4 September 2007

4 September, 2007
Mark Twain
United States of America
Dear Mark,
I must admit that you were absolutely right in your assessment of St. Petersburg; it is an absolutely LOVELY city! The archetecture is beautiful: the buildings, the canals, the cathedrals...fantastic! We spent today running errands in the center of town (which we will discuss later), and I was truly enjoying the feel and vibe of the city-it's amazing how differently one looks at things once the jetlag wears off.
Which does bring me to my main errand of the day-I needed to get my VISA registered. the cost was far more (almost 50% more) than what was quoted in the US-the reason is that the dollar has become so unstable that-now try and believe this-that they decided to use the stronger and more stable Ruble for all transactions; so the cost in Rubles was the same, but the cost in American currency is more (it's now only 26 Rubles to the Dollar, and the Dollar is getting weaker by the day...).
I went by the Philharmonic today to see their schedule-amazingly, they are programming Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, and the Finnish Sibelius-a fine line up of Russian and Nordic composers; too bad American Orchestras don't program more of their home grown composers, save for Pops concerts...that and the occasional "Americana" concert that usually features the "Big Five": Copland, Barber, Bernstein, Ives, and Gershwin, and then only accessable and favorite popular pieces by these composers. Now, I love all of these composers, but I would love to hear some more Carter, Ruggles, and Still...
Now, a brief comment about St. Petersburg's main populace...no not the people...and I am not refering to rats, which outnumber folk in NYC by 12 to 1...no, I'm refering to Giarda lamblia...St. Petersburg is built, as I understand it, on a swamp; the water is very bad, and worse, it is infested with these wonderful little parasites called Giardia lamblia. The "Little Buggies" (as I lovingly call them, and will refer to them such in subsequent letters), enter into your body by drinking tap water, nestle their little selves in your intestines, and have quite a feast. Now, the locals are mostly immune, but foreigners? Oh, I could almost hear the dinner bells a-ringing...I haven't as of yet been infected (that I know of), but it's inevitable...
As I sit here at my desk, I am contemplating starting my next composition-there are at least 3 "on the table", meaning pieces that I am commited to write sooner or later...hopefully later tonight, the decision will be made and "pen will dance with ink"...OK, yes, I know, that was poetic, but it's more like "fingers will dance with computer keyboard".
Until next I write.
Yours,
Demetrius