That must win some weird title award.
Tchaikovsky is one of my favourite composers. Anyone who can compose such a ballbreaker as the 1812 Overture is all right in my book (even though I don't think the man himself was too keen on that particular oevre).
Hitler publicly reviled Tchaikovsky and other Russian and Jewish composers.
It turns out he was an old mono-testicled hypocrite. His record collection contains records by both groups.
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Given that the 1812 celebrates Napoleon's Grande Armee being defeated in the Russian winter before reaching Moscow, Adolf would have done better to listen more often, think a little and maybe learn the lessons of history.
ReplyDeleteVery good point indeed, Peter
ReplyDeleteA German great uncle was at Stalingrad: a member of the Wehrmacht. He did what he had to to survive. He hasn't talked about it much, but what he has was pretty awful: best friend from school's head blown off by a bullet as they walked side my side, hand to hand fighting, eating frozen horseflesh. One day his patrol was surrounded by Red Army, they were heavily outnumbered, being picked off. they knew that German prisoners did not fare too well, so he organized a breakout. First (being good Catholic south Germans) they said a few prayers and he promised that should he survive his first daughter would be named after Mary. They charged, most got out, his first daughter was duly called Mary. He was hit by grenade shrapnel and flow out for treatment shortly before the 6th Army was surrounded and forced to surrender. He's one of the nicest men you could meet: scarred by what he did and what happened to him. When I was there on holiday aged about 14 he got pretty drunk, took me to show the German Army stuff left on the family farm - he'd kept it. He said my generation must make Europe work so that war like it never happens again. Here endeth...
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter - a strong message for all of us.
ReplyDelete