📚 A luxury development in Mayfair is reportedly set to include a private 1,000-book library for penthouse residents.
And here's the most unexpected twist: among their inspirations, the creators cite the library at Pavlovsk Palace in Saint Petersburg, designed by the Italian-born architect Carlo Rossi in the early 19th century.
Considered one of the finest neoclassical interiors in Russia, it is known for its elegant symmetry and integration of books into architectural design rather than treating them as mere storage. The palace itself was a residence of Emperor Paul I, and its library reflected Enlightenment ideals of knowledge, aesthetics, and power.
When #VisitRussia, don’t miss the chance to see the world famous original with your own eyes.
And here's the most unexpected twist: among their inspirations, the creators cite the library at Pavlovsk Palace in Saint Petersburg, designed by the Italian-born architect Carlo Rossi in the early 19th century.
Considered one of the finest neoclassical interiors in Russia, it is known for its elegant symmetry and integration of books into architectural design rather than treating them as mere storage. The palace itself was a residence of Emperor Paul I, and its library reflected Enlightenment ideals of knowledge, aesthetics, and power.
When #VisitRussia, don’t miss the chance to see the world famous original with your own eyes.
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🩰 31 March marks the 154th birthday of Sergey Diaghilev, one of the most influential cultural impresarios of the early 20th century and the founder of the legendary Ballets Russes.
After its founding in 1909, the troupe made its first British appearance at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in 1911 during the celebrations for King George V’s coronation. It was nothing short of a cultural storm for early 20th-century London - Diaghilev shattered expectations of what ballet could be.
Between 1909 and 1929 nearly half of all Ballets Russes performances took place in London. At venues such as the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the Alhambra Theatre, audiences encountered groundbreaking productions like Scheherazade (music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov), The Firebird, and Petrushka (music by Igor Stravinsky). The company featured legendary performers including Vaslav Nijinsky, Tamara Karsavina, and Anna Pavlova, whose artistry redefined expectations of dance, music, and visual design in Britain.
The impact of Diaghilev’s London seasons was profound and long-lasting: his vision laid the foundation for the emergence of a distinctly modern British ballet tradition.
After its founding in 1909, the troupe made its first British appearance at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in 1911 during the celebrations for King George V’s coronation. It was nothing short of a cultural storm for early 20th-century London - Diaghilev shattered expectations of what ballet could be.
Between 1909 and 1929 nearly half of all Ballets Russes performances took place in London. At venues such as the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the Alhambra Theatre, audiences encountered groundbreaking productions like Scheherazade (music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov), The Firebird, and Petrushka (music by Igor Stravinsky). The company featured legendary performers including Vaslav Nijinsky, Tamara Karsavina, and Anna Pavlova, whose artistry redefined expectations of dance, music, and visual design in Britain.
The impact of Diaghilev’s London seasons was profound and long-lasting: his vision laid the foundation for the emergence of a distinctly modern British ballet tradition.
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🎙 Highlights from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at a general meeting of the Russian International Affairs Council members (Moscow, 31 March 2026)
• We are witnessing an abrupt increase in the role of military force in international affairs which is placing immense pressure on the constant values of international relations which get destabilised in the process.
• A situation is emerging where the West, with its insatiable hegemonic ambitions, has entered the clinch with the World Majority's aspiration to overcome existing challenges on the basis of equality and justice
• Not only Russia and China, and other BRICS countries, but also all other more or less independent centres of power and growth are becoming targets of aggressive counteraction on behalf of those who are accustomed to living off other nations' backs and are thinking of themselves as hegemonic powers.
• Russia is advocating an immediate cessation of aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran [...] We stand ready to provide mediation or other assistance to the parties to the conflict in order to return the situation to a political and diplomatic track.
• Iran never planned an attack [Arab Gulf countries]. On the contrary, it was an energetic participant of discussions on establishing an Arab-Iranian security system. In addition to Russia, China also supported this approach, and Iran itself put forward initiatives to this end.
Read in full
• We are witnessing an abrupt increase in the role of military force in international affairs which is placing immense pressure on the constant values of international relations which get destabilised in the process.
• A situation is emerging where the West, with its insatiable hegemonic ambitions, has entered the clinch with the World Majority's aspiration to overcome existing challenges on the basis of equality and justice
• Not only Russia and China, and other BRICS countries, but also all other more or less independent centres of power and growth are becoming targets of aggressive counteraction on behalf of those who are accustomed to living off other nations' backs and are thinking of themselves as hegemonic powers.
• Russia is advocating an immediate cessation of aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran [...] We stand ready to provide mediation or other assistance to the parties to the conflict in order to return the situation to a political and diplomatic track.
• Iran never planned an attack [Arab Gulf countries]. On the contrary, it was an energetic participant of discussions on establishing an Arab-Iranian security system. In addition to Russia, China also supported this approach, and Iran itself put forward initiatives to this end.
Read in full
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✒️📜🎩👻👃 On 1 April 1809, Nikolai Gogol was born, one of Russia's most distinctive literary figures, whose work helped shape the trajectory of 19th-century fiction.
Balancing satire with the surreal, he depicted the absurdities and moral contradictions of his age through a style that was at once comic, unsettling and highly inventive.
He is best known for Dead Souls (1842), his self-described "epic poem in prose", widely regarded as a landmark of social satire, exposing the moral decay and eccentricities of provincial life. Alongside it stand The Overcoat and Viy, works that blend psychological depth with folkloric and supernatural elements, influencing both realist writing and the development of early horror traditions.
Gogol's works reached British readers through 19th-century translations and gained broader acclaim in the early 20th century, notably via Constance Garnett's editions, published between 1923 and 1928 by Chatto & Windus in London. His The Government Inspector has since become a fixture of the British stage, frequently revived from the West End to the RSC.
More than two centuries on, his legacy endures across literature, theatre and film, with over 135 screen adaptations and a lasting influence on writers from Dostoevsky to Kafka.
Balancing satire with the surreal, he depicted the absurdities and moral contradictions of his age through a style that was at once comic, unsettling and highly inventive.
He is best known for Dead Souls (1842), his self-described "epic poem in prose", widely regarded as a landmark of social satire, exposing the moral decay and eccentricities of provincial life. Alongside it stand The Overcoat and Viy, works that blend psychological depth with folkloric and supernatural elements, influencing both realist writing and the development of early horror traditions.
Gogol's works reached British readers through 19th-century translations and gained broader acclaim in the early 20th century, notably via Constance Garnett's editions, published between 1923 and 1928 by Chatto & Windus in London. His The Government Inspector has since become a fixture of the British stage, frequently revived from the West End to the RSC.
More than two centuries on, his legacy endures across literature, theatre and film, with over 135 screen adaptations and a lasting influence on writers from Dostoevsky to Kafka.
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🎬 On 4 April, the world marks the birth of Andrei Tarkovsky, one of cinema's most profound and uncompromising directors.
Born in 1932 in the Soviet Union, he became renowned for films of striking philosophical depth, defined by slow pacing, poetic imagery, and a focus on memory, faith, and time. His major titles include Ivan’s Childhood, Andrei Rublev, Solaris, Mirror, and Stalker — each turning film into a meditative, almost spiritual experience.
Tarkovsky's influence remains vast. Admired by filmmakers such as Ingmar Bergman, Lars von Trier, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Terrence Malick, his work continues to shape world cinema.
Though rooted in Russian culture, it also resonated deeply in Britain, where his pictures were celebrated at festivals and shown in art-house venues. Upcoming screenings at the Barbiсan offer a timely reminder of his lasting place among the twentieth century’s great cinematic visionaries.
Born in 1932 in the Soviet Union, he became renowned for films of striking philosophical depth, defined by slow pacing, poetic imagery, and a focus on memory, faith, and time. His major titles include Ivan’s Childhood, Andrei Rublev, Solaris, Mirror, and Stalker — each turning film into a meditative, almost spiritual experience.
Tarkovsky's influence remains vast. Admired by filmmakers such as Ingmar Bergman, Lars von Trier, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Terrence Malick, his work continues to shape world cinema.
Though rooted in Russian culture, it also resonated deeply in Britain, where his pictures were celebrated at festivals and shown in art-house venues. Upcoming screenings at the Barbiсan offer a timely reminder of his lasting place among the twentieth century’s great cinematic visionaries.
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