"I am still traveling along the places of my childhood,
relivig the illuminations, aromas, people, places,
moments, gestures, intonations, objects..."

Ingmar Bergman (Laterna Magica)

The Attractions Suite is inspired by my memories of an amusement park that I frequented as a child in the Russian town of Pushkino. In the summer, this park was our favorite pastime. The animals on the merry-go-round would run wild, the chain carousels turning, and a small train filled with children would hurry on its rails while boat-shaped swings would sway up and down.
Three Pieces with Epigraphs from Russian Poetry
Poetry reading by S. Tabachnikov
Translated By S. Frayman

Demons	Dark Lindens	Little Houses of old Moscow
Infinite and brazen In the murky moonlight's play Sundry demons flurry and spin Akin to leaves in November days. A. Pushkin	It was a remarkable spring! Upon the riverbank they sat - Nearby, a scarlet dog rose bloomed. There stood a lane of dark lindens. N. Ogarev	Languid great-grandmothers' glory - The little houses of old Moscow... M. Tsvetaeva
Anyone who loves Pushkin's poetry is probably familiar with this excerpt from his poem "Demons," one of the poem's most mysterious verses. It is frightening, yet enticing in its colorful imagery. Andrey Bitov used these lines in an epigraph to a chapter in his book, "Pushkin's House." This gave me the idea to use an epigraph as an introduction to a piece of music. Then I decided to re-read Pushkin's poem, and I heard a few bars from a new melody. That is how the first of these three pieces came to be.	At first, I composed this as the main theme for the musical play based on Ivan Bunin's prose. Later, I re-worked it into a separate musical piece.	This poetry engulfed me the first time I read it, resounded in my mind, twirled, and became a Waltz. This piece provided the inspiration to complete the series "Three Pieces with Epigraphs from Russian Poetry."