My time: 14:24, two minutes faster than average, which isn't good. There was a good amount that was new to me; plus the vagueness of the clues (such as "beat" for PULSATE) slowed me down, as did things only half-remembered, such as SEARS Tower and author Caleb CARR.
Theme: SAINT / BASIL'S CATHEDRAL, located in RED SQUARE, with the shape of the famed ONION DOME built right into the grid.
"Danced to un bandoneón" is TANGOED; the clue references a type of concertina or accordion from Spain. It is an essential instrument in most tango ensembles from the traditional orquesta típica.
"State that borders Bhutan" is ASSAM, the Indian state whose capital is Dispur. The state has come up a lot in puzzles, but this is the first time I've seen it clued as part of the Bhutan border.
"The Point, in brief" mystified the hell out of me. It was only after staring at the completed answer for a few minutes that it clicked. It means a slangy way to refer to West Point, the USMA. Remember how it was implemented by Thos. Jefferson?
John CABOT is the "notable voyager of 1497." His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England is the earliest known European exploration of coastal North America since the Norse visits to Vinland in the eleventh century.
I wanted to put couplet for "sonnet's conclusion" and only refrained because it doesn't fit. It's SESTET, the word for the last six lines of an Italian, or Petrarchan, sonnet. The Italian sonnet has the rhyme scheme ABBA ABBA for the octave, and sestet in CD CD CD or CDE CDE.
The Sawtooth National Forest is in IDA. I'm sure it's lovely!
"ELENA of Avalor" is an animated Disney TV show in which a teenaged magical princess learns how to rule her kingdom. I knew I should have subscribed to Disney+!
Desynchronosis made me think of someone who went to the wrong time period, like Bill and Ted, but it's the much more mundane condition of being JET-LAGGED.
And now we come to the composer section of the lesson. "Semper Fidelis" is the 1888 march written by John Phillip SOUSA in response to a request from United States President Chester Arthur for a new piece to be associated with the United States President.
And "Gnossiennes" are a series of piano works composed in the 1890s by Erik SATIE, crossword mainstay, he of the "Gymnopédies."
Clever clues: "Split personalities?" is EXES. "Showing sings of tear?' is SAD. "Island locale" is KITCHEN. "Imported European wheels" is EDAM.
Whew! This one took me to the MAT and beat me like a DEAD HORSE.
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