Cotton Picking

Perm

I listened to an interested piece of music written by Khachaturian, the Soviet composer, dating from 1939.  It was originally from the ballet "Happiness" and later changed in name to Gayane which we know it today.  If you've ever been to a European circus you know the music - the "Sabre Dance" being the most well known if not infamous. 

The piece was "the cotton picker", just one of the rather remarkable pieces in this rather extraordinary ballet.

In 1941, during the darkest days of WWII, the Kirov ballet was moved from St. Petersburg (Leningrad) to the city of Perm in the Urals. You see, the Soviets, for all their issues, resolved to fight for the Motherland...something more than just territory....but the embodiment of the spirit of the land; cultural history, the arts, literature, etc., being part and parcel of the mix.  Parts of the sum perhaps.

I bring this up for a number of reasons.  First, the ballet Gayane is a little potboiler dealing with love and patriotic duty...certainly at its written in the appropriate Soviet time/theme.

Second, it was first performed in Perm in 1941 as mentioned and broadcast live throughout the Soviet Union. Imagine that. We, they, Great Britian, nearly all nations with a view and concept of "self" didn't neglect the effect of the arts on the populace.

Last, here we are with military presence (our men and women) in dozens of countries, fighting a couple semi-hot wars, painting ourselves in countless diplomatic corners and what do we foresake? Art. Humanities. Our culture. All now rendered superfluous.  

What are we fighting for?