In 1962, the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky arrived in Moscow. He had not been to his homeland for almost half a century, having left Russia in 1914.
At the time when Nikita Khrushchev was the head of the USSR, the visit of a genius to the USSR became an event in the world.
Stravinsky was living in the USA at the time, and the American press claimed that his music was not loved and not performed in the Soviet Union, so the composer was very worried before his arrival.
But the visit was his triumph. On the stage of the Palace of Congresses were his ballets: "Petrushka", "Firebird", "Orpheus".
It was impossible to get to the maestro's concerts. For an encore, he performed the Russian folk "Song of the Volga Boatmen" in his treatment.
For three weeks Stravinsky gave many concerts in Moscow and his native Petersburg (Leningrad), where he met with relatives.
Image: RB
