Latvia played a major role in pre-
serving the Russian romancitc
ballad. It was here, in the cities of
Riga, Libava and Jurmala, where
Moscow artists lived, performed
and made concerts shortly be-
fore the Second World War. Os-
kar Strok, the King of Russian Tan-
go. is a Soviet composer, who was
born in a Jewish family in Latvia.
In his youth, Strok graduated from
the St. Petersburg State Conser-
vatory, where he studied piano. In
1922, together with his wife, he
moved to Riga. After some time,
he becam infatuated with a girl
from Paris, so much so that he left
everything and moved to France.
Strongilla Irtlach
Nevertheless, Russian tango continued to de-
velop. It already won some sympathy in society,
and in the first years of Soviet power the state
did not interfere with the freedom of expres-
sion. However, several years later, the Scien-
tific and Technical Committee of the Supreme
Council of Physical Culture (STC SCPC) cre-
ated a commission to determine which danc-
es should be recommended to Soviet citizens
and young people, and which adversely affect
the life of a Soviet citizens.
The outcome of the proceedings turned out to
be sad for tango. On October 23, 1926, the ple-
num of the STC SCPC prohibited tango by de-
cree. In addition to tango, the foxtrot was also
banned. They considered to be associated with
the bourgeoisie. Fortunately, the ban did not
last long. Four years later. in 1930, STC SCPC
was disbanded. As a result, the prisoners foxtrot
and tango were set free. Despite some disap-
proval by the public, music collectives gathered
in Moscow and played tango and jazz.
Many talented artists on the Russian stage
left for Europe in the 1930s. As a result, there
were a huge number of Russian tangos in the
period of 1931-1939 was recorded in the re-
cording studios of Columbia Records.
Vera Kholodnaya in the role of Argentine woman
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