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My Father's Letters (NF)
Letters of 16 Russian scientists to their children from the depths of Stalinist GULAG published by Memorial Human Rights Society, Moscow
Rights sold Germany - MSB Matthes & Seitz, Portugal - Relógio D’Água, World English - GRANTA BOOKS
Dr. Alexei Wangenheim, prisoner at the Solovki prison camp who before the arrest was the organizer and head of the Meteorological Service of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, in 168 letters sent to his daughter Eleanora from GULAG managed to create an entertaining herbarium of local plants.
Prof. Gavriil Gordon, prisoner at the Dmitlag prison camp who before the arrest was Academic Secretary of the Institute of Educational Research, sent to his children two notebooks containing his own hand-written account of world history and philosophy.
Vladimir Levitsky, prisoner at the Siblag prison camp who before his arrest was a President of Philatelic Society of Kursk, composed a series of short ethnographical essays in letters and postcards sent for his son. All his letters were illuminated by a hand-drawn postal stamps.All of them – and thousands more – cherished a hope to see their children again. All of them died in GULAG, but their "distance learning courses" wasn't a waste of time and energy in deadly conditions of detention: their children later became scientists, researchers, teachers, philatelists...
Technical details: approx. 50.000 words including preface, comments, and glossary; approx. 260 color and b/w drawings and photos.
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The Note. Life of Rudolf Barshai, by Oleg Dorman (NF)
Rights sold: Russia – CORPUS BOOKS, Latvia – JANIS ROZES
The 90-minutes interview with Rudolf Barshai was filmed in the great musician's house in Switzerland, in 2010, shortly before the great artist's death, and broadcast on Culture TV Channel in 2012. One journalist mentioned his "unswerving feeling of implication in someone else's talent and happiness" after The Note opening night.
Born in Russia in 1924, Rudolf Barshai was the leading Russian viola player of his generation and an important conductor, particularly in the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. His scope of talent encompassed a celebrated career as a viola soloist, conductor and arranger, the likes of which may never be seen again.
Barshai knew Shostakovich's music on a very intimate level. He studied with the great composer, and often performed Shostakovich's music with the composer at the piano. They became close personal friends. He was also close with Prokofiev, with whom he discussed orchestrations to a stunning degree.
A master of the viola, Barshai was the founding violist of Moscow's renowned Borodin Quartet. When Stalin and Prokofiev died - on the same day in 1953 - the quartet was ordered to play at both funerals. They were ferried back and forth between the two gravesites in an ambulance, Barshai remembered.
In Russia, Barshai performed chamber music with many greats, including Sviatoslav Richter, Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh, Emil Gilels, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Leonid Kogan.
In 1955, he founded the Moscow Chamber Orchestra dubbed by Shostakovich "the greatest chamber orchestra in the world", which he led until 1977. In 1977 Barshai left the Soviet Union for Israel, where he was named music director of the Israel Chamber Orchestra.
Barshai brought to the west a significant knowledge and understanding of Russian music, appearing with symphony orchestras around the world, including the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre de Paris, the London Philharmonic and the Vienna Symphony. In the 1980s Barshai held conducting posts with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in England and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada. At his death in 2010, he was conductor emeritus of the Verdi Symphony Orchestra of Milan.
Barshai was a serious, studious musician who shunned promotion, avoided interviews where possible, and concentrated solely on the interpretation of the composer's score. Indeed, the only sign he gave of being aware of his image was a hair clip that he used during performances.
Among his accomplishments, Barshai recorded a complete cycle of Shostakovich symphonies, and in 2000 completed and orchestrated Gustav Mahler's Tenth Symphony, which had been left unfinished at the composer's death. Barshai worked until his last days, finally finishing what he considered a lifetime achievement: arranging J.S.Bach's The Art of Fugue.
Movie trailer (English subtitles):
Entire movie (English subtitles):
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