Thread by @annalesbelli

- The Pianist who dared to challenge Stalin 🧵-

Our story begins on an evening of 1944 in Moscow, Stalin was listening to the radio in his office when he heard Maria Yudina playing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 and absolutely loved it (1/8) #Svagaiature #History

The dictator loved it so much that personally called the radio station demanding for a copy of the performance, there’s was only one problem: what he had listen was a live broadcast of a concert that hadn’t been recorded but no one wanted to upset the leader (2/8)

Maria Yudina was woken up in the middle of the night and urgently driven back to the theatre she had left just few hours before together with a conductor and a small hastily gathered orchestra (3/8)

The conductor was so terrified that he kept messing up. They changed him for another, but he couldn’t handle the tension either and was sent away. So a third conductor had to be found. During all this Yudina remained serenely calm and played (4/8)

Finally, by daybreak, the concerto was recorded and a single copy of it was pressed and delivered to Stalin. Mercifully and luckily for all concerned he was unable to tell the difference from the broadcast he’d heard (5/8)

Soon after Yudina received a letter containing 20.000 rubles sent by Stalin, the courageous pianist’s acknowledged the letter in her answer and said: (6/8)

"I thank you for your aid, I will pray for you day and night and ask the Lord to forgive your great sins before the people and the country. The Lord is merciful and He’ll forgive you. I gave the money to the church that I attend.” (7/8)

According to the dictator’s inner circle Stalin read the letter, put it aside and said nothing. Nine years later on his deathbed that same recording would be playing (8/8)