“Melodies of the White Night“, music by Isaac Schvartz

Fragments from film. 1976. So tender melodies!!! Schwartz is associated with some of the Soviet era’s most popular films, including The White Sun of the Desert, a 1969 action drama directed by Vladimir Motyl that has cult status in Russia. Its theme song, Your Excellency Lady Luck which became a huge hit, was written by Schwartz. There is a tradition among cosmonauts to view the film before taking off on a mission. Schwartz also wrote the music for another of Motyl’s films, 1975’s The Captivating Star of Happiness, a historical drama about a group of young military officers who oppose serfdom under Czar Nicolas I. Schwartz wrote music for 110 movies and 35 theatre productions in his career. Born in 1923 in Ukraine, he moved with his family to Leningrad, now St. Petersburg. His father was arrested under Stalin and executed in 1938. Schwartz’s family spent eight years in exile before being allowed to return home. Shostakov