The U.S. would like to see the Soviet Union's politics confounded, but it likes Russian music. Such contemporary composers as Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Khachaturian and Kabalevsky are frequently played at U.S. concerts. Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges is one of the most popular hits at the New York City Opera. The older Russians are popular too; no pop concert series would be complete without an all-Tchaikovsky program.
Phonograph fans with a taste for Russian music have had a wide choice of domestic recordings, but until recently the supply of original Soviet performances was meager....