Poet Blok commemorative meetings to be held in St Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, August 7 (Itar-Tass) -- Alexander Blok's voice
recorded in the early 20th century will be heard in his last Petersburg
flat at former Ofitserskaya Street this Sunday, on the 90th anniversary
since the poet's death.
The recording was made during an evening meeting, when the "tragic
poet" of the revolution epoch read his verses about Russia.
Museum visitors will also hear romances in his verses to be sung by
Valery Agafonov, Oleg Pogudin and Dmitry Khvorostovsky.
The recordings will accompany the exhibition "Characters of his Soul".
In Anatoly Maslov's series of paintings are 12 portraits of Blok, the
number of his poem "the Twelve". The poet's face changes the expression --
from light and almost that of a child to a tragic look. Graphic pictures
of the northern capital are placed near the paintings. Mostly, these are
pictures of the old Kolomna area and the islands, where "the most
Petersburg poet" liked to walk.
After a minute of silence in the memorial room, admirers of the
brightest representative of the Silver Age will go to the first burial
place at the Smolenskoye cemetery. Flowers will be laid at the granite
stone at the place. Then, a religious service will be held in the Light
Christ Resurrection Church, where the funeral service for the poet was
held on August 10, 1921.
A commemorative ceremony will also take place at the Volkonskoye
cemetery, where the poet was reburied in the Soviet times. Traditionally,
Blok's verses are recited there by museum workers, actors and men of
letters on the day, and everyone can also recite.
Guests will be invited to the museum flat in the evening for a
literature and music meeting, where Blok's poetry will be heard again.
-0-pan