Putin Plays the Piano In Beijing

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Beijing for the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, a $1 trillion plan for infrastructure and economic development in some 60 countries.

During a break in the meetings, Putin played the piano.

 

According to The New York Times,  Putin played two songs from the late 1950s, when  Putin was a child and the Soviet Union was emerging from the shadow of Stalin, who died in 1953.

“Evening Song,” usually performed with lyrics by Aleksandr Churkin, was written in 1957 and is considered an unofficial anthem of St. Petersburg, Putin’s hometown, formerly known as Leningrad.

Here are some of the lyrics:

“The city over the free Neva, the city of our glorious labor, listen Leningrad, I am singing to you my heartfelt song.”

The other tune, “Moscow Windows,” usually performed with lyrics by the poet Mikhail Matusovsky, is a tune about friendship. Some lyrics read:

“As in the past I am ready to stand under your window, and I always rush toward the rays of light coming out of it as to a date with my youth.

   -RW