For a moment during the Cold War — in the decade between Josef Stalin’s death until the Cuban Missile Crisis — something called “Cultural Exchange” formed a warm glow in US-Soviet relations. It started with one pianist in 1955, named Emil Gilels, and led to a sudden mutual discovery of two nations’ best music and musicians. Sara Fishko talked to some of the people who helped raise the Iron Curtain, slightly and briefly, almost 50 years ago.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.