One benefit of being a rich, successful and mature pop singer is not having to put on airs.
So when Rod Stewart arrived Saturday afternoon at Sheremetyevo Airport, he was obviously enjoying the attention shown to him on his first visit to Russia while making it clear that he had not done his homework on the country and was none too concerned about his lack of knowledge.
"I don't know any Russian musicians, no Russian footballers, no one," said Stewart, 52, looking tanned and fit in a brown leather jacket with leopard-patterned lining and obligatory superstar sunglasses. "I have no expectations ... I'm here to learn."
Hopefully he was a quick learner, because his Moscow tour lasted just three days, with a pair of concerts Sunday and Monday at the Kremlin Palace.
One thing Stewart has in common with the Russians is soccer. Hours before the Russians were to play Italy in their World Cup qualifying playoff in Naples, the rock star said he was rooting for the Russians. "If Russia beats the Italians, we'll have a good time tonight," he said.
But the thought of what sort of party there might have been in Moscow after a Russian win wasn't the only reason the Russian team was Stewart's choice. Although he's lived in Los Angeles since 1975 "for warmth and for tax reasons," he still supports British soccer and thinks Scotland and England would have had an easier time at next summer's World Cup finals without the Italians.
When not watching soccer in Moscow, Stewart was playing it. "I like to have a workout now and then," he said.
In a friendly soccer game Sunday afternoon outside Luzhniki Stadium, Stewart's side faced a group of Russian musicians known as Starko.
Nadia Solovyeva of SAV Entertainment said, "Stewart's team won, but I don't know if he scored any goals."
On performing at the Kremlin, Stewart described the locale as "awe-inspiring." While it's hard to imagine a veteran artist being awed by a concert, Stewart certainly was appreciated by the crowd. At Sunday's concert he formed a mambo line with three backup singers that weaved through the crowd during "We're Having a Party."
Though the venue was not full to capacity, which was not surprising considering the cheapest tickets cost 150,000 rubles, the fans present appreciated the greatest-hits concert, holding up lighters and green, fluorescent necklaces for the romantic "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?"
Though American Tanner Johnson, 20, complained, "I wish I had spent my money on a ticket to Whitesnake instead," Mike DeBolt, 26, also from the United States, said, "At least I recognized most of the songs."
Champion Chef Showcase
Swedish chef Morgan Bralin had a confession to make.
"I like to eat pelmeni," he said.
Bralin, 26, who works at the Scandinavia restaurant, explained his weakness for the Russian dumplings by saying, "they're unlike anything we have in Sweden."
Bralin was caught in action Friday at the All-Russia Exhibition Center for the Equip'Hotel Moscow '97 trade show where he took a bronze in the "six main-course" competition with dishes like his "Saddle of Reindeer, Parmaham Larded Pommes Carre, Cloudberries and Ginger Marmalade served with Game Sauce."
Among the chefs from other well-known Moscow eateries who put their best batter forward for a chance to work in England during the three-day exhibition were American Douglas Page of the Utopia and Pirate restaurants and Italian Antonio Baratto from Sirena.
Amelia Headlam, who hails from London and works in Moscow for ITE exhibition organizers, said the number of chefs in the fair rose from 30 in 1996 to more than 60 this year.
"The Russian chefs had never seen anything like this before," Headlam said. "Many came last year, saying, 'We're scared, we came to take a look, and we'll do it next year.'"
Victoria Shipley, 21, appeared as cool as a cucumber in her role as demonstration chef at the exhibition after winning a young-chefs competition in England.
The Birmingham-area chef was chosen among 18 competitors for her written submission on Russian cuisine, but she concluded that in England, "You've got a basic knowledge of Russian cooking, but it's sort of like you have one picture, but when you come here it's totally different," she said, explaining that the way Russian chefs make Beef Stroganoff differs from the British version.
Santa's Slavic Workshop
Any artist appreciates a captive audience, and more than 75 Russian artists who showed their arts and crafts to 1,500 visitors at the fourth annual Holiday Harvest Charity Craft Fair last Wednesday were able to mesmerize the shoppers.
The artists presented traditional ceramics, lacquer boxes, quilts, wooden matrioshki, carvings of Russian babushkas, hand-made toys and burned-wood dishes and vases.
Kellen Hatch and Cheryl Akright, co-chairs of the American Women's Organization committee that staged the fair at the Radisson Slavjanskaya Hotel, said it was the group's largest event of the year.
Akright stressed the fair's international character. "It really does bring together people from different countries, not just from America -- and the Russians are getting involved, too," she said.
Osaka, Japan, native Akiko Uemura was spotted getting into the Christmas spirit, having picked up a Santa Claus tree ornament, a Santa Claus blanket and Santa Claus cards for her family.
Uemura said she and her husband, Kenji, who works at the Japanese Embassy, would remain in Moscow for Christmas. "Christmas is a Christian holiday, but we still celebrate it as a time to be with families," she said.
One of the most popular items at the fair were hand-carved, painted toys of Timofei Dyemchenko, which harkened back to Christmases past in their quality craftsmanship and renditions of horses, soldiers, kings and queens.
Music to Children's Ears
A performance by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra last Wednesday was music to the ears of the concert-goers at the Moscow Conservatory, as well to the disabled Russian children who will benefit from the charity concert. Organized by Ronald McDonald Children's Charities, the concert in the ornate Great Hall featured compositions by Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Glinka and showcased the skills of 15-year-old pianist Alina Korshunova.
Marc Winer, charity president and chairman of McDonald's Russia, said the event raised $125,000 for Moscow's Ronald McDonald Center, which provides recreational facilities for 2,000 disabled children each year. U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, who Winer said has been honorary chairwoman of the charity since it started in Moscow, sent a letter of support to the organization.
Among the more than 1,000 guests in the pastel-yellow Great Hall with its columns, portraits of celebrated composers and magnificent organ, sat Caleb Heyhoe, a Toronto lawyer serving on his first international posting with Baker & McKenzie.
A lover of Tchaikovsky, Heyhoe said he and his wife, Amy, are no strangers to the Great Hall, attending concerts quite often.
Heyhoe was struck by the contrast between the venues for the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony, which plays in the very modern, steel and glass Roy Thompson Hall.
Underground Fashion
What with temperatures falling and the sun showing no sign of making an extended appearance, residents of Moscow have one thing in mind: bundling up in increasing layers of clothing.
Not coincidentally, there have been an increasing number of fashion shows held in the capital as of late. Sunday evening saw British designer Alexander McQueen parade his Givenchy 1997-98 Autumn-Winter collection in a most unusual setting: a Moscow metro depot.
Hundreds of guests first gathered at Mayakovskaya metro station before being whisked off to an end-of-the-line train depot and a show for the Paris couture house Givenchy.
Under the watchful eye of police and metro officials and champagne-sipping guests, 20 male and female models stalked the catwalk, showing off McQueen's creations.
For those who failed to get their fill of fashion and champagne Sunday, a week of fashion from Nov. 25 to 30 should prove attractive. Featuring the works of both Russian and foreign designers, the show at the Rossiya Concert Hall includes Igor Chapurin, Irina Krutikova, Guy Laroche and Jean-Louis Scherrer.
Chechnya Book Discussion
Moscow Times reporter and first-time author, Carlotta Gall, will discuss a book she co-authored with former Moscow Times reporter Thomas de Waal at the Anglia British Bookshop next Thursday, Nov. 20.
Gall will sign copies of "Chechnya: A Small Victorious War" at 5:30 p.m. and conduct a slide presentation at 7 p.m. The book, which Gall said is selling well and receiving positive reviews in Britain, should be available for purchase at Anglia, 2/3 Khlebny Pereulok.
So when Rod Stewart arrived Saturday afternoon at Sheremetyevo Airport, he was obviously enjoying the attention shown to him on his first visit to Russia while making it clear that he had not done his homework on the country and was none too concerned about his lack of knowledge.
"I don't know any Russian musicians, no Russian footballers, no one," said Stewart, 52, looking tanned and fit in a brown leather jacket with leopard-patterned lining and obligatory superstar sunglasses. "I have no expectations ... I'm here to learn."
Hopefully he was a quick learner, because his Moscow tour lasted just three days, with a pair of concerts Sunday and Monday at the Kremlin Palace.
One thing Stewart has in common with the Russians is soccer. Hours before the Russians were to play Italy in their World Cup qualifying playoff in Naples, the rock star said he was rooting for the Russians. "If Russia beats the Italians, we'll have a good time tonight," he said.
But the thought of what sort of party there might have been in Moscow after a Russian win wasn't the only reason the Russian team was Stewart's choice. Although he's lived in Los Angeles since 1975 "for warmth and for tax reasons," he still supports British soccer and thinks Scotland and England would have had an easier time at next summer's World Cup finals without the Italians.
When not watching soccer in Moscow, Stewart was playing it. "I like to have a workout now and then," he said.
In a friendly soccer game Sunday afternoon outside Luzhniki Stadium, Stewart's side faced a group of Russian musicians known as Starko.
Nadia Solovyeva of SAV Entertainment said, "Stewart's team won, but I don't know if he scored any goals."
On performing at the Kremlin, Stewart described the locale as "awe-inspiring." While it's hard to imagine a veteran artist being awed by a concert, Stewart certainly was appreciated by the crowd. At Sunday's concert he formed a mambo line with three backup singers that weaved through the crowd during "We're Having a Party."
Though the venue was not full to capacity, which was not surprising considering the cheapest tickets cost 150,000 rubles, the fans present appreciated the greatest-hits concert, holding up lighters and green, fluorescent necklaces for the romantic "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?"
Though American Tanner Johnson, 20, complained, "I wish I had spent my money on a ticket to Whitesnake instead," Mike DeBolt, 26, also from the United States, said, "At least I recognized most of the songs."
Champion Chef Showcase
Swedish chef Morgan Bralin had a confession to make.
"I like to eat pelmeni," he said.
Bralin, 26, who works at the Scandinavia restaurant, explained his weakness for the Russian dumplings by saying, "they're unlike anything we have in Sweden."
Bralin was caught in action Friday at the All-Russia Exhibition Center for the Equip'Hotel Moscow '97 trade show where he took a bronze in the "six main-course" competition with dishes like his "Saddle of Reindeer, Parmaham Larded Pommes Carre, Cloudberries and Ginger Marmalade served with Game Sauce."
Among the chefs from other well-known Moscow eateries who put their best batter forward for a chance to work in England during the three-day exhibition were American Douglas Page of the Utopia and Pirate restaurants and Italian Antonio Baratto from Sirena.
Amelia Headlam, who hails from London and works in Moscow for ITE exhibition organizers, said the number of chefs in the fair rose from 30 in 1996 to more than 60 this year.
"The Russian chefs had never seen anything like this before," Headlam said. "Many came last year, saying, 'We're scared, we came to take a look, and we'll do it next year.'"
Victoria Shipley, 21, appeared as cool as a cucumber in her role as demonstration chef at the exhibition after winning a young-chefs competition in England.
The Birmingham-area chef was chosen among 18 competitors for her written submission on Russian cuisine, but she concluded that in England, "You've got a basic knowledge of Russian cooking, but it's sort of like you have one picture, but when you come here it's totally different," she said, explaining that the way Russian chefs make Beef Stroganoff differs from the British version.
Santa's Slavic Workshop
Any artist appreciates a captive audience, and more than 75 Russian artists who showed their arts and crafts to 1,500 visitors at the fourth annual Holiday Harvest Charity Craft Fair last Wednesday were able to mesmerize the shoppers.
The artists presented traditional ceramics, lacquer boxes, quilts, wooden matrioshki, carvings of Russian babushkas, hand-made toys and burned-wood dishes and vases.
Kellen Hatch and Cheryl Akright, co-chairs of the American Women's Organization committee that staged the fair at the Radisson Slavjanskaya Hotel, said it was the group's largest event of the year.
Akright stressed the fair's international character. "It really does bring together people from different countries, not just from America -- and the Russians are getting involved, too," she said.
Osaka, Japan, native Akiko Uemura was spotted getting into the Christmas spirit, having picked up a Santa Claus tree ornament, a Santa Claus blanket and Santa Claus cards for her family.
Uemura said she and her husband, Kenji, who works at the Japanese Embassy, would remain in Moscow for Christmas. "Christmas is a Christian holiday, but we still celebrate it as a time to be with families," she said.
One of the most popular items at the fair were hand-carved, painted toys of Timofei Dyemchenko, which harkened back to Christmases past in their quality craftsmanship and renditions of horses, soldiers, kings and queens.
Music to Children's Ears
A performance by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra last Wednesday was music to the ears of the concert-goers at the Moscow Conservatory, as well to the disabled Russian children who will benefit from the charity concert. Organized by Ronald McDonald Children's Charities, the concert in the ornate Great Hall featured compositions by Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Glinka and showcased the skills of 15-year-old pianist Alina Korshunova.
Marc Winer, charity president and chairman of McDonald's Russia, said the event raised $125,000 for Moscow's Ronald McDonald Center, which provides recreational facilities for 2,000 disabled children each year. U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, who Winer said has been honorary chairwoman of the charity since it started in Moscow, sent a letter of support to the organization.
Among the more than 1,000 guests in the pastel-yellow Great Hall with its columns, portraits of celebrated composers and magnificent organ, sat Caleb Heyhoe, a Toronto lawyer serving on his first international posting with Baker & McKenzie.
A lover of Tchaikovsky, Heyhoe said he and his wife, Amy, are no strangers to the Great Hall, attending concerts quite often.
Heyhoe was struck by the contrast between the venues for the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony, which plays in the very modern, steel and glass Roy Thompson Hall.
Underground Fashion
What with temperatures falling and the sun showing no sign of making an extended appearance, residents of Moscow have one thing in mind: bundling up in increasing layers of clothing.
Not coincidentally, there have been an increasing number of fashion shows held in the capital as of late. Sunday evening saw British designer Alexander McQueen parade his Givenchy 1997-98 Autumn-Winter collection in a most unusual setting: a Moscow metro depot.
Hundreds of guests first gathered at Mayakovskaya metro station before being whisked off to an end-of-the-line train depot and a show for the Paris couture house Givenchy.
Under the watchful eye of police and metro officials and champagne-sipping guests, 20 male and female models stalked the catwalk, showing off McQueen's creations.
For those who failed to get their fill of fashion and champagne Sunday, a week of fashion from Nov. 25 to 30 should prove attractive. Featuring the works of both Russian and foreign designers, the show at the Rossiya Concert Hall includes Igor Chapurin, Irina Krutikova, Guy Laroche and Jean-Louis Scherrer.
Chechnya Book Discussion
Moscow Times reporter and first-time author, Carlotta Gall, will discuss a book she co-authored with former Moscow Times reporter Thomas de Waal at the Anglia British Bookshop next Thursday, Nov. 20.
Gall will sign copies of "Chechnya: A Small Victorious War" at 5:30 p.m. and conduct a slide presentation at 7 p.m. The book, which Gall said is selling well and receiving positive reviews in Britain, should be available for purchase at Anglia, 2/3 Khlebny Pereulok.
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