Encounters in Moscow

Friday morning, Serafima the PR from TCI, the local production company, arrived at the hotel with a huge bag of newspapers and magazines, saying that we have terrific reviews everywhere about the concert in Moscow and St. Petersburgh, an excellent way of starting the day.

Then I met Konstantin, the musician who performed "Jarre planet", a tribute around my albums at the Academy of Science last monday. His wife Irina is a soprano, and they are both talented and sweet people. Later on I met the Minister of Culture of Russia and we discussed about some project for next year..

Friday night is everywhere warmer than monday night and it is also true in Moscow where the 2nd concert has been quite different. Even though I got some problems with my flanger pedal on the RMI, I had much more energy and feedback from the audience. People were standing and dancing in the alleys in the end, in spite of the security, which is apparently quite unusual at the Kremlin Theatre.

A lots of people were there, russian musicians, artists, friends, fans....
I met backstage with the US ambassador's wife Jocelyn Beyrle, a very pleasant and nice woman. Her husband John had to go after the concert to meet with Gorbatchev. They have been good friends of Claude for quite a while.. Everybody seemed to enjoy the concert.

Then, invited by Ed, the local promoter trom TCI, we all went for dinner to one of the trendy clubs in town, very eighties.. At one stage in the night someone told me that some guys were at the door of the club with some russian synthesizers they wanted to give me. I thought it was a joke.. Chris and Claude went out to check what was happening and actually they found two very nice guys. So I went and met Rustem and Igor who offered me (all packed!), 1 Polyvox and 1 Allussia, two great vintage analog russian synthesizers.
They told me that, since they were kids, I have been such a source of inspiration that Rustem decided to collect analog synthesizers. I was so excited and really moved by such generous gifts that I decided to go to their place to see their collection the next day (today). This morning Rustem and Igor picked us up at the hotel and we went with Claude to Rustem appt. just outside Moscow.

His place is just great, funky decoration with a large picture of Robert Moog in a golden frame in the corridor and a large room full of extraordinary russian and western analog synthesizers. His wife had prepared delicious cakes with wine and we had real good times listening and talking about all these wonders... They said they could not believe that one day I would visit their place..
We did some photos and I promised to keep the contact. Thank you Rustem (and Igor) for your generosity and dedication..

Then I went with Serafima and Pierre to visit my friend Olga in charge of the modern art museum of photography of Moscow.
She is actually THE specialist of russian photography in Moscow.
She was coming back from New-York were she has an exhibition. She is such a brilliant and excentric character. She was in the middle of the huge gallery introducing her new exhibition about russian rock artist Tsoi, preparing her next one, an extraordinary exhibition about Soljenitsine, being at the same time filmed for a film-documentary and having on top of it, our meeting together..

I needed to see her because I wanted some photos from Rotchenko, the most influential russian photographer of all times and also some informations about russian archives on different topics such as space, cosmos, architecture, technology in the 20th century, fashion, optical and atomic experimentations, etc... As usual, Olga has been great, she gave me a portfolio selected by Rotchenko's family (she is very close to them) and various useful books... We said that we'll meet again in december when she comes to Paris.

I would like to thank Ed, Serafima and everybody at TCI who worked so hard to make this russian week a total success.


Claude stays in the loop

Dominique checking the PR

Call me Жан Мишель Жарр

Robert Moog in golden frame

With Rustem (left) and Igor (right)


Russian synth, close-up
Claude carrying the russian synthesizers
Chris and Fiona grooving under the snow...

Fiona, Chris and Ed, dinner party
Dear Janet, Dominique's wife, Claude and Domino, after show en route for dinner.


No joking with bodyguards

With US ambassador's wife Mrs. Jocelyn Beyrle.

Pierre and Fiona in my dressing room after sound check and before discussing future plans with Chris and James.


Claude being searched at the airport


I am in the plane on my way to Riga, besides me, a girl is reading a russian novel on an e-book...

(posted on a mobile phone)