THE RUSSIANS FORCED SWANS TO DANCE

 
This is my second post on the subject of Russian collusions (and some of you are hoping it will be my last). Lighten up - my sole purpose is to charm and entertain.
BTW
If you're "into" Russian collusions, check out my previous post.

The very first "live" ballet I ever saw was Tchaikovsky's The Sleep Beauty at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Rudolph Nureyev was the principal dancer, and he was at the zenith of his career. We had front row seats. 
I was nineteen years old at the time and was accompanied by my very close friend Linda (Linda and I are still close - a thousand years later).

This was the beginning of my ballet mania era. I signed up for ballet classes at college, but then quickly scrapped the idea. I not only had a bad back, I figured I was too old to dabble in dancing.
Besides, you have to be a narcissist to be a dancer...and narcissism isn't on my agenda.

Note:
Every dancer I've ever known vehemently denies that they are narcissistic. I vehemently disagree.

Let's fast forward to a year later.
I took my mother to an ABT performance of Swan Lake at the L.A. Music Center. It was a spectacular evening and I was completely enthralled.

Without ever seeing the music score of Swan Lake and without knowing much about the music, I sat down and quickly wrote a piano transcription of the final act.

It's a shoddy, choppy, haphazard rendition - but it's also very difficult, requiring substantial keyboard virtuosity.  I performed it several times at my college with great success.
And I used to play it everywhere else. In time, it became one of my concert "staples"...an encore favorite.

Nowadays, in grim retrospect, I'm not half as fond of it as I used to be. 
The particular recording that I've posted is old, with poor audio quality.

Anyway, so much for Russia and swans.

Note:
The latest update about Soundcloud is that they  intend to beat the odds and stay afloat.  They won't be shutting down as initially planned.

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??