Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

Lou or Andreyeva, obviously Becky was not made for that role?" She smiled ambiguously.Vladimir did not blush.Konrad sneered sarcastically. "Have you heard the remarkable story of Konstantin and Helena? Helena was EmperorKonstantin’s sister, mother, and mistress—the Church says ‘wife’—and both are glorious saints of the Orthodox Church!Figure that out! Byzantine!"Alexandra, unruffled, continued her laughter. "You are not alluding to me, Konrad? I would never qualify as a muse forthis man. I don’t go into raptures about poetry, an unpardonable flaw in a Russian woman."Without losing his studied pose of indifference, Vladimir looked her in the eye. "Maybe one could teach the young lady afew things, she is highly gifted, as past experience has shown. No offence, Konrad. What would you think if I were to takeyou on a tour of the new, wildly experimental literary underworld?"Konrad smiled charitably. "Why not, although I am not as generous as Lou Salomé’s husband."40.Exploring St. Petersburg's Theaters1906Their first excursion would, of course, be devoted to Alexander Blok."Are you in an expansive mood?" asked Vladimir when he arrived at their apartment to pick them up. "I would like tointroduce you to Blok. No poetry reading, something new, a mini-opera. Blok wrote the script and Mikhail Kuzmin, anunknown poet, the music, and an actor named Vsevolod Meyerhold put the piece on stage and plays its main character:The Puppet Show. The world has never seen anything like it."Before they left Vladimir suggested a masquerade. "I have to introduce you to my friends, but you don’t want to appear inthe gossip magazines tomorrow under your real names. So we have to invent new personalities for you—besides it willbe much more fun to make my friends guess the identity of that ravishing, unknown lady!"Konrad smirked. "Carnival begins only next month."But Alexandra was tickled by the prospect of playing Vladimir’s latest conquest while flirting shamelessly with Konrad. "Iwill be Alexandra d’Andreae, what do you think Konrad?"Konrad mumbled something about blasphemy, but then smiled. "Walter would be amused."Vladimir tried to guess. "Oh," said Alexandra, "her name was Novella d’Andreae, professor of Greek and philosophy atthe University of Bologna, in the year 1299! The Ur-great-grandmother of one Konrad Rost. Can you believe it?"Vladimir was impressed, and Konrad had to explain the connection and, of course, the reason for Novella’s fame.Vladimir was elated. "Italian-German, an old name, a fabulous combination! And you look it too. You will become theinstant rumor of town. Your Georgian accent will sound very authentic. Are you a tourist from Florence? And Konrad?"Alexandra objected. "No, I come from Munich, my Italian will not stand any serious test. Konrad’s name will be Wolfson,he collects old Russian icons for the American market. He is, of course, German, he can’t hide his accent. We met hereover some deal entirely by accident."Alexandra poked Konrad in the ribs."Alexandra and I met on the snow-bound train in Eydtkuhnen," Konrad suggested, catching up with her.The men were already at the door when Alexandra ran back and returned, coquettishly displaying the fedora from Berlin.Vladimir gasped. "My God, how did you know?""Know what?" Alexandra laughed winking at Konrad.Vladimir quoted:Ancient beliefs waftFrom her heavy silks,And her hat with funereal feathers,And her narrow hand in rings."Ever since Blok wrote these lines in The Unknown Woman, every woman in Petersburg wants to own a hat like this one.Where did you find it?""Oh, Konrad bought it for me in Berlin over a year ago."With much laughter, the three, Vladimir on the left, Alexandra in the middle, set out for the theater. She offered her arm toVladimir, "to complete the masquerade," she said.The theater was an improvisation, a long, narrow room with a tiny stage, bent-cane chairs in rows, the audience a motley130