In Soviet Russia, you do not play piano — piano plays you

Young people in Russia are practically giving away pianos, many of which became the norm in Russian flats. The Soviet government encouraged piano production as way to boost culture among its citizenry.

The idea of a piano in every flat sounds terrific to me, but I’m biased because I know how to play the instrument. (And my 88-weighted key synth just doesn’t cut it sometimes.) I don’t get the impression the pianos in question were maintained very well, and while the depreciation of a piano is not like a car or computer, it’s still a big item to handle in a move.

Ah well.