los veinte

El musical de donde nace todo el asunto es de 1925; su  historia  de procedencia es abrumadora, como no podía ser de otra manera

Dejo varias versiones del asunto. La supuestamente orquestación original, con una interpretación maravillosamente ñoña. Una doble, de Nat, más que nada por el placer de verlo a él tocando el piano. La reina de la ñoñería, en versión cinematográfica. Mi adorada Blossom, que puestos a contar mentiras las cuenta como nadie. La de Barney y Stephane en el Limehouse blues, un disco esencial en mi formación musical. Y la del ruso en varias puestas ene escena, ballet incluido.
Quién vaciló a quién, Nikolai a Dmitri o al revés. La genialidad puede ser muy osada con 21 años. El mayor tenía los 43 ya. De todas formas, el de la antigua Leningrado me trasmite en todas sus fotografías una pesadumbre que no se la envidio.
Sigo alucinando con Rusia.
El día ha sido de una luz extraña.
Los años veinte. O los veinte años.

In October 1927, the conductor Nikolai Malko challenged Dmitri Shostakovich to do an arrangement of the song after the two listened to it on record at Malko's house. Malko bet 100 roubles that Shostakovich could not completely re-orchestrate it from memory in under an hour. Shostakovich took him up and won, completing it in around 45 minutes. His "Tea for Two" arrangement, Opus 16, was first performed on 25 November 1928. It was incorporated into Tahiti Trot from his ballet The Golden Age first performed in 1929.

In his student years Shostakovich had already acquired a legendary reputation for his powers of sight-reading, his amazing memory and his ability to assimilate music at lightning speed.   Tahiti Trot came into being in the autumn of 1928 as a consequence of a bet by Malko to test Shostakovich’s skills: the composer was challenged to orchestrate Vincent Youman’s Tea For Two in the space of an hour. Shostakovich there and then got down to work and within forty minutes had produced his brilliantly witty and original orchestration. Malko performed the Tahiti Trot (as the work was known m Russia) in Moscow on 25 November 1928 in a concert that included two other new Shostakovich works1 the Suite from the newly finished opera Τhe Nose , and Two Pieces By D. Scarlatti (another commission from Malko).

Tahiti Tiot acquired such popularity in Russia that it was played by dance bands in restaurants, and was included as an entr’acte before the third act of the ballet The Golden Age at the suggestion of the conductor Alexander Gauk It was the only number to be encored at every performance of the ballet.

I'm discontented
With homes that are rented
So I have invented my own

Darling this place is
A lover's oasis
Where life's weary chase is unknown

Far from the cry of the city
Where flowers pretty
Caress the streams

Cozy to hide in,
To live side by side in
Don't let it abide in my dreams

Picture me upon your knee
With tea for two, and two for tea
Me for you, and you for me
Alone

Nobody near us
To see us or hear us
No friends or relations
On weekend vacations

We won't have it known
That we own
A telephone

Day will break
And you'll awake
And I will bake
A sugar cake
For you to take
For all the boys to see

We will raise a family
A boy for you and a girl for me
Can't you see
How happy we would be