Lost Pianos of Siberia
- Downloads：5414
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-22 10:19:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sophy Roberts
- ISBN：0802149294
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
From acclaimed journalist Sophy Roberts， a journey through one of the harshest landscapes on earth--where music reveals the deep humanity and the rich history of Siberia
Siberia's story is traditionally one of exiles， penal colonies and unmarked graves。 Yet there is another tale to tell。
Dotted throughout this remote land are pianos--grand instruments created during the boom years of the nineteenth century， as well as humble， Soviet-made uprights that found their way into equally modest homes。 They tell the story of how， ever since entering Russian culture under the westernizing influence of Catherine the Great， piano music has run through the country like blood。
How these pianos traveled into this snow-bound wilderness in the first place is testament to noble acts of fortitude by governors， adventurers and exiles。 Siberian pianos have accomplished extraordinary feats， from the instrument that Maria Volkonsky， wife of an exiled Decembrist revolutionary， used to spread music east of the Urals， to those that brought reprieve to the Soviet Gulag。 That these instruments might still exist in such a hostile landscape is remarkable。 That they are still capable of making music in far-flung villages is nothing less than a miracle。
The Lost Pianos of Siberia is largely a story of music in this fascinating place， fol-lowing Roberts on a three-year adventure as she tracks a number of different instruments to find one whose history is definitively Siberian。 Her journey reveals a desolate land inhabited by wild tigers and deeply shaped by its dark history， yet one that is also profoundly beautiful--and peppered with pianos。
Siberia's story is traditionally one of exiles， penal colonies and unmarked graves。 Yet there is another tale to tell。
Dotted throughout this remote land are pianos--grand instruments created during the boom years of the nineteenth century， as well as humble， Soviet-made uprights that found their way into equally modest homes。 They tell the story of how， ever since entering Russian culture under the westernizing influence of Catherine the Great， piano music has run through the country like blood。
How these pianos traveled into this snow-bound wilderness in the first place is testament to noble acts of fortitude by governors， adventurers and exiles。 Siberian pianos have accomplished extraordinary feats， from the instrument that Maria Volkonsky， wife of an exiled Decembrist revolutionary， used to spread music east of the Urals， to those that brought reprieve to the Soviet Gulag。 That these instruments might still exist in such a hostile landscape is remarkable。 That they are still capable of making music in far-flung villages is nothing less than a miracle。
The Lost Pianos of Siberia is largely a story of music in this fascinating place， fol-lowing Roberts on a three-year adventure as she tracks a number of different instruments to find one whose history is definitively Siberian。 Her journey reveals a desolate land inhabited by wild tigers and deeply shaped by its dark history， yet one that is also profoundly beautiful--and peppered with pianos。
Reviews
Christian
，
Not my kind of book。
David Lockley
，
Masterful。A wonderfully original concept brought to life through superb research and beautiful prose。 An excellent travelogue and a concise history of the people's of Russia， Siberia and their music。 Masterful。A wonderfully original concept brought to life through superb research and beautiful prose。 An excellent travelogue and a concise history of the people's of Russia， Siberia and their music。 。。。more
Rae
，
Musical history of Russia。 Shostakovich。 Siberia。 Gulag。 A satisfying niche read。
Maggie
，
I loved that this book was able to cover so much Russian history and help the reader envision the vast Siberian landscape during the author’s 2 year quest searching for pianos。 I thought the concept was brilliant。 The book was a slow burner for me…the first 2/3 pages were so rich in historical detail， it was hard to digest everything。 I thought the last 1/3 of the book was the best part because it read more like a travel diary。
Joanna
，
I don’t know if a lot of books could make me want to visit Siberia， but this did。
Tristan Bath
，
As a symbol of European Russia's outstretched fingers creeping into the vast， unforgiving， harsh， beautiful， and intoxicating landscape of Siberia， the piano is an unusual choice。 Roberts' is a talented writer， able to find the magic in everyday situations， and constantly channeling the spirits of history into every situation， room， and face she meets along her journey。There's no way to tell the story of her journey to seek out old pianos littered throughout Siberia without giving a fresh angle As a symbol of European Russia's outstretched fingers creeping into the vast， unforgiving， harsh， beautiful， and intoxicating landscape of Siberia， the piano is an unusual choice。 Roberts' is a talented writer， able to find the magic in everyday situations， and constantly channeling the spirits of history into every situation， room， and face she meets along her journey。There's no way to tell the story of her journey to seek out old pianos littered throughout Siberia without giving a fresh angle on the ever-fascinating and brutal history of Russia herself。 Roberts' search takes her to the tip of Russia's far east and the 1905 war， to the cellar where the Romanov's met their end， to the Soviet academic utopia of Akademgorodok， and even to the bizarre Commander Islands – so remote they've been left off of many a map in the past。I loved this book， and I loved Roberts' style。 The final third flagged a bit， speedily reeling off histories， genealogies， and hastily connecting everything back to pianos， long after the trip became "about something else"。Overall – a satisfying and beautiful read。 。。。more
John
，
Nonfiction。Mention Siberia， and pianos probably don't come to mind。 What we probably think is: That is the place Russians are sent when the government is mad at them。It turns out Siberia also has a rich cultural history。 That includes a love affair with the piano， particularly in the first part of the 20th century。 The pianos Sophy Roberts seeks aren't "lost" in the strictest sense of the word。 But she endures travel hardships and an unfriendly bureaucracy for three years to locate some of the s Nonfiction。Mention Siberia， and pianos probably don't come to mind。 What we probably think is: That is the place Russians are sent when the government is mad at them。It turns out Siberia also has a rich cultural history。 That includes a love affair with the piano， particularly in the first part of the 20th century。 The pianos Sophy Roberts seeks aren't "lost" in the strictest sense of the word。 But she endures travel hardships and an unfriendly bureaucracy for three years to locate some of the significant pianos in Siberia's past。 All of this comes about because， in a ger in Mongolia， she's challenged to bring a Siberian piano back to the ger。 This makes no sense， I know。 It may still make no sense after you read the book。 You probably should read it， because most readers -- including professional critics -- reacted to it much more positively than I did。 What emerges is mostly travelogue with smatterings of Siberian history， Russian history in general， music history and， yes， pianos。 There's so much here， and so much interesting stuff。 But for me， the parts were greater than the sum of the whole。 I felt like I kept losing sight of the narrative， which seemed slightly out of focus， or perhaps out of tune。 Although I was impressed by the book and its intrepid author， I was glad when I got to the epilogue。 And that turned out to be one of the best parts。 。。。more
Fransien Vandeweghe
，
4，5 sterren。 Fascinerend（e） streek。 Rijkelijk gedocumenteerd。。。
A
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Second stab at this。 My hurdle was the introductory overview of Russsia（s） that appear in this book and every book about the country。 But once it introduces the direction it’s taking， the story becomes engrossing。 I can’t help but notice that every travelogue style foray into Russia has the author tying together disparate people to use as breadcrumbs， not to find their way back home， but to stack up a plot。 I don’t mind。 I like meeting these people。 One minor note: it’s easy to spot her conclusi Second stab at this。 My hurdle was the introductory overview of Russsia（s） that appear in this book and every book about the country。 But once it introduces the direction it’s taking， the story becomes engrossing。 I can’t help but notice that every travelogue style foray into Russia has the author tying together disparate people to use as breadcrumbs， not to find their way back home， but to stack up a plot。 I don’t mind。 I like meeting these people。 One minor note: it’s easy to spot her conclusion even before the midway point， because she gives it away herself in the introductory quotes she heads every part with。 。。。more
D
，
Het boek is zoals Ik me Siberië voorstel: eentonig en je raakt er in verdwaald。 Toch de moeite om te lezen， omwille van de geschiedenis van een land waar ik weinig over weet， en omwille van het mooie einde waar alles samenkomt。
Sophy H
，
Did not finish， abandoned after a few laborious chapters。 This wasn't what I was expecting at all。 The overly expansive length of the book was off putting as was the rambling nature of Siberian history。 Definitely not my thing。 Never mind， this was a library loan so no great loss。 Did not finish， abandoned after a few laborious chapters。 This wasn't what I was expecting at all。 The overly expansive length of the book was off putting as was the rambling nature of Siberian history。 Definitely not my thing。 Never mind， this was a library loan so no great loss。 。。。more
ellie
，
i am still struggling to find the words that can properly describe the sensation of reading this book。 seeing my home be described through a romantic lens of travels and musical history， it made me tear up。 witty， insightful， and most importantly fully aware of any prejudices or biases that may appear through the western perspective。 i hope they’ll translate this into russian， too， so my mom can read it。 i will most probably be coming back to this book a lot anyway; it’s full of annotations and i am still struggling to find the words that can properly describe the sensation of reading this book。 seeing my home be described through a romantic lens of travels and musical history， it made me tear up。 witty， insightful， and most importantly fully aware of any prejudices or biases that may appear through the western perspective。 i hope they’ll translate this into russian， too， so my mom can read it。 i will most probably be coming back to this book a lot anyway; it’s full of annotations and bookmarks for so many great passages that i wouldn’t mind reading over and over again。 5/5 review might be biased because i am siberian but i don’t care <3 。。。more
Lili Bammens
，
Een geschiedenis van Siberië， en bij uitbreiding Rusland， opgehangen aan een zoektocht naar een piano。De geschiedenis en de verhalen verbonden aan verschillende piano's boeiden me。 Maar de auteur verloor zich soms， in al haar enthousiasme voor het land， in te veel details die mijn aandacht niet konden vasthouden。 Een geschiedenis van Siberië， en bij uitbreiding Rusland， opgehangen aan een zoektocht naar een piano。De geschiedenis en de verhalen verbonden aan verschillende piano's boeiden me。 Maar de auteur verloor zich soms， in al haar enthousiasme voor het land， in te veel details die mijn aandacht niet konden vasthouden。 。。。more
Betsy
，
This was a bit of a slog。 I learned a lot about Siberia， but had a hard time staying engaged with the listing of pianos and the catalog of Roberts' travels。 Unlike some of my favorite non-fiction， this one had no narrative thread or consistent "characters" to tie together the events， geographical descriptions， and historical bits and pieces。 I was also hoping， given that this is about pianos， for a bit more of a discussion of music--and the colonization of more localized musical aesthetics and m This was a bit of a slog。 I learned a lot about Siberia， but had a hard time staying engaged with the listing of pianos and the catalog of Roberts' travels。 Unlike some of my favorite non-fiction， this one had no narrative thread or consistent "characters" to tie together the events， geographical descriptions， and historical bits and pieces。 I was also hoping， given that this is about pianos， for a bit more of a discussion of music--and the colonization of more localized musical aesthetics and musical traditions with the Western piano。 Instead， the pianos seemed to serve as an excuse to travel through Siberia， and for me， the volume read like a march through Roberts' Siberian travel log， without much of a coherent thread weaving it all together。 。。。more
Rafa Willisch
，
Fascinating book！。 A brilliant guide to Rusia of the past and present through the quest of old pianos。
Angie
，
I didn't know much about Siberia so this was a bit of an eye-opener for me。 A fascinating and well-written book that draws you in to the story from the start。 I didn't expect it to be a page turner， but it was。Recommended read。 I didn't know much about Siberia so this was a bit of an eye-opener for me。 A fascinating and well-written book that draws you in to the story from the start。 I didn't expect it to be a page turner， but it was。Recommended read。 。。。more
Sharon Harper
，
Loved this book so much I have shared it with others and sent copies to my family
Louise
，
A search for pianos in Siberia？ This raised eyebrows of visa issuing officials and aroused the skepticism of the FSB。 You learn this at the end of the book and realize that adding to the rigors of the climate， the insects and the language gulf was another element of this search requiring bravery。 This is an engaging and wide ranging report。Each chapter begins with a clear map of Siberia， showing known landmarks and the location to be explored。 These geographical chapters are somewhat chronologic A search for pianos in Siberia？ This raised eyebrows of visa issuing officials and aroused the skepticism of the FSB。 You learn this at the end of the book and realize that adding to the rigors of the climate， the insects and the language gulf was another element of this search requiring bravery。 This is an engaging and wide ranging report。Each chapter begins with a clear map of Siberia， showing known landmarks and the location to be explored。 These geographical chapters are somewhat chronological in the history of how pianos came to Siberia。 The earliest came in the time of Catherine the Great in her attempt to spread culture throughout Russia。 A major impact came when the Decembrists of 1825 were exiled and the families who went with the nobles brought their pianos。 With Franz Liszt's 1842 Russian performance， Lisztomania spread throughout the country。 Factories in Moscow sprang up to fill demand， and through various means， pianos were sold and delivered to the far reaches of the empire。So – where did these pianos go？ Sophy Roberts tracks them and presents her findings， not just of the pianos， but the role of music is Russian life。 She writes beautifully of how music eased the suffering through the revolution， civil wars， WWII and the harsh life in this cold region。 The content is wide ranging supported by many b & w photos。 These stand outs， better than a review， show the sweep of this book:p。 35 photos of family/ancestors of Odgerel Sampilnorov， a contemporary Mongolian pianist p。 85 An 1831 illustration of a Siberian “drawing room” of a （fortunate） Decembrist convict。p。 106 a 2016 photo of a 1874 Bechstein （made in Germany） piano， that survived a pre-railroad delivery to Kiakhta which may have crossed Lake Baikal on a sledge （maybe 5 days） and traveled through muddy rutted roads， now a museum piece。p。 125 a photo of a Bechstein in a contemporary home。p。 133，137 photos depict unusual （to most readers） elements of the prison environment of the places visitedp。 154 the text covers the disappearance of the piano that traveled with the Romanov family in exile。 Of the several （non-piano related） photos， this showing the imprisoned Romanov family “taking fresh air” is the most stirring。p。 186 a 2017 photo of Leonid Kaloshin of Ust-Koksa。who represents many of the unsung individuals bringing music to Siberia。 He is a former Aeroflot navigator， living on a “sparse pension”; He bought a piano for a local boy and is building a concert hall for the community。p。 226 US Vice President Henry Wallace visiting “Gulag prisoners” – actually the prisoners are starving and ill – so members of the Communist Youth Organization are dressed as mine workers。 p。231 – 1940’s Vadim Kozin performs for Gulag prisoners。 The hungry， cold and deprived prisoners cry and mourn。 Kozin （who is on a “prison tour”） attempts to hang himself after the performance。p。246 Vladimr Biryukov， President of the Siberian Piano Tuners Association， with a Steinway grand that he believes was played by the Leningrad Philharmonic in exile。P。 263 Tombstone of Vera Lotar-Shevchenko， a gifted pianist， whose story has to be read for itself。p。 286 Contrasting images of music in 1992 – glasnost – in Russiap。292 – two photos 1994/5 The first is Checkens playing a piano。 The second， taken one month later is of the Russians， who took over their village， playing the same piano。I agree with the reviewers who have criticized the organization of the book and I agree it tends to wander。 The final chapters are more travel log than piano hunt and the piano chapters cover bits of nature and history。 I typically lose patience with books that don’t stick to their mission or stray from their thesis in sound bites， but the content here is stirring that I cannot fault its delivery。 The substance and most of the descriptive writing （nature， people， historical episodes）， for me， override my other tastes。 Roberts has recorded history and personal stories that without her trip and narrative would be lost。 She further won my respect when， at the end of the book， you realize the governmental obstacles in her way。 。。。more
Salty Girls Read
，
I'm a simple girl， I see a niche book about Russia， I buy。 I absolutely adored this exploration of Siberia， it's about more than just pianos， it's about the emigration of Russians from the east to the west， the immigration of the Polish to Siberia and the history of the native Siberians， I mean that's fantastic！ I just really love this book， I want to reread it again asap！ I'm a simple girl， I see a niche book about Russia， I buy。 I absolutely adored this exploration of Siberia， it's about more than just pianos， it's about the emigration of Russians from the east to the west， the immigration of the Polish to Siberia and the history of the native Siberians， I mean that's fantastic！ I just really love this book， I want to reread it again asap！ 。。。more
Denise Cee
，
I picked this up in the library mid pandemic based on the title。 I had no idea whether it was fiction or non-fiction。 It was worth it。 It was nicely written and engaging。 Its a travel log really but its enjoyable and she covers some history I was unfamiliar with。 I also discovered some kinds of music I hadn't heard before。 I enjoyed the relatively informal style and the digressions。 It did make me want to visit Siberia one day， although possibly not to see its pianos。 It definitely evokes the en I picked this up in the library mid pandemic based on the title。 I had no idea whether it was fiction or non-fiction。 It was worth it。 It was nicely written and engaging。 Its a travel log really but its enjoyable and she covers some history I was unfamiliar with。 I also discovered some kinds of music I hadn't heard before。 I enjoyed the relatively informal style and the digressions。 It did make me want to visit Siberia one day， although possibly not to see its pianos。 It definitely evokes the endless landscape and gives a sense to time and scale。 Recommended。 。。。more
Carl
，
Definitely an eccentric travel book。 The search for pianos in Siberia leads to a revisit of Russia's （miserable） history as well as encounters with those living in Siberia today。 Excellent photographs， maps。 Extremely well-written。 This fits in the tradition of the "odd" travel book。 More than a bit of Don Quixote in Sophy Roberts， but that's not a bad thing。 Definitely an eccentric travel book。 The search for pianos in Siberia leads to a revisit of Russia's （miserable） history as well as encounters with those living in Siberia today。 Excellent photographs， maps。 Extremely well-written。 This fits in the tradition of the "odd" travel book。 More than a bit of Don Quixote in Sophy Roberts， but that's not a bad thing。 。。。more
Lewis Herlitz
，
I received this book quite randomly from a daughter and thought， well at least it could be interesting ！ But in fact it was wonderful。 A whole world previously unknown to me， not just about pianos but Siberia and its hidden histories， now mostly lost; and the many characters that Sophie meets， and lost characters from the past。 The book is written with such empathy。 I felt that I wanted to personally meet the people that Sophie met。 How much of Russia remains unknown to us and how vast Siberia i I received this book quite randomly from a daughter and thought， well at least it could be interesting ！ But in fact it was wonderful。 A whole world previously unknown to me， not just about pianos but Siberia and its hidden histories， now mostly lost; and the many characters that Sophie meets， and lost characters from the past。 The book is written with such empathy。 I felt that I wanted to personally meet the people that Sophie met。 How much of Russia remains unknown to us and how vast Siberia is。Ah yes。 A wonderful and beautifully written book。 。。。more
Snorki
，
A meticulously researched book documenting the author's search for pianos in Siberia， from the Tsarist regime through to the present day。 Most of the book is really taken up with tales of life in Siberia， its harshness and beauty both coming through。 I quite liked this book but at some level， I failed to engage much with the piano search - there were lots of snippets of potential pianos， but not many actual pianos， and the books was more focused on individuals， their lives and stories。 It gives A meticulously researched book documenting the author's search for pianos in Siberia， from the Tsarist regime through to the present day。 Most of the book is really taken up with tales of life in Siberia， its harshness and beauty both coming through。 I quite liked this book but at some level， I failed to engage much with the piano search - there were lots of snippets of potential pianos， but not many actual pianos， and the books was more focused on individuals， their lives and stories。 It gives a sense of the vastness and difference of Siberia， and makes an interesting read， but there are many tangled threads that don't really get unravelled at all。 In the end， I think this is an accurate reflection of the situation -there are a few old pianos here and there， but much has been lost。 What does come through is the importance of music in many different aspects of Siberian （and Russian） life， in spite of - or perhaps because of - the challenges faced over the last couple of centuries。 Interesting， but for me， it didn't quite live up to the promise or the stellar reviews。 。。。more
Judy
，
A great read！ Didn’t want it to end。 Learnt so much more about the history of Siberia。 Just can’t believe pianos， being large and clumsy， were one of the most favourable musical instruments to be carted around in such a wild place as Siberia。 One of my favourite non-fiction books。
Greet De
，
Een boek dat je zeker bevalt indien je meer wilt weten over de geschiedenis， cultuur， natuur，。。。van Siberië。 Mooi geschreven， maar ik miste een ‘verhaal’。
James Hallmark
，
I thought the book I read last year on the “Stan” countries of central Asia was esoteric。 But it’s hard to beat this one for obscurity。 The Lost Pianos of Siberia？？？ What？？？ The title caught my attention。 The book summary led me to buy it。 And the book is better than the title or the summary。 I listened to this one （Audible） and I found it so interesting I listened to it twice。 Pianos are the hook， it’s what she is searching to find， but really it is a history of the Russian influence in Siberia I thought the book I read last year on the “Stan” countries of central Asia was esoteric。 But it’s hard to beat this one for obscurity。 The Lost Pianos of Siberia？？？ What？？？ The title caught my attention。 The book summary led me to buy it。 And the book is better than the title or the summary。 I listened to this one （Audible） and I found it so interesting I listened to it twice。 Pianos are the hook， it’s what she is searching to find， but really it is a history of the Russian influence in Siberia from about 1750 to the present， centering around how pianos made their way east。 When I first heard of this book I wondered why there are so many pianos in Siberia。 Well， read the book and it is perfectly logical。 The Exiles were sent （“exiled”） east and were allowed to take with them whatever they could。 Many brought pianos。 When Russia carved up Poland and absorbed Lithuania and such， the rich Polish culture and musical tradition （think how Chopin inspired the nation of Poland） moved to cities such as Tomsk and with it their pianos。 The “Decembrists” （a revolution in the 1800s） brought their pianos when they were exiled。 The czar was exiled and then assassinated and he brought the family piano with him to Siberia。 When the Soviets wished to compete in the space race and rocket weaponry they built cities in Siberia， much like we built Los Alamos。 Those scientists and their families brought their pianos。 Fascinating book！ Some of the reviews complain that this book really isn’t about pianos but rather goes off on tangents about Russian history。 Exactly， which is why it is interesting。 And one more point: I love that it doesn’t appear to have a sub-title。 I’m really tired of non-fiction books with long subtitles trying to capture hits on Google searches。 。。。more
Pere
，
Malgrat un gran treball de camp i de recerca de l'autora， ni el tema ni la narració m'han acabat d'atreure。 Malgrat un gran treball de camp i de recerca de l'autora， ni el tema ni la narració m'han acabat d'atreure。 。。。more
Andres Eguiguren
，
Roberts spent two years criss-crossing Siberia （which she broadly defines as all of Russia east of the Ural Mountains） in search of pre-Revolutionary piano to gift to a classical pianist friend in Mongolia。 This is the sort of quirky book I enjoy， part first-person travelogue， part journalism， part historical account in the vein of Polish journalist and author Ryszard Kapuściński。 It could have been a little shorter （I read it in two separate bursts）， but it's the kind of writing that is as much Roberts spent two years criss-crossing Siberia （which she broadly defines as all of Russia east of the Ural Mountains） in search of pre-Revolutionary piano to gift to a classical pianist friend in Mongolia。 This is the sort of quirky book I enjoy， part first-person travelogue， part journalism， part historical account in the vein of Polish journalist and author Ryszard Kapuściński。 It could have been a little shorter （I read it in two separate bursts）， but it's the kind of writing that is as much about the experience as the final destination。 。。。more
Nasus
，
This book was really more like a travelogue and part time history of Siberia。 I learned a lot about the land west of the Urals。 Amazingly there are some real treasures to be found and it is fascinating the lengths to which the author went in search of pianos。 It was a little hard to follow all the different places and reasons for the search， but overall a good read。 It's also interesting when put in the context of all we know about Stalin's use of the gulags in Siberia as prison & death camps。 This book was really more like a travelogue and part time history of Siberia。 I learned a lot about the land west of the Urals。 Amazingly there are some real treasures to be found and it is fascinating the lengths to which the author went in search of pianos。 It was a little hard to follow all the different places and reasons for the search， but overall a good read。 It's also interesting when put in the context of all we know about Stalin's use of the gulags in Siberia as prison & death camps。 。。。more
Piisa
，
A different angle to a country's history。 What a journey looking for lost pianos， finding more stories about the pianos than the pianos themselves。 Amazing stories about great humanity and atrocious inhumanity。 You need real passion to write a book like this。 More or less unputdownable。 A different angle to a country's history。 What a journey looking for lost pianos， finding more stories about the pianos than the pianos themselves。 Amazing stories about great humanity and atrocious inhumanity。 You need real passion to write a book like this。 More or less unputdownable。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Lost Pianos of Siberia
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Lost Pianos of Siberia&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft