Песня о старом доме на Новом Арбате

a song by Vladimir Vysotsky
music by Mikael Tariverdiev

After spending two weeks living in an old and very cold house, this song came to mind, just in time for its author’s 88^th birthday. A song about an old house on New Arbat appeared in the 1966 Soviet comedy Саша-Сашенька, of which Vysotsky said that it was “a really bad movie” and that he contributed his song “due to a misunderstanding”. I never watched it. According to Wikipedia, in the film the song was performed by an “unknown actor”. Elsewhere, it is said that the song was ‘written for Tariverdiev’s opera “Who are you?”’ («Кто ты?»). This version on YouTube is that I knew and loved since the 1970s from magnetic tape recordings. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a decent English translation of it.

Владимир Высоцкий Музыка Микаэла Таривердиева Песня о старом доме на Новом Арбате

Стоял тот дом, всем жителям знакомый, Его ещё Наполеон застал, Но вот его назначили для слома, Жильцы давно уехали из дома, Но дом пока стоял... Холодно, холодно, холодно в доме. Парадное давно не открывалось, Мальчишки окна выбили уже, И штукатурка всюду осыпалась, Но что-то в этом доме оставалось На третьем этаже... Ахало, охало, ухало в доме. И дети часто жаловались маме И обходили дом тот стороной. Объединясь с соседними дворами, Вооружась лопатами, ломами, Вошли туда гурьбой Дворники, дворники, дворники тихо. Они стоят и недоумевают, Назад спешат, боязни не тая, Вдруг там Наполеонов дух витает, А может, это просто слуховая Галлюцинация? Боязно, боязно, боязно дворникам. Но наконец приказ о доме вышел, И вот рабочий, тот, что дом ломал, Ударил с маху гирею по крыше, А после клялся, будто бы услышал, Как кто-то застонал Жалобно, жалобно, жалобно в доме. От страха дети больше не трясутся: Нет дома, что два века простоял, И скоро здесь по плану реконструкций Ввысь этажей десятки вознесутся — Бетон, стекло, металл... Весело, здорово, красочно будет.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

a film by Marielle Heller
based on an article by Tom Junod

If not for this film, watched quite by chance, I would never know who Fred Rogers was. For his portrayal of Rogers, Tom Hanks earned a score of nominations for best supporting actor — whoa, wait a minute. Best supporting actor? Isn’t it Mister Rogers who is the main character here, so shouldn’t it have been “best actor”? Apparently not. Matthew Rhys as Lloyd (ostensibly the protagonist), like the whole Lloyd’s family story, didn’t convince me at all. Still, well worth watching, especially when it’s cold and miserable as it is in the Peninsula now.

Éiru

a film by Giovanna Ferrari

From Cartoon Saloon, the creators of The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, comes this charming hand-drawn short. Once again, recommended to me by Timur.

Three Women

by Lisa Taddeo

Yet another “international No. 1 bestseller” totally not worth the hype. Probably bought in some British airport and then donated to our library after not finishing it. I myself almost gave it up halfway through.

“This is a work of nonfiction”, says the Author’s Note. “Almost all quotes come from legal documents, emails, letters, recordings, and interviews with the women and other individuals in the book.” If you haven’t read the Author’s Note though, you wouldn’t know. The true stories of, well, three women are fictionalised here to the degree of softcore, and at times hardcore, porn. I find this disrespectful towards the titular women. At least, towards Maggie and Lina. I can’t be sure about the third woman — the fictionalised Sloane, together with her voyeuristic husband, might even find it arousing, but I seriously doubt that the real Sloane would. Personally, I prefer either dry, matter-of-fact style in non-fiction, or the direct speech of protagonists^*. In this way, the characters appear real, as they should. In case of this book, sorry, they do not.

*	Mujeres que follan by Adaia Teruel (reviewed on this blog) is a brilliant example of this latter.

Free live music and stuff in Las Palmas, December 2025

Before reporting on what we’ve seen in December, let me tell you what we haven’t. That’s right, it was Christmas lights switch-on on 4 December. When we arrived somewhere close to Plaza de Santa Ana, we realised that we can’t get there because of the bloody barriers. It was supposed to be a family-friendly event but from what we could see, all the seats were taken mostly by adults. After circling the place clock- and then counterclockwise, we went home to read some indignant comments in social networks.

And then a great number of outdoorsy activities were cancelled thanks to Storm Emilia. Oh well.

On the other hand, I’ve been to three pretty good Christmas concerts in local churches which I probably wouldn’t attend if we haven’t moved to Isleta.

• 6 December: Concierto de Navidad @ Parroquia de Santa María del Pino, Calle Ruiz de Alda, 7, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria^†
  A concert of La Banda de música Barahona conducted by Zoraida Hernández Almeida. The programme included:
  • Mulan (Matthew Wilder, arr. Johnnie Vinson)
  • Selections from Moana (Lin-Manuel Miranda, arr. Jay Bocook)
  • Arabian Dances (Roland Barrett)
  • Hercules (Alan Menken)
  • Christmas in Mexico (traditional, arr. Michael Story)
  • Ukrainian Bell Carol (Mykola Leontovych, arr. Richard L. Saucedo)
  • Fantasy on a Burgundian Carol (traditional, arr. Michael Story)
  • A Holly Jolly Christmas Medley (arr. Stefan Schwalgin)
• 10 December: Performance colectiva «Rojo Descolonial» @ Casa de Colón, Calle Colón, 1
  This collective performance was the culmination of Rojo descolonial. Doscientos años de grana en Canarias, a project by the Mexican artist Gloria Godínez.

  

• 16 December: «Los Reyes siguen l’estrella. La Natividad en la tradición musical hispánica» @ Casa de Colón
  Las Hespérides feauturing Magdalena Padilla (soprano), David Batista (countertenor) and Carlos Oramas (vihuela). The programme included:

  Luys Milán: Fantasía del Quarto Tono* Tomás Luis de Victoria: O magnum mysterium Tomás Luis de Victoria: Ne timeas Maria Diego Pisador: Dezidle al caballero* Francisco Guerrero: Puer natus est Vincenzo Capirola: Ricercar ottava* Anonymous (from Cancionero de Upsala): Dadme albricias Anonymous (from Cancionero de Upsala): Gózate, Virgen Sagrada Anonymous (from Cancionero de Upsala): No la devemos dormir Francisco Guerrero: La Tierra s’está gozando Francisco Guerrero: Pastor, quien madre virgen Francisco Guerrero: Los Reyes siguen l’estrella Francisco Guerrero: Niño Dios d'amor herido Francisco Guerrero: Vamos al portal Luys de Narváez: Fantasía del quarto tono* Mateo Flecha “El Viejo”: Dindirindin

  

• 18 December: Concierto de Navidad de la Unidad de Música del Mando Aéreo de Canarias @ Plaza de Santa Ana
  The band of the Canary Islands Air Command braved the elements to deliver a delightful Christmas concert. The highlights included themes from Cinema Paradiso and Skyfall, Street Tango, A Night in Tunisia and Nutcracker Swing.

  

• 19 December: Recital Lírico de Navidad @ Parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Calle Benartemi, 46^†
  With Inna Saavedra (soprano), Sun Park (organ), Cristina Gimeno Pérez (oboe) and Néstor Henríquez Domínguez (violin). The programme included:

  Franz Schubert: Ave Maria Johann Sebastian Bach: Magnificat Antonio Vivaldi: Gloria Johannes Brahms: Wiegenlied Georg Friedrich Händel: Lascia ch’io pianga César Franck: Panis angelicus Franz Schubert: Mille cherubini in coro John Francis Wade: Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful) Georg Friedrich Händel: Messiah Vladimir Vavilov: Ave Maria (misattributed to Giulio Caccini) Irving Berlin: White Christmas* Franz Xaver Gruber: Stille Nacht Adolphe Adam: Cantique de Noël Encore: James Lord Pierpont: Jingle Bells*

• 28 December: Concierto de Navidad @ Parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Luz, Calle Pérez Muñoz, 4^†
  A concert of La Banda Juvenil de Firgas (postponed from 7 December). The highlights were pasodoble Música y Vinos by Manuel Morales Martínez, a Pixar medley (including the theme from The Incredibles), and Jingle Bell Rock (encore).

And exhibitions:

• 12 November 2025 — 1 March 2026: «El original multiplicado» @ Casa de Colón
  Engravings from the collection of Cabildo de Gran Canaria, including works by Rembrandt, Goya, Picasso, Chillida, Chirino and Lola Massieu.

  

• 4 December 2025 — 6 January 2026: Elia Verona @ Bar Tenesor, Calle Rosarito, 2
  Engravings by Elia Verona in a friendly bar environment.
• 11 December 2025 — 9 January 2026: «Objetópolis: Atlas de invenciones poéticas» @ Centro de Artes Plásticas (CAP), Calle Colón, 8
  Impossible art by Irene León.

  

Happy New Year, everybody.

*	Instrumental.
†	This concert was part of the cycle Sueña la Navidad en tu barrio (District Isleta-Puerto-Guanarteme).

Beloved Infidel

a film by Henry King
based on a memoir by Sheilah Graham

Another CinemaScope film starring Deborah Kerr, sailing on another ocean liner to, surprise surprise, New York, New York. But if An Affair to Remember had the whole first half of decent comedy, no such luck here. Gregory Peck, at times, is pretty good as one F. Scott Fitzgerald, who must have been a thoroughly unpleasant type. I liked Kerr’s portrayal of a cool-as-a-cucumber Ms Graham — not a melodramatic Ms Graham as seen in the trailer.

Beloved Infidel (as Días sin vida) was a closing feature of the cycle 90 años de la 20th Century Fox organised by Asociación de Cine Vértigo.

The Young Lions

a film by Edward Dmytryk
based on a novel by Irwin Shaw

This 1958 film may be (considered) a classic and an epic but it didn’t age well. Maybe it wasn’t that good to start with. Marlon Brando as a blonde German officer speaking (even to other Germans) in English with fake German accent is an embarrassment. Ditto the other protagonists. The only believable character, in my view, is cool and cynical Frau Hardenberg portrayed by May Britt.

The Young Lions (El baile de los malditos) was shown as part of the cycle 90 años de la 20th Century Fox organised by Asociación de Cine Vértigo.