Happy Birthday Sergei Prokofiev!

In honor of our new Russian overlords (thanks, Don!  MAGA!), I'd like to note that great Russian/Soviet composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was born today in what's now eastern Ukraine.

He also had the misfortune to die on the same day that Joseph Stalin died.  And as such there were no flowers for his funeral (they were all gathered up for Stalin's) and very few mourners (see the previous parenthetical statement).

Anyway, he wrote the score in the early 30s to a film called Lieutenant Kije.  The film itself is remembered for being the vehicle for the music.  For what it's worth, here's the plot of the movie:

Through a wildly unlikely mistake, the non-existent name Lieutenant Kijé has been entered into the rolls of a military company, and in order to prevent official embarrassment, a Kijé is invented. The film then chronicles in narrative the Lieutenant's arrival, marriage, and burial.

Here's the music:


Make America Great Again (by colluding with Russian Intelligence to sway an American Election)!