CULTURE & LIFESTYLE GUIDE

Yusupov Palace to play host to returning heroes
A St Petersburg classical octet -- lured away from the Philharmonic Orchestra in the early days of perestroika -- is set to make a rare appearance in the city this week...

Veteran British rockers to tour
Nazareth, the veterans of British hard rock, will be enjoying a comeback -- of a kind -- when they perform in St Petersburg on March 3...

Penniless enthusiasts are rich in song
St Petersburg's House of Scientists will have to turn itself from a breeding place of grand theories into a virtual holy shrine this week when choral prophets will be delivering their message...

Scythian grave gold makes Hermitage shine
Buried in pre-Christian barrows, unearthed by grave-robbers and acquired by Peter the Great for his personal collection, the Scythian gold's long history culminated last week in the opening of a dazzling exhibition at the Hermitage Museum...

Self-induced blindness aids artist's creative vision
Five years ago, a failed suicide attempt cost Sergei Popolzin his sight. Paradoxically, it was this very tragedy that inspired the Irkutsk artist to paint a series of canvases which have made him famous across Europe...

The impossible dream? `La Mancha' in English
A group of St. Petersburg teenagers has taken the challenge to display Western classic dramas in a foreign language, but without losing the feel...

Winter in Siberia: not just for exiles
Against the advice of many a respected friend, I bought a train ticket and set out to see the frozen land of western Siberia in January. I was not disappointed by what I saw...

WHAT'S ON GUIDE

Petersburg Gig Guide

Rock & Jazz Venues

Classical Program

Dramatic Program

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Admiralty's Russian delights
As St Petersburg approaches the end of the millennia, one of the city's premium restaurants is taking the opportunity to hark back to the origins of Russia's northern capital...