North Korean trip makes great impression-conservatory rector

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16/3 Tass 84

PYONGYANG, March 16 (Itar-Tass) - The trip to North Korea "makes a
great impression", said here Alexander Sokolov, rector of the Moscow State
Conservatory named after Tchaikosky, speaking in an interview with
Itar-Tass.
The rector is now on a visit to North Korea. "Of course it is a
special country with special traditions and a political system, evoking
undoubted interest," the rector said.
The signing of the basic agreement on cooperation between the Moscow
and Pyongyang conservatories is the main result of the visit. According to
Sokolov, "this document does not entail any financial obligations, but is
the basis for additional agreements, aimed at specific projects". One of
them is a joint production of the "Ivan Susanin" Opera, "in which North
Korea displayed increased interest for long".
Moscow had been already visited by talented North Korea bass student,
Sokolov said, "who quite fits for the performance of the star role in this
play". "Therefore, we recommended him again to sent to Moscow for
practical training so that he could perfect his future role," the rector
said.
The rector was accompanied during his trip to the people's republic by
Prof. Pyotr Skuscnicheni, heading the vocal faculty at the conservatory
and a solo-singing chair, as well as Prof. Stanislav Kalinin, dean of the
conductors' faculty of the leading Russian musical educational
establishment. Kalinin was awarded the North Korean Order of Friendship,
Second Class, for fruitful activities in culture.
On Monday, the Russian delegation was present at the new production of
Eugene Onegin opera in the Korean capital, staged by the Pyongyang
Conservatory. Tchaikovsky's opera was staged in North Korea in 1958 for
the first time.
-0-bur/gor