Modern Tango World #8 (Moscow)

Being offended, Vas’ka suggests,
that Aronchik probably
should better “moor to Vera”.
To stop the quarrel, a pool
player comes over to the table
and advises to them that
as poets say, preserve your own
portraits to remember them
better. But Aronchik was a
man of passion. He smashes
a bottle on the head of pool
player. The waiter says, he occasionally
finds a fork in his leg,.
This is how saloon tango
ends It doesn’t look like
Argentina, anymore.
— the storyteller notes.
He and his friend also take part
in the fight and are thrown
out of the saloon. When they
were already lying in street, they see Aronchik crawl to Rosa
and offered her everything he has, promising, among other
things, to take her to his city Batumi, where she could go to
sauna four times per year. He promises to guard her body as
a dog, and when she wanted to go to sleep, he would even
undress her himself.
Lolita Torres
This is how the story of that old drinking saloon ends concludes
the storyteller, wondering where the girls may be
now with their usual companion Vas’ka-the Pimp.
The lyrics of the song has slang words, like smarovoz (pimp)
and bandersha (bordelo mistress) But, it also has a lot of
literary references and metaphors, Clearly, the lyrics were
written by a well-educated, intelligent person., for example,
Rosa as Dionysus maiden.
The tragic events of the 1940s, the war and post-war years
forever changed Russia. By the end of World War II, waltzes
and marches played on the radio. They no longer sounded
like the music of the bourgeoisie. The exception was two
tangos — the instrumental Splashes of Champagne and
Wearied Sun.
Many composers of the 30’s, returning to Russia, changed
their repertoire. For example, composer Alexander Vertinsky
turned to many patriotic compositions. Composer
Oscar Strok wrote only instrumental works in those years.
The singer Isabella Yuryeva, who had recorded many tangos
in the 30s, performed for the Soviet Army.
Oskar Strok — 9 —
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