Do you know what 'Bach' means in German?

Great performance of Giya Kancheli's Seventh Symphony by the local philharmonic orchestra. Bach's f-minor piano concerto, though, was a bit of a disappointment: very shy, almost dormant.

I don't know whose idea it was to place two huge speakers in the corners above the stage to amplify the sound. It confused the heck out of me when I clearly heard the music come not from the piano but from the Bose box in the left corner. A few feet below the speakers there were large flat-screen TVs that showed a medley of wallpaper-esque landscapes: German - for Bach and Georgian - for Kancheli.

Yet another strange move is a traditional lecture before each piece. An exalted musicologist comes out on stage before the orchestra and narrates for 10 minutes about the composer, the work, symbolism, etc. etc. "Do you know what 'Bach' means in German?" "The opening part comes through as a bit forceful, but do not be distressed..." Why not print it in the program? What if I want to be distressed? Moreover, that's the reason why Kancheli wrote it. Do you know what 'Boese' means in German?

Life in/ with a cell

From an essay by a student: "[...] My lovely cell phone (as I call it) always lives in my bag with my powder, lipstick, mascara, and pencil for eyes. But most of all, it likes to lie on the kitchen table. In addition, it usually sleeps under my pillow at night. Second of all, I like to spend a lot of time with my phone. [...] Besides, we like to watch TV, cook, and read together."

Every time I visit in Kiev I somehow find myself strangely attracted to Bulgakov's house at the Andriyvskyy Descent. This time I noticed an interesting detail that I believe has not always been part of the exterior. No, it was not a national holiday. If not, then what exactly is Ukrainian flag doing at Alekseevskiy uzvoz 13?

Pushkin, Kukushkin...

Since I don't have television, I learn about important things from my Grandma. Today, she announced that Esenin just died in Moscow and that they were to bury him at the Novodevichy cemetery. Sure enough Grandma knew that Esenin had died in St. Petersburg about a century ago. But who was the poet she mixed him up with. Andrei Voznesensky! Was it the stature, or the misleading -esen- in both names?