Friday, July 14, 2017

RUSSIAN COLLUSION



This post is lovingly dedicated to the "FISH".


Okay, I've decided to crawl out of the closet and admit this before someone rats on me and destroys my sterling facade of a reputation.
Well, it's actually a tarnished facade of a reputation.

I have secretly been......let me take a few deep breaths here....in collusion with the Russkies ever since I was fourteen.

That's when I first read Robert Massie's  Nicholas and Alexandra. I was immediately completely smitten by the color, grandeur, and allure of Imperial Russia and - all these years later - it is still in my (Hungarian) blood.

Ever since that long-ago indoctrination, I have been immersing myself in the study of Russian history. Collecting Russian antiques. Acquiring original photos of Nicholas II and the Imperial family. 

As if this revelation isn't shocking enough, I also studied Russian music in college. I participated in many concerts of Russian music.....and performed a Russian piano concerto (Anton Rubinstein's D minor) at Cal State Fullerton.

Hell, I even dated a few Russians in my time.
Well, I'm not sure if picking up that drunk Russian speed skater at the Tiki Hut in Garden Grove was exactly a "date", but that's beside the point.....

Anyway, I'm here to purge my demons by inflicting you with Russian music - -  all performed by ME.
By the way,
Vladimir Putin had nothing to do with it.




This is July from The Months (op. 37) by Tchaikovsky. I thought this was appropriate because......it's JULY!
Sometimes my brilliant mode of thinking amazes me.


Five piano preludes by Alexander Scriabin. Don't let this alarm you. They're all short and the last one is the best. I recorded these in Los Angeles when I was eighteen years old.
Scriabin is one of my ultimate favorite Russian composers. I used to perform a lot of his music.
Audio quality is mediocre.

Note: the third prelude (op. 9 no.1) is written entirely for LEFT HAND. Scriabin had injured his right hand while practicing some music by Franz Liszt - so he wrote several piano compositions for left hand only. 

And last but not least, a prelude by Anatoly Liadov.
BTW
I've heard from a reliable source that Soundcloud is going broke and will be closing up shop in less than 50 days.
I hope this isn't true. What will happen to the music I have on Soundcloud??