Speziell zur Sendung am
Dienstag, den 01. Juni 2021:

The Lost Pianos of Siberia, Sophy Roberts (2020)

Andrew and Sandra read extracts from and comment on the book.

“Siberia’s story is traditionally one of exiles, bitter cold and suffering. Yet there is another tale to tell. Dotted throughout this remote land are pianos created during the boom years of the 19^thc. They tell the story of how, ever since entering Russian culture under the influence of Catherine the Great, piano music has run through the country like blood. How these pianos travelled into the snow-bound wilderness in the first place is remarkable. That they might be capable of making music in such a hostile landscape feels like a miracle. The Lost Pianos of Siberia is a piano hunt – a quixotic journey through two centuries of Russian history and eight time zones stretching across an 11^th of the world’s land surface. It reveals not only music, but profound humanity in the last place on Earth you might expect to find it.”

Music played:

1. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto no. 1 (Andantino semplice)
2. Liszt: Piano Concerto no. 1 (Quasi adagio)
3. Chopin: Nocturne no. 13, op. 48/1, in C minor
4. Rachmaninov: Prelude no. 8 in C minor, op. 23/7 (played by Sviatoslav Richter)
5. Shostakovich: Symphony no. 7 :‘Leningrad’ (played by the Leningrad Philharmonic, under Yevgeny Mravinsky)
6. Chopin: Nocturne in F, op.15/1 (played by Sviatoslav Richter)
7. Shostakovich: Piano Concerto no. 2, op. 102 (Andante)