Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Welcome to Post-Vommunist Russia






So I was dying to get out of the hospital on Thursday, since Thursday night was the ballet performance at the Mariinsky Theater. The performance we went to was a set of three one act ballets. The first was called "The Serenade" with music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (Serenade in C Major for String Orchestra, Op. 48), and this performance included a full stage of dancers. Watching the synchronized movements of the elegant ballerinas was amazing. The second performance was called "In the Night" with music by Chopin, and this ballet was my favorite of the three. The performance was divided into four different parts, with three different ballet couples who danced alone with each other and then all together in the fourth part. The music was beautiful and so was the dancing. The final performance was "Theme and Variations" with music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (final movement of Suite No. 3 for orchestra in G major). The costumes were so ornate and colorful in this ballet, which made it so much fun to watch. I was truly taken aback by the artistic talent of the dancers and musicians of the Mariinsky Company. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

On Friday (the final day of our trip), I went to the Church of Spilled Blood market where they sell matryoshka dolls, Faberge eggs, scarves, and other small trinkets. After the market, a few friends and I walked to the Hermitage Museum, which was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great as a palace. The Hermitage now holds over 3 millions pieces of art and has the largest painting selection in the world. The head of IES Berlin has visited the Hermitage over six times and has yet to see every room of the museum. Created in rococo style, the interior rooms of the palace were gorgeous with wooden inlay floors, intricate ceiling designs, and gold accents all around. I believe it is the most beautiful place that I have ever visited, and I am so happy that I was able to get back to health and visit it on my final day. I got to see the art of Henri Matisse, Kandinsky, Pissarro, Vincent van Gogh, Monet, and many others. It was a truly wonderful experience to say the least.

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