Soundtrack of Russia

Hi everyone!

We've had an uneventful day here. I got some work done (working on establishing SCHIP thresholds, for those of you who know what I'm talking about) and Rob did some reading. We also went out for blinis (pancakes with filling) so that was fun.

Since there's no news on Meredith - still planning for a Tuesday pickup - I thought I'd post my other reflection on our Russian experiences: the music we hear.

Since I am a “music” person, I have paid special attention to the music around me in Russia. Of course, most of the Russian pop just sounds like pop to me, and I have no idea what the lyrics mean. This means that the things that have caught my ear have been the various strains of American music, showing up in odd places. Let me tell you about a few.

· We ate at a nice restaurant in Yaroslavl (with Russian and Uzbek food) where there was a large TV screen. On the screen was a George Michael video. I enjoyed the novelty of it. Then after that video came another George Michael video. Then another. We realized that this was some kind of George Michael video marathon – maybe on a DVD or something? It had everything from “Careless Whisper” to some jazzy stuff (he can sound a bit like Michael Buble) and his newer duet with Elton John (singing “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”). His hairdo has gotten smaller over time, but his voice is the same. And you know what? It is good. As cheesy as he can be, after listening to his music marathon I have concluded that I really like his voice.

· When riding around in Moscow with our driver, we listen to whatever he finds as he’s flipping through stations. Most of the time it is Russian pop, but there have been a sprinkling of other things as well. For instance, while we were in Moscow at the end of our first trip, after such a roller coaster ride, we heard a sort of Caribbean sounding song in English about the “river of Babylon” and "remembering Zion". The chorus was: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable.” This is a line from an old church confession. It was such an encouragement at a time when we could delight in a reminder of God’s presence. We still don’t know why we were on the “Christian” radio station – it only lasted for a couple of songs – but it was a blessing. Most of the time, we find we are listening to “Retro FM” which usually isn’t recognizable to us except for its English name.

· Last week in Yaroslavl, while riding with our facilitator, we heard some jazz (I think it was a CD or tape in her car and not the radio). The songs were old standards – “Love Me or Leave Me” and others like it – and I realized that it was a non-native speaker singing. He had this very slight but noticeable accent. Perhaps Russia has its own Harry Connick Jr. wannabe. He was OK, but I’m not running out to buy the CD.

· A few days ago in St. Petersburg we went to see the St. Petersburg Men’s Chorus. They are an acapella group of about 20 men with voices ranging from very high (basically alto) to very low (bass profundi). The first half of the program was Sacred music, some by Tchaikovsky. Apparently in Russian Orthodox churches, there was (is?) no instrumentation allowed, and historically women were not allowed to sing in a church’s chorus, and so the churches would develop skilled choruses of men and boys. The choir we saw is trying to recreate some of those arrangements. They were wonderful! Then in the second half they did some secular music and several Russian folk songs. There is one that Rob and I both remembered from our first piano book* – it was called (in our book) “Song of the Volga Boatman”. Of course, it has a real name, and luckily I still have the program so I can check it later. (* yes, Rob and I had the same initial piano books growing up – just one more random thing in common, along with our distaste for peppers and onions.)

· Yesterday in a shop I heard “Eternal Flame” by the Bangles and a song by Chicago (can’t remember which one, since they all sound the same, but I love them all!). Apparently they have access to the lite station :)

· Along with hearing bits of music here and there, we’ve also gotten to see posters for recent and upcoming musical events. A few highlights include: Bob Dylan, Megadeth, Bobby McFerrin, Nazareth (40 year reunion – yikes!), Blondie, Back Street Boys, and…wait for it…the inimitable Julio Iglesias. I asked our driver in Moscow if Julio wasn’t just a little too old by now for touring, but he didn’t think so. Hmmm.

This reminds me that I'd like to ask for your prayers for my family. We have just lost my grandma. (She loved Julio like nobody's business). She was in many ways ready to go - she had said so before - but it was still a shock, and of course we cannot be there to mourn with our family. Something really special, though, is that the last time my parents were visiting her - I guess about a month ago - she gave them her Meredith doll so that they could pass it along to our Meredith! I would have treasured it anyway, but now it is particularly meaningful to me. I am glad Grandma at least got to see pictures of her, and talk to me on the phone when we were between trips. She was really excited to meet her - but I bet she is even more excited to be in heaven.

Thanks as always for your prayers. We will be in touch again soon.