon" (June 6), which showed in Paris earlier this year. On the symphonic front, the concerts by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (June 8), the Vienna Philharmonic (June 28) and the Vienna String Orchestra (June 29) are not to be missed. Gergiev, meanwhile, will fulfil a dream by conducting a complete performance of Wagner's operatic trilogy, "Der Ring des Nibelungen," over four nights on June 13, 14, 16 and 18.
Links: wn.mariinsky.ru
TITLE: chernov's choice
TEXT: Thursday is the last chance to see Washington, D.C.'s top ska-jazz band, Eastern Standard Time, which has been brought to the city by its local counterpart, St. Petersburg Ska Jazz Review.
"From the musical standpoint, we merely use the recipe that was used to create ska originally," EST founder member James McDonald wrote in a recent e-mail interview.
"What ever happens after that comes from our interpretation of it," he wrote. "The approach is to try and make something that sounds good; something that reaches people."
Apart from McDonald on drums and vocals, the band's current lineup includes Tim Blanchard on guitar, Phil Cooper on trombone, Chuck Evans on bass guitar, Scott Palmer on organ, piano and vocals, Morgan Russell on tenor saxophone, Andrew Swensen on trumpet and I-Peace Unikue on vocals.
Members of St. Petersburg Ska Jazz Review are expected to join EST on stage for a jam session.
EST plays at Moloko on Thursday before heading to Moscow to continue its Russian tour.
Meanwhile, Seattle-based singer/ songwriter Jason Webley will appear at Kapitan Morgan the same night. Kapitan Morgan, a casino mainly frequented by small-time businesspeople, may seem a strange place for a rock gig but, given the heavy cabaret influence to Webley's performances, he may even feel at home there.
However, Webley's main local appearance will be at Red Club on Friday. Bring along your carrots and turnips to add to his infamous vegetable show.
Yet another new club is opening this week. Called Stary Dom (Old House), the club belongs to Korol I Shut, a local punk band that uses imagery effectively combining Russian fairytales with a gothic feel in its lyrics.
Accordingly, the club will be decorated with items like skulls and gallows, while the three-day opening will feature concerts by Korol I Shut (June 5), pop-blues band Chizh & Co. (June 6) and heavy-rock monsters Alisa (June 7). Both Korol I Shut and Alisa tend to draw belligerent teeenagers from the city's outskirts, so be warned.
However, the management says the repertoire will be more diverse than this, even stretching to folk acts.
"Actually, it could be any music that doesn't make you sick," a club spokesperson said this week. "There definitely won't be pop or house, but everything else is acceptable."
The place is, appropriately, located far from the city center in the Polyustrovo Hotel at 115 Pr. Metallistov. Take minibus-taxi no. 107 from Finlyandsky Station. Tel.: 303-8200, 540-9344. The club is designed to hold between 600 and 800 fans, but can hold up to 1,000 at a good night. Tickets will cost between 80 and 500 rubles ($2.60 to $16.25).
- by Sergey Chernov
TITLE: an artistic restaurant experience
AUTHOR: by Galina Stolyarova
PUBLISHER: Staff Writer
TEXT: Traditionally, finding something to eat in the State Hermitage Museum has been something of a problem, with the only option being an expensive little café on the first floor that served mainly burgers and soft drinks. Although few visitors complained - after all, most people don't visit the Hermitage in search of a good meal - a few hours wandering through galleries and halls filled with one of the world's finest collections of art can work up a hearty appetite.
The Hermitage's long-awaited solution to this problem arrived on May 15, with the opening of the museum's own restaurant. To keep things simple - or maybe to avoid disputes among connoisseurs over which artist most deserves to have a restaurant named in their honor - the restaurant is simply called Ermitazhny Restoran, or "The Hermitage Restaurant."
When my companion and I walked into the restaurant on Monday through its glass doors on the right side of Bolshaya Morskaya Ulitsa, under the arch of the General Staff Building - now home to the Hermitage's contemporary-art collection - we were immediately offered a tour of the establishment. Although we initially suspected some sort of trick, our fears were swiftly allayed, as we realized that the venue, like the building that houses it, is layed out on a grand scale. The restaurant has 10 halls, each with a Hermitage-themed name and appropriate decor. While many visitors might, naturally, expect a restaurant run by the Hermitage to be designed in a Baroque or Rococo fashion, the place is, in fact, very modern in style, with no items from the museum's collection to be seen even in the two VIP rooms to your right as you enter. The paintings on the walls, according to our guide, were produced by contemporary artists, although no further information - such as the artists' names or their relation to the restaurant - was forthcoming.
One of the two VIP halls is called the Peacock Hall, an obvious reference to the famous clock housed in the Hermitage proper, to which the hall's design pays tribute. Somewhat incongruously, perhaps, the hall also houses a white piano, and our guide informed us that live music is performed in the evening. When we were there, however, the musical accompaniment was provided by the standard Western pop music that can be heard anywhere else in the city. This seemed out of keeping with the restaurant's otherwise up-market atmosphere; we thought that some Verdi, for example, would be more appropriate.
To the left from the entrance, across from the VIP halls, there are eight more halls and a bar. We chose seats in the Sofa Hall, which our guide-cum-server said was one of the two most popular in the restaurant, along with the Cameo Hall. (This didn't really affect our choice; at lunchtime on Monday we were about the only guests there.)
Ermitazhny Restoran has two separate menus, of Russian and French cuisine, respectively, with the dishes on the French menu generally being slightly more expensive than their Russian counterparts. (Incidentally, the restaurant has two chefs, one Russian and one Italian, but their names are, for now at least, being kept under wraps.) Having scanned both menus, we decided to sample some of the items from both.
My companion started with a selection from the Russian menu of duck breast with forest-berry sauce (320 rubles, $10.40), which she said was delicious. Given her penchant for using duck as a sort of culinary litmus test for restaurants, this was high praise indeed, as most places, she said, fail miserably to compare even vaguely with the masterpieces that her mother creates using the bird in question.
Meanwhile, I opted for the French menu's Hermitage salad (400 rubles, $13), which was a very light concoction of thinly sliced cabbage in a cream sauce, decorated with pieces of lobster and razor-thin slices of avocado. We also shared a portion of cream-of-crayfish soup (270 rubles, $8.75) from the French menu that my companion declared to be the best dish of the lunch: tender and mild, with a slight sweet note, and not at all overspiced.
My companion had been so impressed by her duck starter that she plumped for another duck dish for her mains. The breast of duck in Grand Marnier sauce (550 rubles, $17.85) comprised slices of meat served on pineapple slices and decorated with kiwi fruit and strawberries; like the starter, it received a highly positive review.
I also continued a theme from my starter - cream sauce - this time choosing the salmon in cream sauce with bacon (350 rubles, $11.35), which was excellent. The salmon, soaked in a mild cream sauce with tiny specks of bacon, proved absolutely mouthwatering, and the dish had a smooth, smoky flavor.
The service lived up to our high expectations, with each of the four servers who waited on us being prompt, tactful and unobtrusive. In fact, although we couldn't sense their presence, they appeared when needed as though by telepathy.
Ermitazhny Restoran. 8 Dvortsovaya Ploshchad. Tel.: 314-4772. Open daily, 9.00 a.m. to 3 a.m. Menu in Russian and English. Major credit cards accepted. Lunch for two, without alcohol: 2,165 rubles ($70.30).
TITLE: the word's worth
AUTHOR: by Michele A. Berdy
TEXT: Sindrom ostrogo respiratornogo zabolevnaniya: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
If you haven't been locked in a closet for the last two months, you'll know about SARS, or what is usually called in Russian antipichnaya pnevmoniya (literally "atypical pneumonia"). If you haven't been locked in a closet, hopefully by now you'll also know that you should worry far more about being hit by a car than catching SARS. However, it's worth knowing a bit of the lingo, since if you happen to cough a couple of times on an airplane, an attendant will come up to you and ask, "V kakikh stranakh vy byvali za posledniye dve nedeli? U vas temperatura svyshe 38 gradusov? Sukhoi kashel? Nedomoganie?" (Which countries have you visited in the last two weeks? Do you have a temperature of over 38 degrees Celsius? A dry cough? Feeling out of sorts?) If the answer to any of the above questions is "yes" or "China," prepare for quarantine.
There are lots of ways to be sick in Russian. If you feel a bit out of sorts, you might say, Ya nevazhno sebya chuvstvuyu or, if you're feeling poorly, Ya plokho sebya chuvstvuyu. Ya pribolel means "I'm a bit under the weather" - the prefix pri implies something tentative. If there's nothing tentative about the way you feel, you can say, ya zabolel (I'm sick).
Here it's handy to remember our friends, the perfective and imperfective verb forms. Zabolet - perfective, you're down with something. Zabolevat - imperfective, you're coming down with something. Razboletsya is to get totally, flat out sick. All these verbs come from the root word bolet, which also means "to hurt," so razboletsya can also refer to, say, a finger slammed in a lift door: Palets uzhasno razbolelsya! (My finger really ached).
The common cold in Russian is prostuda, and the verb prostuditsya. The flu is gripp: You either say ya zabolel gripom or (less commonly) ya grippoval. The Spanish flu in Russian is the jaunty-sounding ispanka, as in the not-so-jaunty ona bolela ispankoi i chut ne umerla. (She had the Spanish flu and almost died.) In all cases, your Russian friends and loved ones will want to postavit banki (cupping - a miserable procedure in which glasses are suctioned to your back and supposedly end a cough); or postavit gorchnichniki (put on a mustard plaster). Both procedures get the blood circulating, which may hasten healing, but as far as I can tell their main benefit is to make you, the patient, feel fussed over - which may also hasten healing. However, you will have to live with a bright red back for a few days.
If you are of a literary bent, you can use the word khvorat for "to be ill." On khvoral vsyu zimu (he ailed all winter). Another nice, old-fashioned word is nedug (ailment), which usually refers to something chronic. U nego nedug - problema s serdtsem (he's unwell, he has a heart condition). Khronika, in the context of health, is a chronic ailment, as in: Kogda tebe za sorok - u tebya uzhe sploshnaya khronika (when you're over 40 - the only ailments you have are chronic ones).
If you are under 40 or only down with a sniffle, after a while you can say, ya popravilsya (I've got better). Note that this is the same word as for "to gain weight." You can also say ya vyzdrovel or, if you are feeling rather literary, ya opravilsya ot neduga (I've recovered from my ailment). If you are tending a sick person and can't manage glass jars or mustard, the least you can do is say vyzdoravlivai! (Get well). Ne bolei! (Don't be sick!).
Best of all - don't get sick in the first place: Bud zdorov! (Be healthy!)
Michele A. Berdy is a Moscow-based translator.
TITLE: cobra bites hermitage
AUTHOR: by Charles Hoedt
PUBLISHER: Special to The St. Petersburg Times
TEXT: Visitors to the State Hermitage Museum were greeted by a live cobra for the opening of a new exhibition recently.
However, the only thing the snake had in common with the art going on display was its name. "CoBrA and Contemporaries" showcases art by a group of avant-garde artists formed in the immediate aftermath of World War II.
The group's name is an acronym of the capital cities of the three countries from which it drew its members - Copenhagen, Denmark; Brussels, Belgium; and Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The exhibition is a 300th-birthday present to St. Petersburg from Amsterdam. Most of the works on display are owned by the Dutch capital's Stedelijk Museum.
"It's wonderful that the Hermitage likes to look for adventure," Stedelijk Museum curator Guert Imanse said at Friday's opening. "No-one expects to find such modern art in the Hermitage."
CoBrA, one of the most important movements to come out of Northern Europe in the 20th century, was founded at an international art congress in Paris in 1948, and existed through 1951. Its members proclaimed a radical new art based on experimentation and collaboration between artists working in different areas.
The Hermitage exhibition contains 86 paintings, drawings and sculptures from the whole of CoBrA's short lifespan. Most works on show are by Dutch painters who drew inspiration from Picasso and Matisse.
Works by CoBrA artists usually stir up strong feelings. An exhibition in London in March 2002 was described by the Guardian newspaper's art critic, Adrian Searle, as a "horrible mess," a comment echoed Friday by a Hermitage visitor who said: "My daughter painted that when she was 9 years old."
Such comments both miss the point and hit it on the head. CoBrA artists meant to paint like children, to express spontaneous feelings on canvas. Like children, they wanted to work without a plan but relying on imagination, and their works freqently involve thick daubs of colorful, bright paint. However, they also drew heavily for inspiration on art from African and Oceanian tribes, myths and legends, and - more obscurely - art by the mentally ill.
In the conservative artistic climate of the Netherlands in 1948, CoBrA was revolutionary. The group's first exhibition, at the Stedelijk Museum in 1949, was panned by the critics, and its opening was marred by a fight. In Belgium and Denmark, the other two countries from which CoBrA artists came, the reaction was less furious.
"In those countries, trends like CoBrA already existed, even before World War II in Denmark, so people were used to it," the Stedelijk Museum's Imanse said.
Although the Hermitage display aims to introduce Russian art lovers to artists who are almost unknown here, there was a similar movement in Russia during the post-Stalin "thaw."
"Here, they called it nonconformism," Imsanse said. "However, there was no contact between the Russian artists and CoBrA because it just wasn't possible."
"CoBrA and Contemporaries" runs at the Hermitage through Sept. 28.
TITLE: showing the return of odysseus
AUTHOR: by Andrei Vorobei
PUBLISHER: Special to The St. Petersburg Times
TEXT: More than 40 years after they first met, two of St. Petersburg's favorite poets have been brought together again at one of the city's most famous addresses.
Joseph Brodsky, then 21, met Anna Akhmatova in 1961, when the latter was in her early 70s. In early April, the exhibition "Joseph Brodsky: Urania. Leningrad - Venice - New York" opened at the Anna Akhmatova Museum in her old house on Naberezhnaya Reki Fontanki.
"The connection [between the two poets] was probably even deeper than the ties between a teacher and a disciple, although Brodsky considered Marina Tsvetayeva, not Akhmatova, his teacher in poetry," museum director Nina Popova wrote in the exhibition catalog.
After effectively being forced to emigrate from the Soviet Union in 1972 and wandering around Europe, Brodsky was eventually allowed to settle in the United States, teaching at different universities there and becoming an American citizen. The exhibition brings both the Russian and American parts of the poet's life together, in the form of items from four of his residences on the two continents. The display is remarkable, in terms of the quantity of original material that has never been shown previously and the amount of material it squeezes in, as well as for the way it is presented.
The Russian section was assembled from the collections of the Anna Akhmatova Museum and the Russian National Library, with additional items from some of Brodsky's friends. The American part includes materials from the Brodsky Estate, a fascinating, previously unseen series of photos taken in Venice by Brodsky from his wife's collection and other collections of Brodsky's American friends, including his first publishers there, Karl and Ellendea Proffer.
"These photographs are not only an indication of how well Joseph knew [Venice], but also proof ... of a particular kind of eye," Maria Brodsky wrote in the catalog. "In these pictures, we can find the spirit of a number of his poems."
The idea for the exhibition, and the financial support, came from the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg, along with sponsorship from Alfa Bank and legal firm Hedman Osborne Clarke Alliance. The project took half a year to prepare, and the curators - Olga Voronina from the U.S. Consulate side and Popova, Maria Korostylyova and Ksenia Kochkina from the Anna Akhmatova Museum - have produced a deep, fresh and substantial view of the poet's personality. The curators' desire to avoid a banal, monotonous layout led them to work with well-known St. Petersburg-based artist Vitaly Pushnitsky, and the result is one of the most significant exhibitions of the current season.
The first hall explores Brodsky's wanderings through a map tracing his travels around the world and postcards that he collected in different cities. The poet visited 30 countries, and more than 50 cities, in nearly 25 years from the time of his exile until he died in New York in 1996, aged 55. The theme can also be found in the exhibition's title; Urania was the muse of astronomy in Greek mythology. According to the poet's friend Yakov Gordin, a writer, historian and editor of the literary journal "Zvezda" ("Star"), Brodsky found an analogue for his position in another legendary character.
"Brodsky often compared himself with Odysseus, a wanderer who dreamed of returning home," Gordin wrote in the catalog.
Russia and America, the two poles of Brodsky's "orbit," are expressed in the form of two cupboards covered, respectively, with photographs of Muruzi House, on Liteiny Prospect, where Brodsky lived until emigrating, and the house on New York's Morton Street where he rented an apartment from 1977 until 1993. The cupboard-buildings tell the story of the Leningrad and New York periods of the poet's life. Brodsky's private life can be brought vividly to life by pulling out the drawers of the cupboards, which contain documents, photographs, manuscripts and the like from the poet's life in the city in question.
"Changing places and vistas became an important component of his life at that time," museum director Popova said. "It was also the main genre and a prominent theme in his poetry."
Between the two cupboards is a sizeable area filled with a number of what Pushnitsky calls "video stones," small black boxes containing small screens showing non-stop films of Brodsky giving interviews, lectures and poetry readings. According to Pushnitsky, the "video stones" are meant to recreate a Japanese garden of stones, a traditional place for meditation, with the boxes taking the place of the stones.
The next room refers to a house in the village of Norinskaya, near Archangelsk in Russia's Far North, where Brodsky spent 18 months in internal exile in 1964 and 1965. Here, Pushnitsky has created a masterful rendition of the atmosphere and conditions of a time that was difficult for Brodsky, but also a time of very intense, intellectual and fruitful work.
The final room - possibly the highlight - is the reconstructed interior of his study of Brodsky's house in South Hadley, Massachusetts, including some of his furniture, imported for the exhibition. Brodsky was given part of the house as his official residence in South Hadley by the town's Mount Holyoke College, where he taught a class each spring semester from 1989 until his death. The exhibition, according to its curators, has benefited from the fact that Brodsky left some private possessions, such as tickets, watches and a cigarette lighter, in a drawer of his desk in South Hadley.
Currently, Brodsky's former home in the Muruzi House is being restored as a museum dedicated to the poet with money from Alfa Bank. The furniture from the house in South Hadley will form part of the permanent collection of the museum, although it is as yet unclear when it will open.
"Although Joseph did not want people to read his poetry 'through the lens of biography,' we are hopeful that the recreation of his home may evoke for the people who are not familiar with this locale some feeling of what these things, these places could have brought to his work," Maria Brodsky wrote in the catalog.
"In the intimate rooms of this house, the mixture of Joseph's Russian past, with its neoclassical, elegant message; the warmer, simpler forms of New England visible in its dark beams, small windows and basic fireplaces; and the love for Italian art and architecture are all quite apparent," she wrote. "In this place alone, one can feel the themes that have permeated part of his poetry out of Russia."
"Joseph Brodsky: Urania. Leningrad - Venice - New York" runs through Aug. 31 at the Anna Akhmatova Museum at the Fontanka House.
TITLE: Rescuers Search for Survivors in Algeria
AUTHOR: By Kim Housego
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: REGHAIA, Algeria - Algerian and French rescuers with search dogs searched for survivors Wednesday in a collapsed apartment block after a powerful aftershock rocked quake-hit Algeria and injured more than 200 people.
The 15-story building in Reghaia, in the quake zone, had been the pride of the town before it was damaged and evacuated following the May 21 temblor that, according to the government's count, killed at least 2,218 people and injured 9,497 others.
On Tuesday evening, three of the building's displaced residents were inside recovering belongings when it collapsed in a magnitude-5.8 aftershock that sowed fresh panic in the quake-ravaged zone east of the capital Algiers, said an Interior Ministry official, Mohamed Kendil.
French rescue workers, rushed to Algeria after last week's quake, used dogs on Wednesday to sniff through the slabs of concrete and mangled metal piled into a mound as tall as a three-story house.
Workers with sturdy circular saws labored to bore a hole in the wreckage to squeeze a dog into a cavity where there were thought to be air spaces that could hold survivors.
The dogs at one point barked twice, but their handlers weren't certain that meant they had located survivors.
"We aren't sure because there are so many people on the site that it distracts the dogs," said Bruno Hardy, a member of the French team. "We don't have much hope."
After last week's powerful magnitude-6.8 temblor, the pillars of the building - built in the late 1950s and known in Reghaia as "the 15th" - were cracked, and its ground and first-floor walls blown out.
"A few days later, some young people started to venture back in. They were told it was dangerous but they wanted to get their belongings and clothes," said Omar Cheiri, 48, a mechanic who lived in a building opposite rendered uninhabitable by the initial quake.
Then Tuesday's quake knocked the rest down.
The 15-story building "was a symbol of the town. You could see it from 5 to 6 kilometers away. I would drive back and see it and know I was almost home. We all cried when it was destroyed," he said.
Townspeople said that they believed several people were inside when it collapsed, though they weren't sure exactly how many.
Algerian rescue workers used a crane to lift away cement slabs and three bulldozers to shove rubble away from the ruin. French rescuers complained that the cleanup was too heavy-handed.
"We would have done things very differently. They are going too fast in removing rubble and cement slabs and risk missing a survivor," said Michel Rabaud, another member of the French civil protection team.
Algerian state radio said that at least three people were presumed dead in the aftershock, although it was not immediately clear if they were the same ones Kendil said were in the collapsed building.
Kendil, the interior ministry secretary general, said on Algerian television that more than 200 people were injured in the aftershock, the strongest of several since last week's temblor. But many of those who sought treatment in hospitals were suffering from shock and panic attacks, rather than physical injuries.
The aftershock also collapsed at least one home in the quake-ravaged town of Boumerdes, state radio said. In one Algiers hotel, panicked visitors ran out of the building.
TITLE: Peru Calls For State of Emergency Over Strikes
AUTHOR: By Drew Benson
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: LIMA, Peru - Faced with growing protests by farmers and government workers, President Alejandro Toledo declared a 30-day state of emergency and authorized the military to clear strikers from Peru's major highways.
Early Wednesday, dozens of police in riot gear evicted hundreds of striking teachers - many still groggy with sleep - camped in front of Congress in the capital, Lima.
But the main target of the measure was the farmers, who have blocked Peru's roads with boulders and burning tires to demand lower taxes on some crops and protection from imports. Other sectors are demanding higher wages.
"We have the responsibility to govern 26 million Peruvians. We have the responsibility to protect citizens and the public order," Toledo said in a nationally televised address announcing the state of emergency Tuesday.
The state of emergency gives police and the military the authority to use force to clear the highways, restore order, detain strikers and enter homes without warrants. It also limits freedom of movement and prohibits public assembly.
Congressman Luis Iberico, from a party allied with the government, said on cable news Canal N that approximately 12 of Peru's 24 provinces would be under military control and that civil liberties would be suspended.
Iberico said that a decree would be issued Wednesday declaring the ongoing teachers' strike illegal.
Toledo's message came after state health workers went on strike Tuesday, joining the thousands of farmers, teachers and judiciary workers protesting throughout the country.
On Tuesday, police worked to clear stretches of roadway blocked by boulders and burning tires. The farmers began their protest on Monday.
Earlier, Interior Minister Alberto Sanabria said that parts of 35 highways had been blocked and that 15 arrests had been made, mostly near the town of Huarmey, 150 miles northwest of Lima on the Pan-American Highway.
"We have to put order in each of these places," Sanabria said.
Tuesday's measure is the first time Toledo has declared a nationwide state of emergency.
In June of last year, he placed Peru's second largest city, Arequipa, and the surrounding region under a state of emergency for five days in order to quell violent riots against the government's plan to privatize a public electrical company that served the city.
That decree was lifted after the government suspended the planned auction.
There are signs that Toledo - whose popularity has dipped sharply since he took office in July 2001 - will face even greater protests in the near future.
Retired police officers have threatened to join protesters on June 5 because of their low pensions and to support active police in pay demands.
"The pay is miserable. I don't know how police can live on this amount," retired police Col. Dino Baca told reporters, noting that police earn about $200 a month.
Of the current group of protesters, the teachers have been at it the longest, opening their strike on May 12 in their demand for higher pay.
TITLE: Palestinians To Ask Israeli Government for Full Statehood
AUTHOR: By Mark Lavie
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: JERUSALEM - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas will ask Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon at their upcoming meeting for an explicit declaration accepting the Palestinians' right to statehood, Palestinian officials said Wednesday.
The two leaders are tentatively scheduled to hold their second summit in as many weeks on Thursday, ahead of a three-way meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush that the White House announced for next week in Jordan - a diplomatic push unprecedented in 32 months of violence and aimed at jump-starting the U.S.-backed "road map" to peace.
The sides have been wrangling over how to implement the road map - co-authored by the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia - since it was presented to the sides last month.
An Israeli government official said that Israel would consider issuing such a declaration on Palestinian statehood but probably only as part of a package to be announced at the meeting with Bush, which would include a credible Palestinian crackdown on Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other militant groups who have been attacking Israelis.
Israel has been insisting that although the road map calls for parallel steps, it wouldn't budge until such a crackdown was evident.
Israel's own road map obligations include a total freeze on construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza and the dismantling of scores of illegal settlement outposts erected in the past two years.
But Palestinian legislator Saeb Erekat said that the declaration, also mentioned in the roadmap, was key.
Abbas "will insist on this declaration because that's the key ... for him to go out and tell the Palestinians, 'Look, we've got the Israeli government to recognize the Palestinian state [and] we need two years in a peaceful, meaningful peace process ... It's a key for him to argue in front of Hamas and Jihad."
A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Palestinians would be willing to issue a concurrent declaration recognizing the right of Israel to exist and calling for a complete cessation of violence.
At Abbas' first meeting with Sharon as prime minister - on May 17 - he demanded that Israel accept the road map, which Sharon's government did on Sunday, albeit with reservations and hesitation.
The second summit, originally set for Wednesday, was delayed for a day, apparently at the request of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, whom Israel and the United States have accused of terrorism and have been trying to sideline.
A member of the PLO executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained that the jockeying for position was Arafat's way of telling the United States, Israel and Abbas that Arafat makes the decisions over negotiations with Israel.
Abbas took office April 30 under a new law that gives the PLO executive the right of approval over negotiating steps with Israel. Arafat controls the PLO body, where Abbas is his deputy.
Arafat has been fighting a rear-guard action to limit Abbas' powers, objecting to the makeup of his cabinet and inserting many of his stalwarts. He retains control of most of the Palestinian security forces and has kept for himself the final word over peace moves.
In an interview with the Israeli daily Haaretz, Abbas spoke out in favor of Arafat. "Arafat is the elected president of the Palestinian Authority and should not be isolated," he said, calling on Israel to release Arafat from a virtual house arrest in his West Bank headquarters.
Sharon and Abbas met on May 17, the first Israeli-Palestinian summit meeting since the violence erupted in September 2000. No agreements emerged.
Israeli and Palestinian officials were hopeful about the three-way summit with Bush, which the White House on Thursday said will take place on June 4 in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba.
Bush "would not bother coming all the way out here to leave without a decision of some kind," Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told Israel TV.
Abed Rabbo said that he hoped the trilateral summit would result in implementation of the peace plan.
Israel's conditional acceptance came a month after the Palestinians approved the formula and insisted that it be implemented unchanged. Sharon later came out and said Israel must end its rule over the Palestinians - though he was vague about ending its control over the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In the Haaretz interview, Abbas said that he would not judge Sharon by his statements. "I know Sharon inside and out," said Abbas, who has met Sharon several times. "I'll believe him only when he implements the road map."
TITLE: Report: Saudis Arrest Alleged Bomber
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi authorities said Wednesday that they have arrested more militants believed to have had a role in the Riyadh bombings. Newspapers said that as many as five suspects, including the plot's mastermind, were taken into custody.
The suspects were arrested "some days ago and today in Medina," the official Saudi Press Agency quoted Interior Minister Prince Nayef as saying on Tuesday.
Saudi and U.S. officials have linked al-Qaida, the terror group blamed for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, to the May 12 Riyadh attacks. The SPA report quoting Nayef said nothing about al-Qaida.
The agency did not give specifics. Prince Nayef said that officials want to "wait a little bit before giving details so that [information] is comprehensive."
Saudi papers on Wednesday, however, reported the arrest of as many as five people in Medina related to the attacks on three residential compounds that killed 34 people.
Al-Watan newspaper said that at least three alleged al-Qaida members were arrested in an Internet cafe in the holy city of Medina, including Ali Abd al-Rahman al-Faqasi al-Ghamdi, who is believed to be the mastermind of the bombings. The paper said that there were reports of two other arrests.
U.S. officials have said al-Ghamdi is among al-Qaida's top men in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Watan quoted witnesses at the Internet cafe as saying al-Ghamdi arrived in the cafe and was joined later by two companions. The three reportedly performed the noon prayers with workers at the cafe and just as they left, they were arrested by the police who had surrounded the area. There was no resistance at the arrest, al-Watan quoted the witnesses as saying.
Al-Ghamdi's name was among those of 19 men wanted in connection with a weapons cache found May 6.
TITLE: Devils Roast Lame Ducks in Finals Opener
PUBLISHER: Combined Reports
TEXT: EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey -The Anaheim Mighty Ducks know that 16 shots aren't enough to beat most teams, let alone the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup finals.
The Mighty Ducks have been rewriting their playoff record book this year in a positive sense. But they've now topped their previous playoff-worst shot total of 20 twice. Anaheim was shut out for the first time in the playoffs.
"They blocked the puck very well and took time and space away," said forward Paul Kariya, who had just one shot in the game. "I just have to get it off quicker and get it on net."
Martin Brodeur collected the shutout and Jeff Friesen added a pair of goals as the Devils clipped the Ducks 3-0 on Tuesday to draw first blood in their best-of-seven Stanley Cup final.
While Brodeur was not overworked in earning his fifth shutout of the postseason, facing just 16 shots, his performance was enough to win the goaltending duel over the Ducks playoff sensation Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who was tested 30 times.
Grant Marshall scored New Jersey's other goal.
"We wanted to get a good start. The shutout doesn't matter, the win is what matters and now the magic number is down to three," Brodeur said.
"We'll take this and try to improve. I know we played well but I'm sure there's some room for improvement.
"It was important that we didn't give them any life late in the game. We just wanted to play solid and we were able to do that."
Making their first Stanley Cup finals appearance in the franchise's nine-year history, the Ducks appeared sluggish as they returned to action for the first time since eliminating the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference final 10 days earlier.
The Devils, however, still riding the momentum from their seven-game Eastern Conference win over the Ottawa Senators, played with energy and zip fueled by a boisterous sellout crowd of 19,040 at the Continental Airline Center.
Friesen, who sent the Devils into the finals with his third period goal against the Senators in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final, broke open a scoreless contest 1:45 into the second period with his sixth of the playoffs.
Taking a feed at the top of the right faceoff circle from Sergei Brylin, Friesen snapped a wrist shot that beat Giguere to short side, notching his fourth game winner in the last seven games.
The Devils turned up the pressure in the second, outplaying and outshooting Anaheim 15-4, but could not beat Giguere again until the third period.
Trailing 1-0, the Ducks played with more urgency at the start of the final period storming into the New Jersey zone.
But it was the Devils who came away with the goal, Marshall adding an insurance marker when he was left alone in front of a gapping net to slap home a pass from Patrik Elias.
Friesen then closed out the scoring with 0:21 remaining, hammering the puck into an empty net.
"It feels good, it's one step closer to my dream of winning a Stanley Cup," Friesen said. "I will just take it in stride and hopefully we're not done yet."
"We're going to need offense to win this series so, hopefully, we can find a way to continue to score and come up with the big goals."
Giguere, who had not faced a shot in anger since the Ducks swept the Wild in four straight, showed few early signs of rust.
New Jersey hoped to catch Giguere before he found his rhythm, but the Anaheim netminder was quickly back to MVP form, easily handling the six shots he faced in a scoreless first period.
Crafting one of the greatest goaltending performances in NHL playoff history, Giguere entered the finals with four shutouts on his card, including three in four games against the Wild.
Ducks' sniper Petr Sykora, obtained from New Jersey as part of seven player deal last summer, had the best scoring chance of the opening period clanging a slapshot off the post. But Anaheim could generate little in the way of offense the rest of way and the few times they did Brodeur was there to thwart them.
The win improved the Devils postseason home record to 9-1 with Game Two of series set for Thursday.
(AP, Reuters)
TITLE: Avalanche's Roy Poised To Retire
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: DENVER - Colorado's Patrick Roy is retiring, ending the 18-year career of one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history. Roy will make the announcement at a news conference on Wednesday, team spokesperson Jean Martineau said.
A four-time Stanley Cup champion, Roy leaves as the NHL's career leader in victories with 551 and games played with 1,029. He also is the all-time leader in playoff victories, games played and shutouts.
Roy is still considered one of the best goalies in the game at age 37, but he has been bothered by arthritic hips the past few years. He also has made it clear he wants to follow the career of his oldest son, Jonathan, a goalie who will start playing in Saskatchewan this fall.
Roy won two Stanley Cups each with Montreal and Colorado, and is the only three-time winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the MVP of the playoffs. Earlier this season he became the first goalie to eclipse 60,000 minutes.
Roy is the NHL's all-time leader with 23 career playoff shutouts, and his 247 games and 151 wins are well ahead of Grant Fuhr, who is second with 150 games and 92 wins.
TITLE: Mavs Live Up to Name, Rally Over Spurs
AUTHOR: By Chris Sheridan
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: SAN ANTONIO - Anyone who turned Game 5 of the Western Conference finals off midway through the second quarter needs to learn a couple of lessons: Never count out the Dallas Mavericks, and don't consider the San Antonio Spurs championship material just yet.
Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel and Steve Nash wouldn't let San Antonio clinch a spot in the NBA Finals. The Mavericks fell behind by 19 points but never quit, staging a comeback throughout the second half that culminated in a stunning turn of events in the fourth quarter as Dallas defeated San Antonio 103-91 Tuesday night.
"I saw blue shirts on the floor, I saw blue shirts ripping rebounds from guys in white shirts. They wanted it more and they deserved it," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
The Mavericks cut San Antonio's lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, with Game 6 Thursday night in Dallas.
Finley scored 31 points and got huge help in the fourth quarter from Van Exel and Nash - the two starting point guards in the small-ball lineup coach Don Nelson was forced to use as Dirk Nowitzki (knee injury) sat out his second straight game.
"We were creeping, and you could feel the energy in the building was 'Uh-oh.' Once we tied it, that was it. The momentum was all ours," Dallas guard Raja Bell said.
The Mavericks used a 14-2 run to take a 101-88 lead with 1:42 left, prompting San Antonio to call a timeout and Bruce Bowen to yell "Shut up!" three times at a heckler sitting behind the bench who was telling the Spurs how terrible they were.
The heckler was right. Dallas outscored San Antonio 29-10 in the fourth quarter as the Spurs missed their first eight shots, 11 of 12 and 14 of 17 overall.
Dallas, which went 49-for-50 from the line in its Game 1 victory, went 23-for-23 at the foul line in Game 5 and shot 56 percent from the field in the second half.
San Antonio missed 14 of 38 foul shots, with Tim Duncan missing seven all by himself.
"The goal is still to get to four, and we're up 3-2. The goal is still to get to four before them," Duncan said.
A steal by Finley and a fadeaway 4-meter shot by Nash made it 92-86, and Van Exel hit two from the line and then stole Malik Rose's ensuing inbounds pass. He was fouled on a 3-point shot and made all three, giving the Mavs a 97-86 lead with 2:32 remaining.
It was no contest the rest of the way as Dallas avoided its first four-game losing streak in more than three years.
Van Exel finished with 21 points, Nash had 14 and Walt Williams 12.
"It was quick. To go from here to here in a couple minutes," Dallas' Raef LaFrentz said, holding his hand low and then raising it high. "But I don't think anybody in this room is surprised we came back."
Duncan had 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Spurs, shooting just 1-for-2 from the field in the fourth.
Van Exel scored 12 points in the fourth and Nash had seven, with Finley adding four points and two of his five steals.
Both Bowen and Rose finished the first quarter 3-for-3 as the Spurs shot 65 percent, didn't commit a turnover and led 30-23. A 16-3 run ending with a 3-pointer by Stephen Jackson gave the Spurs their largest lead, 48-29.
Nelson slowed the game down the same way he did in Game 1 by intentionally fouling Bowen three times, but Bowen made four of his six free throws. If the strategy was intended solely to take the Spurs out of their flow, it worked. Dallas was able to climb back within 11 by halftime as the Spurs were still shooting 61 percent from the field.
"We played like someone was going to give us something. That lack of maturity really hurt us," Popovich said.
San Antonio rebuilt its lead back to 17 with 7:47 left in the third, but the Mavs wouldn't quit. Finley came out of a timeout and stole a sideline inbounds pass by David Robinson, turning it into two free throws to make it 70-59 with 5:48 left, and a drive by Van Exel made it a 10-point game.
LaFrentz picked up his fifth foul defending Duncan with 5:01 left in the third, yet Nelson left him in a while longer and he never fouled out.
Finley continued to hit tough shots and create opportunities for his teammates, and the Mavs pulled within six late in the third.
Williams, Nash and Van Exel made the first three shots of the fourth quarter to pull the Mavs to 81-80, and a 3-pointer by Nash completed the comeback and tied it at 83 with 8:35 left.
A dunk by LaFrentz off a pass from Nash gave Dallas its first lead, 85-84 with 7:30 left, and Van Exel's driving layup upped the lead to three as the Mavs were on their way.
"We played bad second, third and fourth quarters. You just don't win thatway," Robinson said. "They're a very talented team even with Dirk gone."
TITLE: Chang Bows Out of French, Seles To Retire?
AUTHOR: By Howard Fendrich
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: PARIS - Michael Chang cried at the French Open for the second and last time. Back in 1989, they were tears of joy after he won the tournament. On Tuesday, a lifetime later, they were tears of sadness after he hit his final shot here.
Chang's farewell to Roland Garros ended with a 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 loss to Fabrice Santoro in the same spot that the American claimed his lone major title.
"It's bittersweet," said Chang, who'll retire after the U.S. Open. "It's disappointing to lose in the first round. But it feels good to be able to play my last match on center court."
Also bidding adieu at the clay-court Grand Slam were No. 6-seeded Andy Roddick and three-time champion Monica Seles - who might not be back. It looked as if defending champion Albert Costa would lose, too, but he constructed the biggest comeback of his career after being a game from defeat.
Roddick was considered capable of contending. He reached his first major semifinal at the Australian Open, and he won a clay-court tournament in Austria last weekend.
Instead, he heads home after the first round, just like last year, beaten by Sargis Sargsian 6-7 (7-3), 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. "It's weird going from feeling like you're playing pretty well," Roddick said, "to not really knowing what you're doing out there."
He still has time to learn; this was only his 10th Grand Slam event. Seles, by contrast, has played 40, winning nine, and she never exited in the first round until Tuesday's 6-4, 6-0 disappointment against Nadia Petrova.
Seles, 29, plans to take some time off to see if her injured feet heal. If they don't, she might retire.
"I know I'm in the later stages of my career. I don't have the luxury of taking five-to-six months off. At the same time, I don't want to have surgery," the tournament's 12th-seeded woman said.
Could this be her last French Open? "If I can't practice the level that I want to, yeah, definitely. And if I can, then for sure not," she said, "because this is not the way I would like to leave."
Other seeded losers: No. 13 Yelena Dementieva, No. 17 Amanda Coetzer and, among men, No. 18 Agustin Calleri.
Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and Kim Clijsters eliminated overmatched opponents, dropping 13 games total.
Costa dropped that many in the first two sets alone against Sergio Roitman, a slender Argentine with one tour-level match victory - and that came three years ago. Roitman lost in qualifying here, making it into the main draw only when players withdrew.
But he played like a star for nearly two hours Tuesday. With a laserlike forehand, he won the first two sets and led 4-1 in the third, then was a game from victory at 5-4. Costa, meanwhile, couldn't seem to control his shots or his temper. He yelled at himself and his coach and drew jeers from the crowd when he smashed his racket in the third set.
But Roitman's right leg - and nerves - began to cramp in the fourth set, and Costa pulled out a 6-7 (3), 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 victory, the first time he's won after losing the first two sets.
No. 3 Juan Carlos Ferrero, who lost to Costa in the 2002 final, advanced in straight sets, while No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt and three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten each dropped a set. Tim Henman, a four-time Wimbledon semifinalist, also won and plays Todd Martin next.
Hewitt wasted four match points before defeating Brian Vahaly of the United States 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (8-6), 6-3. Vahaly remembers watching Chang's run to the French Open title.
"He had incredible intensity," said Vahaly, 10 at the time. "Americans didn't play well here then, and it was inspiring to see him."
One reporter wondered Tuesday how Chang has changed since then.
"I'm actually a bit taller and better looking," he said. "You got that, right? You're writing that down?"
TITLE: Yanks Take Out Anger on Boston
AUTHOR: By Josh Dubow
PUBLISHER: The Associated Press
TEXT: NEW YORK - Derek Jeter got the slumping Yankees off to a quick start Tuesday night, hitting a leadoff homer to send New York to an 11-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox that snapped a five-game skid.
"We needed it," Jeter said. "We've been playing terribly. It feels good while it lasts. The intensity level was good today. We have to carry it over until tomorrow."
After Monday's 8-4 loss - New York's eighth straight at home - Jeter said the team did not "show up."
Jeter then did his part to spark the Yankees' highest-scoring home game of the season, with his 10th career leadoff homer and a bunt single that led to a six-run eighth inning.
"You look for a lift from him," manager Joe Torre said. "He's a guy since I've been here that has a way of lifting a ballclub and doing things."
Jeter had plenty of help. Andy Pettitte (5-5) ended a four-start losing streak, and Robin Ventura and Todd Zeile also homered for the Yankees, who had lost 12 of 15 overall.
Jason Giambi went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and Alfonso Soriano also drove in two runs as New York matched its run total from the previous four games.
"We haven't seen that for a while," Jeter said. "It was good to see everyone get into it. It wasn't just one or two guys. The whole lineup contributed."
Pettitte, given a rare early lead by New York's struggling offense, delivered the pitching performance Torre had been seeking.
The left-hander held Nomar Garciaparra hitless in three at-bats and allowed only two runs and five hits in 7 2-3 innings to snap the longest losing streak of his career.
"I felt like I won a World Series game tonight," Pettitte said. "We've been down."
Jeter hit the fifth pitch of the game from Bruce Chen (0-1) into the left-field seats to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
Ventura's homer in the second made it 2-0 - New York's biggest lead at home since beating Anaheim 10-4 on May 15 in its last win at Yankee Stadium.
Jason Varitek hit an RBI single in the fifth for Boston, and the Red Sox could have had even more but Shea Hillenbrand's drive down the left-field line went just foul.
Zeile answered in the bottom half with an opposite-field drive that was just inside the right-field foul pole, scoring Juan Rivera to make it 4-1.
Doubles by Bill Mueller and Manny Ramirez gave the Red Sox a run in the sixth, but Pettitte retired Millar and David Ortiz to get out of the inning.
Soriano hit an RBI double and Giambi hit a two-run double in the eighth against Matt White, who gave up six runs in two-thirds of an inning in his major league debut.
Chen gave up four runs and five hits in five innings.