Culture Vulture

Even though Luxembourg isn’t exactly famous for its galleries and museums, there are still many things to see and places to go for culture vultures. I’m saving most of them for when my boyfriend and family come to visit, that’s why I’ve only managed to tick off one of the museums on my list so far. But as I spend the bigger part of the rainy weekends reading and watching movies, I now have a few recommendations for everyone, who, like me, finds themselves stuck in the city when it drizzles…

MUDAM

Musée d'art moderne Grand-Duc Jean, or the Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art is located in Clausen. Even if you’re not a fan of contemporary art, it’s worth a visit just for the beautiful modern building and the location – through the glass walls and high windows, you get an amazing view of the valley stretching below and the glass roof over the café in the heart of the museum lets you bask in the warm rays of sunlight while you sip on your cappuccino.

The actual exhibition varies, but there are a few interesting pieces on display permanently, including a fountain with what appears to be ink instead of water. Back in April, I was lucky to see the impressive paintings by Jutta Koether, the many art works of Luxembourg-born Bert Theis and I even got the opportunity to walk on a little man-made beach and listen to the sound of the sea through seashell-headphones (yes, those are two seashells held together by bamboo that you can wear just like headphones). What an experience!

Russian Rock in Film

When I didn’t feel like staying at home, but didn’t want to get completely drenched either, I went to the cinema. In Ciné Utopia, they even serve wine and champagne! But with my modest trainee grant, I can’t indulge in such extravagances, so I went for a smoothie and enjoyed a movie I’ve long wanted to see – Leto (“Summer”) from the Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov.

This two-hour long, black and white movie featuring many Russian rock songs tells the story of young Viktor Tsoi and his band Kino set in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in 1980s. It focuses on his rise to fame, which was partly thanks to the already famous singer and musician Mike Naumenko. The plot revolves around a love triangle between Tsoi, Naumenko and his wife Natasha, apparently based on true events. However, having read an interview with Natasha (unfortunately, she’s the only one still alive out of the three main characters), it seems that her friendship with Tsoi was heavily exaggerated in order to add a little drama to the movie.

Nevertheless, I really liked the movie and its setting in Leningrad during the soviet era. I couldn’t get the soundtrack out of my head for days and I’ve even become a big fan of Viktor Tsoi’s music, which you can listen to here.

Bolshoi in Cinemas

The last time I went to the cinema, I wasn’t there to watch a movie – at least not in the conventional sense. I wanted to see the ballet Golden Age by Dmitri Shostakovich, broadcast straight from the Bolshoi theatre in Moscow. This joint project of the most prestigious Russian theatre and selected European cinemas is called Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema and allows the viewers all over Europe to experience not just the beautiful ballet performances, but also the unique atmosphere of the theatre. You even get a glimpse behind the scenes, featuring interviews with some of the dancers.

To tell the truth, I didn’t know what to expect at first or whether I’d like it as much as the “real deal”, but I can honestly say it was amazing. If one of your local cinemas takes part in this project, make sure you get tickets for the last performance of the season to be broadcast from Bolshoi – Carmen Suite and Petrushka.

Recent Reads…

Ever since I came to Luxembourg, I’ve made a conscious effort to read a bit more. I enjoy both books that allow me to immerse myself in the life stories of their characters and explore their universes and those that just help me pass time during my daily commute. As you can see, it makes for quite an eclectic mix of genres:

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I picked up this one at a book fair back in autumn (I have to admit that the sticker “Pulitzer Prize” on the cover was the main factor in this decision) and I certainly don’t regret it. The novel tells the story of Theo, a 13-year-old boy from New York City, whose life takes an unexpected turn when he loses his mother in a terrorist attack at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On his journeys from NYC to Las Vegas, Amsterdam and back, he grows up, makes new friends as well as enemies and falls in love, just like many other heroes from my favourite books. But what makes this novel unique is its setting in the world of art, antiques and the secret that Theo is carrying all the way.

Donna Tartt is a very talented writer, her prose is beautiful and her characters really grew on me. I can’t wait to read more from her (next on my must-read list is her novel Secret History) and I’m also looking forward to seeing The Goldfinch in the cinema this summer…

Summer and the City by Candace Bushnell

Truly in the spirit of my favourite podcast, The High Low, I went for a bit of a lighter reading after The Goldfinch. The only thing Summer and the City has in common with the former is that they’re both set in New York. This novel by Candace Bushnell (THE Candace Bushnell who brought us Sex and the City) follows the adventures of fresh-out-of-high-school Carrie Bradshaw during her first summer in the city. It can definitely be classified as chick-lit, but after all, what’s so bad about that? (If you’re with me on this issue, I highly recommend the podcast Sentimental Garbage, which made me want to read Chocolat by Joanne Harris, preferable with a box of delicious Belgian pralines on hand!)

Short stories by Lyudmila Ulitskaya

My Russian teacher lent me this collection of short stories published under the name Первые и последние ("The First and the Last") to keep up my level of Russian while I’m in Luxembourg. As she often names Ulitskaya among her favourite authors, I knew I was in for a treat. In her stories, Ulitskaya tells ordinary tales from the lives of ordinary people, she doesn’t make you fall in love with them (they’re not even likeable, they’re just normal human beings with both virtues and faults), but her writing, in which the rawness and realness of this world are reflected, makes you want read more. Sadly, I don’t have any other book by this writer, so I’m currently expanding my Russian vocabulary with good old Nikolai Gogol and his Petersburg Tales. They certainly make my morning commute way more interesting!

Do you have any recommendations for lovers of art, movies or books? Let me know in the comments!

Love,

Bella

P.S. Watching one of the best ballet troupes in the world, I was reminded of the talented and troubled Sergei Polunin, nicknamed the “bad boy of ballet”. I watched his iconic performance to Take Me to Church and stumbled upon Dancer, a documentary about his life from 2016. If you’re also a fan of ballet, I highly recommend you check it out!