Año cruzado: Rusia en Francia y Francia en Rusia

On January 22, 2009 the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev signed the instruction about holding in 2010 the year of Russia in France and the year of France in Russia.

This project is discussed and planned since 2007, but serious motions to its realization were outlined only this year.

The head of the organizational committee from the Russian side became Vladimir Shvydkoy, from the side of France – Louis Schweitzer, French trader, who has the thirteen year experience of collaboration with Russia.

The official opening of the Year, according to the informing agency ITAR-TASS will be timed to the appearance in the Paris of the orchestra of Mariinsky Theatre under the management of Valerie Gergiev in January 2010. And the Year will be completed by the tours of the ballet of Parisian national opera in Moscow in December 2010.

About the fact that the work on the organization of the event had begun long ago, testifies the interview of the end of 2008, which Louis Schweitzer gave to Eugene Butman on the radio “Echo of Moscow”, sharing plans in 2010.

In particular, Mr. Schweitzer emphasized that the organizational committees will not limit to a series of cultural events, indeed cultural collaboration between Russia and France has very long history and cannot be stop at this.

The events will envelop as much cities of Russia and France as possible. In particular, it is planned to connect Omsk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Murmansk to the program.

Moreover the scale of the planned events will differ significantly from the usual collaboration of Russia and France. For example, in France will take place the large exhibition “Holy Russia”, which will present to the attention of Europeans the Old-Russian skills.

In the exhibition will participate the State Tretyakov Gallery – as one of the basic organizers, and many other museums of Russia and Ukraine – as participants. This project must become the culmination of the entire series of the exhibitions of byzantine and the east Christian skill in Louvre.

One additional planned exhibition is dedicated to graphic works of Chagall. In the State Tretyakov Gallery will be shown off more than the hundred works of artist from the particular and state collections of France. So, in the number of events, planned in 2010 – the visit of the group “Comedie-Française” to Russia. Moreover according to Louis Schweitzer, the concerts of group will take place not only in Moscow and Petersburg, but also in the number of other cities of Russia.

The Moscow Nikulin Circus will represent Russia in France. The management and the artists of circus are preparing the theatrical program for a long time. According to Maxim Nikulin, artistic leader of circus, this trip is very important, since Russian circus in Europe is not represented generally from the 80th years.

One additional point of collaboration is the number of scientific events. As Louis Schweitzer noted, between the oldest universities of Russia and France there is an old interaction, which, using situation, can be even more developed. It is planned to organize a number of examinations in the sphere of science, right and other fields.

So within the framework of this program will take place the cross trips, in the first place, of students of both countries.

The last joint session of organizational committees on the Year of Russia in France and the Year of France in Russia took place on February 25. The sides discussed the motion of the preparation of the event, the emergent problems and proposals. All spheres of the collaboration were touched upon: youth exchanges, science, economy, tourism, culture and media. The following session is planned to take place in Paris in April of this year.