Special report

Jane Birkin: to Russia with love

Concerts in Moscow and Saint Petersburg

Moscow 

22/11/2005 - 

Jane Birkin, that most English of French pop stars, had always refused to appear in Russia because of her political convictions. But, after receiving countless requests from Russian tour organisers over the years, Ms. Birkin finally gave in and performed two concerts in Moscow (17 November) and Saint Petersburg (19 November). This flying visit to Russia could well mark the end of Jane's three-year tour of Arabesque, her musical tribute to Serge Gainsbourg. 

Jane Birkin, hailed by the Russian media as a "living legend", has lost none of her political commitment over the years. Prior to touching down in Moscow, the singer made the terms of her visit clear, announcing: "I will only come to Russia if I am allowed to meet Memorial and the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers." These two independent human rights organisations play an active role in Russian life, the first acting as a human rights watchdog and the second protecting the interests of young soldiers, particularly those sent to Chechnya.

Jane was true to her word, appearing on the one and only radio interview she accorded the Russian media accompanied by Valentina Melnikova, director of the Committee of Soliders' Mothers. In an hour-long interview, broadcast live on the opposition radio station Moscow Echo, the singer expressed full support for the Committee and debated the recent riots in the French suburbs (a subject which has received massive media coverage in Russia).

After an official tour of the Memorial museum, Ms. Birkin also gave a press conference with the organisation's founder and director, Sergei Kovalev. Speaking to a group of some forty journalists huddled round tables in the tiny Café Krylov, looking out over Patriarch's Pond, the singer explained the meaning of her visit. "The reason I agreed to come to Russia in spite of my political beliefs is because I love this country. I love its culture, its literature and its people. Serge Gainsbourg came from a family of Russian Jews and that makes this trip even more emotional for me… We've toured the whole world with 'Arabesque' and finishing up in Russia, Serge's homeland, means the wheel has finally come full circle!"

Insisting that she had in no way come to "judge" Russians or their government policies, Ms. Birkin said her motivation was to open dialogue and give a platform to the two organisations she supported. She was aware that this stance might not prove popular with her audiences, however, claiming that she would not be surprised if she were "pelted with tomatoes" at her concerts. After a speech by Sergei Kovalev, the café press conference ended with the singer reading a public letter to the Russian president Vladimir Putin as Russian journalists looked on in general bewilderment.

Sold out in Moscow

Russians obviously know Ms. Birkin as the late great Serge Gainsbourg's wife and muse, but interestingly enough the most English of French pop stars is as famous in Russia for her career as an actress (particularly her films with Pierre Richard). As for Birkin, the longest she had previously spent on Russian soil was touching down at Sheremetevo 2 airport for a stopover whilst accompanying Gainsbourg on one of his world tours. Her concerts in Russia's cultural capitals, Moscow and Saint Petersburg, were therefore a major event for singer and fans alike. A number of leading Moscow magazines marked the occasion with pictures of the singer on their covers and the mass media coverage in general reflected the Russian people's ongoing love affair with the "living legend." The night before Jane's concert at Moscow's B2 club there was not a ticket to be had for love nor money – despite the rather prohibitive official rate for tickets (between 60 and 170 euros!)

Thursday night at the B2 club there was not a hint of politics (or tomatoes) in the air. Jane took to the stage, in her signature dressed-down style, and wove a spell over her Moscow audience, who stood in semi-religious silence, drinking in her every word. Jane's Oriental reworkings of Gainsbourg classics were delivered with impeccably graceful gestures and movements. And the singer's physical proximity to the audience, coupled with her anecdotes about Serge recounted in French and English - with a smattering of Russian thrown in for good measure - proved to be a big hit. Fans, packed into the B2 club like sardines, ignored any sign of physical discomfort, overwhelmed as they were by the magic of the show which lasted nearly two hours. It ended with an emotional finale, Jane performing La Javanaise without her three backing musicians, accompanied by the collective sea of her fans singing along with her instead.

After a lengthy autograph session with Jane leaning down from the stage to sign whatever fans proffered, the singer finally made her way backstage. Radiant in her dressing room, uplifted by the memory of the faces pressed up against the stage, the singer was greeted by her dresser, Lena, who declared, "Thankyou for being who you are and saying the things you say." From Russia, as they say, with love!

 

Camille   Parinaud

Translation : Julie  Street