Time to visit Russia again for another elimination round. In the first match Chesnokov knocked Kabalevsky out.

The remaining Russian matches are:

Tchaikovsky versus Cui

Khachaturian versus Borodin

Glinka versus Stravinsky

Prokofiev versus Scriabin

Shostakovich versus Glinka

Rachmaninoff versus Balakirev

Rimsky-Korsakov versus Mussorgsky

That last match is a painful one. By all accounts Chesnokov shouldn’t have made the second round over Mussorgsky or Rimsky but this is Russia and who knows how the draw was established.

For that matter neither Khachaturian or Borodin should make it instead of Rimsky or Mussorgsky but once again it boils down to the draw.

Let’s get Tchaikovsky versus Cui started.

We might wonder who in the blazes Cui was. Cui was a composer associated with The Five but he was better known as a music critic than as a composer.

Throughout this lopsided match Cui continuously taunted Tchaikovsky with musical criticism. To his merit, Tchaikovsky merely pointed at the scoreboard in response to Cui’s japes. Although, when the this lopsided match was over Tchaikovsky did mutter--under his breath, “bitch-ass bitch”.

Cui was tacit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyVqq8dWRCs