“MOURNING WAS YESTERDAY”

MUSIC LIFE

September 3rd. The building of the Ostankino television center is besieged by a huge crowd. Young, aggressive, nervous crowd. These people did not come here to pray for their peers in Beslan. They are not up to it at all. They don't watch TV. They...

September 3rd. The building of the Ostankino television center is besieged by a huge crowd. Young, aggressive, nervous crowd. These people did not come here to pray for their peers in Beslan. They are not up to it at all. They don't watch TV. They dream of getting into it - in the Ostankino concert hall, the casting of Star Factory-5 continues for the second day in a row.

The jury sits in a spacious hall. Composers Max Fadeev and Igor Matvienko listen attentively. The newly minted and long-awaited artistic director of the "Factory" - Alla Pugacheva - gives the action a status. And Konstantin Ernst, as the director of Channel One, personally controls the main event of the week. They will sit for two more days. Everyone, even Ernst. The show business machine can't be stopped. Beslan is far away, but the ratings are here.

“By their actions, the terrorists seek to break our existing life,” explains Igor Burenkov, director of the Channel One information service. “We have to stay strong, we have to mind our own business. In addition, we did not conduct a casting during mourning. And they couldn’t cancel it during the days of the tragic events - 7 thousand people came from all over Russia for samples. They have been waiting for this event for a year. To deprive them of hope because of what is happening in the world would be cruel.”

4 September. On a green bench near the Ostankino pond, covered with a plastic bag, Julia from Nizhny Novgorod sleeps. At home, Yulia's mother dies of fear. Yulia is not afraid: not getting into the "Factory" is worse than terrorists. Of the three days of her stay in Moscow, two passed in line for casting, one night at the station, two on the bench. Julia never got to the jury. “The line changed from day to day. She didn't even seem to be moving. I’m thinking of staying in Moscow until the next casting, where I don’t know yet, but I don’t have anything to leave, ”the tired girl sighs doomedly.

While Yulia becomes homeless, Ksenia Sobchak, Alina Kabaeva and Dana Borisova receive a pass to the Star House. Without queues, the condescending look of the Primadonna and shouting: "Do not jump out of line, you fool!".

Another farce called "Casting for talent from the provinces" storms the heights of cynicism. There are thousands of people like Yulia in front of Ostankino. They put on the most fashionable clothes in their homeland, put on their mother's make-up and rehearsed the songs of Viktor Drobysh.

From 10 am to 10 pm they sing and dance in the building from which the tragedy is broadcast throughout the country. 50 of them will be selected in the group of applicants for happiness. The couple will be launched into the "House" to divert the public eye. The rest will return home and ask their grey-haired parents in surprise: “What other terrorist attack?”

On Friday, the Moscow government ordered the cancellation of all festive events dedicated to the City Day. Musical state structures reacted unconditionally to the order. Structures are private - based on their own moral principles. "Attention! Due to the tragic events, schedule changes are possible, ”the largest music news agency announced in its mailing list on the same day. But many showbiz figures were not going to change their schedules. As in the days of the city, and in the days of mourning.

Particularly distinguished were the places of dislocation of money and pops - gambling establishments. On Friday, at the Golden Palace casino, they danced to the bands "Diamond" and "Hands Up", on Saturday - to Diana Gurtskaya and "Lyapis Trubetskoy". On Monday and Tuesday, however, the club's management decided to cancel the concerts in the restaurant. Vacationers had to spend a quiet night of mourning in the casino. On Friday evening Vladimir Presnyakov sang in the Arbat entertainment complex, on Saturday - Alexander Buinov. On Monday, the girl at the reception cheerfully announced: “Today we invite you to the blackjack tournament, tomorrow the captain's bonus game. Music? What do you! Today is mourning."

In Metelitsa, Malikov, Nikita and Jasmine sang at the weekend. On Tuesday, a pop show with the participation of middle-class artists thundered. “The fact is that we had mourning yesterday,” said the assistant director of the club named Olga, “and all the concerts were canceled. Today the show program starts at 0.30, and this, as you, I hope you understand, is already the eighth.

Park Avenue Disco, a pop-dance venue for up-and-coming riotous youth, famous for fun on the verge of a foul, worked as usual on Sundays and days of mourning. Continued to bring music to the masses and most other youth discos.

The appropriateness of classical concertos is a controversial ethical issue. On the one hand, this, of course, is not a vulgar pop outrage. And yet, connoisseurs of such music come to such concerts to enjoy and relax. Just like pop fans go to their odious shows.

Monday. Big theater. Ballet connoisseurs enjoy the gala concert "Moscow, my love", organized by the Liepa Foundation. Anonymous voice of the Bolshoi Theater: "We cannot cancel the concert, as this is not our event." Executive Director of the Liepa Foundation Elena Ulyanova: “This is not an entertainment show, but a concert dedicated to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Therefore, the roll call with the military theme is obvious. In addition, the fees should go to the installation of a telephone exchange for the House of Stage Veterans. The Bolshoi has scheduled its own event for the 9th. Evening in memory of the victims of terror with the support of the presidential administration. Composition - Sotkilava, Leshchenko, Rosenbaum, Tabakov, Bystritskaya. Live broadcast on the Rossiya TV channel. Meanwhile, the Mariinsky Theater simply transferred 5 million rubles to the families of the victims. Without a pathetic concert and its subsequent broadcast.

Many people hastened to protect themselves from public opinion with the word “classic”. For example, the organizers of the joint concert of the American Kronos Quartet and the Finnish accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen, which took place in Moscow on September 7th.

Fortunately, there were others. On Saturday, the promotion company Zeppelin production cancels the large-scale international electronic festival Gatecrasher. “We were able to provide enhanced security measures for the event,” says PR manager Maria Okounkova. “But organizing dances on such tragic days was considered tactless. The action was canceled despite the fact that foreign stars had already arrived in Moscow. By the way, they treated our position with understanding and promised to come back to the festival, which was rescheduled for the end of September.” The opening of the Citadel electronic music festival scheduled for September 7 at the First club did not take place either. It was moved to the 20th.

The Chinese Pilot Zhao Da club canceled the Paris Night event, which was supposed to feature French musicians invited by Nilda Fernandez. Club "B-2" - a big rock concert.

There were poppy exceptions. Vladimir Kuzmin canceled the autograph session and press briefing scheduled for today due to the fact that the preparation of these events was supposed to take place during the days of mourning. Anita Tsoi did not perform at the casino on Saturday. The Stopudovy Hit awards ceremony has been postponed from September 17 to October 4.

Far from Russia and the tragic events, the stars also behaved differently. On September 4, Yuri Temirkanov and the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic dedicated their concert in Lucerne to the victims of the terrorist attack and transferred their fees to the victims' fund. And two days before that, an attack began on the site of the Mumiy Troll group - a protest against their concert in Riga. On the evening of September 1, Riga schoolchildren went to have fun at a concert held in defiance of a rally against education reform. The peers of the Beslan hostages danced, and Lagutenko made a lot of money. According to the head of the communication department of the Ministry of Education and Science of Latvia, Ilmars Jargans, the fee for the Mumiy Troll group for the concert was 38,352.80 lats, or about 70,000 dollars. By the way, the Bi-2 group refused to participate in the concert. They, along with other leading Russian musicians and rock bands, chose to sing at the charity marathon "Compassion", which on September 7 was staged live by Our Radio and the NTV channel.

During the days of mourning, TV channels pointedly refused advertising, entertainment programs and pop clips. That's just most of the series under the concept of "entertainment" did not fall. The music channel MTV, unlike its Russian competitor, MuzTV, has remained at all with the same grid and advertising. And on the channel "Russia" there was an entertaining story about how on September 5, on the Borodino field, 1500 people with the help of 70 tons of scenery, tons of pyrotechnics and 1900 original costumes enthusiastically played the theatrical performance "Battle of Borodino". A day later, the rest of the "entertainment" returned to their rightful place.

In a couple of weeks, happy semi-finished products will again be heard from the screens; They did not remember the terrorist attack two days later, they are unlikely to think about it after. Unless, of course, they decide to release a colorful CD on the anniversary of the tragedy.

MEANWHILE: Rostov-on-Don

- Do you work today?

— But how! A cheerful male voice answered me. - Admission is free for girls!

On the day of all-Russian mourning in the gloomy basement of the popular youth club "Lila" everything was as usual: music rumbled, and couples performed erotic dances on stage.

Behind the wall, also in the basement, students of Rostov universities "came off" in another popular drinking and entertainment establishment - "Labyrinth".

At this very time, close to midnight, a stone's throw from here - in the main city park named after Maxim Gorky, right under the windows of the mayor's office - a crowd of young people of both sexes crowded around boxes with musical equipment - since there was still less entertainment on the day of mourning, than usual, a whole line formed from those who wanted to sing karaoke.

“Just don’t sing loudly,” a young woman serving this attraction said to another “people's artist”.

- And why? the guy was surprised.

Having received another hundred-ruble note, the karaoke hostess explained to me that today she allowed to sing "only sad melodies."

Anna LEBEDEVA, our collaborator correspondent, Rostov-on-Don