The Russians

I have to go through my personal letters she wrote me after I was married. I remember a day, a usual, normal day. She called over to and asked me to come over. On arrival, she asked me, if I could get my hands on a recording machine. I said In Russian “kineshna” (of course). I told her maybe I could get the use the same one I used to tape her concert. She said No, No, not that professional, just a simple recorder, I want to do something, but I can’t figure out these infernal machine’s (Imagine if she lived today! She would be hanging from a fixture, along with me.) I got a simple reel to reel and brought it over. I was not ready for what was about to transpire. I mean she couldn’t blow me away again! Wrong, totally wrong. I got the recorder set up in the bedroom, and ran the cable out into the piano in the study, earphones ready. We tested it, or I tested it. These Artists do not ‘warm up” that would not happen. She just starts in playing. “Wait” says I, just let me get it started will ya” yes I could speak to her that way, as we were family. She would condescend to that. I said Ok, go ahead.
She started, the first piece she played I will never forget, It was called “Invictus Maneo” both hands of this frail woman exploded in opposite directions, all superb florid counterpoint. I kind of expected this, as I was used to the dynamic.
I knew I couldn’t stop tape and ask to start over, so the levels did not distort at least. Ok, one thing done, Now she says do we have room for something else also” Yup, as much as you need” By the way, what you just played has my head spinning, can I have a second please! She was pleased by the rough compliment. We talked a bit, she told me that we were going to record a ballet. “There just aren’t enough ballets in the lexicon, so when I was in Rome I wrote one. She very carefully explained the story, it was a tragic ballet. We began, now as she is playing, she is explaining the story, not easy of course. You asked me if she ever used Arianna, or the Greek, Ariadne. Yes, in a letter she explained to me a relationship between Bacchus and Ariadne, as lovers. As for as I know that was the only time she used other names. Why should she, her given name Ariadna, I mean the name itself is music still in the womb. she said her mother had named her without knowing her daughter was to be a musician. “ARIAdna” is music itself.
Her sister was a writer, she would read passages to me on occasion, from a work she had always wanted to write. About the dangerous times back in Russia. It was called, Bloody Sunset’ in Russian it’s pronounced “Krassny (red) Sarofan (sunset) It was a remarkable work. Life for me was paradise, I mean I was a voracious reader, and I just happened to be reading the Russians at the time!. I remember, as I was reading “Crime and Punishment” her telling me, do you know what “Raskolnikov” means in Russian?, rhetorical of course. I shook my head,” It means to cut, or Chop!” If you know the book, the name is perfect.