News
09/11/2023. The Karelian Center of Nicholas Roerich welcomes guests
November 9, 2023:
This day in the National Library of Karelia can be called the Day of the St. Petersburg State Museum-Institute of the Roerich Family, with which the library has been conducting very interesting, diverse and fruitful cooperation for almost six years.
The events of this day exceeded all expectations.
The listeners were interested in the lecture by Dmitry Delyukin, an employee of the St. Petersburg Museum-Institute of the Roerich Family, “Cultural Syncretism as an Artistic Method in the Works by Nicholas Roerich.”
The topic is not easy, and we are grateful to Dmitry Delyukin for raising it, and, of course, we will continue to work on its study involving specialist researchers from various fields of knowledge.
Next, an exhibition opened in memory of Viktor Zayko, a member of the Union of Artists of Russia, a participant in more than a hundred art exhibitions, a laureate of symposiums of stone sculptors, a laureate of the International Prize named after Nicholas Roerich.
V. Zaiko is the author of monuments to N. K. Roerich, A. A. Akhmatova, St. Sergius of Radonezh, Emperor Peter I, Emperor Nicholas II, Tsarevich Alexei, architect C. I. Rossi, and a memorial plaque to I. F. Annensky. The artist's works are in the largest museums in Russia, as well as in private collections in Russia, the USA, Canada, Germany, and Sweden.
The work of N. Roerich was very close to V. Zayko. Works selected for the exhibition at the Karelian Nicholas Roerich Center reflect the concept of a single cultural space, consisting of science, art and religion. The works were taken from the collections of the Museum-Institute of the Roerich Family, the National Library of Karelia and the legacy of the artist’s widow Larisa Zayko. The presence of Larisa Zayko at the exhibition was very touching. She highly appreciated the exposition located in the library rotunda and the professionally designed stands with paintings and graphics by her beloved husband. Larisa Zayko was presented with a letter of gratitude and memorable gifts.
The eventful day ended with a long-awaited concert of Indian classical music, which represents the ancient art of musical improvisation known as the Maihar Gharana tradition.
Alokesh Chandra, a well-known musician in Europe, Russia and India, performed masterfully and dynamically on the sitar his own compositions and improvisations based on Indian ragas. Yuri Lebedev (St. Petersburg), a Russian musician who plays percussion of different nations of the world, accompanied on the tabla. The apogee of the vivid impression for the audience were two joint improvisations of our guests and Irina Smirnova, composer, improvising pianist, laureate of international competitions (Petrozavodsk).
At the end of the concert, everyone supported the response of one of the organizers: after such a unity of beauty and art from different countries, there is confidence that peace will be established on planet Earth!