| The Peace Concert at the Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin, August 1948. All those people climbing on ruined buildings to see the concert are actually on top of two full-sized cathedrals and a huge classical concert building - very high up indeed. Nikitin did three encores of Kalinka, and was named as the first Mr Kalinka on that day. Note his relaxed stance - quite different from the stiff and formal stance of later Ensemble soloists in concert halls. Nikitin clasps his hands almost in an attitude of prayer, opens his hands gently towards the audience, perhaps in a giving or compassionate gesture, before allowing them to fall naturally by his side. This subtle but moving communication with the audience tells us a lot about why Nikitin was so popular, and why it is Nikitin's part in the performance that is remembered especially from that day. -------------------------------------------------------------- THE 1948 PEACE CONCERT In 1948 much of Berlin was still ruined after World War II, and the city was divided into four occupation zones, controlled by the USSR, France, the UK and the USA. This was before the Berlin Wall, and it was still possible to travel between zones. An American officer suggested a concert in the Gendarmenmarkt (in the Soviet zone at the time), and the French zone commander supported the suggestion. The musicians were to be provided by the USSR, and the Alexandrov Ensemble was chosen. A temporary stage was set up in the square, with flowers all along the front ... |
