Come in Yuyutsu....

If you read about Rimsky-Korsakov you learn a lot about the chaotic life of 19th Century Russia.

and that

http://m.harunyahya.com/tr/works/581/Communism-In-Ambush/chapter/56/The-history-of-Bolshevik-savagery

What a lovely article.

Such a change from politics.

Thank You.

It brought back memories of my Russian Gran - and the music she
used to play for me. At the moment I'm trying to control my heart
condition (been in hospital as well) - so I can fully sympathise
with the author.

I now feel inspired to go out and search for more of this
inspirational music. Music with soul.

RK also suffered from intermittent dislike of music. Perhaps that was a form of internal quality control that refused to churn out dross. Tell that to the brain dead types who pump out DOOF DOOF type 'music' or restaurants who assume patrons want to hear elevator music.

No mention of 'Flight of the Bumblebee'. Mussorsky's 'Night on Bald Mountain' was a hit in Walt Disney's Fantasia. Recall villagers walking with lamps before dawn. The orchestrator was Leopold Stokowski who modified the RK arrangement but RK's version is the one now used in concerts.

Quite liked RK, still, do. And he would likely tell us? Not too much has changed in chaotic Russia, except the name of the strongmen and the size of their purloined personal fortunes/insatiable ambitions/"propaganda"? A former Russian businessman, down on his luck, lost his house, wife and almost every cent in the world.

Anyhow he has descended into a vodka-laden haze and wanders the street in the rags that used to be his business suits. To eventually find himself in the gutter seriously ill and dying of literal starvation.

And in his final despair re-embraces the God of his childhood and cries to the heavens, Lord, Lord, why hast thou forsaken me, I've prayed time and again for a windfall to extricate me from my predicament! Why-why-why hast thou not answered my prayer?

With which a big voice boomed from the sky, Ivan, go and buy a lottery ticket. The moral being, you've got to do some part of it yourself? nd typical Russian humour, which is at times, quite funny but incisive as well.

Get well soon Don and my dear friend Foxy!
Alan B.

Dear Alan B.,

Thanks for your well wishes.

Enjoyed the joke.

I'll have to think of a typical Russian one - but
at the moment my brain's not functioning properly
so I'll have to get back to you.

cont'd ...

Dear Alan B.,

I've just remembered a "golden oldie" taken from the
Reagan Era.

An American and a Russian were discussing Freedom.

The American told the Russian that he could walk in front
of the White House and shout "Down with Donald Trump,"
(previously Reagan) and that nothing would happen to him.

The Russian merely smiled and said, that he also could
walk in front of the Kremlin and shout "Down with Donald
Trump," and nothing would happen to him either. (smile).

Foxy,
Wasn't the second link to your liking ?

Indy,

What second link?

Foxy,
that one. It's about Russia too.

http://m.harunyahya.com/tr/works/581/Communism-In-Ambush/chapter/56/The-history-of-Bolshevik-savagery

Indy,

Thanks for the link.

I've got an entire library on this subject.

My parents were refugees (displaced persons)
who ran away from the Soviet Regime. Their
families and people suffered a great deal
under that regime. So I am familiar with
the subject.

Foxy,
I don't know about you but I'm utterly mystified at the lack of comments to the harun Yaya link.
Is it something people rather don't know about or simply not care ?

Indy,

I'm consistently surprised the things that people seem
uninterested in. But then I guess we all have our separate
interests that we're passionate about.

This might make you
smile just a little. I recently bought a DVD for my
grand-daughter to watch - the title was "The Star." It was
an animated version of the birth of baby Jesus. Which I hadn't
realised. I thought it was going to be about astronomy. Anyway,
it was a very entertaining DVD - and she enjoyed it very much.
However she wanted to know who baby Jesus was. The best I could
('cause she's quite young) was explain that he was a "Superhero"
who one day would "Save the world," just like the Marvel
Superheroes of "The Justice League," that she was familiar with - like - "Wonder
Woman," "Spiderman", and so on. It then made sense to her.

I suppose the point is - people take more of an interest if
things are put in familiar terms - that they can understand.

I hope this makes sense. Also, don't forget that your link had
to be translated to be read - perhaps some people may not
have realised that they could do that.

Just a thought.

Dear Foxy,

There are some composers who I really love, that I have great affection for - Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Dvorak, Mahler, Bach and Mozart of course. I'm in singing group and a couple of years back, had to pick a Xmas song to sing, so I chose the Lullaby of the Sea Princess from RK's 'Sadko', in Russian. Not that I understood more than a few words. Not that it as a Christmas song either, but RK's genius prevailed. There are some wonderful singers of this beautiful song on Youtube, the amazing young Tartar soprano, Aida Garifullina, for example.

It's interesting how many great composers were of mixed ancestry - Borodin with a Georgian serf mother, Shostakovich with Polish and Siberian grand-parents, Chopin with a French parent ( I forget which one), Balakirev with Tartar ancestry, Khachaturian being Armenian, and so on. OR that they had very different, un-musical, early experiences, RK as a naval officer, Tchaikovsky as a lawyer, Dvorak as an apprentice butcher, Wagner selling life insurance (I made that up).

Timeless music which will long outlast the DOOF DOOF.

Love,

Joe

Dear Joe,

Thank You for sharing something so personal.

My grandmother used to sing me Russian lullabies
and read me beautiful Russian children's stories,
folklore and mythology. I loved her dearly - she
was such a special woman - strong-fast and
determined. She saw a lot in her life time. She
came out to Australia with my parents. Died of
Lukemia back in the 1950s.

Russia and her people have always been special to me.
But what a history.

Dearest Foxy,

I'm so sorry that your grandmother endured so much, to die (I presume) much too young. But she lives on in your heart and I'm sure is always on your shoulder :)

Love,

Joe

Dear Joe,

My grandmother was in her early sixties.

It was too young to die.

I got my love of Russian music from her - and I love
to sing. I also learned the joy of storytelling from her.
Which I now am passing on to my grand-children.

Quality, was an obsession of my grand-mothers. Her belief
in dressing up both the mind and the body is one I
wholeheartedly share. I love dressing up. Even as a child
and playing "fantasy games" of being wrapped up in Baroque
splendour and later as I grew - of investing in the
ultimate accessory, a witty velvet slipper, designer fragrance,
a slip of silk, small exquisite pieces that are the lynch
pins of style and can change your mood, your style.

But now I'm rambling.

Thanks again for your comments.