Dmitri Potter?

I appear to be pulling an all-nighter. Or something close to that. I totally expected myself to be mature enough, organized enough, and responsible enough by this age that grad school would never entail things such as all-nighters. And yet here I am, working on a detailed analysis of Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1 for a class presentation tomorrow... err, later today.

At three in the morning, I'm finding it harder than usual to keep my mind trained securely on Dmitri Shostakovich and not on wands and charms and, well, Harry Potter.

Do you understand my predicament?

I'm picturing an eighth book in the series, possibly entitled "Harry Potter and the Governmentally Oppressed Russian Virtuoso." In it, a pivotal scene would involve Shostakovich's friend Yevgeny Mravinsky conducting the premiere of the First Violin Concerto. Mravinsky suddenly shouts "expelliarmus!" while pointing his wand baton in the general direction of David Oistrakh, whose bow subsequently flies out of his hand in the middle of the devilishly difficult Scherzo movement.

Then, one can't help wondering, if Stalin is to Shostakovich as Lord Voldemort He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is to Harry Potter (and this much should be obvious -- are you with me?!), what does that make my school orchestra conductor, who I've long thought bore a striking resemblance to that particular communist dictator?

Maestro Joseph Voldemort?

Maestro Tom Stalin?

Maestro J. Vissarionovich Voldemort?

Yes, Maestro, I should have practiced the Schubert before our first rehearsal! Please don't send me to the gulag, or even worse, use an Unforgivable Curse on me!