PUBLISHERS’ FOREWORD
Page 10
Nature’s most longed-for bounty — summer — is at the threshold now. As far as other presents are concerned, we prefer old good Hollywood-style surprises to pragmatic wish lists of today — to some, they may seem unpractical but this is where the charm of improvisation lies. We have so many plans on our must-do-and-see list, like: «see Paris on this date, visit Burgundy to try escargots, get wine in Bordeaux, buy macarons from Laduree», that we dramatically lack space for adventures at random. Right here the presents of totally unpractical dreamers will come in handy. We thank them for making our routes chaotically creative, like for instance, having breakfast in the port of Polish Gdansk and moving on to lunch in the company of a family ghost of the Heidelberg castle; purchasing famous cookies at Laduree pastry shop in Paris is delayed for a couple of days for the sake of a trip to provincial Roanne, and as for homecoming it is no longer relevant — after all, who knows when again we will have a chance to walk in the murky shade of Schwarzwald oaks or find ourselves inside a sweet lotus bud lulled by the harmony of Seychelles paradise called Maia?.. Even Italy which, it seems, we have travelled the length and breadth of, viewed from a different perspective sparkles with new facets, appeals with marble veins cutting through the streets of Verona, shady arcades of Turin, emerald and orange tints of Positano mosaics.
At times when we think about material gifts, strange as it may seem, the opposite principle works best, that of hyperpracticality. What object do you think can be more banal and boring than a safe? Yet, to present a Stockinger safe means to present an object of contemporary art whose cost will only grow with time. This investment is by no means less weighed than, say, a business class Learjet 85 aircraft or a Burgess yacht, subject to detailed examination in this issue.
CAPITALS IN EXILE
By Nata Stasiuk, page 20
They used to be capitals once, strongholds and royal residences, later on however history pushed them into a more modest role. It may appear strange but it was just this role that helped European towns off the beaten track to reveal their potential to the fullest.
As a rule, our cover stories feature capital cities while a lot of appealing small towns, which at times are not even on the map, are left aside. In recent years, I have realized that it is right in such places that you can feel the authentic culture of the country you are travelling, get to know its customs and morals. A big city is overflooded with tourists, besides a capital city is always a country in itself with its own lifestyle. Meanwhile, when you wander the streets of Verona or stop for an espresso under Turin arcades, when you walk along the quay in Gdansk or pop into the old but still working university building in Heidelberg, you finally see locals of these places, you meet the real people who cook for you, brew beer for you or tie a boat. Not for millions others like you but for you personally. I believe this is their highest value.
«There is no world outside these walls!», exclaimed Romeo with passion of a youth. The world of Verona looks like a marble chessboard: streets cross each other at right angles forming regular rectangles of blocks and thus follow the pattern of Roman times. The suburbs of Verona boast so many ancient Roman monuments that the town is called «the most Roman» after Rome.
The Etruscan colony that spread out on the banks of the Adige river near the hill of St.Peter became part of the Roman Empire in the 1st century B.C. The new settlers decided to place living quarters on the right bank of the river, while the left-bank side was devoted to Gods and arts. A huge theatre was contstructed here with a pagan temple above it. Another impressive reminder of the great ancestors is Arena di Verona which initially was built beyond the city walls and for centuries served as a place of mortal gladiatorial fights (arena is the Latin word for sand soaked with blood), severe trials and even executions; at the same time, weddings, tournaments, and other solemn ceremonies were held there as well.
PARADISE VISITED
By Natalia Bobitskaya, page 28
Tranquillity, serenity, harmony… Are there many places on earth where you could immerse yourself into the luxury of all three? We were fortunate enough to find one of them and we hope you will follow us into the world of Maia.
Here you can breathe in sweet sea air, enjoy a view of the endless ocean, and be sure no one will dare to disturb your perfect relaxation. Turquoise waves and silky white sand, evergreen virgin jungle and black granite rocks. Here it is the right place to do what you cannot afford doing in this crazy world — relax your body and purify your mind, uncover the truth in the atmosphere of enlightenment. When you arrive at Maia, in the Seychelles, you find yourself inside a lotus bud surrounded by the petals of harmony, tranquility, and peace.
Seychelles is an archipelago of over 100 islands in the western part of the Indian Ocean, some 1,000 kilometers east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar. The only granitic islands in the world, Seychelles are a remnant that broke off the prehistoric continent of Gondwanaland. The unique location graced the islands with not less unique flora and fauna which have remained untouched by civilization till today. «Paradise on Earth» would be a relevant name for a place like this — breath-taking panoramas, virgin tropical forests, exotic birds and animals to be found nowhere else on the planet. The capital of Seychelles, the city of Victoria on the island of Mahe, is one of the smallest capital cities in the world. Lots of buildings, the Courthouse and main Post Office among them in the centre of town, have remained intact since the country’s colonial past. This fairy archipelago nation has almost no industry and agriculture. The locals — and the authorities alike — are very anxious to preserve the world of the fairy nature they treasure. Motor vehicles are forbidden here, the only mode of transportation for the locals and even tourists being ox drawn carts with number plates.
FAMILY GENIUS OF TROIGROS
By Natalia Kosovetz, page 32
The family restaurant Troisgros, which has arisen much debate among critics, was awarded its third Michelin star in 1968. In 1972, it was acknowledged winner in the “World’s Best Restaurant” category and occupies an honourable 25th place on the list of British influential Restaurant Magazine. Its glory has long become an asset of the French town of Roanne, and one of the town’s most significant places — the railway station — has been painted salmon-pink and green to remind of chef Pierre Troisgros’ signature dish: salmon filet sauteed and served with a sorrel cream sauce. Tourists come here all the year round to pamper themselves with dinner; tables are always to be booked in advance.
Restaurant Magazine’s list of the best places to eat is quite a complicated thing: the venues featured here must reveal an extraordinary combination of cooking, atmosphere, and service, with cooking playing the most important part. Spanish El Bulli’s fantastic dishes are created by 42 cooks headed by the world’s most inventive chef, as believed by the edition, Ferran Adria. This restaurant is the leader among its European counterparts. The chef of another triumpher, the British venue Fat Duck, is acclaimed for matching the unmatchable. His culinary brainchildren include a snail porridge and bacon-and-egg ice cream. Besides, this restaurant can treat you to the chocolate wine that dates back to the 17th century and enjoy a spectacular ice cold sorbet served on a leather plate surrounded by flames. Headed by Andoni Aduriz, the Spanish restaurant Mugaritz offers dishes which may seem classic, however, the way they are cooked is fairly unusual. Andoni aims at the right result. The fact that Aduriz spent two year studying coagulation process to produce a perfect poached egg describes his talent and ardour just right.
But let’s return to Troisgros… At present, the family business is run by the third generation that attracts to Roanne crowds of travelers who care about gastronomic delights. How Michel and his wife Marie-Pierre have maintained the restaurant’s unique atmosphere for several consecutive decades is a secret they keep.
PEARLS ON LAND
By Nata Stasiuk, page 40
Apart from the bottom of the sea, a priceless pearl hidden inside a dull shell can be found at some other places as well. In Burgundian vineyards, in German woods, in Australian meadows — all you need to do is to notice escargots. And of course cook them well.
With every passing second the Earth spins faster and faster, hurried by millions over millions of stamping feet, buzzing of swift thoughts, interweavings of voices talking all languages and dialects — our life speeds up inevitably. Very few are able to keep the pace, they do not need to chase or escape, they simply pursue their own road. At that, their price grows.
A small terrestrial mollusc travels the world without leaving home. From the height of a human, snails are so small they can be easily overlooked, and yet they have never lacked fame. Born gastronomes — the French — call all the land snails, and to be more precise those of them that are edible, «escargots»; the English use this term when speaking of snails cooked in the classic French styles (which are numerous but the most famous is escargots baked in shells with garlic butter and parsley). This graceful word is related to Occitan escaragol and Catalan cargol which, according to scholars, may derive from a pre-Roman word karakauseli. That’s right, snails have been known and enjoyed since ancient times: Aesop mentions that in Ancient Greece snails were collected and baked over the fire (later, Scythians borrowed this recipe from the ancient Greeks), while the ancient Romans, according to Pliny the Elder, did not merely hunt for snails and used fermented beer as a bait material but also learned to breed snails feeding them on wheat flour mixed with must.
BORDEAUX WINES: ARRAY OF PERSONALITIES
By Natalia Kosovets, page 48
Grand Theatre de Bordeaux lobby. A tasting devoted to Bordeaux vintage anniversary. Wines play the main part here. Elegant Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Latour — a bit lighter than usual and therefore even more challenging. Refined, exquisite, and feminine Chateau Margaux. Fresh, fruity, and graceful, the style of this wine is beyond time. Superior Chateau Mouton Rothschild of Medoc— fragrant and luxurious, endowed with charm and power. And finally Chateau Haut-Brion — sunny and appealing as life itself.
Great wines can be compared to ascension to the summit of a steep mountain. How ever winding and exhausting the road may be, once the summit is reached they will stay there forever never to descend. The outstanding vintage of 1985 will remain so five, ten, and even twenty years later.
The international renown of Bordeaux wines has its roots right here, on the terroir of Chateau Haut-Brion. French clarets — this is how the English called Bordeaux wines 10 centuries ago — won acclaim first in England, then in British metropole, followed by Italy and Germany.
The soil of Chateau Haut-Brion’s vineyard is gravelly which is ideal to cultivate grapes. Thanks to the pebbly porous soil, excess water in rainy days does not stay on the surface, it drains away quickly penetrating to the roots of the vines, while the fine gravel retains the heat for long, radiating it back into the vines during cool nights.
The founder of Bordeaux’s oldest Chateau (according to historians, it was founded in 1533) — Jacques de Pontac — was a cheerful man who lived to 101 years and had fifteen children. He was three times married and, as evidenced by manuscripts, was invariably happy. Jacques’s great grandson — Arnaud ²²² — was the one who brought technological revolution to the estate. The first president of Bordeaux Parlement and a passionate winemaker, Arnaud introduced the practice of separating wine from its coarse lees. This know-how was tested by Arnaud III in his own winery. The results exceeded expectations — the wine was then apt for a long ripening in the bottle. But it was just the beginning of the story.
LUXURIOUS MACARONS
By Nata Stasiuk, page 58
Bright blue, pink, yellow, and pistachio cakes that sit next to magnificent fruit tarts and chocolate masterpieces in Parisian pastry shops look funny and careless as if created for child delight. All you have to do is sample the delicious pastry — and you will take the dessert quite seriously.
Sparkles of champagne, breathtaking attire, flirtation elevated to the rank of art against the background of multicoloured airy Laduree cakes — that was the Versailles of Marie-Antoinette featured by film director Sofia Coppola. Critics are free to reproach her for historical discrepancies and lack of ideology as much as they wish; what the film emphasizes is the atmosphere of an incredibly splendid Paris, while the most exquisite French confection is the centerpiece of the film’s palette.
They came around a few centuries before the disgraced Austrian princess arrived in France. The first macarons were similar to today’s Italian amaretti: almond meringue cookies, crispy on the outside and soft inside. They were made from egg whites and almond paste (a combination of equal parts of ground blanched almonds and sugar, mixed with egg whites). The name of the cookie comes from the Italian word for pasta and dumplings, maccarone.
According to the all-knowing Grand Larousse Gastronomique edited by legenadry chef Joel Robuchon, macarons originated in Venice during the Renaissance, they came to France in 1553 with the pastry chefs of Catherine de Medici, wife of king Henri II. At the height of the French revolution, macarons turned into a «people dessert»: two Benedictine nuns familiar with the recipe found refuge in the town of Nancy in Lorraine. Sister Marguerite and Sister Marie-Elisabeth paid for the housing by baking and selling macaron cookies. Thus they became known as the «macaron sisters». Later, a street in Nancy was named after the sisters which today is lined with pastry shops briskly selling… macarons, of course.
MASS PRODUCED WARHOL
By Vladislav Sikalov, page 62
Andy Warhol lived 59 years. Not a bad innings for a man of pop-art who never led a healthy way of life. The more so as shortly before his death a woman fired three shots at him — the feminist who later wrote I shot Andy Warhol. The principle of mass circulation was what fascinated Warhol more than anything else on earth; what he failed to mass circulate though was his own life. He died before cloning was invented; perhaps it was for the better as judging by his art, Andy would have been a total supporter of genetic engineering and would without hesitation have entered the sanctum sanctorum. It is just an assumption though…
Warhol is likely the most radical (for his time of course, as today we see artists who are much bolder but much less interesting at that), the most significant, hyped and well known American artist. Lots of rock musicians benefited from Andy’s works to forge their shields and swords. His undisguised replications of Merilyn Monroe , Elvis Presley, Coca-Cola, and a dollar bill — all the animate and inanimate icons — were the driving force behind a whole revolution in art. Those were the exuberant eclectic 1960s that saw an avant-garde blast of youthful energy, a craving for change, the rise of mass culture. That was the America that became protagonist of Warhol’s works. His popularity, all the stir around his name can be compared to the phenomenon of the Beatles alone. Warhol’s energy revealed itself in completely different spheres making a new type of a contemporary artist. His series of silkscreens, his films with no beginning and no end, Interview magazine founded by Warhol that featured celebrities interviewed by celebrities, his extraterrestrial looks and hair dyed silver — this all was stylization itself, subject to endless replicating. Warhol was fond of reflecting, with numerous adherents following, on love and glory, on time and death, on art and beauty, as well as on where to keep money, how to clean a flat, why we need hairdressers, etc. Simple and complicated, low and high truths...
NEAPOLITAN ROPE-WALKER
By Vladislav Sikalov, page 70
It may sound ironic in the age of fashion dictatorship and freedom to dress the way restricted by only your taste and your wallet, however, the fact remains: Neapolitan tailoring traditions of excellence have for some decades now been threatened by oblivion. Therefore, Mariano Rubinacci, a brilliant representative of tradition and a flagship of Neapolitan art, is so insistent in his effort to set up a special museum, or archives, to preserve at least some details of the original Neapolitan craftsmanship. The art of the Rubinacci dynasty survived in two wars, many times the enterprise was on the verge of death or oblivion, and every time it would rise from the ashes like a phoenix, so we could as well say that Neapolitan craftsmen possess a gift of a rope-walker.
«I see a huge, great dynasty nearing its death», Mariano confesses bitterly, «and the whole of Neapolitan art is dying with it too. Look around — I do not see any young tailors, instead there are elderly masters in their late sixties. I am convinced we must preserve our craftsmanship for generations to come. I think we should set up something like a school for young people, try to pass down the information that has been gathered for centuries. My ambition is to found a museum of Neapolitan costume!»
It goes without saying that Rubinacci does idealize Italian traditions and — as a representative of a great dynasty — is perfectly entitled to do so. He claims as early as at the beginning of the 20th century it was Naples that dressed Paris turning it into the capital of elegance and style. Ironically, despite his fanatic commitment to traditions of craftsmanship, neither Mariano himself, nor his father were tailors.
FAMILY VALUES
By Vladislav Sikalov, page 80
Philippe Stern, President of Patek Philippe, embodies family values. The family Stern has helmed the watchmaking company for almost a century — the business goes down from grandfather to father, and from father to son. This continuity embraces dignity and certainty of a particular sort which allows to refer to the brand as to watchmaking classics, all time classics. Modesty and personal restraint (Philippe Stern is not really fond of interviews) are highly appreciated here, these qualities are part of the internationally acclaimed company that prefers to prove its high standing not verbally but by corresponding actions.
President of Patek Philippe does not seem to be an affable, comfortable person to talk to. He is quite cautious, almost secretive. He is conservative and self-confident, speaks thoughtfully and without haste. He is obviously self-sufficient and successful; apparently, he is proud of his position with the company and enjoys doing his job.
Stern has always been like that: calm and confident, even as a young man, and even at the times of depressions and crises. When the Swiss watchmaking industry suffered recession due to the overflow of cheap Japanese watches, Philippe sounded more than optimistic and panic was the last thing on his mind. «The first decision I made,» says Stern, «was to invest even more into mechanical watches. As mechanics is… how shall I put it… it is not merely reliable, it is also incredibly stylish. Apart from style and reliability, there is a factor of value too. Mechanics is something precious, it is an all-time treasure. When you purchase a Patek Philippe, you actually get more than just a mechanism which shows precise time. You will never buy a watch like that by accident — the purchase would be relevant at the most important and exciting moments in life, for example, you are getting married, you have been promoted to CEO of a company, your child is born…».
KARAJAN: LOVE AND LOATHING
By Leo Malyshev, page 86
It is hard to think of another conductor whose work and personality would be as controversial as his. As soon as Internet came around and a classical music forum was set up, the first topic to appear was formulated as follows: «Karajan — a genius or mediocrity?» The sound that singled out the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at the time of Karajan, this polished, cool, refined sound, as if forged from a steel sheet, inspired endless admiration in some, and resulted in rejection and mockery in other — at times even expert — sound directors. Those who saw maestro, all the more worked with him, referred to him as being a snob and a poser; others, however, had quite an opposite impression — for them, on the contrary, Herbert von Karajan embodied warmth, hospitality and sincerity, while his polished appearance of a music icon was perceived as speculations of evil tongues. As far as Karajan’s alleged cooperation with the Nazi party in Germany is concerned, hot debates have raged about these ties till today. Let’s have a close look at this ambiguous personality who deserves attention due to various factors, one of them being today’s multi-storeyed stores in Berlin and Vienna fully devoted to the maestro’s performance that sell nothing but recordings of compositions by Herbert von Karajan.
The Karajan phenomenon should be analysed in the context of the whole of the 20th century evolution: it was when sound recording occurred for the first time and later progressed, the concept of promotion appeared, etc.; it was right in the second half of the last century that classical music turned into a kind of industry, a business. But even against an ever-changing background like that, Karajan’s was an extraordinary figure. Famous for his iron grip on conductorship, Karajan’s dictatorial tendencies were legendary, and yet much was forgiven to maestro perhaps because both the insulted and insulters felt his perfectionistic striving was all embracing. Aiming at perfect performance, he would rehearse a composition over and over again, while certain recordings (Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, for example) took him five to ten times to be completed. Yet, he would face a multitude of reproaches — about artificial sounding, mechanical performance, inclination towards spectacular displays.
DARLING GENIUS
By Leo Malyshev, page 94
Talking about literature in general — and Russian literature in particular — you will hardly find a writer favoured by fortune and blessed with a happy life. Nabokov was generously endowed with what nature usually withholds from geniuses of the kind: caressed by destiny; lucky, talented, handsome and healthy; gifted with an even-tempered and cheerful disposition and a razor-sharp mind. The darling of his parents, brothers, sisters, and friends, as a boy he lived a well rounded life in luxury and abundance; and in adult life all the catastrophes and troubles of the 20th century touched the writer but lightly: even two exiles seemed to be necessary for the favourite of fortune to gain international glory. A fairy beginning usually results in a poor ending, Nabokov however was obviously incompatible with banal plots not just in literature but in life as well — his story turned out to have a happy ending.
The fairy tale started on 22 April 1899 (Nabokov was always happy to emphasize he was born a hundred years after Pushkin) in a huge luxurious old house on Bolshaya Morskaya street in St.Petersburg. It was one of the most prestigious streets of the then imperial capital city. The Nabokovs’ house with its fine moulding, carved mahogany cornices and marble fireplaces reminded of a palace and perfectly embodied the ‘grand-style’. This was a «snowy-blue, blue windowed» paradise where his tender wonderful mother and noble intelligent father lived. Later, in emigration in Berlin, the assassination of his father by Russian terrorists became the final event in the main tragic theme of his destiny and works — the lost paradise allusions, while the death of his father and the loss of his home country later merged into one nostalgic plot.
