A Soviet era monument to friendship between Ukrainians and Russians is demolished in Kyiv, Ukraine, in April. Before being Russianized, the original family name was Chaika, meaning “seagull.” Scholars point to the likely influence of traditional Ukrainian folk melodies on Tchaikovsky’s works. In the capital, Kyiv, where the National Music Academy is named after the composer, controversy erupted over a …
CANNES, France — The last two times the Russian filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov had films playing at the Cannes Film Festival, he couldn’t attend. But after fleeing Russia in March once the ban ended, Serebrennikov was in Cannes Wednesday to premiere his latest film, “Tchaikovsky’s Wife,” which is competing for the Palme d’Or. In 2013, Russia enacted a law banning “gay …
