Alexander Arkhangelsky.

Gennady Avramenko

Alexander Arkhangelsky: “I am not from intellectual family»

He is best known as the host of the analytical program Meantime. However, analyzing the life of the country, he prefers to leave his own behind the scenes.

- Alexander Nikolaevich, maybe you just don’t consider your personal history to be so significant on a national scale?
- Who knows. Preserving almost anonymity in our time is worth a lot. There is just a feeling that people are bargaining for the most expensive in order to be present in the secondary. This is what you don't want to do. Sometimes I pull out something, some absolutely intimate things. For example, I have a book "1962" addressed to my son, and there I describe partly invented, partly true, rather intimate biographical facts: about my mother, family stories. But I do it very carefully. At a time when everything is for the public and for sale, a person should have something of his own.

- Nevertheless, your opinion is considered authoritative, you are often approached for comments on both political and historical issues. That's why it's interesting to know more about you. I am from your short biography concluded that you somehow immediately decided on your future destiny. After school, you chose the Faculty of Russian Language and Literature, and after that your career began to gradually develop in this direction. Probably, this is a special talent - to find yourself like that right away?
- Prishvin has a wonderful expression: you need to find a neck collar. I was lucky: I found it almost immediately. At school, I excelled in all subjects related to literature. And very quickly I quit doing mathematics, which at first went well for me. Not because I didn't have the ability, but because I can't do what I'm not interested in. I am interested in working with words. And whatever I do, everything, one way or another, is connected with it. Both television and literature. The area where I could realize myself more is, perhaps, business. But I'm not interested. Not because I don't like money. (I am not against money, but they should be in their place in life.) But because I know for sure that then I will not be a happy person, or at least I will not be satisfied with my fate. Make me rich, but take away what I'm interested in - I don't need it.

- Such a love for literature - should it be brought up somehow? Did you grow up in a reading family?
- No. I was alone with my mother, she was not married, she worked as a typist on the radio. Mom's parents died very early, and she raised me with my great-grandmother, her grandmother, who lived to a ripe old age. She worked as a primary school teacher. That is, we had an ordinary Soviet family. I grew up on the outskirts of Moscow, "life on the roadside." But at some point in my life I was incredibly lucky. I went to the Palace of Pioneers to enroll in a drawing circle. And along the way, by chance, for the company, he also signed up for a literary circle. As befits a teenager, I wrote absolutely graphomaniac poetry, but I didn’t read books. And there in the Palace of Pioneers was a woman who actually made me literary man. Zinaida Nikolaevna Novlyanskaya - thank God, she is alive and well. She was a young psychologist and actually gave us a whole range of examples. What is worth one fact that the work in the Palace of Pioneers is a salary of 17 rubles for one group. That is, she did it definitely not for money, but for something more important. And so she led us, and not making us, thank God, writers, it was not a hotbed of future creators. But it was an aesthetic education, when a person enters the world of literature and some inner worlds open up in him, which have been closed until now. And there I realized that I was in absolutely my environment. At school, I did not develop relationships with classmates, we did not have spiritual and mental intimacy. And with those guys whom I met in a circle in 1976, we still communicate. I remember our friendly processions after the circle from the Lenin Hills along the embankment, and from the Petrovsky Monastery to the Park of Culture, when our poor parents were tearing their hair out, because it never occurred to any of us to take a “kopeck piece” and call them. As the middle daughter told me: “Of course you didn’t have mobile phones but there were messengers. No, we didn't have messengers either. (Laughs.)

What works did you grow up with?
- As a poet, I died on Pasternak. They say that the greatness of a writer is measured by how much he slowed down the development of literature and how many writers he killed. So Pasternak ruined me. I went into it with my head. Another luck was my meeting with the great reader (there was such a profession then, and people went to concerts where actors read poetry and prose) Dmitry Nikolaevich Zhuravlev. He had manuscripts given to him by Pasternak. Can you imagine what it is? To see how he wrote, this flying handwriting, what options he selected. Pasternak did not cross out the words, but sealed them with pieces of paper so that he could bend them back and see what the previous one was. So I grew up on Pasternak, then Pushkin opened up for me at the institute, and all world literature followed him. In this sense, I am omnivorous.

— Today you constantly do reviews of published books. How do you choose the works to be read from the mass of those in print?
“There are two questions in one. I am as a reader and I am as a columnist. As a reviewer, I'm obligated to pick up new releases that are either about to come out or have just arrived. They must be very different. But as a reader, I do something completely different. If we are talking about a paper book, then I buy them, as a rule, twice a year. I take a big bag, go to the Moscow Book Fair, type it, then lay it out in piles, take whatever comes on top, and read. It went - I continue, it didn’t work - I put it off. Since I stopped doing literary criticism, my relationship with literature has become much better: I don't have to finish reading. This is a great advantage: after all, there is a completely crap - and it's a pity to waste time on it. And so it can be any literature - plot, non-plot, intellectual, detective, translated, native, postmodern, realistic.

Do you still prefer paper books?
- Differently. I have several readers. I travel a lot, and you can actually load an entire library into it and take it with you. It's comfortable. A paper book is an aesthetic feeling. But it is not a condition for the existence of literature, it is only one of its accidental forms. And since I'm already used to it, why on earth should I refuse this pleasure?

How big is your library?
- Three thousand books - all the world classics from ancient Eastern and ancient to momentary. She is right in chronological order, by last name. At some point, I limited myself to the rule: one brought in - one taken out. I leave only those books that I will re-read. Therefore, I refused to build a second row of shelves, so that I would not be tempted to endlessly layer them on top of each other. Books that stand in two rows are already dead. But, apparently, I will have to deviate from my principle, because now the volumes are already beginning to nest on my floor.

- There was a House of Pioneers, a literary circle ... And then after the Pedagogical Institute you decided not to become a teacher, but to take up literature?
- Honestly, why did I go to the pedagogical one? My mother did not have the opportunity to pay for my preparation for the university. In exams, I would be guaranteed to fail at least the language, and most likely not only it. And I didn’t want to join the army at all: it was 1979, when only a few months remained before Afghanistan. Therefore, I went to the pedagogical one, as the least risky: firstly, boys are needed there, and secondly, there is a smaller competition. But I never intended to be a teacher. I don't like school at all, I don't like to obey. And already in my first year, I went to work at the Palace of Pioneers, that is, I had a work book open from the age of 18, as the head of a circle of literature. Please note that in our time, after the institute, there was also distribution. But since I did not want to go to school to work, I simply forged a medical certificate that, due to asthma, I could not teach. I impudently attributed something there, and they left me behind. Although they could have planted, of course. (Laughs.)

And then the magazines started?
- Radio first. After the Palace of Pioneers, where, I repeat, I worked for 17 rubles a month (for comparison, the student scholarship was 40 rubles), for the first and last time in my life I got a job on the radio. Mom, who worked in the children's editorial office, went to pray for me, and I got a job. But in vain I went there. It was a flight Soviet power, and I managed to catch all the charm of that time. Therefore, when they tell me that under the Soviet regime there was high culture- I know for sure that this is bullshit. Aunts of retirement age sat on the radio, and my chief editor had been working there since 1953, that is, since the death of Stalin. And she produced programs for children until Gorbachev came. Nine months later, I fled from there, and then they took me to the Friendship of Peoples magazine, and perestroika began. At the age of 24, I became a senior editor and I remember well how I came home to my wife (and I was already married by that time) and told her: “You can congratulate me, I reached the peak of my career.” Because it was clear that if I did not join the party (and this was not part of my plans), then this was the ceiling. Then I had several ways, none of which suited me. The first is dissidents. But I did not want to be a dissident, I deeply respect them, but not mine. The second is to leave. Don't want. Why? And third, sleep. Better. Fortunately, it passed, because then everything broke down. And then - the magazine was fun. We have just published "Children of the Arbat", all these vicissitudes with the republics have begun. It was the "friendship of peoples". I spent half of my term on business trips - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan. In Kazakhstan in 1986 I saw the first performance of youth with national slogans. I felt how everything is changing, what history is made of. It was an incredible opportunity, and fortunately I took it.

- You are very attentive to political processes, as befits a caring father of many children. Intelligence reported that you have four children ...
- Yes. I will not name anyone, I do not know if they will be satisfied. These are children from two marriages, and they grew up almost mixed up. The eldest is 25, he graduated from the Mechanics and Mathematics, but he defended himself in linguistics, now he already teaches at the Higher School of Economics. The middle one studied at the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University, and is now finishing her master's degree at the Higher School of Economics in political history. Works at a news agency. The middle daughter is still in school, she is 14 from day to day, and the youngest this year is 11. Who they will be and where they want to live is their business. Which collar fits, that one will be put on. My mother did not put pressure on me in choosing a profession, and I will not put pressure on them.

By the way, about the place of residence. You spend a lot of time in France. your favorite foreign country?
— My dearly beloved country is Switzerland, where I worked in the 90s. Those were happy months, I had summer trimesters. I received a Swiss salary for three months and lived here for the rest of the year. And this, by the way, also gave me the opportunity to teach - I was a professor at the Moscow Conservatory in the humanities department. It was my best contract in my life, where it was written that I had the right to be absent one third school year in connection with the extensive concert activity. (Laughs) And now - yes, I spend some time in France. It happened. I am a southerner by my mother and, according to some medical indicators, I sometimes have to sit somewhere for short climatic periods. Here in France I sit them out. And since housing there is cheaper than in Moscow, any person receiving a white salary can afford to take out a loan and buy a not very expensive apartment there. I don't mean Paris.

— But on foreign languages You do not speak?
- No. Unfortunately, I have no talent for languages. But my children all speak very well and laugh at me. But it's very nice, because you understand that the children have surpassed you.

“Then, can you tell us about their mothers, too?”
Julia was my first wife. She is engaged in activities close to the church. The second, Maria, works as a journalist. We live in the Arbat area. Again, we were fabulously lucky: at one time we took the risk of taking a loan and bought an apartment in the center at a price that is hard to believe today.

- You walk along the Arbat, probably, when you are free.
- I have not been able to walk or play sports in the last year and a half. Which is very bad. I hope that when I scatter my plans, at least I will return to sports. And so I plan to fly away for ten days every two months, switch off and work for myself. Moscow is too dense a city. It’s good to go to work here, but it’s absolutely impossible to write and invent something. Therefore, it is better to condense, process for a while, but then withdraw into yourself.

You turned 50 last year. Significant date. Do you think your main work has already been written or is still ahead?
- This question is incorrectly worded. Many people ask themselves this question, but it does not have an answer. I hope that each of my next book will be better than the previous one, that each documentary film I make will be better than the previous one. The Lord gave me the opportunity to try myself in one direction, but in different forms. And live with my heroes, whether they be cinematic or literary, some other number of lives. I just do my job and I don't care if I get paid for it, if it fails, or how long it takes. The process is important. Someone asks: are you satisfied or happy? When the book comes out, I'm happy. And when I write it, I'm rather happy.

A well-known TV presenter, he believes that television cannot talk about God directly, because in essence it is entertainment; that the modern world is too disconnected, which is why the Internet appeared - to keep connections; he writes literature textbooks for high school because I am sure that our nation is united by nothing but the Russian language. Alexander ARKHANGELSKY is a representative of modern intellectuals who are not associated only with "kitchen riots" in individual apartments, but should be able to think and defend their point of view in any, even the most severe conditions.

So that life is not de-energized

— You wrote the book “1962. Epistle to Timothy ”, where, in the form of an address to your son, talk about the roots and interweaving of personal and world history. Today, more and more people are trying to recreate their ancestry, hanging yellowed photographs of their ancestors on the wall ... Where does this desire to find the roots come from?

- When young children do not have enough vitamins, they instinctively begin to eat chalk, ashes, leaves. Today, at the same time, a huge number of people have a feeling of broken ties. For some, these are the connections of the closest circle, and in order to restore them, people go to Odnoklassniki, and for others, they have connections in when their own discontinuity in time is acutely felt. And our social organism urgently needs vitamins.

- Why didn't our parents feel the "discontinuity in time"?

- They lived denser, participated together in everything: from everyday life to some political actions. I'm not saying it's good or bad, but that's how it was. We live apart. Moreover, it has accelerated historical time. Everything around is changing rapidly: technology, language norms, social experience. From the rapid changes of reality, we are blown apart, torn to pieces. Between different generations now not, but the absence of ligaments.

Conflict is a normal thing when people collide within the same space - shoulders, foreheads, and then either reconcile or declare war on each other. It's scary to slip next to each other without being able to catch on. We have entered a world where the most difficult thing is to prove the reality of the existence of the simplest things: such as memory, continuity, they have turned into an abstraction. And, apparently, this is why a huge number of people have an almost physiological feeling that without restoring at least an imaginary root system, we will be blown apart and completely torn apart.

Everything you are talking about is due to technical progress?

— Technical discoveries follow our internal problems. Today we live in a world that is losing its sense of boundaries, geographical and political, and with it historical ones. If our parents were more like farmers, then our children and we are more like nomads.

Having become nomads, we have not lost the instinct of farmers and want us to have an ancestral memory. We want to return to our homeland all the time, and not just move from one point to another. We want to change habitats, but always keep in touch. From my point of view, the Internet appeared because the world began to change.

In our too torn world, everything that connects is in demand. And this applies equally to technical discoveries, and to literary works. Everyone suddenly began to write about the historical code, because they feel: the wires have been torn out of the wall and the ends have not been brought together, and they need to be closed again, otherwise life is de-energized.

- Rather, he did not lead, but let him down. He posed questions to them, the answers to which are not in his works. And people came to the Church for answers. But he tried to lead. And in those works where he led, he lost. Won - in novels in which he opened the world to readers with access to eternal spheres.

The writer generally raises questions better than gives answers. Although the answers also have the right to be. But not on the forehead: this is not a recipe, not a road map. When a writer gives answers, he should be a little bit ironic towards himself. As soon as he loses this irony, he becomes an impostor, putting himself at best in the place of a priest, at worst in the place of the Lord God.

Weaving words

- You once said that your profession is a writer. Does this kind of activity exist today?

- A writer is a person who makes a living by weaving words, who knows how to build words into sentences that make sense. It is generally accepted that a writer is a writer who writes fictional books, thinking high, not exchanging for trifles. Although in the history of Russian literature I hardly know such personalities. Each of our writers had to deal with the same magazine chores. A writer is a profession, and a writer is a vocation. The main thing is to clearly understand what you are doing at the moment, and not to be confused: journalism, that is, you convince people of something, you impose your opinion on them, or journalism, you talk about the opinions of others. Or you write about other people from inside their minds, like a writer.

- A further way- from literary criticism to journalism - how logical was it for you?

— For starters, I presented myself in the academic world. Very early he published his first philological book about The Bronze Horseman, it was even well received. But I knew I was hitting my own ceiling here. Therefore, it was interesting to try myself in a new capacity. I started doing literary criticism. In parallel, in the nineties, I went to Geneva every two years to give lecture courses. In 1998, it was again necessary to look for work. And I went to the Izvestia newspaper. In two years, he went from correspondent to deputy editor-in-chief, without missing a single step.

Then the opportunity arose to try himself again on television. (I already had a little experience before that: in 1992-1993 I led a program about contemporary writers- "Against the stream"). And then came the proposal from the channel "Culture" - to save someone else's project, the TV magazine "Meanwhile". If I had known then what it was like to remake other people's projects, I would not have gone. For a year and a half I had a feeling of indelible shame. Well, here already zealous leapt up, it became interesting to replay the situation. Now the question is: what's next? A person cannot work all his life on television, shine in the frame, this is wrong. But I don't know the answer to this question yet.

- Your video blog on the RIA Novosti website is also called Against the Current ...

- In RIA Novosti, I can speak political topics, which are inappropriate on the channel "Culture". In addition, it is interesting for me to try not so much myself, but right in front of my eyes the emerging genre of multimedia column. And here it is clear that you will not be the best, but you will be the first, and this is very interesting.

- Why do the guests argue in the Meantime program, discussing issues of concern to everyone, because truth is not born in their disputes anyway?

“Our task is not to present the truth, but to show the complexity of the world in which we live and act, so that there are no illusions that there are simple solutions. And we must also teach people to make meaningful choices responsibly. The guests I invite are the people who made it. We see that each position has its own logic, but you still have to choose. Moreover, I believe that there are problems in our society that are unsolvable today. But then it is necessary to show their unsolvability. Sometimes it is useful to show the potential danger of some kind of social ideological clash. Let it be better within the framework of the program, as on a small experimental site, that we see how opinions disagree, than we will later experience it in real life.

- It is difficult for an Orthodox person to work on television, does publicity interfere?

- That is, were you tempted by fame? I hope no. And you can “work out” your fame - meet people, give lectures. Yes, television is a rather difficult environment. And who told us that, say, the army is light? Is it easy to be Orthodox and an officer? As for responsibility, it is the same everywhere.

— Have you ever had to defend your Orthodox views on television?

- On television, my views are third-rate. I am a presenter, not a publicist. Another thing is that a certain part of the audience does not like the fact that I invite priests to the program all the time. But I want to show the world that there are smart, thinking priests involved in the process of modern life. I am like Orthodox person, I think that this is important, and I will do it, no matter what anyone tells me. As for my position as a publicist, I am afraid of substitution of theses. It scares me when secular people start preaching religious sermons in secular public places. I can't read sermons, no one blessed me for that. And I can’t hide the fact that I am Orthodox and my hierarchy of values ​​is just like that. But, I repeat, I hope that I do not read sermons.

- You once said that television cannot talk about God ...

— It can speak not about God, but about the people in whom God lives. Most religious broadcasts tend to be no good. And not only on Russian television. After all, it is everywhere to a greater extent - entertainment. I do not really understand how to talk about God through entertainment. Although everything in this life is possible, but as an exception, not as a rule. In principle, sermons from the screen are possible, but as a rule, this is frighteningly boring. And that's why I'm afraid of religious television.
— Previously, much was said about the fact that at least television unites the nation. Today, TV has become multi-channel, so we don’t have anything at all that unites us?

- It looks like it does. This is very clearly seen in false holidays. Under Soviet rule, there were holidays deeply alien to me, but internally motivated. Why November 7 is a holiday Soviet state? Because it is real or mythological, but on this day a state of workers and peasants was formed, with the Bolsheviks at the head. And then you can write whatever you like about November 7, hire strong directors who, like Romm, will shoot high-quality propaganda films. The myth works when the layman has an answer to the question: how this myth is connected with his own destiny. And today such myths are impossible.

November 4 is a holiday for the Church, but not for society as a whole, although what could be wrong with the Day of Civil Unity, which refers us to Minin and Pozharsky? But this holiday does not answer our question: how is it connected with our life today, with the fate of our children, with the state within which we live. Khotinenko can make at least 25 films "1612", they will not turn into the myth that Romm's films about November 7 have become, although Khotinenko is a good director. The task is not solvable. Nothing unites us mythologically, informationally, politically or culturally. Except for the Russian language, which is still our single language.

— Can the situation be changed?

- From my point of view, it is still possible. And there is an institution that is more important than television - a school. Almost everyone goes through it. There it is possible to form a general civil consciousness, all-Russian, in the broadest sense of the word. But all attempts to solve this problem through the education of patriotism are dangerous. Modern world in general, he does not use the word "patriotism", but the word "citizenship".

Patriotism is a state feeling, not a national one. In relation to the state, I am a citizen, this is my state, I live in it and manifest myself as a citizen, therefore, I am a patriot too. The national feeling is connected not with the state, but with my cultural self-determination in today's world. And today it is largely a choice of a person, not genes.

There is no common understanding national start for all time. For example, blood kinship before the Horde yoke is possible, but not after. If the Church had not said when the mixing with the occupiers began that now the main thing is language and faith, then perhaps the Russian ethnos would not have existed, it would have dissolved and disappeared into history. Today - kinship by cultural affiliation, by language, by the one whose history is more important to you. For example: I'm not ashamed Nazi Germany because I have nothing to do with her. And I am ashamed of the Stalinist Soviet Union, because this is the history of my Motherland.

So "Russian" for me in this case is an adjective, not a noun. And in this sense, it does not matter: you are a Chinese, a Jew, a Tatar or an Uzbek, the only thing that matters is that you speak Russian and consider the history of Russia to be your own. And either we somehow, like Munchausen, pull ourselves out of the swamp by the hair, realize that we have little historical time left, and set ourselves (and the school) the task of historical, civil unification of the Russian lands. Or - no one guaranteed us eternal existence in history.

REFERENCE

Alexander Nikolaevich ARKHANGELSKY - writer, literary critic, TV presenter, publicist. Born in 1962 in Moscow. In 1982 he graduated from the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute. Lenin, Faculty of Russian Language and Literature. Candidate of Philology. Since 2002 - author, presenter and head of information analytical program TV channel "Culture" "Meanwhile". Author and presenter of the series of documentaries "Memory Factories: Libraries of the World". Finalist of the TEFI television award (2005, 2006, 2009), laureate of the Moscow Union of Journalists award (2006). Author of many books, including: “1962. Epistle to Timothy”, “The price of cutting off”, etc.

Oksana GOLOVKO

“Arkhangelsky listened to those mysterious verbs
which resound in the human soul, overwhelmed by the waves of the sea of ​​life.
In his best works, he introduces us into the recesses of the soul of the suffering
and seeking humility in God."

Alexander Andreevich Arkhangelsky is an outstanding Russian spiritual composer and choir conductor. Although he lived for more than 20 years in the 20th century, he still remains a prominent representative of the St. composer school late XIX V.

In the works of Arkhangelsky, knowledge of the possibilities of combining individual voices and choral groups is manifested, polyphonic episodes are often found. Alexander Andreevich was one of the first Russian composers to interpret the chants of the Liturgy and all-night vigil as a single cycle, having harmonic and intonation connections. The melody of his compositions is close to everyday chants and folk songs. Arrangements of ancient chants are made in a strict diatonic style of harmony with limited dissonances. Some cycles were recommended by Arkhangelsk for parochial schools and religious educational institutions.

According to researchers, it will probably never be possible to draw up a complete “picture” of Alexander Andreevich’s life: unfortunately, part of the Arkhangelsky archive was lost during the looting of his St. Petersburg apartment in 1924.

“I rarely had to meet people who so joyfully accepted life until the end of their days. Anyone who, like me, saw the tender light in the eyes of Alexander Andreevich in the sad time of illness, will understand why he never ended a musical thought on the sad verse of the psalm, but always led it to a soothing resolution. Therefore, it does not seem to be an accident that Alexander Andreevich began many of his works with a simple and touching prayer: “Lord, I cry to Thee, hear me” ”(from the memoirs of contemporaries).

Alexander Andreevich Arkhangelsky was born on October 11 (23), 1846 in the village of Staroe Tezikovo, Narovchatsky district, Penza province, in the family of priest Andrei Ivanovich Arkhangelsky. Mother, Elizaveta Fedorovna, arranged home concerts at home in moments of rest. In addition to the younger Alexander, the family had two more children.

Peasant life and the sudden loss of his father from early childhood taught the future regent and composer to constant hard work. In childhood, and began to manifest main interest Alexandra - to music.

Alexander's mother and uncle Vasily Ivanovich took care of Alexander's preparation for entering the theological school. At the age of ten, the boy entered the Krasnoslobodsk Theological School. By the end of the first year of study, Bishop Varlaam (Uspensky) of Penza and Saransk arrived at the school. The singing abilities of young Alexander attracted the attention of Vladyka - in the fall of 1859, the talented young man was immediately transferred to the II class of the Penza provincial religious school and enrolled him as a singer-soloist in the bishop's choir. And after the successful completion of the school in 1862, Arkhangelsky was transferred to the Penza Theological Seminary.

Arkhangelsky quickly acquired the necessary professional skills and at the age of sixteen successfully replaced the ill regent, but, despite this, he acutely felt a lack of knowledge. In order to fill in the gaps, he actively educated himself and spent his modest earnings on lessons in music theory, composition and harmony; studied violin with an accompanist for seven years opera house Rubinovich. At the same time, he met Nikolai Mikhailovich Potulov, a well-known Penza musical figure and composer of sacred music.

Upon completion of the course, Alexander worked as a director of the bishops' choir and a singing teacher at the seminary, organized concerts of choral music in the Penza music club, tried his hand at composition and still dreamed of continuing his education. Later, in a letter to his friend Eduard Frantsevich Napravnik 3, he wrote: “Ever since the time of studying at the seminary, I made it necessary for myself to receive a higher education, no matter what. I don't know why but this desire and the belief that every young person should graduate from higher educational institution just haunted me..."

In the summer of 1870, at the age of 24, the young regent went to St. Petersburg and in the autumn of the same year became a volunteer in the surgical department of the Military Medical Academy. But he did not forget about music, while simultaneously accumulating and deepening his musical and professional knowledge. He took private lessons in piano and solo singing. Arkhangelsky believed that the regent-conductor should sing professionally himself, know the rules for staging the voice, so as not to "spoil" the voices of the singers. Not having studied even a year at the Medical Academy, Alexander Arkhangelsky moved to the Technological Institute. But even here he realized that such a life did not correspond to his spiritual interests and physical capabilities. And then the 26-year-old student filed a petition with the director of the Singing Chapel, Nikolai Ivanovich Bakhmetev, to take an external exam for the title of choir director. After receiving a high-level certificate, Arkhangelsky got a job as regent of the Sapper Battalion, then the Horse Guards Regiment, and finally the Court Stable Church. Due to difficult material conditions, the regency had to be combined with public service accountant at the Control Chamber of the Ministry of Railways.

Since the mid 1870s. Arkhangelsky thought about organizing his own choir. Thanks to the help of his fellow countryman, the Minister of Railways F. Neronov, in 1880 Arkhangelsky created his own choir of 16 people 4, and three years later his first public performance took place, which immediately attracted attention. -mania of the public and musical figures.

In 1885, Alexander Andreevich embodied a long-conceived decision - he made changes in the choir, replacing the boys with a female staff, which was an innovation in the practice of performing choral works. This made it possible to have a permanent composition of the choir and reach the heights of performing skills.

Since the beginning concert activity the choir are connected with Arkhangelsky's successes as a composer. Spiritual compositions occupied a significant place in his work. Researchers of his life path note that he, along with such authors as Dmitry Bortnyansky, Alexei Lvov, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, took a "major step forward" towards creating his own Russian original church music. The spiritual works of Arkhangelsky (and this is the main thing in his work - about a hundred) were distinguished by a high professional level. The first works of the composer were published in 1887. These were prayer chants: “Diligent to the Mother of God” and “Quench the disease” (arrangements of the tunes of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra), as well as two “Graces of the World”. The composer treated the texts of church hymns with the greatest respect, not allowing himself to rearrange words or repeat them. Almost at the same time, a number of other works appeared: “The Liturgy of John Chrysostom”, “The Grace of the World” (No. 3, 4, 5), “The All-Night Vigil” (it was an arrangement of everyday tunes for eight voices), Services of the Triodion, requiem services, etc. By 1904, Arkhangelsky was already the author of many spiritual works (in addition to those named): eight Cherubic, eight "Grace of the World", 16 hymns (instead of sacramental verses). The composer often addressed his spiritual compositions to parochial schools, where the opportunities for performance were more modest. Also noteworthy is his "Requiem Liturgy 5", which at the time of printing was the only Liturgy of a requiem character.

The choir, under the direction of Alexander Andreevich, became more and more famous in the church and secular circles of St. Petersburg. He was invited to lead the united choirs of several hundred people, to concerts arranged on solemn occasions. The repertoire of the Arkhangelsk Choir included works by Russian and foreign classics. But it was spiritual music that found its listeners more often than any other. The reviews noted: "Master church singing and a great connoisseur of church music, A.A. Arkhangelsky and on the concert stage gave church chants a special splendor and that inner solemnity that is characteristic of Russian church singing ... We followed with particular interest the performance of the first half of the program, which included church chants.

The concert activity of the Arkhangelsk Choir has become a bright page in the history of world musical art. The best samples of chants Orthodox Church were open to the general public. Thanks to his talent and organizational skills, Arkhangelsky led the choir for 43 years - a unique phenomenon in the history of Russian art. Alexander Andreevich paid much attention to the regents of church choirs, helping them to expand and enrich their repertoire.

The Arkhangelsky Choir made trips both in Russia and abroad, its popularity was extraordinary. Alexander Andreevich was called the best choral conductor peace. From the reviews of that time you can read: “Mr. Arkhangelsky not only serious musician, but also a wonderful connoisseur of the cause, which he serves with love and rare energy ... All of Russia loves to pray to the music of A.A. Arkhangelsk".

Through his efforts, the first Church Singing Charitable Society was created in St. Petersburg, whose task was to provide assistance (medical and financial) to choir singers (not only their own choir) during illness, disability and old-age pensions. This work to unite the singing forces in Russia was then the impetus for the convening of the First All-Russian Congress of Regents in 1908. And the St. Penza, Chernigov, Rostov, Saratov. For the organization of charitable societies, Emperor Nicholas II bestowed the Order of St. Vladimir IV degree on Arkhangelsk. And as an outstanding choral conductor in 1908, he was awarded a gift with a monogram image of "The Highest Name of His Imperial Majesty."

Revolutionary events Alexander Andreevich accepted as Orthodox Christian- with humility, sharing the sorrowful fate of his people. In 1918, the composer's small estate in the Kostroma village of Kalikino was plundered. The "people's" government announced that the musician was deprived of the rights to his property. The repertoire of the choir was now approved by the People's Commissariat of Education, expelling all Orthodox music, and the choir itself was renamed the State Choir. In spite of everything, Arkhangelsky continued to work in the winter of 1921, during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Arkhangelsky's choral activity, he - the first of the choir conductors - was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Republic.

But the title did not help Alexander Andreevich to survive. His letter dated 1922 to a friend Alexei Vasilyevich Kastorsky 6 in Penza has been preserved: “Under difficult circumstances, I am writing to you, my dear Alexei Vasilyevich; in addition to all the troubles that have befallen the intelligentsia, I and we have a famine in the future. I can’t go to my estate, because everything there has already been plundered by the “comrades”, and I don’t know where to lay my head for the coming summer. And so I decided to go to my homeland ... Can I somehow get a job in Penza or in some village? ..

I can't say anything special about my life in Petrograd; my choir (in a reduced composition) is functioning, but everything around me is so burdensome ... But what should I do? The devastation is complete and general ... "

In connection with the renaming of the St. Petersburg Court Singing Chapel into the State Academic Chapel, the existence of two state choirs, Arkhangelsky was offered to organize the State Chapel in Moscow. However, Arkhangelsky refused this offer, citing illness and advanced age.

In 1923, through Alexander Grechaninov, the composer received an invitation to work in Prague. Together with his wife Pelageya Andreevna, he moved to Czechoslovakia. Here Alexander Andreevich successfully worked with the All-Student Russian Choir 7 . The rehearsals of the newly created team were interrupted due to the illness of the leader. In the summer of 1924, Arkhangelsky was invited to Italy for treatment. Feeling better, he returned to Prague. At the same time, the consequences of the October Revolution in his homeland left a heavy mark on the soul of the composer. On November 16, 1924, he scheduled another rehearsal of the choir, but an hour before it began, the heart of the great composer stopped forever...

In October 1925, the ashes of Alexander Andreevich, in accordance with his expressed will, were transported by his wife to Leningrad, and there, after the conciliarly performed funeral Liturgy in the Kazan Cathedral, while singing the "former" choir of the beloved regent of Russia, he was buried at Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The words are inscribed on the tombstone: "Give me, O God, my prayer."

Every year, on the day of the death of Arkhangelsky, the All-Student Choir (which later became named after A.A. Arkhangelsky Choir) participated in services in the Church of the Assumption Holy Mother of God at the Olshansky cemetery, where a memorial service was held for the great choral conductor and the head of the All-Student Russian Choir and all the deceased members of the choir. After the death of Arkhangelsky, the board of the choir found it possible to invite Professor of the Petrograd Conservatory Alexander Grigoryevich Chesnokov, brother famous composer and regent Pavel Chesnokov. Being fired from the conservatory "for unknown reasons", Alexander Chesnokov accepted the choir's offer.

and gave his word "to use all his efforts and abilities so that this choir is the best among organizations of its kind." Chesnokov noted that “ musical work among foreign Russian students ... the task is not only respectful, but also has deep meaning for the future of our country." But, in the end, the choir began to gradually decline and in 1935 was finally disbanded.

The creation of a Russian music publishing house in Prague, which began under Alexander Arkhangelsky and continued under Chesnokov, was a special event, since the need for Russian music was great. Arkhangelsky has long been moving towards the idea of ​​the need to look for a way out of the situation of "musical hunger". The few publishing houses abroad published practically nothing in the field of choral music. The little that existed on the foreign music market was completely inaccessible to most Russian choirs abroad because of the high cost.

First of all, the music publishing house organized by the choir sought to produce sheet music at the lowest price, without pursuing any commercial goals. The music publishing house decided to issue notes by the so-called "mechanical light painting", which, with the clarity and clarity of the musical and verbal text, significantly reduced the cost of printing.

First of all, the spiritual works of Arkhangelsky were published, as well as adaptations of Russian folk songs. Over the next few years, more than forty scores and more than a thousand individual voice parts were published. The music library contained about two thousand titles of sacred music.

In addition to a music publishing house, the choir organized a music copy bureau, whose task was to supply Russian choirs with notes of secular and church music, transcribed by hand from printed scores. As an official institution of the choir, the music correspondence office contributed to the fight against the increasing irresponsible and often anonymous correspondence of music at that time, which often led to incredible distortions of the original melodies. The catalogs of ecclesiastical and secular music available at the disposal of the music correspondence bureau, with a price approved by the choir, were sent immediately upon request.

Arkhangelsky and his choir played one of the key roles in the development of modern Russian choral culture. His activities contributed a lot not only to the creation of a wide network choirs throughout the country and the promotion of the best examples of choral literature, but also the emergence of new works by Russian composers designed for the “choral standard” created by the Arkhangelsk. It is largely thanks to the many years of efforts of the “first regent of Russia” that today we can hear the “Liturgy” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the “Vespers” by Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov, the choirs of Viktor Sergeyevich Kalinnikov, Ivan Sergeyevich Taneyev and, of course, Alexander Andreevich Arkhangelsky himself.

Natalia Kuzina, leader of the Tallinn choir "Rainbow", described the work of Alexander Andreevich Arkhangelsky in the following words: " musical language Arkhangelsky is natural, as human speech is natural and expressive. His compositions are distinguished by unusual softness, clarity, warmth in music, and prayerfulness.

According to the observation of one of Alexander Arkhangelsky's contemporaries, “the worshiper is fascinated not only by the beauty of voice leading, but, most importantly, under the influence of Arkhangelsky's music, he lights up with an even stronger religious feeling. The reason for this influence lies in the deep religious feeling of the author himself...” 8 .

The basis of the legacy of Alexander the Arkhangelsk is the transcriptions of Church use. He wrote two original Liturgies, up to 50 small compositions, including 8 "Cherubic" songs, 8 hymns "Grace of the World", 16 hymns used during worship instead of communion verses. He also wrote two Vespers, in which common musical roots. The first one is transcriptions of Greek, Kievan and Znamenny chants. The second (better known to many church choirs) - free author's composition. Diverse musical means transmission of content: the rich variation and expressive melody of melodies, their transition from voice to voice create continuity of the melodic phrase and the diversity of the choral texture. One gets the impression that the hymns of the Vespers were written in one breath, at the behest of the heart - the word and music are so merged into one.

The composer's bright individuality and impeccable mastery of the composer's choral writing were also manifested in his compositions. large form, in many-private spiritual concerts. In them, Alexander Andreevich used rich techniques of expressiveness to convey the content of the text. In the roles of soloists, he sought to express all the subtlest shades of experience: deep spiritual reflections (“Inspire, O God, my prayer”), reconciliation with God, the inner renewal of a believer (“I think a terrible day”), the depth and fullness of spiritual joy -sti (“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel” - from the last part of the concert “Blessed is he who understands the poor and the poor”).

Alexander Arkhangelsky, whose biography contains two eras at once, is a well-known TV presenter, literary critic, writer and publicist. His opinion is considered authoritative in wide circles- from culture and education to politics.

Childhood

Arkhangelsky Alexander Nikolaevich was born in Moscow on April 27, 1962. His mother, Lyudmila Tikhonovna, divorced her father and raised her only son together with her great-grandmother who lived to a ripe old age. Mom worked as a typist on the radio, great-grandmother worked as a primary school teacher. Despite life in the simplest Soviet family, he early age decided on his future destiny. Alexander himself calls it "to find a collar around the neck", referring to the Russian writer M. Prishvin.

Find yourself

He found his “collar” quite quickly, in school years actively showed interest in subjects related to literature. A decisive role in his life was played by classes in a literary circle at the House of Pioneers, where Alexander made like-minded people and friends. The head of the circle, Zinaida Novlyanskaya, who brought up a real literary person in a simple schoolboy, had a huge influence on him. After graduating from school, he enters the Lenin Moscow Pedagogical Institute at the Faculty of Russian Language and Literature. There he received a Ph.D. in Philology, defending a dissertation dedicated to the poet and writer A. S. Pushkin.

Job

Despite studying at the Pedagogical Institute, the career of a teacher did not attract the future writer. While studying in his first year, Alexander got a job at the Palace of Pioneers as the head of a literary circle, where he worked for about 4 years. After that, there was an unloved job at the USSR State Radio and Television in the children's edition of Pioneer Dawn, from where he left after 9 months, guided, among other things, by the understanding that you need to do what you really like.

During the perestroika period, Alexander Arkhangelsky worked for the Friendship of Peoples magazine. Already at the age of 24, he held the position of editor-in-chief, spent a lot of time on the road and on business trips. The difficult political situation of that time allowed him to form his own point of view on history as a whole and understand what it consists of.

Then Alexander Arkhangelsky was invited as a scientific consultant to the journal Questions of Philosophy. Around the same time, he completed an internship at the University of Bremen and the Free University of Berlin. After that, as a visiting professor, he lectured at the University of Geneva and taught the history of culture at the Moscow State Conservatory. Tchaikovsky. He also worked as a columnist and deputy editor-in-chief of the Izvestia magazine and a columnist for the Profile magazine. Known for his articles in the magazines "Znamya", " New world”, as well as in Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Literaturnaya Gazeta, Literary Review. In the early 90s, Alexander Arkhangelsky began his work on television.

A television

His first television project became the author's TV show "Against the Current", aired on the RTR channel. Then he led the program "Chronograph". From 2002 to this day, he has been the author, presenter and head of the information and analytical TV show "Meanwhile" on the channel "Culture". The telecast is dedicated to the main cultural, economic and political events in the format of an informational and analytical review. It was this project that brought him victory in the IV All-Russian competition media workers and the repeated TEFI award.

Since 2007, Alexander Arkhangelsky has been a member of the Academy of Russian Television. Later, in 2013, by presidential decree, he was awarded the Order of Friendship "For great merits in the development of domestic television and radio broadcasting, culture and many years of fruitful work."

The authorship of Alexander Arkhangelsky belongs to a series of interesting documentaries "Memory Factory: The World's Largest Libraries" on the "Culture" channel. The project tells about the most significant libraries on four continents, their history and place in the modern world.

Also under his leadership were filmed documentaries: "Intelligent. Vissarion Belinsky", "Exile. Alexander Herzen”, “Idealist. Vladimir Korolenko", "Department", "Heat".

Literary activity

Since 1991, Alexander has been awarded membership in the Russian Writers' Union. He is the author of over a dozen books. Among them dedicated to creativity A. S. Pushkin: “A. S. Pushkin’s poetic story “The Bronze Horseman”” (1990), “Pushkin’s Heroes. Essays on literary characterology” (1999). There are literary-critical and popular science works: “At the front door” (1991), “Conversations about Russian literature. Late 18th - first half of the 19th century" (1999). dedicated Russian emperor the book "Alexander I" was reprinted several times and translated into several languages.

Selected articles by Alexander Arkhangelsky published in different time in the journal "Izvestia", were included in the collection books "Political Correction" (2001) and "Humanitarian Policy" (2006). Weekly columns from the RIA-Novosti website became the basis of the work "Terrible FOSHYsty and terrible Jews" (2008), which is called the chronicle of modernity. And the conversations within the walls of the television studio lay on the pages of Alexander Arkhangelsky's book "Meanwhile" (2009)

Lyrical story “1962. The Epistle to Timothy”, addressed to his son, brought Alexander Arkhangelsky the prize “For the best book written by a journalist in 2007”. And the novel "Museum of the Revolution" - a victory in the competition "Book of the Year - 2013".

Family

Alexander Arkhangelsky (see photo in the article) lives in a marriage, brings up four children - two daughters and two sons from different wives.

His first wife is Julia. Her work is related to church activities. Two children remained from this union - son Timothy and daughter Liza. Now Timofey is 25 years old, he is a teacher high school economy. Liza is 22 years old, after graduating from the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University, she is studying for a master's degree and works in a news agency.

Alexander's current wife, Maria, is a journalist by profession. Their daughter Sophia is 14 years old, and their son Tikhon is 2 years old. With all the children, Alexander developed a good trusting relationship, despite the severity of their upbringing. According to him, the choice of occupation, future profession, religions should be made by the child himself without pressure from the parents, so that they independently find their "collar".

Religion

Religion occupies a special place in the life of Alexander. There were priests in his family, but with the change of generations, this connection was broken. In addition, life in a Soviet atheistic family left its mark. Alexander came to the church on his own after being fascinated by Eastern religion and philosophy. In 1981, already a student, he was baptized in the Church of the Prophet Elijah, where he often met people famous in the cultural and scientific environment at sacred liturgies. The theme of the search for God by the intelligentsia Soviet era reflected in the film by Alexander Arkhangelsky "Heat".

Basya GRINBERG

In the TV show “In the meantime”, he reflects on the high, that is, on culture and education. On the "Echo of Moscow" - descends to the sinful earth, analyzing political events. He is a pundit, as evidenced by the corresponding degree, and the father of four children.

In the TV show “In the meantime”, he reflects on the high, that is, on culture and education. On the "Echo of Moscow" - descends to the sinful earth, analyzing political events. He is a pundit, as evidenced by the corresponding degree, and the father of four children. - Alexander, how old are you? - Forty four. - At forty-four you are doing science, writing textbooks and books, broadcasting radio and television… How do you manage to keep up everywhere? - Strictly speaking, I am no longer engaged in science. You have to either do it all the time or not do it at all. I have certain academic skills that come in handy in life, that's all. But you are right, I defended my dissertation at the philological faculty in Pedagogical Institute named after Lenin and taught for quite a long time, almost twenty years. First, in the same Leninsky, then at the conservatory in the humanities department ... But I never made money by teaching. Except, of course, for the period when he lectured in the West, at the University of Geneva. I taught the history of Russian civilization there. - So you sacrificed science for the sake of journalism? - No no. There are scientists by vocation. I've never been like that though. Even when he was engaged in scientific activities, it could rather be called enlightenment. And today I have a column in Izvestia, in the Profil magazine, in RIA-Novosti, a weekly TV show Meantime on the Kultura channel, and once a week broadcast on the Ekho Moskvy radio station. If I didn’t need money at all, I would probably refuse something superfluous, but not from public lectures, I would continue to do this even for free. Although I get quite well for my lectures in the regions. - Do the regions value science so much that they are ready to pay decently for it? - Firstly, there is money in the regions, and secondly, intellectual interest is not satisfied. At least among young businessmen. Both social and cultural topics are in demand. - Your program on the channel "Culture" ("In the meantime") is designed for what kind of audience? - The spectator changed with us. I think that today our audience is the traditional intelligentsia, moreover, older than forty. In addition, young businessmen. And students began to watch us. That is, we work for educated people. Serious people working in the financial sector are also our audience. - But still, people of respectable age watch the program to a greater extent? - I think two-thirds for sure. But this is the channel. You know, Mikhail Shvydkoy once said: “The Kultura channel is watched by old communists and young rightists.” - Why, then, are practically all the invited guests, as a rule, over sixty? - Firstly, not for everyone; for the most part from forty to fifty - you can count yourself. Second, imagine that a young expert comes into the studio. In two cases out of three, he simply has nothing to say yet. By the way, we live in a country where even a broadcast of such a narrowly focused TV channel as Kultura has an audience of a million viewers. What is a million viewers? It's ten stadiums. And in general, judging the transfer by age is not entirely correct. Chat with Yuri Petrovich Lyubimov, who was born on September 30, 1917. The October Revolution has not yet taken place, but it has already come into being! A clear, bright mind, and what difference does it make how old he is? - On TV you have a program about culture, and on radio - about politics. Do you have such diverse knowledge? - Can you imagine how it is possible to engage in culture and not engage in politics? You can be involved in politics and not be involved in culture, but not vice versa. - Well, what is closer to you? “Life itself is closer to me, that is, everything that surrounds us: both culture and politics. * * * - Alexander, you are a happy father of four children. In our time, this is akin to a feat. - In my opinion, children are very good. They don't just take, they give. In addition, I earn enough, and my problems with money do not go to any comparison with what the average Russian experiences in this regard. I am raising two boys and two girls: Timofey is 19 this year, Lisa is 16, Sophia is 7, and Tikhon is 4 years old. Two in each marriage. - Are you able to spend enough time with them? - Just don't expect parental groans from me: they say, I would like to pay as much attention to children as possible and so on. You know, there was such a wonderful Soviet teacher Simon Soloveichik. So he had the following formula: the light breaking through under the door of his father's office brings up better than all the lectures in the world. Therefore, I believe that my lifestyle brings up my children better than if I lectured them. I have trust a good relationship with all children. - The leading TV channel "Culture" probably also has cultural leisure? - Nothing elitist, just like everyone else. I sometimes go to the cinema with my children. Tomorrow, for example, I will go to the dacha with my middle daughter, and tomorrow my eldest son will pass the exam at the institute and join us. Let's take a walk, eat okroshka, and at night we'll go back. - Are you a strict father? - Rather, yes. I believe that parents should feel authority in the eyes of their children. When I spoke at the graduation party of my eldest son, I thanked the teachers for not interfering with my work. I checked the diary no more than three times in all 11 years of my son's education. I think that children should have a request for information, for education. If children see how parents read books, and family guests in conversations quote from good works, - the same is deposited on the subcortex and forms a vital attitude. My son is studying at the Mekhmat, and there, I tell you, there are no drugs at all. Children study there simple families, what well. After all, where there is extra money, nothing good happens. Yes, and the school in which Timofey studied was the most ordinary. After all, what is the most important thing in school? Good atmosphere, children should adapt to society. They live here, in Russia, and therefore the habitat should be normal - one in which they will then have to exist, and not an elitist one. Well, of course, in the tenth and eleventh grades, education must be increased by private teachers… - Alexander, you live not far from Stary Arbat. Was your childhood there? - Not really. I bought this apartment not so long ago, but I was born in Sokolniki. He lived in Matveevka, then near the metro station Planernaya, Oktyabrskoye Pole, Barrikadnaya ... It's good to live in the center. I work late, and when I have to go home, I don't have to worry about spending a lot of time on the road. - Who are your parents? - My mother's name is Lyudmila Tikhonovna, she raised me alone. I separated from my father when I was very young. Mom worked as a radio typist in the same building where the Kultura TV channel is now located. By the way, I remember this place also because the editorial office of the Pionerskaya Zorka of the Soviet children's radio where I started my career. It was terrible. - And why is that? - I'm always ready to compromise, but there is a limit to everything. I was simply sick of the very way the program was produced, of some kind of false drum-pioneer enthusiasm, of the fact that people had been working in the editorial office since the 50s, and no one could remove them. Imagine, on the table of the editor-in-chief there was a list of writers, opposite each surname there was an epithet that could only be used in relation to him. For example, Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich is a genius, Tolstoy Lev Nikolayevich is a great one, and so on. I worked there for only nine months, I could not stand it and quit. But, as you can see, he didn’t completely leave the radio ... * * * - Alexander, and in your close-knit family, some traditions have been preserved - for example, New Year meet together or celebrate birthdays. - The New Year is not always successful. After all, my two older children meet him with their mother, that is, with my first wife. As for birthdays… You know, for five years now I’ve been celebrating mine on business trips. - Okay, but what about national Jewish traditions? - I'll disappoint you: I'm not a Jew. My appearance is in Greek relatives from my mother. True, the Greek blood in me is only one-eighth. But my second wife - yes, there is Jewish roots. Her grandfather's surname is Bronstein... True, I managed to suffer for the great Jewish people. I remember when I came to enter the graduate school of the Lenin Pedagogical Institute, the head of the department looked at me carefully and said: “It’s better for you not to do it.” I was surprised: "Why?" She thought for a moment and answered: “Therefore…” - But, judging by the program “In the meantime”, you also have to communicate with representatives of, as you say, the great Jewish people at work. - Of course, this is an intellectual transmission. Jews throughout history have defined their identity through the intellect. Intelligence cannot be lost, it is something that always stays with you. In the intellectual spheres, almost all representatives of this particular nationality. They have one side analytical warehouse mind, and on the other - emotionality. - Have you been to Israel? - Yes. Well, what can I say - a great, fantastic country. By the way, I studied a little the history of Palestine, read the descriptions of travelers of the 19th century. Of course, what can be seen in Israel today is not at all like pictures from the life of the past. Today it is a green, inhabited country... Jewish quarters are easy to distinguish from Arab ones by the presence of greenery and the absence of dirt. It's strange, it seems to be the same historical roots and natural and geographical conditions, but life is completely different. As far as politics, I think Jews are ruined by stubbornness. The last twenty years on the political scene are just a continuous series of mistakes. It was necessary to negotiate with the Arabs earlier: to give even more autonomy than they wanted in the 70s, or not to give anything later. History cannot show weakness. And what is happening now is very big mistake. I'm afraid the case may end with the loss of East Jerusalem. But this may be followed by the destruction of Israel. I hope it doesn't come to that... * * * - Are there taboo topics in your TV show? - Certainly. I will never discuss the corporation where I work, I will not talk about the television activities of my colleagues. That's when I finish doing television, then please. You cannot be a judge of those with whom you work on the same field. - What about taboo topics in politics? - I think I will not discuss the personality of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. I still work for state channel and I have certain limitations. And in general, his personality is not very interesting to me - the difference from the activity. As for politics in general, everything that happens after October 25, 2003, I consider a mistake. Khodorkovsky was detained that day, and no matter how anyone treats this businessman, it was his arrest that led to a chain of consequences that, from my point of view, lead us to a dead end. You see, when Putin speaks about adoption in his message to the Federal Assembly, I support him, but when he uses the word “democracy” only twice, and then with a negative connotation, I strongly oppose it. And I am sure that this is not the future for the country where my children live.