Culture

Taganka again on the stage of the Cultural Centre “Mir”

On 30 April, the triumphant return of the Taganka Theater artists to the stage of the Cultural Centre took place. 60 years ago, for the theater actors, our city became a place of power, where they were loved at first sight and forever.

Yury Petrovich Lyubimov, recalling our city in the 1960s, stated that "even with some restrictions of the first department of the Institute, spiritual life in Dubna was then very busy. It distinguished Dubna from other cities. That was the specificity of Dubna."

The Cultural Centre remembers this story, remembers the young Vysotsky and the brave Lyubimov, remembers how science and art spoke the same language - the language of truth and talent. And today, after many years, a bridge was erected between the past and the future and our city of scientists met the artists with a full house, saying to them, "Welcome back!"

This evening, filled with music and impressions, the leading artists performed famous songs from the performances of the Taganka Theater. The Vocal and Instrumental Ensemble "Kama" collected all the brightest musical moments from the productions: from folk songs to hits of the 2000s. "The songs were performed live, with crushing energy and in a collaboration of musical genres. The audience literally felt the atmosphere of several performances at once and transferred to the world of emotions captured in musical moments," is said in one of the reviews of the Ensemble's concerts.

This is not just a concert or performance. This is a return to the roots, a return of the legend to where it all began. At one time, our stage became native to the Taganka Theater. After the premiere in Dubna of the graduation course performance by Yury Petrovich Lyubimov "The good man from Sezuan" (1963), our Academicians Dmitry Ivanovich Blokhintsev and Georgy Nikolaevich Flerov signed letters to the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Ministry of Culture in support of establishing a theater. And our Institute has been a great friend of Taganka for fifteen years. The Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions even made sets for performances. Dubna, like no other city, was close to the theater and Vladimir Vysotsky. This love was mutual, divided.

That evening, there was a witness of that era in the hall, a student of Georgy Nikolaevich Flerov, FLNR Scientific Leader Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yuri Tsolakovich Oganessian that greeted the actors,

"Dear Taganka Theatre artists, dear guests! On behalf of JINR and all the residents of our small town present in the hall, we welcome you, glad to see you and want to tell you: whatever happens, Dubna's doors are always open. I remember when your predecessors performed “Tartuffe” on this stage. I stood in that corner and also congratulated them... You had courage, you had talent. And we are glad that everything that we have always associated with high theatrical art has gone to a new generation. And young people today are also not afraid to stage “Tartuffe” on the stage of the theater. That's great. Have a good path!"

Maria Matveeva, an actress of the Taganka Theater, Head of the VIE "Kama" group,

"This is not the first time our generation has come to Dubna, I believe that it is in the Cultural Centre “Mir” that we should create this very world through creativity and art. It is always wonderful when there is continuity and it is very valuable and joyful that we continue to be friends. God grant that this friendship will last forever. We have an absolutely wonderful programme Vysotsky LIVE that we presented to the Dubna public. I hope the audience responded to our work, our rethinking of these songs. We tried, we were very worried, rehearsed for a long time... It is amazing to go to the same hall of the Cultural Centre, on the legendary stage. When we arrived, we went backstage, we were shown photos and compositions of those years sounded. You know, I am friends with Veniamin Smekhov and we found the poem "The actors on Taganka have a peculiarity of posture..." that he redid about Dubna and we read it from the stage at the end of our performance."

Maxim Trofimchuk, an actor of the Taganka Theater:

"It is amazing and very exciting to come to Dubna, to the city, where Taganka actors were appreciated at one time. Always waited, appreciated, loved and it is still so. I am a young artist but even I have managed to play in a play that has gone on for 60 years, including on the stage of the Cultural Centre - "The good man from Sezuan". I happened to participate in this performance today, when we entered the Cultural Centre, photos from this production were shown on the screens. It's amazing that you are also familiar with all this but you see another, early, real version. And of course, it is a little alarming how today's audience looked at us when we sang the songs of V. S. Vysotsky in our vision. It was exhilarating and enjoyable because most likely the audience enjoyed it. VIA "Kama" is our group and we came up with a concert dedicated to the work of Vladimir Vysotsky but we redid his songs. We modernized, probably, this is a bad word because every time is modern. We let them through, putting our vision and our feelings into the songs with great respect and awe for the original."

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So, a new page has opened in the history of Dubna's friendship with the Taganka Theater. It was comeback night. The artists performed on our stage as then, back in 1963. Today, a new chapter of this amazing story has been written. We saw how science and art, the city of scientists and the theater of the 1960s found each other then and keep this dialogue today. I would like to believe that the stage of the Cultural Centre “Mir” will forever be a place where Taganka's actors want to return.

Member of the Union of Theater
Workers of the Russian Federation Eleanora YAMALEEVA,
Photos by Igor LAPENKO and Yulia SUBBOTINA

Congratulations to G. N. Flerov

Theatre staff, 1969

To Taganka artists

ГGalina MYALKOVSKAYA