Russia: How ethno-businesses develop in Khakassia and elsewhere

In Khakassia and some other regions of Russia there are people who know how to monetize knowledge about their people’s culture, reports 19rus.info.

Ethno-business promotes native cultures, which are so precious in modern times. What’s more, it brings considerable income for owners of small and medium-sized businesses. This topic was raised yesterday in the program “Business Morning” on NTV. It highlighted several ethnic business projects.

For example, Alexander Taskinen created Altai Tea in Moscow. Here you can buy fresh spruce, cherry pancakes, honey, and tea from the Altai Mountains. First, the enterprising citizen bought goods from suppliers, and then he created his own supply.

Peter Kurpita founded the Center for Slavic Tradition. For over 17 years he has traveled the country, participating in fairs and giving memorable shows. In addition, he started producing traditional Russian drinks-kvass, sbitnya, etc.

Also mentioned was a business created on the basis of the culture and traditions of Khakassia. Timir and Mary Burchikova established family business, the idea of which arose three years ago with a mysterious image of a shaman. The drawing was digitized and transferred to clothes. And then, magic. The idea grew into a business and a brand, “Born in Siberia”. Now products from Khakassia — T-shirts, hoodies, leather accessories, etc. — are shipped to different parts of the world as far as Australia and America.

“Initially, this project was not conceived as a business. It was a creative process within the family, a search for design solutions at first for ourselves, and then everything went beyond our home and grew into a company. It is unthinkable to create a business on the basis of ethnicity with a soulless commercial approach. Culture requires a careful attitude, careful interpretation, and service. We strive to create a modern interpretation of ethnic symbols and images, without distorting or simulating the native culture of the republic. This is the basic principle for us. And the buyer feels all this, probably, so our business receives quite an enthusiastic positive response, both within Khakassia, and far beyond its limits.

We live in a very interesting time where business is being completely rethought, and the process of globalization and the interpenetration of cultures is being accelerated. We, in this regard, have the opportunity to move away from some of the usual business models — for example, not having our own production, but organizing this process from here and to there, controlling it at all stages and ensuring the quality of the final product.

Our monthly turnover is not half a million rubles. Although it is our goal for the near future, subject to the expansion of sales”, — said Timir Borchikov.

Translated from gumilev-center.ru (http://www.gumilev-center.ru/kak-razivaetsya-ehtnobiznes-na-primere-iz-khakasii-i-ne-tolko/)

Moldova: Prosecutor General explains the Big Brother bill

Discussion of the Big Brother bill continues in Moldova (written Jan 22, 2018. The bill provides law enforcement authorities with new powers in order to ensure information security and counter cybercrime. The Prosecutor General of the Republic of Moldova, Eduard Harunzhen, gave an exclusive interview to Digital.Report, in which he spoke about the stance of the bill’s authors and the relevance of the bill, as well as whether citizens should be afraid of unreasonable electronic surveillance and eavesdropping.

– How did the Big Brother bill appear in Moldova and what is its purpose? Does it, in your opinion, contain enough guarantees that the rights of citizens will be respected when implemented in practice?

“In Moldova, as in other countries, information technologies are actively being introduced into economic, social and other spheres of activity. And this process is accompanied by the development of a crime phenomenon, the spread of crime into cyberspace. In recent years, electronic information and computer networks have become much more frequently used for criminal purposes. Materials that could serve as evidence of this activity are stored and transmitted by criminals through these same networks.

In this regard, efforts to prevent and combat crime in cyberspace have become a priority in the process enforcing the rule of law. We can not ignore the current threats to information security or neglect the continuous process of developing and improving technology, not to mention the fact that the country is on the way to European integration and the development of standards for the rule of law.

In February 2009, the Moldovan Parliament approved a law that ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, adopted in Budapest on November 23, 2001. Thus, the country accepted the obligation to comply with international standards and recommendations in this area, as well as to improve national legislation. In this context, the Prosecutor General’s Office, together with the Ministry of the Interior, drafted Act No. 161, later called Big Brother. Its main purpose is to bring the Moldovan laws in line with the standards established by the Convention on Cybercrime.

This bill provides for electronic searches, interception of information data, and other similar measures that are applied in European countries and elsewhere. These measures are not considered as entailing any risk of violating privacy rights. Such interventions are permissible only if necessary, in circumstances strictly defined by the threats, for cases of the most serious crimes. Such actions are accompanied by guarantees of fundamental human rights and freedoms. These mechanisms are included in Big Brother.

The draft law was sent for examination to the Venice Commission and the Directorate General for Human Rights and the Rule of Law of the Council of Europe. In December 2016, they announced their findings. They noted that the provisions of the draft are appropriately tied to the provisions of other legislative procedures under consideration. In addition, the proposed amendments will improve Moldovan legislation and further promote the application of European standards.”

– To what extent is this legislative initiative relevant for Moldova, and will it allow law enforcement bodies and state security to more effectively counter cybercrimes?

“The proposed legislative changes are not only timely, but also necessary, and without delay. The development of information technology makes its adjustments to the activities and tasks of law enforcement agencies. Modern technologies bring us, benefits, and in parallel with this they create the possibility for the emergence and spread of cybercrimes.

The bill is designed to ensure effective investigation and disclosure of the most serious forms of crimes, including elements of organized transnational crime. Law enforcement authorities need to have the capacity to collect evidence in the information space, the capacity for seizure and storage. In addition, the modernization of the state through the development of the capabilities of authorized bodies to ensure information security is an integral part of the efforts for European integration. This law brings national laws in line with European standards, and also forms a general framework for international legal cooperation between states in the investigation of cybercrime.”

– Are there nevertheless, in your opinion, any risks of violation of the rights of internet users? Is it possible to adopt the bill in its current form or does it need some improvements?

“I would like to note that the initial draft has been finalized. Certain amendments were made to it, which led to the improvement of its provisions. The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe concluded that, essentially, these changes reflect the efforts of the Moldovan authorities to improve the provisions of the law so that its norms will become more precise and clear.

The need to promote the Big Brother draft law is obvious and, in my opinion, cannot be challenged. This was also mentioned at an international conference organized at the initiative of the Venice Commission last autumn in Chisinau.

It is very important for this project to guarantee the respect of citizens’ freedoms rights. And here I am referring not only to people suspected of or charged with committing criminal acts, for whom the provisions of this law may be applied. I also mean those who are victims of crimes done using IT technologies; they are often children. For some reason, in public discussions about the rights and freedoms of citizens, children are often forgotten, but their rights are also guaranteed by the Constitution and are protected by the state. In its ideal form, the bill must ensure the balance of these categories of values.”

– How do you feel about the position of a number of national experts and non-governmental organizations, which argue that the adoption of the bill in its present form will lead to abuse and violations of rights? Dissatisfaction was also expressed by representatives of business in the field of telecommunications, which will have to incur considerable costs and carry out additional measures for the technical support of the new requirements.

“Indeed, this draft law faces constant resistance. I will be honest and call things by their proper names. Resistance is felt, above all, by companies providing services in the electronic communications market, which were constantly invited to public consultations. I think this reaction is natural. After all, we are talking about a business that gains considerable material profits, and any restriction can affect these interests. This we can all understand.

The position expressed by some representatives of civil society, both in the media, and within the framework of interdepartmental meetings, to which they were invited for discussions, is less clear. Undoubtedly, in the process of developing, adopting and implementing laws, the involvement of civil society is democratic and correct. Their positions and voices are heard, but, unfortunately, not all proposals can be taken into consideration and implemented in practice.”

– According to the study of the Legal Resources Center, in Moldova, telephone conversations are listened to 38 times more often than in the UK. At the same time, it is concluded that the adoption of the law Big Brother will allow this to be done even more, increasing the risk of abuse and violation. What is your position on this matter? Is it warranted for the citizens of Moldova to fear unreasonable electronic surveillance and “wiretapping”?

“You refer to a study conducted and published by a representative of one of the non-governmental organizations on the situation with telephone tapping. The author of the study, in particular, compared the situation in Moldova with the situation in the UK. The situation in our republic is regarded as “particularly disturbing”. It is alleged that the proposed bill will worsen it even more.

First of all, I must say that these declarations have nothing to do with the bill under discussion. In the Republic of Moldova, as in all countries, the mechanism for listening to telephone conversations has long been one of the procedural measures regulated by law. Its purpose is to uncover crimes and bring criminals to responsibility. These actions are impossible without justified reasoning and can be carried out only in cases strictly prescribed by law.

The listening mechanism is a complex and technologically labor-intensive process that requires a lot of time, resources and personnel.

Thus, the law clearly prescribes that such actions are committed only when investigating grave, especially grave and extremely serious crimes. It would be more correct and professional if the author of the study studied the statistics of these categories of crimes committed in the territory of Moldova. The number of such crimes registered in the country is significant, and this occurs regardless of the will of law enforcement agencies. And they are obliged to use any lawful methods to uncover socially dangerous acts and protect citizens from crime.

Moreover, the listening mechanism is a complex and technologically labor-intensive process that requires a lot of time, resources and personnel. I want to assure you that no one in Moldova is listened in on just to listen. Society expects us to uncover crimes and bring those responsible to justice, and as long as this measure is applied in law enforcement and gives results, it will be used.

In addition, it seems to me somewhat inappropriate to compare the situation in Moldova with the situation in the UK — a country with a high level of security, including constant video monitoring. It is known that a resident of London gets into the lens of video cameras on average up to 300 times a day. Often cameras capture some quite intimate scenes from people’s lives, but this fact does not seem to bother the population. Public opinion polls in London show that citizens are able to tolerate it: in their opinion, this is better than being in the epicenter of tragic events.

In conclusion, I would like to note that each state, in ensuring national security, must independently assess the risks to which it is exposed, and create its own mechanisms to confront these risks.”

Translated from Digital Report (https://digital.report/generalnyiy-prokuror-moldovyi-segodnya-usiliya-po-borbe-s-kiberprestupnostyu-stali-prioritetom/)

Karol Szymanowski

Karol Szymanowski (Born on October 3, 1882 – Died on March 29, 1937 in Lausanne, Switzerland) was a Polish composer who is widely considered one of Poland’s greatest composers. He wrote in a modern, impressionistic style, and much of his music draws on Polish folk themes.

Biography

Karol Szymanowski ’s was born in Timoshovka, Ukraine (the Russian Empire), in 1882. His parents were Stanislaw and Anna Szymanowski . The family was wealthy, land-owning, Catholic, and patriotic towards Poland (then a part of the Russian Empire). Stanislaw had varied intellectual interests and played the piano and cello.

Szymanowski was the cousin of the future famous pianist and teacher Heinrich Neuhaus. He and Neuhaus were both related to Felix Blumenfeld, a future famous composer, pianist, and teacher.

Szymanowski suffered a leg injury early in life, which led him to adopt of a sedentary lifestyle and pushed him in the direction of studying music. Around 1889, Szymanowski began receiving piano lessons from his father. He stopped attending school. Beginning in 1892, Szymanowski attended the music school of Heinrich Neuhaus’s father, Gustav Neuhaus, in Elizavetgrad.

With inspiration and encouragement from both close and distant relatives, Szymanowski began composing at a young age. In 1901, Szymanowski went to Warsaw and studied music privately. He learned harmony from Zawirski and counterpoint and composition from Zygmunt Noskowski.

In 1904, Szymanowski went to Berlin. The next year, he founded the Young Polish Composers’ Publishing Company, which operated until 1912. He also joined the Society for Performing Contemporary Polish Music. Szymanowski returned to Timoshovka in 1914 due to World War 1.

During the war, he studied Islamic and ancient Greek culture. He wrote many pieces during this period in diverse styles, such as Love Songs of Hafiz and Myths. During the chaos of the Communist revolution, Szymanowski’s family lost their home and had to move to Elizavetgrad. Szymanowski put aside his musical acitivites for almost two years and wrote a novel, which was later lost in a fire.

After Poland became independent in 1918, Szymanowski began to produce more conservative music, often with Polish folk themes. He settled in Warsaw in 1919, and also traveled extensively, including visits to Paris, London, and the US. In 1922, he began visiting Zakopane, and it became a favorite destination and a continual source of inspiration for him.

In 1927, Szymanowski became the director of the Warsaw Conservatory. He held this post for four years. He was also invited to be the director of the Cairo Conservatory. He devoted himself to improving education in Poland, a task which absorbed his energies and decreased his creative output. In 1930, he resigned from the Warsaw Conservatory due to tuberculosis. He spent some time in a sanatorium in Davos, Switzerland. Here he wrote The Educational Role of Musical Culture in Society. He continued to compose and enjoyed great success. He spent much of his time abroad, and especially in Switzerland, where he passed away in 1937.

Musical Style and Legacy

Szymanowski is known as one of Poland’s greatest composers after Chopin. His music is often described as modern, lyrical, and impressionistic. Szymanowski drew inspiration from many composers throughout his life, including Chopin, Scriabin, Strauss, Debussy, Ravel, Reger, and others.

In his early music, Szymanowski was greatly influenced by Chopin, as well as German composers such as Strauss. His music sometimes tended towards atonality. During his middle phase, following Poland’s independence in 1918, he produced more conservative music and increasingly based his music on Polish folk themes and styles. In the latter part of his life, Szymanowski returned to a style more resembling his earlier works and less heavily based on folk music.

 

References

http://www.karolSzymanowski.pl/life/

http://pmc.usc.edu/composer/Szymanowski.html

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/karol-Szymanowski-mn0001191556/biography

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Karol-Szymanowski

http://culture.pl/en/artist/karol-Szymanowski

Article written by me for Lunyr

Russia: Mufti of Tatarstan opposes the bill against mandatory study of regional languages

The head of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Tatarstan, Kamil Hazrat Samigullin, spoke out in support of the petition against the draft law to forbid the mandatory study of regional languages in schools of the republics, as National Accent reports. He requested support for the petition in an open letter to the public, published on the website of the Board on May 23.

“In the Noble Qur’an it is said:” O people! Verily, We created you from a man and a woman and made you peoples and tribes so that you might know each other.”(49:13). This important verse points to the fact that the basis of relations between peoples is mutual knowledge, and also that each nation, by the will of the Most High, is endowed with its own national identity. Hence it becomes obvious: the native language is a trust, something that is given to us by Allah for careful and responsible safekeeping. In other words, if we lose a language, we are failing to fulfill the order of the Creator!”, Samigullin said.

The petition “No law against native languages” has won more than 34,000 votes as of May 23. Its authors ask Vladimir Putin not to allow the consideration of the bill against the mandatory study of national languages.

Translated from gumilev-center.ru

Russia: A bill with fines for VPNs and search engines has been passed

The bill imposes a fine of up to 300,000 rubles for a hosting provider or anonymizer’s failure to submit information about users to the government, and up to 700,000 rubles for search engine providing links to prohibited sites.

The Russian parliament returned to consideration of Bill No. 195449-7, which proposes to amend the Administrative Code on Fines for Search Engines and Circumvention Services for Failure to Comply with Federal Law 276-FZ, which prohibits services from providing Russians with the opportunity to bypass blocks, and prohibits search engines from providing links to banned resources.

So, for hosting providers or anonymizers failing to submit data on the owners of circumvention means for accessing forbidden sites, or information about the notification of the owners of the need to provide identification, an administrative fine is established: for citizens, from 10,000 to 30,000 rubles, and for legal entities, from 50,000 to 300,000 rubles.

For the issuance by search engines of links to prohibited sites, it is proposed to impose fines of 3,000 to 5,000 rubles for citizens, from 30,000 to 50,000 rubles for officials, and from 500,000 to 700,000 rubles for legal entities.

The authors of the initiative were MPs Maxim Kudryavtsev (United Russia), Nikolai Ryzhak (Just Russia), and Alexander Yushchenko (Communist Party of the Russian Federation). Last Fall, the bill passed its first reading in the State Duma. Now it has just passed its second reading.

The consideration of the bill took no more than five minutes for the deputies, and was passed without any discussions, which certainly raises questions, since two amendments were proposed to the document on the first reading, as reported by a member of the State Duma Committee for State Construction and Legislation, Z. Baiguskarov (United Russia). He also reminded the deputies that the bill is aimed at establishing responsibility for the failure to comply with the law on the regulation of search engines and VPNs. “The bill has passed legal and linguistic examinations,” the deputy noted. “The Committee recommends voting for the table of amendments and adopting the bill in the second reading.”

The bill was passed by the State Duma in the second reading, with 340 votes in favor and one against, with no abstentions.

Let us recall that the law on strict regulation of circumvention means came into force in November last year, but the authorities have hitherto not been in a hurry to proactively deal with search engines and VPN services, since there was still no procedure for compelling them to cooperate. According to the federal law 276-FZ, services that should block access to banned sites in Russia are determined by the FSB and other structures that conduct operational search activity (RDD).

Translated from RosKomSvoboda: https://roskomsvoboda.org/39092/

Mykola Leontovych

Mykola Dmytrovich Leontovych (Born on December 13, 1877 in Selevynzi, Ukraine – Died on January 25, 1921 in Markovka, Ukraine) was a Ukrainian composer who is especially known for his a capella choral works. He was and remains one of the most popular composers in Ukraine. His Christmas carol Shchedryk is globally very famous as the Carol of the Bells.

Biography

Mykola Leontovych was born in Selevynzi (modern-day Monastiryok), Ukraine, in 1877. He came from a priestly and musical family. Mykola’s mother, Mariya Yosypivna, was a singer. His father Dmytro Feofanovych Leontovych was a priest and a musician. His grandfather and great grandfather were also priests. Dmytro could sing and play many instruments. He also directed a school choir. Mykola’s first musical lessons came from his father. Mykola Leontovych grew up in the village of Shershni.

In 1888, Mykola Leontovych entered the Sharhorod Spiritual Beginners School. He became very skilled at singing. In 1892, he entered to the Russian Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kamianets-Podilskyi, where he received a religious and musical education. Mykola’s father and grandfather had also gone to this school, and his younger brother Oleksander attended alongside him. Mykola learned to play numerous instruments, and developed his violin skills in particular. He also learned music theory and began writing choral pieces. He took on the role of director of the school’s choir when the previous director died. He introduced secular music to the repertoire, including his own music, Lysenko, and Profyriy Demutskiy. He graduated in 1899.

Following his graduation, Leontovych began working as a music and math teacher at a secondary school in Chukiv. During his spare time, he transcribed and arranged folk songs. He later wrote a book about this period, called How I Organized an Orchestra in a village School.

Leontovych’s next job was at the Theological College of Tyvriv. In 1902, he married Claudia Zhovtevych. Then he moved to Vinnytsia and taught at the Church-Educators’ College.

From 1903 to 1904, Leontovych studied in St. Petersburg at the St. Petersburg Court Capella. He learne music theory from Semen Barmotin and choral performance from Puzarevskiy.

In 1904, Leontovych moved to Donbass and taught music to the children of railroad workers. During the unrest of 1905, he organized a choir that performed during meetings of discontent workers. They sang arrangements of diverse ethnic folk songs.

In 1908, Leontovych moved to Tulchyn and taught at the Tulchyn Eparchy Women’s College. He met the composer Kyrylo Stetsenko, and they became friends who mutually influence each other. From 1909 to 1914, Leontovych was intermittently taught by the music theorist Boleslav Yavorsky during visits to Kiev and Moscow.

During the Communist Revolution in 1918, Leontovych moved to Kiev. He conducted and taught at the Kiev Conservatory, as well as the Mykola Lysenko Institute of Music and Drama. He played a key role in the establishment of the Ukrainian Republic Capella, and supported the idea of Ukrainian independence. In 1919, the White Army conquered Kiev and persecuted Ukrainian intellectuals, so Leontovych fled to Tulchyn. He started a music school.

In 1921, Leontovych was shot to death in his parents’ home in Markovka, either by a burglar or an agent of the Soviet secret police.

At the time of his death Leontovych had been writing an opera, On the Water Nymph’s Easter, when he was murdered. It was based on Ukrainian legends and the writings of Borys Hrinchenko. The composer Mykhailo Verykivsky later attempted to complete the opera. Another version, condensing the three acts into one operetta, was completed by Myroslav Skoryk and Diodor Bobyr.

Musical Style and Legacy

Leontovych was particularly inspired by Mykola Lysenko and the Ukrainian national music movement. Like Mykola, he largely based his music on folk themes.

He wrote more than 150 choral pieces. His most famous works are Shchedryk and Dudaryk. Shchedryk has become extremely famous around the world as a Christmas carol.

Leontovych’s music is not widely performed outside of Ukraine, with the exception of Shchedryk.

References

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mykola-leontovych-mn0001632327/biography

https://everipedia.org/wiki/Mykola_Leontovych/

http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CL%5CE%5CLeontovychMykola.htm

 

Article written by me for Lunyr

 

Russia: In Kogalym, schoolchildren are taught to visit terrorist and drug sites

“Hello, is this the FSB? I found two terrorists, they’re yelling that they were just playing.”

In their search for prohibited information on the Internet, the local police are assisted by the “Cyberdrain” cells, created with the cooperation of seven local schools and a polytechnic college.

Nobody could come up with something better than the authorities of Kogalym: to attract adolescents to monitor the Internet to search for prohibited information in it. It would seem that the efforts of minors are aimed at a good cause – helping the police, but if you get into the heart of the matter, the question arises: “What were the authors of this project thinking?” Uncles and aunts happily report how they were involved with the cells of the youth social movement in Kogalym,“Cyberdrain”, formed from seven local schools and the Kogalym Polytechnic College, without even going into details.

The Kogalym authorities also say that the Department of Information Technologies of Ugra is now introducing a specialized system into the work of Cyberdrain, AIS search, which law enforcement officers use to identify extremist sites. For example, Svetlana Mikhaleva, Head of the Department of Interdepartmental Cooperation in Ensuring Public Order and Security of the City Administration, says that “since the beginning of the year nine sites with extremist, terrorist and narcotic materials have been identified using this program.”

Once again: the children are engaged in identifying those materials that the state seems to have banned even viewing, and for which fines are issued to schools, libraries, or cafes, if suddenly the public internet access provided by them is not properly filtered. That is, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor General’s Office, Rospotrebnadzor and the courts, according to the federal law No. 436-FZ,“protect children from harmful information”, sometimes registering absolutely harmless sites in the register of banned sites, and authorities of Kogalym invite children to search in the network of “Bookmarks” for sermons from violent Islamists or content sowing interethnic/interracial hatred. It is unlikely that anyone will believe that minors do not read these materials, which affect the child’s developing psyche in an unpredictable manner.

Yes, we understand that it is impossible to protect children from dangerous information on the internet, and it is hardly necessary to deal with the state — the family’s task is to keep the child from bad habits and bad acquaintances. However, the authorities of Kogalym think differently apparently, revealing before the minors a whole “garden of forbidden fruits.” Naturally, the position of the local Ministry of Internal Affairs also raises questions, since they for some reason consider this practice normal, and even make use of a service such as “Cyberdrain”.

RosKomSvoboda requested comments from experts, and they were extremely surprised by what was happening in Kogalym.

The former FSB officer, lawyer and human rights activist Vladislav Yusupov calls this practice an official crime. Furthermore, for operational work to discover and prevent extremism and terrorism, the data obtained by adolescents from the network are of zero value — they, rather, will even harm the “pathfinders” themselves:

“Children cannot and do not have the right to participate in the search for extremism, because they are not experts — in cases of extremism and terrorism, the participation of the latter is always necessary. And the very fact of inviting children or adolescents to search for such information is the abuse of official authority. In such cases it is necessary to write an application to the Investigative Committee, so that they will understand this. So this cannot be left alone.”

The PhD in Psychology and representative of the Pirate Party of Russia, Pavel Rassudov, commented on this incident in his usual ironic manner:

“I do not understand the logic — why some social movements and law enforcement agencies consider it possible to involve children in the study of drug-related sites? In my opinion, it is a bit early to teach adolescents to bypass to access shops with drug bookmarks.

Well, for students, especially the senior classes, it would be more effective to use them to search for pornographic sites. I hope that the participation in these cyber-searches is not attracted voluntarily-compulsorily.

On the other hand, given that over 6 months, only 9 sites were found by the cyber-hunters, it can be assumed that only one schoolchild is involved in the squad, and that one is a slacker.”

The system of searching for extremist and narcotic sites using cyber-assistants was tested in HMAO in 2017.“Participation in the AIS Search by the activists of the Cyberdrain social movement,” law enforcement officials assure us, “should bring results. Now, training for the use of the program will be organized for the public.”

Translated from RosKomSvoboda: https://roskomsvoboda.org/39028/

Boris Lyatoshynsky

Boris Mikolayovich Lyatoshinksy (Born on January 3, 1895 in Zhytomyr, Ukraine – Died on April 15, 1968 in Kiev, Ukraine) was a Ukrainian composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a highly influential figure in Ukrainian music and won widespread appreciation in the USSR by the end of his life. He has been dubbed the “father of modern Ukrainian music”. He wrote in a modern style, experimenting with atonality in his early pieces and drawing on Slavic and Ukrainian folk themes in his later music.

Biography

Lyatoshinksy was born and raised in Zhytomyr. Then he went to Kiev in 1914 and enrolled in Kiev University to study law. He also studied at the Kiev Conservatory. He attended Reinhold Gliere’s composition class, and they became lifelong friends. Lyatoshinksy graduated from the law school in 1918, and from the Conservatory in 1919.

After graduating from the Kiev Conservatory, Lyatoshinsky became a teacher there. He continued working there for the rest of his life. From 1935 to 1938 and 1941 to 1944, Lyatoshinksy taught at the Moscow Conservatory as well, without leaving his post in Kiev.

In the early 1920s, Lyatoshinksy joined the Kiev Association for Contemporary Music. In the 1930s and 1940s he was on the board of directors of the Ukrainian Composer’s Union. In the late 1940s, he joined the board of directors of the Soviet Composer’s Union, and remained in this post for the rest of his life.

Lyatoshynsky’s earliest music was romantic in style. He also experimented with atonality and drew inspiration in this regard from European composers as well as Alexander Scriabin. Over the 1920s and 1930s, he transitioned into a more simple and national style, inspired by Mykola Lysenko in particular.

Lyatoshinksy’s second symphony, completed in 1936, was based on Ukrainian folk themes and written in a highly complex style, was rejected by the Soviet Composer’s Union for its lack of conformity with Soviet standards. He completed a revision in 1940, which was still considered inadequate. The symphony was not performed until 1964.

Lyatoshinksy’s third symphony was completed in 1951. Like his second symphony, it was rejected by the Soviet Composer’s Union. He was asked to revise it and make a new fourth movement. Lyatoshinksy completed the revision in 1954, and the symphony premiered in St. Petersburg in 1955.

Following the great success of his third symphony, Lyatoshinky was no longer given trouble from the Soviets over his music. For the next thirteen years, he composed prolifically, writing not only Ukrainian-themed music, but also music based on Polish, Bulgarian , and Russian themes.

Lyatoshinksy was awarded two Stalin prizes: one for his Ukrainian Quintet in 1946, and the second for a film score in a movie about Taras Shevtshenko in 1952. Following his death in 1968, he was named a People’s Artist of the Ukrainian SSR.

 

Musical Style and Legacy

Lyatoshinksy went through several stylistic phases. His earliest music is romantic, and shows a particular influence from Schumann and Borodin. He was also influenced by Wagner and Tchaikovsky. He also took inspiration from Scriabin and other avant-garde and “atonal” composers. Over the 1920s and 1930s, his style simplified and he increasingly took inspiration from Mykola Lysenko and Ukrainian national composers. His music increasingly drew upon Ukrainian folk music, while still maintaining a distinctly modern sound. During the last period of his life, he wrote music incorporating elements from various Slavic cultures, in particular Poland, Bulgaria, Russia, and Ukraine.

He has been dubbed “the father of modern Ukrainian music.”

References

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boris-lyatoshynsky-mn0002259030/biography

https://www.naxos.com/person/Boris_Mikolayovich_Lyatoshynsky/21096.htm

http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Tajikistan-to-Zimbabwe/Ukrainians.html

https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Boris_Liatoshinsky

Russia: New Head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media is appointed

The Russian president approved the composition of the new government and appointed the new Head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media, Konstantin Noskov.

He previously headed the Analytical Center of the Government of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the Ministry of Communications was renamed into the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media.

The head of the new ministry will be responsible for the development of the digital economy, communications, and transport in the new Russian government.

Soskov graduated from the Moscow State Academy of Instrument Engineering and Informatics with a degree in Automated Systems of Information Processing and Management, and also received an master’s degree in Strategic Management from the HSE.

He was an economic analyst for the Big Money program on NTV. The new appointee is criticized for his lack of expert connections. Noskov is allegedly practically unknown in the industry he will represent.

Translated from Digital Report: https://digital.report/v-rossii-naznachili-glavu-ministerstva-tsifrovogo-razvitiya-i-svyazi/

Russia: Rector of ITMO University writes open letter condemning Telegram ban

The Rector of ITMO University (St. Petersburg) Vladimir Vasilyev published an open letter addressed to the advisor of the President of the Russian Federation Herman Klimenko, on behalf of the university, with a suggestion to stop the process of blocking the messaging app Telegram.

According to Vasilyev, the blocking of many IP addresses including some belonging to Amazon, Microsoft and Google, undertaken by Roskomnadzor to stop the functioning of Telegram, has lead to serious problems in the work of scientists and teachers at Russian universities. “Many aspects of the work of our scientists — above all, on projects done in cooperation with foreign colleagues — have actually been paralyzed due to the blocking of IP addresses of the above-mentioned companies,” Vasiliev writes.

Among the main problems encountered by ITMO University researchers as a result of Telegram’s blocking are the restriction of access to articles in international scientific journals, the difficulty of working with foreign colleagues on Google Drive and Google Docs, and the complete stoppage of the university’s online course “How to win programming olympics: the secrets of champions”, which was placed on the open education platform edX.

The actions of Roskomnadzor undermine the reputation of Russian universities and directly interfere with their effectiveness, says Vasiliev. “If Roskomnadzor continues its current policy, this will inevitably lead to ITMO University and many other leading Russian research and education centers soon losing their high positions in the field of international scientific research and open education, and they will be on the sidelines of global scientific and technological progress,” he writes.

The Rector of ITMO urges Herman Klimenko to intervene in the actions of Roskomnadzor “in order to prevent catastrophic consequences for the future of Russia arising from the present situation.”

Telegram is an instant messenger created by Pavel Durov in 2013. Restriction of access to Telegram began on April 16, 2018 due to the refusal of the company’s management to provide the FSB with encryption keys. Together with the Telegram servers, Roskomnadzor has included in its register of banned sites more than 18 million IP addresses of hosting providers such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Digital Ocean.

Translated from Edutainme: http://www.edutainme.ru/post/rektor-itmo-telegram/