Post-Soviet Air Piano

I visited Leningrad after the downfall of the Soviet Union, and it was amazing to see how well the students at the art academy continued their studies without proper supplies. I watched a class where the students had to paint with clear water instead of oils, while the instructors commented on their brush stroke technique. That evening I went to a piano concert recital where they couldn't afford a piano. One student flunked for playing too many wrong notes, but another got a standing ovation for her delicate mime of Toccata and Fugue in D minor.