Russians on Russian Music, 1880-1917: An Anthology

Description

This second anthology of Russian writing on Russian music begins in 1880 (where the first volume concluded) and ends in 1917. It brings the thoughts of leading Russian music critics to an English-speaking readership as they react to the Russian music that is new to them, during a period when all aspects of musical life were developing rapidly. Music criticism had become more sure-footed, if no less opinionated. These reviews demonstrate greater awareness both of music history and of contemporary music abroad. The period covers the late careers of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov as well as late works by Borodin and Balakirev, and the emergence of Mussorgsky's compositions. Works by the intervening generation, including Arensky, Glazunov and Lyadov, are also reviewed and the book concludes with coverage of works by the Moscow School, including Medtner, Rachmaninoff and Skryabin and the early compositions of Stravinsky and Prokoviev.

Stuart Campbell is Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Music and at the Institute for Central and East European Studies, University of Glasgow. He is author of V. F. Okoyevsky and the Formation of Russian Musical Taste in the Nineteenth Century (1989) and editor and translator of Russians on Russian Music, 1830-1880 (Cambridge, 1994).

'... immensely welcome. Dealing with a wide range of issues, the thoughtfully selected articles reveal the views of contemporary Russian critics and chroniclers on concert life, publications, censorship, patronage, musical societies and groups, as well as providing a fascinating glimpse on the Russian perception of western composers and western music as a whole. Furthermore, most of the articles provide a detailed analysis of important musical works ... Campbell's translation is masterful ... This is a book recommended to all who are interested in the extremely lively cultural world of fin-de-siecle Russia, and a wonderful resource to teachers and students alike.' Brio