The Chess Chronicles, Part 10: Press Conference

 This song is one of the few that are NOT on the soundtrack album.  Which is too bad, as it's a really great song, featuring some crazy time signature changes.  Since the Lyceum doesn't have a pit, I decided to "pre-set" the number of bars before the song comes in, rather than having a Vamp: 6 bars of 4, with the drums entering on the last bar to help cue Reporter 1.

The verses of this song are "question / answer", like a traditional press conference.  The reporters from the "commie newspapers", so their questions generally defend Sergievsky, which causes Trumper to react aggressively. 

In the "pre-chorus" (not sure what else to call it, as the "real" chorus is later in the song), the Reporters all sing in unison, criticizing Trumper's treatment of his opponent.  This is where the crazy time signatures happen:  5/8, 5/8, 6/8, 4/8, 5/8, 7/8, 6/8, 8/8, and back to 5/8.  These time signature changes take place over all eighth notes, so it has the feel of a "patter song".  

The 8/8 bar is actually a 5/8 bar, but due to the fact that it's sung so quickly, I decided to change two of the eighth notes in measure 22 into quarter notes; it gives the Reporters a chance to catch a breath, and I felt like the melody actually sounded less frenzied that way.  Here's what m.21-23 and m.29-30 look like with quarter notes added:

For the first chorus, we played it kind of salsa-esque Latin, but without the horn hits in the second half.  I liked the straight Latin sound and didn't want to interrupt it.  If we had had a larger band, with a horn section, I might have been persuaded to change my mind; however, MainStage patches have their limitations, and I didn't want a lame brass sound in the chorus of this very cool song.  So each of the choruses was played as straight Latin, without any of the hits.

For the chorus after Trumper punches the reporter, I decided to have Florence sing the first half of the chorus by herself, so the choir was tacet from m.119-126.  They come back in for the last half of the chorus with Florence.  Then for the coda of the song, we jumped from m.133 to m.142.  Coming off of Florence's line, the Reporters therefore say:

It's sad that the best his country's produced is crumbling in front of our eyes, and reduced to a mindless abuse and assault on all of mankind.  I think he shouldn't have come back.  He should have resigned.

The rhythm for the last measure is the same as the rhythm for m.30 above -- making the last two notes into quarters.  This keeps it consistent with each time we do that little rhythm.

The Reporters are VERY combative with Trumper, and I was curious whether this was typical of Eastern journalists in 1984.  I asked ChatGPT the following:

During the Cold War, what was the general approach that Eastern reporters took when interviewing Western sports figures?

The response included several characteristics of the Eastern approach to journalism.  I've added examples of these characteristics below each of them:

• Framing Through Ideology – Reporters often framed questions to highlight perceived flaws in Western capitalist societies, such as inequality, commercialism in sports, or the lack of state support for athletes.

From the first pre-chorus:  "Admit you're under duress and that your only skill left is for money not chess."  Trumper's motivation for profiting as much as possible is a recurring theme throughout Act 1.

• Comparative Narratives – Interviews sometimes steered toward comparisons between socialist and capitalist sports systems, emphasizing the superiority of state-sponsored athletic programs in Eastern Bloc nations.

From the first pre-chorus:  "If Soviet life is as grim as you claim, then how come their boys are so good at the game?"

There's also a clear insinuation that Trumper is an inferior player in the questions the Reporters ask in verse 1:  "Does your opponent deserve such abuse?  Even you must concede he can play.  He hasn't lost for a long time."  And from Chorus 2:  "You protest too much, we see your ploy; a big noise to hide your fears."

•  Political Undercurrents – While discussing sports, reporters might subtly or overtly introduce political themes, such as Western imperialism, racial discrimination, or economic disparity.

Chorus 1:  "Are you an asset to East/West relations?" 

•  Controlled and Cautious Tone – Given the state-controlled nature of media in the Eastern Bloc, reporters had limited freedom in their questioning and had to ensure that their content aligned with government messaging.

Chorus 3 can be seen as a USSR talking point: "He's finally flipped and between you and me he's no hope of retaining his crown in this frame of mind.  He shouldn't have come here.  He should have resigned."

•  Highlighting Western Struggles – Some interviews sought to extract comments from Western athletes that could be used to criticize Western policies, such as dissatisfaction with training conditions, pay, or social issues.

From Verse 2:  "They pay all that you ask for, and then you demand even more".  This highlights Trumpers constant demands for more dollars. 

While it may seem that the libretto leans towards supporting the USSR, the creative team publicly stated their intention to present both sides equally.  The press is clearly antagonistic towards Trumper; however, the American does receive sympathy in the second act during "Pity The Child", and by the end of the musical, Trumper is somewhat of a "good guy" for helping Sergievsky to spot weaknesses in his opponent's game.

The two primary characters therefore don't become caricatures of East and West, with Sergeivsky as the hero and Trumper as the villain.  They are more complicated than that, thus mirroring the reality of the Cold War:  It's easy to choose sides, but the truth is far more complicated.