Gorbachev Ballads Album Fetches $160K at Auction

A CD of Mikhail Gorbachev singing traditional Russian ballads has sold for $164,940 at a charity auction in London, the Guardian reports. The sole copy is now in the hands of an “anonymous British philanthropist.” The benefit was held to raise money for a foundation, named after the former Soviet premier’s late wife, committed to fighting childhood cancer.

“The disc includes seven of Raisa’s favorite romantic songs,” Gorbachev said before launching into a rendition of Old Letters, a ballad. “I sang them myself.” On the disc, Gorbachev is accompanied by the leader of one of Russia’s most popular rock groups. A Raisa Gorbachev Foundation official said the former president’s live performance “was greeted with delight and a storm of applause.” (More Mikhail Gorbachev stories.)