90 V i s i t www.theculturalexperience.com C a l l 0345 475 1815 Cross Periods XXX XXX NATASHAS DANCE A CULTURAL TOUR OF RUSSIA ESSENTIALS Return flights from London, train fares, 4 star hotels, buffet breakfast, lunches, 3-course dinner with drinks each evening, all entrance fees and expert guide throughout. Tour price: £4750 Single supplement: £475 Deposit: £350 Price without flights: £4500 This tour take us on a wondrous journey through Russia’s rich cultural history, visiting the homes, palaces, estates and museums of the country’s greatest writers, poets and artists. The title of the tour comes from the eponymous book written by your guide, Orlando Figes, in which he provides a richly evocative exploration of Russia, its culture, people, and the often contradictory impulses and shared sensibilities that have given rise to one of the world's most dazzling cultures. We will stay in: St Petersburg, the former home of the Tsars, with its grand palaces in a variety of architectural styles; Moscow, the centre of Russian politics and its modern capital, where we will meet some of the country’s most famous and controversial writers and have the opportunity to experience the world renowned Bolshoi theatre; and Tula, a town that has long been at the centre of production, from Samovars in the 18th century to armaments during the Great Patriotic War. This tour provides a smorgasbord of art and culture in one of the world’s most enigmatic and generally fascinating countries. Professor Figes will discuss its influence on the wider world and analyse the effect that it has had on ffect that it has had on ff its people and their relationship with the imperial and political hierarchy. The importance and influence of Russian art and culture cannot be overstated. Its great writers have produced some of the most famous works in literature: Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ and ‘Anna Karenina’; Dostoevsky’s ‘Crime and Punishment’; and Turgenev’s ‘Fathers and Sons’; not forgetting Chekov, Pushkin and Gorky, gaining an insight to their professionalandpersonallives.Thecharacters we meet on this tour are considered to be at the forefront of a number of movements including Socialist Realism, Modernism and Satire, with a number of them cutting quite controversial figures, especially during the Soviet era. However, it’s not just literature we will indulge in. In a number of Russia’s largest and most important galleries we will admire Russian art through the centuries from classical painting to Russian Avant-Garde and Sovietart.Russiahasalsobeenattheforefront of classical music, producing composers such as Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, ff, ff and of ballet, with the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theatres producing the likes of Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky. Day 1 – Arrival. Fly London to St Petersburg and check in to our hotel for four nights. This evening your guide will give an introductory lecture before a welcome dinner. 12 – 21 September 2019 12 – 21 September 2019 12 – 21 September 2019 12 – 21 September 2019 12 – 21 September 2019 12 – 21 September 2019 12 – 21 September 2019 12 – 21 September 2019 12 – 21 September 2019 10 days with Prof Orlando Figes with Prof Orlando Figes with Prof Orlando Figes Activity Level 2 Activity Level 2 Activity Level 2 Day 2 – The Winter Palace. We spend a full day in the Hermitage Museum, the main building of which is the Winter Palace, the former residence of the Russian Monarchy. Founded by Catherine the Great, embellished by each of her successors, and then massively enriched by Bolshevik confiscations and Red Army seizures in conquered Germany. The collection not only displays a history of Russian art but is incredibly varied, ranging from Greek antiquities to post-impressionist masterpieces. Equally impressive are the lavishly decorated State Rooms, testament to the incredible wealth and extravagant tastes of the Tsars. Day 3 – Pushkin and Dostoevsky. Today is dedicated to two of Russia’s most celebrated writers. First, we visit the former home of Dostoevsky who has become one of Russia’s most highly regarded writers. His novella ‘Notes from Underground’ is considered to be one of the first works of existentialist literature. The museum looks at both his works and turbulent life which included Siberian exile and a gambling addiction. We then head to the former home of Alexander Pushkin widely regarded as Russia’s greatest Poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. His most notable work is the play, Boris Godunov, which took over 30 years to