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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: maceng2 who wrote (49894)	10/7/2002 2:21:07 AM
From: maceng2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Stalin said it was OK to sing forbidden song.. Stalin and His Penchant For Forbidden Ditties themoscowtimes.com By Vladislav Schnitzer In our sideboard, among the wine glasses and tumblers, stands a green crystal fuzher, or long-stemmed champagne glass. In the glass lies a note written long ago by my father: "Leonid Utyosov's personal fuzher." In the Soviet era, Utyosov was the leader of a legendary big band, a singer and film actor. Utyosov was a frequent guest in our home. He was good friends with my father, who was a fine pianist in addition to being a general practitioner. After a meal and a glass of Rkatsiteli wine, Utyosov, known to his friends as Lyodya, would settle in by the piano and sing his favorite tunes to my father's accompaniment. One memorable summer day, Utyosov sang a couple of songs, and then suddenly, with boyish enthusiasm, said to my father: "Let's do 'S Odesskogo Kichmana'!" "Are you nuts, Lyodya?" my father replied. "That song is banned. The neighbors will hear." My father was right to be scared. The popular song "Three Convicts Escaped From Odessa jail" had indeed been banned in the Soviet Union as a thieves' ditty. Playing the song could lead to a lot of unpleasantness. There was no shortage of informants at that time. But Utyosov wouldn't listen to reason. "Come on, Yuzya! Don't be afraid. The song has been approved." "By whom?" my father asked. "By Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin!" Utyosov told us that he had recently been invited to the Kremlin to a modest banquet. The official in charge of putting together the guest list overheard someone say that Stalin liked to listen to records of Utyosov's songs. The official decided to please his "master" and include Utyosov in the list, ordering him to bring an accompanist just in case. Shortly after the guests had been seated and the usual toasts had been drunk, Stalin unexpectedly said: "I'm told that comrade Utyosov is with us tonight." Not knowing what to do in this situation, Utyosov jumped up from his chair and made a deep bow, while Stalin continued: "Let's ask Comrade Utyosov to sing 'S Odesskogo Kichmana' for us." Utyosov froze, having no doubt that his number was up and that a black paddy wagon was waiting outside to haul him off to prison. "But that song is forbidden," Utyosov managed to get out. "Sing, comrade Utyosov, and have no fear of comrade Stalin." They called for the accompanist, and Utyosov began to sing. His voice wavered at first, but when he saw the good-natured smile on Stalin's face, he relaxed and sang the song a second time at the leader's request. "So go ahead and play, Yuzya!" Utyosov said when he finished his story. And as he flung open the door to the balcony next to our piano, he triumphantly raised his fuzher. Vladislav Schnitzer is a journalist and pensioner living in Moscow.