A sculupture celebrating the ‘special’ relationship between the Beatles and Russia has today (August 21) been unveiled at the Beatles Story museum in Liverpool.
The artwork (pictured) by renowned Russian artist Nikolay Rogatnev is subtitled “The Music of The Beatles Unites The Earth”. Rogatnev hopes that similar sculptures will eventually be exhibited across the world in important Beatles-related locations such as Hamburg, New York too.
Russian journalist, Valentin Bayoukansky, who originally came up with the concept for the sculpture explained, “There were four Beatles and we want to place a sculpture in four different counties to show how the people of the world were united by their wonderful music. Liverpool was number one on our list as it is the Beatles hometown.”
The Beatles were hugely popular in Russia during Soviet times, when fans braved official disapproval from the Communist Party to collect records of Western rock groups. Sir Paul McCartney played his first gig in Russia in 2003 and said at the time, “We were chuffed in the 60s when we heard The Beatles were big in Russia. We thought. ‘Wow! The power of music! We’ve even got behind the iron curtain.’”
Jerry Goldman, Managing Director of the Beatles Story said “It’s wonderful that we can welcome our Russian friends to Liverpool. The importance of the Beatles to so many Russian music fans can never be understated. In the last few years we have seen the number of Russian visitors rise with the introduction of our Russian audio guide.”
The Beatles Story museum, on the Albert Docks in Liverpool is expanding it’s exhibits next year; to include rooms that focus on the solo careers of George Harrison and Ringo Starr, alongside existing displays on John Lennon and Paul McCartney.