To Russia, With Musical Love — After 22 Years’ Absence

This week, music is bringing Americans and Russians together in a way that policy discussions never can. And don’t call that a cliche in front of the music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

If U.S. relations with Russia have hit a sticky patch over Syria and other issues lately, that didn’t stop the Chicago Symphony from thrilling a Russian audience this past Wednesday night, just as it did on its last visit — to the then-Soviet Union in 1990.

Lana Vyrazhanova loved the concert at the prestigious Moscow Conservatory. She says it is first and foremost about relations — the music comes second. “It seems to me,” Vyrazhanova said, “that when the Russians stand and applaud, they aren’t just applauding the music, they are applauding the American people.”