Churchill hears of War in the East, Strube, DE, January 1920

Friday, 20th September at 19:00

 Lightfoot Room, Old Divinity School, St.John’s College, Cambridge CB2 1TP

Click here to see the map

(Entrance from St.John’s Street, opposite St.John’s main gate with yales, through a side passage)

Talk by Dr Jonathan Black, Fellow of the Royal Society of Art, Senior Research Fellow in History of Art at Kingston University, London.

About the talk: Dr Black will focus on Churchill’s fierce opposition to Lenin’s new revolutionary government from 1918 and his support as Secretary of State for War (December 1918-January 1921) for the efforts of various White Armies to overthrow the Bolshevik regime. In his antipathy towards the Bolsheviks Churchill was indulged up to a point by Prime Minister Lloyd George. However, as early as the spring of 1919 the ‘Welsh Wizard’ had concluded Lenin’s government would endure and he feared Churchill had become fixated on the ‘Red Menace’ and, indeed, that he had developed a serious case of ‘Bolshevism on the brain.’

About the speaker: Dr Jonathan Black read BA Hons History at St. John’s Cambridge and then obtained an MA (1998) and a PhD (2003) in History of Art from University College, London. For his PhD thesis he focused on the image of the ordinary British soldier, or ‘tommy’, in the First World War art of: CRW Nevinson (1889-1946); Eric Kennington (1888-1960) and Charles Sargeant Jagger (1885-1934).

He has been interested in Russian history of the revolutionary era ever since his days at St. John’s and gave a paper on the British Intervention in North Russia at a Conference at the State University of St. Petersburg in October 2011. Dr Black has also long been fascinated by Churchill’s dramatic career.

Publications include: ‘Form, Feeling and Calculation: The Complete Paintings and Drawings of Edward Wadsworth’ (London, 2006); ‘Dora Gordine: Sculptor, Artist, Designer’ (London, 2008); ‘The Face of Courage: Eric Kennington, Portraiture and the Second World War ‘ (London, 2011) and ‘The Spirit of Faith: The Sculpture of John Bunting’ (London, 2012), and the most recent one: ‘Abstraction and Reality: The Sculpture of Ivor Roberts-Jones (1913-1996)’ (London, 2013). (Roberts-Jones was responsible for the figure of Churchill that stands in Parliament Square, London.)

Entrance:

• £3 for general public;
• FREE for CamRuSS members and staff and students of St John’s College;
• £1 for other students (on presentation of their student card).

Sunday, 20th October 2013
Meeting time: 11:00 am

Our traditional ‘hunt’ for mushrooms in the woods, followed by a relaxing barbecue, outdoor games and lots of fun!

Location: Hinchingbrooke Country Park, Brampton Road, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE29 6DB

Invitation from John Farrington, the organiser:

My dear friends, you are most cordially invited to our annual mushroom gathering expedition under the stewardship of a local expert, Helene Davies, who has kindly volunteered to come along and share her expansive expertise with us. We will gather mushrooms, sing songs, drink to our hearts’ content, eat our fill  and generally have a jolly good time while enjoying each others’ company. The fun will start at 1100 at Hinchinbrooke Country Park, Huntingdon and will continue long into the afternoon. Please bring food and drink to share but most of all bring your lovely selves. Plates, cups, knives, forks etc will be provided. All we need is you. See you there!

Please write with any queries to the organiser, John Farrington, on: farringtonjohn@hotmail.com

*** MUSHROOM WALK FEEDBACK – after the event ***

Here is a review by the organiser, John Farrington, whom CamRuSS wishes to thank whole-heartedly for a very successful outing:

The annual mushroom gathering expedition took place on Sunday, 20th October, in Hinchinbrook Park in Huntingdon, and was well attended by around 20 people.  The expedition was led by Hélène Davies, who inspired us all with her knowledge and enthusiasm that was positively infectious. She was an absolute joy to be around, and has agreed to come along to the next one in 2014.

There were many different types of mushrooms in the park; they were gathered, brought back, and some were grilled on the BBQ that took place after the forage. The atmosphere both at the forage and the BBQ was its usual friendly self, and we were all very grateful that the weather was so very kind to us after an inglorious start to the day when it poured with rain.

One of the nicest surprises was the appearance of Natasha Perry who joined us having travelled from Ukraine via York where her daughter-in-law is about to give birth. I was delighted to see her after so long, as was everyone else. All in all, it was a very successful day out in the fresh air, and everyone said how much they had enjoyed the gathering. Many thanks to all who supported a lovely day.

John Farrington

29th November, Friday, 7pm
Divinity School Theatre, St. John’s College, Cambridge CB2 1TP
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Very rarely heard music by world-famous Russian composers: Sergey Prokofiev, Sergey Rachmaninov and Alfred Schnittke, that was written in foreign lands, far-away from Russia, or whilst being “exiled” in their home land, and still remains very little known both in Russia and in the West.

Performed by two highly acclaimed Russian musicians, winners of numerous international music competitions: Maxim Kosinov (violin) and Alexey Petrov (piano).

Maxim Kosinov

Alexey Petrov

This is a duo of two young virtuosos, who will reveal the hidden treasures of Russian music heritage to the British public.

Twisted turns and breaks of Russian history made a significant imprint on Russian culture, which also has become split, with many of its hallmark parts being either lost or isolated. The concert “Russian Music in Exile” aspires to fill one such gap. It offers a breath-taking journey through the obscure legacy of three great Russian composers, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov and Schnittke, – the legacy that was written in the West and did not gain in Russia the popularity it deserved. Moreover, several ground-breaking pieces by these composers have not been widely heard by western audiences either. Among those who knew this music, it received great acclaim, but generally it has been neglected.

The intention of this concert is to showcase the great value of undeservedly forgotten music, and to promote the pieces such as Prokofiev’s Five Melodies for Violin and Piano (1925) and Schnittke’s  Stille Nacht (1978) to be included into public repertoire.

The musicians will be performing together in the UK for the first time. They will be coming especially for this occasion from two different countries, Maxim from Germany, and Alexey from Belarus’, to immerse the Cambridge public into the world of rarely heard music.

TICKETS:
£20 full price;
£15 concessions (students, seniors, children over 12);
£10 (HALF PRICE) for CamRuSS members (on presentation of their valid CamRuSS card).
Children under 12 free.

You can book your tickets in advance by using one of the following options:

BANK transfer to the following account:
The Russian-Speaking Society
NATWEST Bank, Sort code: 60-11-30,  Account: 18120466
Ref: YOUR NAME and abbreviation RME (Russian Music in Exile)

If you wish to pay by cheque, please email events@camruss.com and we shall let you know the address where the cheque should be posted.

Alternatively, you can book your tickets by credit card via the online payment system.
(Please note that there is a processing fee of £0.99 added to the price of the tickets.)

Introductory tour, for those new to the area, organised by CamRuSS, and led by a professional Cambridge tourist guide, Tanya Yurasova

WHEN: Monday, 24th June, 14:00
MEETING POINT: Market Square, near the Guildhall,
Cambridge CB2 3NH.
DURATION: 1.5 hrs

With any queries please write to info@camruss.com or phone 0781 510 1481. (However, this phone will be switched off during the actual tour.)

Friday, 28th June, 7pm till late
The Boathouse, 14 Chesterton Rd, Cambridge CB4 3AX

Click here for the MAP.

Our traditional, romantic, high-spirited, moving, warm and uplifting “White Nights” party was a great success, in a new beautiful setting, by the river Cam.

We played the guitars and sang our favourite Russian, Ukrainian, English, and Spanish songs, ate, drank, socialised, laughed and felt happy!

Here are some photos of the “White Nights 2013”.

Comment:

Добрый день!
 
Сердечно благодарим за это замечательное тёплое мероприятие, которое случилось в пятницу, в Кембридже. Столько песен перепели… да как!!! Хорошая традиция намечается – встречаться летом, петь и общаться.
Рады были знакомству с вами всеми. Надеемся приехать скоро ещё. Зовите. )))
 
Всего доброго.
До скорой следующей встречи.
 
Рита и Алла (из Бишопс Стортфорда)
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От Марины Баррелл:

Огромное вам спасибо, ребята, за участие, за ваш неиссякаемый энтузиазм и преданность песне и музыке.

Мы  только “разошлись” по-настоящему во второй половине – долго раскачиваемся! Наташа, спасибо за смелость первого исполнения, да ещё какого! У вас такой необыкновенный голос! Ира, твой высокохудожественный свист всегда имеет успех! Как тебе только удаётся – на любом “инструменте”!

Потом уже и англичане – посетители – подхватили; я думала струны на моей гитаре порвут. ))) А некоторые вскакивали со своих мест, чтобы увидеть, кто поёт такие зажигательные, знакомые им, русские песни. Аня, это была хорошя идея – начать с самых популярных, а потом уж – для души, как Мила хотела, ну и под конец – застольные. Тут уж Антон был неподражаем! По-моему, ты почти готов к сольному  концерту! ))) Конечно, трудно угодить всем вкусам, но, по-моему, у нас выявилась определённая специализация по жанру. Хорошо, что Бранко может подыграть любому, хоть и поёт только по-македонски.

Призы были хоть небольшие, но надеюсь, вам пригодятся.
Персонал был очень терпелив и рад в итоге. Разрешили столы сдвинуть и даже музыку свою выключили для нас. А дежурный менеджер оказался студентом из АРУ и захотел русский изучать у меня! Мир тесен! Они приглашали в следующий  раз проводить в их “function room”, чтобы нам никто не мешал. Правда, на улице было бы лучше – при хорошей погоде. В следующий раз будем заказывать погоду за месяц вперёд! )))